For a company like Ducati, categories have always been more like suggestions than rules. This is a brand that thrives on building superbikes that dominate racetracks, naked bikes that double as precision scalpels for the street, and adventure machines that blur the line between sport and utility. But back in 2010, Ducati did something that left everyone scratching their heads. It built a cruiser. Except, it wasn’t really a cruiser at all.
That bike was the original Diavel, and from the very start, it never fit the mold. It had the long, low stance and oversized rear tire of a power cruiser, but everything else about it screamed Ducati. Sharp handling. Explosive acceleration. A kind of swagger that was equal parts muscle car and superbike. Riders who swung a leg over one realized quickly that this wasn’t Harley’s world or Yamaha’s VMAX territory. The Diavel was something else entirely. And for more than a decade, it has remained the most un-Ducati Ducati in the lineup.
Fast forward to 2023, when Ducati replaced the old Testastretta L-twin with the 1158cc Granturismo V4. The Diavel became smoother, faster, and more sophisticated, pulling off the neat trick of being comfortable for longer rides while still tearing up the quarter mile. But for all its appeal, one thing was missing: Ducati’s RS magic. That changes for 2026 with the launch of the Diavel V4 RS, a machine that doesn’t just up the ante—it flips the whole table over.
The secret weapon here is the engine. Instead of the Granturismo V4, Ducati dropped in the 1,103cc Desmosedici Stradale, straight out of the Panigale and Streetfighter. On paper, it might look like a step down since the displacement is slightly smaller. In reality, it’s a monster. The Desmo V4 puts out 182 horsepower at 11,750 rpm, compared to 168 horsepower from the Granturismo. Torque drops a hair, from 93 pound-feet to 89 pound-feet, and the peak arrives later at 9,500 rpm instead of 7,500. But this is the kind of trade you gladly take, because the Stradale loves to rev, and that makes the RS an entirely different animal.
Ducati didn’t just hand-wave numbers, either. To prove the point, it had Marc Márquez unleash the Diavel V4 RS with launch control engaged. The result? Zero to 62 miles per hour (100 kph) in 2.5 seconds. That makes it the fastest-accelerating road-legal Ducati, quicker even than a Panigale. The only way to beat it is to climb onto a full-blown MotoGP bike. Think about that for a second: a cruiser that accelerates faster than Ducati’s flagship superbike. Frickin’ insane, right?
Of course, power is useless without control, and Ducati made sure the RS doesn’t just go fast in a straight line. The suspension has been upgraded from the standard Marzocchi and Sachs setup to Öhlins all around. Up front is a 48mm NIX 30 fork, while the rear gets an STX 36 monoshock. Both are fully adjustable, giving riders real tuning options. Forged Marchesini wheels shave weight and add strength, wrapped in Pirelli Diablo Rosso IVs. That includes the outrageous 240/45-17 rear, which now has a tire compound designed specifically for this bike.
Weight savings extend beyond wheels and suspension. Ducati replaced much of the bodywork with carbon fiber and swapped the battery for a lithium-ion unit, dropping curb weight to 485 pounds—seven pounds less than the standard model. Revised sprockets stretch the wheelbase a touch, giving the bike more stability to match the higher-revving powerplant. Geometry otherwise stays the same, so it still flicks into corners far more eagerly than any bike this size has any right to.
Electronics fill in the rest. The RS gets four riding modes, three power modes, cornering ABS, cornering traction control, wheelie control, and launch control, all tied to a six-axis IMU. It’s not just about safety—it’s about harnessing the chaos into something you can actually ride on the street without feeling like you’re taming a wild animal. Though to be fair, the Diavel V4 RS is very much about that sensation, too.
Looks matter with a bike like this, and Ducati made sure the RS doesn’t just blend into the crowd. Carbon fiber panels dominate the body, from the tank intakes to the single-seat tail. A passenger setup is still tucked away, complete with retractable pegs and grab handle, but in its solo configuration the RS looks like pure theater. The paintwork is three-tone, accented with RS graphics that announce its place at the top of the Diavel food chain. And then, of course, there’s that tire. Nothing says Diavel like a 240-section rear, and the RS flaunts it like a badge of honor.
Gallery: 2026 Ducati Diavel V4 RS
Naturally, none of this comes cheap. Ducati has set the price at $39,995, or twelve grand more than the standard Diavel V4. This positions the bike as an exotic muscle cruiser for those who don’t want to compromise on power, style, or bragging rights.
So what exactly is the Diavel V4 RS? It’s not a cruiser in the traditional sense, because traditional cruisers don’t do 2.5-second sprints to 62 mph. It’s not a sportbike, because no sportbike runs a tire this wide. It’s not a naked, or a tourer, or a drag bike, though it borrows a little DNA from all of them. What it is, really, is a statement. A machine built for the rider who looks at categories and shrugs, who wants a bike that feels unhinged in the best possible way, who thinks insanity is a feature, not a flaw.
Source: Ducati
