2026-on Ducati Diavel V4 RS review

Ducati Diavel V4 RS expert review

With Ducati’s launch control system activated and first gear engaged, the dash pulses red. With the throttle pinned to the stop, electronics restrict the revs, and all you need to do now is feed out the clutch and unleash the fury.

Ducati says its new £34,396 (£34,575 OTR) Diavel V4 RS is its fastest accelerating road bike and in the hands of test rider Alessandro Valia, scorches to 62mph (100km/h) in just 2.4 seconds. At a Ducati promo event during its unveiling, Marc Marquez did it in 2.5…

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Is the Ducati Diavel V4 RS right for you?

Reasons to buy:
+ Blistering acceleration (0–62mph in 2.4 seconds) with 180bhp superbike-derived V4 engine
+ High-spec components, including Öhlins suspension, Brembo Stylema brakes, and carbon fancies
+ Surprisingly refined and comfortable for everyday riding despite extreme performance

Reasons to avoid:
– Very expensive at around £34,400, especially when the cheaper standard Diavel offers a similar experience
– Heavy (220kg wet) and requires careful handling when pushed in corners
– Some features cost extra (e.g. heated grips) and the dash/switchgear feel slightly basic

Rapid off the line

Unless you’ve ever ridden a drag bike or started a race with a slammed MotoGP weapon, you’ll have never felt such G-force from a standing start. It pushes your eyeballs into your skull and sends your brain slipping back into your neck.

The magic behind the Diavel V4 RS’s speed comes from the fact it’s long, low, and isn’t prone to time-wasting wheelies, like a superbike or even a hyperbike. The Ducati’s 1602mm wheelbase is longer than a Panigale V4 S (1408mm) and Suzuki’s Hayabusa (1485mm). It also has a smooth anti-wheelie system that lets you keep the throttle pinned while the front wheel hovers gently above the tarmac.

But most of all, this is the most powerful Diavel yet. Where the standard Diavel V4 uses the Bologna firm’s 166bhp, 1158cc spring valve V4 Granturismo motor, the RS gets the 1103cc Desmosedici Stradale V4 desmo valve superbike engine for the first time.

Making a claimed 180bhp at the crank, the V4 is also 1.8kg lighter and has longer gearing, which allows 62mph to be dispensed without having to shift out of first.

Its 18,600-mile valve service intervals are less than the standard V4’s (37,200), but that’s the price you pay for the extra performance… and there’s an excess of it.

Open the throttle in anger, and it’s an assault to the senses. Its deep, hollow airbox roar drills through every fibre of your being and its brutal acceleration never relents, even in sixth gear. Thankfully there’s a generously sized bum stop to prevent you from falling off the back.

Civilised and refined

But despite the V4’s searing performance, it’s civilised, too, thanks to refined engine mapping. Over the past few years, Ducati has used clever electronic strategies to make even their most powerful machines less angry.

The RS is as easy to bimble through town, admiring your reflection in shop windows, as it is to rinse just about anything away from the lights.

Corners like a stretched super-naked

The RS isn’t just about straight-line speed. On a backroad, even the standard V4 is hugely capable for such a long, cartoonishly fat-tyred (240-section rear) machine. But fitted with fully adjustable Öhlins suspension, lightweight wheels, the 3kg-lighter RS is even more impressive.

At normal speeds, the handling is crisp and accurate. It carries its weight well, but you’re reminded of its bulk (claimed 220kg wet, no fuel) when you push on. You need to wait for its weight to settle before you commit to a bend, especially over bumps and exercise patience while the rear tyre rolls onto its side.

The Diavel reacts best when you finesse it with your fingertips and use generous helpings of back brake to help it turn, but when you do, it glides through corners with little effort.

There’s plenty of grip from the Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV sports tyres, the ride is plush, and thanks to its long, stable wheelbase, the Brembo Stylemas can be used to their full, devastating effect – although they’re so strong they’ll plough the front tyre and activate the ABS if the tyre isn’t up to temperature.

Despite its imposing stature, the Ducati feels small and light. Its spacious riding position and stitched seat are comfy and it’s low enough to get feet flat on the floor, although the V4 pumps out a lot of heat, even with its rear cylinder cut system.

Tech detail

(Nearly) all the toys

As well as its superbike engine, uprated electronic rider aids and suspension, you get a billet aluminium STM-EVO SBK dry slipper clutch, carbon fibre goodies, titanium exhaust tips, a lightweight lithium-ion battery, keyless ignition, and cruise control, but heated grips cost £315.75 extra.

Engine

A Diavel first: the RS uses the racier desmo V4 from the Panigale/Streetfighter V4, retuned to make 180bhp. Its production number is stamped on the rocker cover.

Chassis Upgrades

The RS gets forged aluminium wheels, 48mm Öhlins NIX30 forks and STX46 shock. A pair of 330mm discs and Brembo Stylemas carry over from the standard Diavel V4.

Dash

A 5in multi-functional TFT dash with connectivity. It is small compared to other Ducati V4s, but perfectly formed and in keeping with the Diavel’s minimal layout.

MCN Verdict

‘Brain-melting acceleration’

Is Ducati’s new Diavel V4 RS worth £35k? Realistically, the cheaper £24,595 model will give you more or less the same riding experience, but if you want the ultimate in luxurious, brain-melting acceleration, the RS can’t be beaten.

Not only is it fast in a straight line, it’s also impressively capable on a back road for such a beastly machine, so long as you guide it gently through corners with your fingertips and caress the back brake. Braking power is as brutal as its acceleration, too.

There isn’t much not to like, other than small details like switchgear that’s only semi-backlit, a slightly basic dash and goodies you still have to pay extra for, like heated grips, but elsewhere, it’s decadence overload. It’s beautifully made, packed with top-notch components and loving attention to detail, which goes a long way to justifying the price… as does the kudos of knowing you’ll be traffic light GP champion forevermore.