What The Diavel Is Ducati Teasing?

The teaser, embedded below, shows an ominous sky full of dark clouds with glowing reds and blues and the tagline “True power belongs to those who rise to meet it.”

None of that actually tells us anything useful, of course, which is par for the course with teaser campaigns these days. A bigger clue is one sent out to journalists as a Save the Date for the World Première, hinting at a bike that “combines a bold, unmistakable personality with Ducati performance and technology, to redefine the boundaries of the segment,” while revealing the title of the episode: “Feet Forward. Head Turning.”

The most obvious conclusion we can draw is that the teaser is for a new Ducati XDiavel V4. The V-Twin XDiavel was last offered as a 2023 model, and the cruiser was conspicuously set aside when the Diavel made the jump to the V4 Granturismo engine. As the most foot-forward of any recent Ducati, a new XDiavel V4 is the likeliest candidate for next week’s reveal.

Of course, cruiser riders aren’t the only ones that stick their feet forward. Motocross racers also often stick a foot out in a corner, and unlike the XDiavel V4, Ducati has confirmed that its Desmo450 MX bike will soon be entering mass production. The rolling clouds in the teaser don’t seem to be a fit for a dirtbike, but it would make for a cool visual if the Desmo450 suddenly jumps into frame.

Or, the teaser could be for something else entirely, like a special edition model, or perhaps an electric model based on Ducati’s V21L MotoE racer. One thing we do know is the sign-up page to get updates for the announcement has a URL ending with “../v22o/light”. Ducati tends to use a four-digit alphanumeric code for each of its new products, and “V22O” fits the pattern. Immediately, we see it’s similar to the electric racer’s “V21L” code, but the only conclusion we should draw is that the MotoE project started before the V22O.

We’ll find out more next week when Ducati makes the official announcement, but keep checking MO for the latest updates.

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