Ducati has given its muscle cruiser a sharper suit for 2027. The 2027 Ducati Diavel V4, shown at EICMA in Milan on 2 November, takes styling cues from the Diavel V4 RS and brings back an S version for the first time since the Diavel went V4. The S gets semi-active Öhlins suspension, the 168 CV V4 Granturismo engine carries over with smoother manners low down, and both bikes get a 6.9-inch TFT screen. Ducati's EICMA launch release gives no Australian pricing or timing. Here are the stats first, straight from Ducati's own releases, then what the changes mean when you're actually riding one.
Quick stats
| Item | Ducati Diavel V4 MY27 |
|---|---|
| Price | Australia: not in Ducati's EICMA launch release, which gives no Diavel price for any market |
| Engine | V4 Granturismo, carried over with a new electronic control system; 1,158 cc on the outgoing Diavel V4 |
| Power | 168 CV for MY27; the outgoing bike was rated at 168 hp (124 kW) at 10,750 rpm |
| Torque | 126 Nm at 7,500 rpm on the outgoing bike; the MY27 figure is not in Ducati's launch release |
| Weight | 223 kg kerb weight without fuel on the outgoing bike; the MY27 figure is not in Ducati's launch release |
| Seat height | 790 mm on the outgoing bike; the MY27 figure is not in Ducati's launch release |
| Fuel capacity | 20 litres on the outgoing bike; the MY27 figure is not in Ducati's launch release |
| Arriving | Not in Ducati's EICMA launch release, for Australia or any other market |
| Colours | Ducati Factory Made liveries and colours, with the full DFM colour range on the V4 S |
What's new on the outside
Ducati calls the Diavel recipe the 'Muscle Roadster', and it has been cooking with it since 2010. The idea hasn't moved: the muscle and road presence of a cruiser, with the performance and handling of a sports bike. What has moved is the attitude. Ducati says the MY27 bike has a more aggressive style, and its design takes cues from the Diavel V4 RS.
From the RS it borrows the new air intakes and a few styling touches that push the sporty look harder. The tail section has been redesigned as a single-seat unit, the wheels are new, and Ducati has reworked plenty of smaller details across the range.
The RS is the hardcore Diavel. It uses the 1,103 cc Desmosedici Stradale engine, rated at 182 hp at 11,750 rpm, and it gets its own single seat and air intake ducts. So the MY27 Diavel V4 picks up some of the RS look without the RS engine. We reckon that's the right way round for most buyers. The look is the bit you see every time you walk into the shed, while the extra revs are the bit you'd only use on a very good day.
The single-seat tail deserves a closer look before you get too excited. The outgoing Diavel V4 had a seat for a passenger, pillion footrests that folded away under the tail and a telescopic grab handle. Ducati's MY27 launch material doesn't explain how a pillion fits with the new tail. If you ride two-up, that's one to ask your dealer once the bikes land.
The S is back, with semi-active Öhlins
The big news is the S. Ducati says the S version is back in the range for the first time since the Diavel moved to V4 power. Before that, the Diavel 1260 S filled the slot, and Ducati used it as the benchmark when it launched the Diavel V4: the new bike came in more than 13 kg lighter, with 5 kg of that saved in the engine.
The headline part on the S is Öhlins SmartEC-3, which Ducati calls a semi-active, "event-based electronic suspension" that can adapt the bike's behaviour in real time. In plain English, the electronics keep adjusting the damping while you ride instead of leaving it at one setting you picked in the driveway. Ducati's launch release doesn't describe the S's fork and shock hardware, so we can't give you a stanchion size or travel figures.
Ducati has described its third-generation Öhlins control on another bike, the Streetfighter V4 S. There, it lets Ducati use more comfortable settings for road riding, and it softens the suspension when it detects that you're holding a steady pace. Faster hydraulic valves also give a more precise response, Ducati says. That's a different bike, and Ducati hasn't said the Diavel's setup works the same way. Still, on a heavy cruiser ridden over patchy country roads, softer damping while you're just cruising is the kind of change you'd feel.
For comparison, the standard Diavel V4 has run on a fully adjustable 50 mm fork and a fully adjustable cantilever shock, with 15 mm more rear travel than the Diavel 1260 it replaced. Fully adjustable is lovely on paper. We reckon plenty of owners never touch the clickers, though, and semi-active suspension does that fiddling for you.
The S also comes with these extras as standard:
- a lithium-ion battery
- heated grips
- dedicated finishes for the alloy wheels
Heated grips on a muscle cruiser might sound soft until your first July ride to work in Canberra. The launch release doesn't say what the lithium-ion battery saves in weight, so that's one more number we're waiting on.
Smoother manners for the V4 Granturismo
The engine carries over. Ducati quotes 168 CV for the MY27 V4 Granturismo and says a new electronic control system smooths the response at low and medium revs. CV is Italian shorthand for metric horsepower, and Ducati rated the outgoing bike at 168 hp (124 kW) at 10,750 rpm, with 126 Nm at 7,500 rpm, from 1,158 cc. The launch release gives no new torque or rev figures for MY27, so treat those as the outgoing numbers for now.
That low and mid-range change could be the one you notice most. We reckon a Diavel spends most of its life well below its redline, rolling through town, tipping into roundabouts and pulling away from the lights. A cleaner pick-up from a closed throttle should make a big V4 easier to ride gently, and easier to ride smoothly when the road gets twisty.
A new quickshifter
Gear changes now go through Ducati Quick Shift 2.0, which Ducati says brings even faster and more precise shifts. The outgoing Diavel V4 already had an up and down quickshifter. When Ducati fitted the 2.0 version to the Streetfighter V4, it said the system works only from the gear drum's position sensor, so the gear linkage no longer needs microswitches, and the rider gets a more direct feel with less lever travel.
What carries over from the outgoing bike
The rest of the engine story comes from Ducati's launch release for the outgoing Diavel V4, and it's still worth knowing. The rear cylinder bank can switch off when the bike is stopped, and also at low revs under light load. That's a welcome trick in a summer traffic jam. Ducati also says the Twin Pulse firing order, along with an exhaust developed for its sound, gives the V4 Granturismo its own character.
Valve clearance checks fall due every 60,000 km on the outgoing bike. If you're wondering why a Ducati valve check gets so much attention, our guide to Ducati's desmodromic valve system covers the background. And for the stopwatch crowd, Ducati claimed the outgoing Diavel V4 could reach 100 km/h from a standstill in less than 3 seconds. That's a lot of shove for a bike on a 240/45 rear tyre with a cruiser's riding position.
A bigger screen with navigation built in
The electronics take a real step up for 2027. Ducati lists these changes:
- a new 6.9-inch TFT screen with optical bonding
- turn-by-turn navigation as standard
- screen layouts derived from the Panigale V4, as already used on the Diavel V4 RS
Compare that with the outgoing bike, which had a 5-inch colour TFT with Bluetooth and the Ducati Link App, and sold turn-by-turn navigation as an accessory. So the screen has grown by 1.9 inches across the diagonal, and the sat nav has moved from the accessory list into the box.
Optical bonding is all about readability. On the Streetfighter V4, Ducati says the bonded glass keeps the screen readable on a black background even during the day. On a bike with no fairing to shade the dash, that should help under a harsh Australian sun. We haven't seen the Diavel's screens in the metal yet, so we can't tell you which views it offers.
The outgoing bike's rider aids give a good idea of what sits behind that screen:
- three Power Modes and four Riding Modes: Sport, Touring, Urban and Wet
- cornering ABS and cornering traction control
- wheelie control and launch control
- cruise control
- full LED lights front and rear
Ducati's MY27 release doesn't list changes to that package beyond the engine control update and Quick Shift 2.0, so watch this space in case the full specification adds anything.
Ducati Factory Made comes to the Diavel
The MY27 Diavel is also the first Diavel you can order through Ducati Factory Made, or DFM, which Ducati says takes customisation "to a whole new level". You pick liveries, components and packs when you buy, and the factory fits them before the bike leaves. The V4 S gets the most choice, with the full range of DFM colours and configurations.
DFM started with the Multistrada V4 in Europe. On that bike, the options included these:
- colours from Ducati's own paint families, plus Performance and Ducati Corse liveries
- Automobili Lamborghini Ad Personam colours such as Viola Pasifae and Verde Scandal
- cast wheels in several colours, or forged or spoked wheels
- colour choices for the rear frame and the brake calipers
- seat and suspension height settings
The bike then arrives built the way the customer ordered it, with no dealer work needed afterwards. Ducati hasn't published the Diavel's DFM menu in its launch release, so don't assume every one of those boxes carries across. One more teaser: Ducati's MY27 photo set has a separate gallery labelled V4 S Performance, next to the Diavel V4 and Diavel V4 S galleries. The launch release doesn't explain it, so we'll wait for Ducati to say what that version includes before we guess.
What we know for Australia so far
For local buyers, the EICMA announcement has nothing on pricing or timing for the MY27 Diavel V4 or V4 S. In fact it gives no prices and no arrival dates for the Diavel in any market. It also says nothing about local colours, or about whether Australian buyers will be able to order through DFM. Your Ducati dealer is the place to ask about local pricing and timing.
Learner and provisional riders will have to wait for a full licence. Transport for NSW says a motorcycle can only join the learner approved list if its engine is no bigger than 660 cc, and the V4 Granturismo in the outgoing Diavel is 1,158 cc. With 168 CV on tap as well, the Diavel is a long way from learner territory, and no Diavel appears on Queensland's learner approved motorcycle list, last updated on 7 September 2026.
Still to come
From Ducati's launch material, these are the gaps we're still filling:
- MY27 torque, weight and seat height
- the hardware behind the S's Öhlins suspension
- how the single-seat tail works with a pillion
- Australian prices, colours and arrival
What to do next
If you're keen, now's a good time to think about what you'd trade in. You can browse Ducati motorcycles for sale on Bike Domain to see where current Diavels sit, and our motorbike loan calculator will show what a new one might cost each month. If you're planning to upgrade when the MY27 bikes land, listing your current bike early gives it time to sell first. If superbikes are more your thing, our 2027 Ducati Panigale V4 article covers the other big Ducati launch this season. We'll update this article with Australian prices and timing once we've read them in Ducati's own material.
Sources
- Ducati, "Ducati unveils five new models and a preview at EICMA 2026", Ducati Media House, 2 November 2026 (a manufacturer release, so not linked)
- Ducati, "MY27 - Diavel V4 and V4 S", press kit page and photo gallery, Ducati Media House, 2 November 2026 (a manufacturer release, so not linked)
- Ducati, "The New Diavel Becomes V4!", Ducati Media House, 28 October 2022 (a manufacturer release, so not linked)
- Ducati, "Diavel V4 RS and Multistrada V4 RS: uncompromising style, performance, and lightness", Ducati Media House, 12 September 2025 (a manufacturer release, so not linked)
- Ducati, "New Ducati Streetfighter V4: the most performant Fight Formula, ever", Ducati Media House, 28 November 2024 (a manufacturer release, so not linked)
- Ducati, "Ducati Factory Made: colours, options and accessories for the Multistrada V4 directly from the Borgo Panigale factory", Ducati Media House, 16 February 2025 (a manufacturer release, so not linked)
- Transport for NSW, "Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme (LAMS)" fact sheet, PDF, read 3 November 2026
- Queensland Government, "Learner approved motorcycles (LAM Scheme)", last updated 7 September 2026
