V-Rod was 115bhp through a belt. Still a way off 152 though I'll grant you. Is it the most powerful Belt drive bike out there? Can't think of one with more....
I don't think there is a belt drive bike with 150+ bhp but I doubt Gates will have a problem making one strong enough. Belt/chain isn't really a deal-breaker.
The belt drive bike that was previously closest to 150bhp may have been the Buell 1125R/CR range. They claimed to have 146bhp. Not sure how reliable they were or how many are still around: Buell 1125R - Sportsbikes - Motorcycles - Visordown BUELL 1125CR (2008-on) Review | MCN
W Well remembered! I don't think they sold many of the Rotax engined bikes but I'm pretty sure the belts didn't give problems. The problem was that Harley didn't (and still don't) have a clue how to market anything but cruisers. The best bike they made, which I owned prior to getting my Monster, was an XR1200X. Too heavy but otherwise a nice handling bike. Needed development but got canned in favour of fancier paint jobs and 'dark customs'. Hopefully Ducati drive belts will have a longer life than their cam belts.
Yeah, it'll make you wonder if the drive belt lasts 50,000 miles and the cam belts only 15,000, right? One may well ask, errrr...why not make the cam belts out of the same stuff as the Drive belt?! Personally I think the cam-belt replacement regime is a money-making crock!
I agree. Can't see why a Ducati cam belt only lasts 2yrs when a car one will do 5+ Back to bevel drive!
TBH the cam belt would probably last a lot longer, and possible 5 years depending on how ridden, but the difference in damage between a drive belt, and a cam belt braking is somewhat huge, so they go for the safer option.
Lol, the cam belt on my Mazda MX5 is 21 years old! (Low mileage admittedly)! Maybe I shouldn't tempt fate though!
The Buell XB belts had a habit of snapping , and damaging gearboxes if over tensioned. This was on the XB model. On the later ones, many were snapped up as absolute bargains as HD dealers tried to ship them out, so I think the owners keep quite about the character. The xDiavel is aimed at the cruiser market , so I guess the chances of it getting caned will be minimal. But it does look a narrow belt and a lot of power. The belt won' snap - but the teeth may get ripped off. I am sure that Ducati have done their homework ....
In my experience with Harley belts (5 bikes), they are usually set too tight which runs the risk of damaging gearbox and rear wheel bearing as well as restricting suspension movement. They should be slightly tighter than a chain but not like knickerelastic... I'm sure Ducati wouldn't use customers to test new new developments!
Hmmm!! I'm reading that the xDiavel will be offered with a "central peg kit" to relocate the pegs back to a more normal position than the feet-forward style. Sounds like the best of both worlds!
Interesting. I'll try to get a test ride on one set up like that before making a decision on which Diavel to get. Decisions don't get much better than that!
Is there any spec / pics of that? Will it look good, or like you have attached the Forth Road Bridge to the side a la Harley / Buell ....
Yeah, good point! Nope haven't seen it yet. Only just heard about it in this months Bike magazine. Did some googling and a load of people are reporting it but no pics.
I'm not very tall and have back issues, so I'm anxious to see the peg kit. I've studied all the released photos and don't see how/where they will go. There's also an option to pull the bars back an inch. If I can get the pegs back and the bars back, I think it will fit me without having to lean forward. As long as I'm not in a fetal position on the lower end. My only complaint is with the rear (passenger) seat so small, I'll nee a new wife to fit it LOL. seriously though, there's no place to put any kind of tail bag, don't see a way to add a luggage rack. And I don't want to wear a backpack to be able to commute on it. If you put any kind of soft bags back there it obscures the rear lights. Best thing I could mock up was a Givi with integrated brake lights. Not bad for temporary use.
