After reading a thread on SuzukiB-King.org - Portal where they discuss the relative merits of the King and the Diavel on the basis of having ridden Diavel demonstrators, I will be keeping the King. All posters who have tried your bike are in agreement that the King's motor is much more flexible. You really can pull away cleanly in top from 1,000 r.p.m. and strongly from not much more. The Ducati doesn't get going from much higher up the rev range. On top of that you've got Suzuki reliability, an engine that burns no oil whatsoever and servicing you can skip if you want to (I don't, though). I will acknowledge that the Diavel is the looker but the King is no ugly sister and the better ride.
Each to their own. Although to say that the Suzuki is "the better ride" is an interesting comment from a man who has never ridden the Diavel. Oh well enjoy your B King.
Fair point. I meant better ride due to the flexibility. However, if you like to rev the engine all the time maybe the Diavel is better.
You clearly need to ride one and are basing your decision without doing just that. I don't need to rev the tits off my diavel what so ever. Pulls from 2k like a train quite easily. Of course the threads on the Suzuki portal aren't biased in any way. i haven't ridden a b-king so I can't compare the two, but if I was thinking of switching I'm sure I'd ride the competitor before I made my decision.
You may well have a point. Pulls like a train from 2,000 rpm in top then? Sounds interesting. Maybe the B-King boys are overstating their case.
I've never ridden a Diavel, but I have 2 bikes with the 1198 engine. I've had a few minor issues but nowt major with the engine itself. The belts would need changing either every 15k or @ 5 years. A 2008 1098R (1198cc) Regulator Rectifier only A 2012 Multistrada 1200 (1198cc) the gear drum selector spring (would dropout of 2nd gear under hard acceleration). Ducati also replaced the coolant aswell because they had used the wrong kind. These were replaced during the winter or at the next service. I believe Diavel's have had issues with false neutral's and also the Multi's too, but these are minor issues that people have when running in a new bike. They just take time to bed-in and also sometimes needs a firm push into gear. Also may require some adjustment on the lever too. Each bike manufacturer has its own faults, whoever it maybe. Sometimes you might not even know about a warranty for 4/5 years. Go test ride it and see what you think, then you'll know if it's worth it or not. 1 thing you'll need to bear in mind is that the Diavel is a totally different bike than your B-King. So you'll not need to rev the bollox of it to get the best out of it. :biggrin:
Why not stop talking about it and go test ride 1 and you'll find out for yourself, rather than listening to a bunch of JILFS.
JILFS AKA Japanese InLine FourS or as I sometimes think of a jap rider as a Jealous InLine FourS (owner) :biggrin:
Other than the "neutral syndrome" for the first few miles, I have had no issues at all. The Diavel is awesome! Especially with full termis!!!
My mate nearly did not buy a Panigale for the same reason. He did in the end and after 15 months of ownership, and no problems at all, he says it is the best bike he has ever had, and it gets better every time he goes out on it. Many forums are full of people who have gripes (maybe for valid reasons, maybe because they do not look after their bikes properly), but are by far outweighed by the folks who have never had any issues, love their bikes and therefore don't subscribe to the moaning, whinging, negative threads that quite honestly, I can live without. I love my Diavel, would recommend one to anybody, and will continue to get huge enjoyment out of riding her whatever drivel is posted in the inter web. The Daivel is an awesome machine. Period. Love you all!!
No bias here then!!!! The Diavel is the best all round bike on the road today. Ride one, you will be convinced. and I am not biased (much)!
So you have made a decision based on what's been said on a forum rather than gone and tried a Diavel? School boy error. See ya then Dave. And close the door on your way out. :smile:
Who's Dave? No, I'm going to try one out but it's going to have to be early in 2014 as I'm going traveling soon for a couple of months. I'll keep an open mind and report back fairly. I have already been seduced by the looks and the weight saving over the King. Jesus, I sound like I'm lining a woman up here!!
I already have a V-twin in the garage (I know Ducatis are L-twins to get it absolutely right). My Buell Ulysses is real fun and has been totally reliable for over 19,000 miles. What the next 20,000 hold in store is anyone's guess but if you maintain them properly they are usually okay. It's just that you don't really have to bother with JILFS (to use a term I've just learnt on here), although I get Big Suzi serviced when it should be.
