All Duels – Duel Diavel Carbon Vs Intruder M1800R Boss: explode the gallery! – In town as in curves, it’s a show in front!

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Duel Diavel Carbon Vs Intruder M1800R Boss: explode the gallery !

All Duels - Duel Diavel Carbon Vs Intruder M1800R Boss: explode the gallery! - In town as in curves, it's a show in front!

In 2014, two motorcycles evolve in the muscle bike segment: Ducati Diavel and Suzuki Intruder M1800R. Each retains its ostentatious look, a 240 tire and a bitumen stripper v-twin. Two big arms for a duel between terraces and virolos !

In town as in curves, it’s a show in front !

Despite its lower saddle height (705 against 770 mm), the Suzuki Intruder M1800R Boss is less accessible than the Diavel Carbon, because of the greater spacing induced by this very wide seat and its huge tank. The Suzuki makes up for it in part thanks to the cozy thickness of its saddle, more welcoming when stationary than that of the Ducati.

Placed very far from the bust and extremely wide apart, the Suzuki handlebars require the arms to be stretched forward, causing a pronounced lower back fold in the process. Even if the footrests are not overly placed on the front, the resulting custom-style position turns out to be demanding and quite quickly uncomfortable..

Opposite the Diavel, a motorcycle of compromises and paradoxes, exposes its marriage of genres even in its ergonomics. If its wide saddle and its imposing handlebars located far from the bust directly refer to the guns in force in the custom family, the location of its footrests more reminiscent of a roadster. The resulting position evokes an improbable combination of the ergonomic characteristics of a

…

Surprisingly, however, the whole is quite consistent and makes the handling of the Ducati more natural than that of the Suzuki. Let’s also admit that the more than 100 kg between them has a huge influence on this judgment! When stationary or at low speed, the heavy Intruder M1800R Boss requires a quantity of energy proportional to its physique to be maneuvered: colossal !

Its wider and higher front wheel (130 mm and 18 inches against 120 mm and 17 inches on the Diavel) also does not help matters in terms of handling, nor its very open caster angle (31 , 15 °) and its large wheelbase (1710 mm).

Despite fairly high geometric values ​​(1590 mm wheelbase and 28 ° caster angle), the Ducati is much easier to turn or register on the angle. That such an imposing motorcycle with a 240mm wide rear tire could be so nimble is simply breathtaking. !

Without going so far as to say that it is handled with your fingertips, its steering responds precisely and relatively quickly to orders, while that of the Intruder M1800R appears less responsive and drooping. Already dropped, the Suzuki? Not at all: thanks in part to its mechanical smoothness, getting out of the city on your handlebars is a pure formality.

Capable of resuming at 1500 rpm on the first three reports (a bit more in fourth and fifth), the enormous Japanese v-twin is a model of approval: its vibrations are very contained, its clutch is soft and progressive , its injection is well calibrated and it does not heat up excessively in town. And what a sound !

Deaf and virile, this soundtrack – present but without excess – inevitably evokes a majestic ship. Its slow pulsations literally give the impression of "sailing" on the asphalt, with power and smoothly. Be careful, however, to watch the speedometer: its quiet force side combined with a long staging (in fifth gear, the bike takes 40 km / h every 1000 rpm!) Will quickly propel you well beyond legal speeds. !

Too bad that its selection and its final transmission come to spoil the party somewhat: the gearshift is slow and sonorous, while the gimbal distils noticeable jerks. To make matters worse, this perfectible transmission interferes with the operation of the rear shock absorber, by stretching it during acceleration and compressing it when the throttle is cut off….

Dynamic: the Diavel imposes its rhythm

Completely transparent in terms of the final transmission (still happy, with a chain!), The Ducati is much less so at the mechanical level: its twin-cylinder open at 90 ° undoubtedly has sporty genes … and the genes that go with it.

Equipped with a more pronounced engine brake, the "L-twin" hardly tastes changes under 2500 rpm, even by delicately handling its ride-by-wire accelerator yet with exquisite precision. Rougher but also (much!) More noisy, the Diavel’s engine takes its turns almost without downtime, unlike that of the Intruder M1800R whose revs (and descents) are marked by a high inertia.

Its stiff and delicate to handle clutch also puts a heavy strain on the left hand and forearm in traffic jams. A situation in which the muscles of the buttocks are first anesthetized by vibrations … then heated by the heat released by the rear cylinder and its exhaust manifold !

Finally, if its gearbox is about 1000 times more responsive than that of the Intruder, its mode of operation is like the mechanical temperament of the Bolognese devil: sporty! Selection therefore requires firm orders for each gear to lock perfectly. Ultimately, it is better to shift gears on the fly than to be "soft in the boot" on the selector !

All these little inconveniences are quickly forgotten (or not, depending on tastes …) when the horizon clears and you put full throttle: despite its lack of displacement – 585 cc separate the two twins! -, the Diavel literally leaps forward with a passion and liveliness that leaves the Intruder M1800R in place.

Penalized by its overweight and long reports, the Suzuki does not have the same punch or the same responsiveness, including at low speeds. A small surprise for MNC given the architecture of its engine and its displacement (nearly 1.8 liters, anyway!), Which gave rise to fear of a double dislocation of the shoulders in the event of optimism in the first third of the race. tachometer…

However, if the consequent acceleration generated by its large bowls actually requires "hanging on to the branches", it is less outside the norm than expected. And in any case, less impressive and sensational than that of Diavel. On the other hand, the acceleration of the Intruder is reinforced noticeably at the cap of 5000 rpm and does not weaken up to the limiter placed at 7500 rpm, whatever the gear engaged..

On the lengthening side, the Devil Ducati is obviously not to be outdone and scampers far ahead by screaming up to 10,000 rpm its engine derived from Superbikes! The Italian keeps the ascendant in the viroleux, where its rigid cycle part and with predictable reactions allow a driving … sporty. Yes, sporty !

A formidable braking machine – in terms of both lever feel and power – and surprisingly easy to register on the angle, the Ducati also enjoys substantial ground clearance and very good damping cohesion. Its traction is excellent and ensures, if necessary, the reinforcement of a configurable traction control on eight levels, whose interventions are finely managed.

Admittedly, its generous size and its distinctive geometry end up imposing safeguards that must not be exceeded, especially when exiting curves where the inertia generated by its weight tends to widen the trajectory. But what debauchery of sensations on the mechanical and dynamic level! Moreover, MNC is convinced of this: the Diavel, Satan lives in it !

More clumsy in behavior, the Intruder M1800R Boss requires a solid grip to be taken at a good pace. Above all, it imposes a particular instruction manual: first of all, it is necessary to integrate the fact that it is the rear tire of 240 mm which dictates its law when entering in curves. !

Stable despite a dry damper on small bumps (more than that of the Ducati: a shame, no?), The Suzuki is able to swallow the curves at a good pace and come out even faster thanks to its inexhaustible power of fire. However, it sees its sporting claims limited by its low ground clearance, especially on the right side where the silencer quickly takes over from the toe-clip. !

Braking is fortunately proportioned to the dimensions of the beast: at the front, the sporty device Tokico combines vigor and power. Its bite is certainly set back compared to the Brembo system, but in the absence of ABS (even as an option), this is not necessarily a bad thing! Finally, the rear is more easily dosable than its Italian counterpart.

Verdict: show off yes, but at what cost ?

Given its surprising dynamic performance in terms of its size, its unique style and its polished finish, the Ducati could claim an unchallenged victory over the Suzuki. But some parameters should be taken into account before distributing the medals…

The first naturally touches on the question of price: displayed at € 21,590 in this "charred" version (or 3,500 euros more than the standard Diavel), the Italian is paying dearly for her charms, as numerous and stunning as they are..

Despite its specific decoration, also a bit oversold in our eyes (1000 euros more), the Suzuki Intruder M1800R Boss at 14 999 € costs a trifle of … 6591 euros less than the Divael Carbon! With the difference, we can afford a Bandit 650 (currently at 6,249 €), in order to spare "his Boss" from the daily constraints for which it is not designed..

Because her thing is the stretching of the arms and the physical and mechanical show off when stationary. At this level, the Suz ‘has no problem facing the Ducat’ since we can no longer count the number of thumbs raised as it passes and the admiring winks of pedestrians! A girl trap, Boss Suz ‘? Certainly !

The problem is that in the event of a "touch", the diabolical Ducati risks giving it the brakes one last time … Already, because its standard seat cowl covers the seat in one piece , which makes the duo possible by removing its bindings. On the Suzuki, the hood is also standard installed in place of the passenger seat: if you go in solo mode with the Intruder, you come home single !

Finally, the Italian conceals in its rear shell a small – but practical – handle in the form of a fin (see the box in the photo above) which is deployed by operating a pull tab located in the trunk. Sensational and charming at all levels, the Diavel has definitely understood everything !

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