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Ducati XDiavel S and Harley-Davidson Breakout 114

V2 cruiser in comparison test

On a day that was very pure and clear, a pitch-black and a snow-white motorcycle with fat 240 mm rear rollers collided. Inspired by powerful V2 engines, the two cruisers Ducati XDiavel S and Harley-Davidson Breakout 114 define “power” in completely different ways. Jekyll and Hyde only agree on being different.

Moving stories celebrate opposites: day and night, sun and moon, heaven and hell. Contrasts are the driving force behind life. This is also the case with these power bikes with characteristic V2 engines and massive 240 mm rear rollers on eight-inch rims. Both are crouched and long, pull themselves forward with low-maintenance toothed belts and shine out into the world with modern LED headlights. Nevertheless, the only thing they have in common is the dispute: mighty displacement? Or do you prefer punch through high speeds? Let your mind wander? Or get it all? Do you prefer real 158 Newton meters or 157 PS? Cold blood or whole blood? More traditional or modern technology? Harley-Davidson Breakout 114 or Ducati XDiavel S?

Ducati XDiavel S and Harley-Davidson Breakout 114

V2 cruiser in comparison test

It’s a chopper, baby!

It seems like God and the devil have made a bet. Thesis and antithesis: Who offers the most unconventional driving fun that can be bought for over 23,000 euros? Welcome to the realm of "long and low", sitting casually leaning back and accelerating with the slightest twist of the throttle. Power bikes are for divine experiences. But cruiser, without fat fenders? The Ducati XDiavel S with 17-inch wheels is more of a real muscle bike. In contrast, the drag-style Harley-Davidson Breakout 114 has a huge 21-inch wheel at the front and an 18-inch wheel at the rear, right under the tight rear fender. It’s a chopper, baby!

Harley-Davidson Breakout 114 is the beginning

The time has come for black and white painting. Inspired by angels or ridden by the devil? Does American agricultural machinery meet high-tech from Bologna? Chamber. The Harley-Davidson Breakout 114 enjoys the right of way. What a cool stool! 114 cubic inches, makes 1,868 cm3 in the metric system. Wow. Super trump card in every motorcycle quartet. Boss in the ring! The air / oil-cooled V2 punches and lives. Its top hats are a symbol of victory cast in metal. Creed 45 degrees. The 102 pistons have a crazy 114.3 millimeter stroke in front of them. You think you can feel every single stroke of combustion. Idle speed warm: 850. Still questions?

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Arched valve covers quote the "Knucklehead" of 1936.

The lead-heavy crankshaft makes the supple “Biggest Twin” unstoppable. The long-stroke pulsates silky smooth thanks to two balance shafts. Softails carry the raised eight-valve "Milwaukee Eight" rigidly screwed into the frame. The torque is excessive. 140 Newton meters under 2,000 turns push hard. Switching speed? Maximum 3,000. Below this mark, however, the Ducati XDiavel S does not run smoothly, just jerks, especially in high gears. No, the Harley-Davidson Breakout 114 marches out of tight bends and corners in second gear with more flavor than the Duc, first of all it does meters.

Feeling on the breakout is right

The US-V2 looks relaxed and not strained when it comes to "turning it out" – that’s only a maximum of 5,000 turns. It’s a different way of moving, a breakout, a breakout. Everything accompanied by a bassy, ​​but not intrusive exhaust sound. The feeling on the Harley-Davidson Breakout 114 is right. Since the V-Rod, this is the most powerful Harley series V2, the best series Big Twin of all time! Of course, what remains of the wonderful long-stroke boom in the long overall translation. Tempo 100 is only 2,350 revolutions in the overdrive from the sixth, in the fifth only 2,850 turns. So it sometimes means downshifting before overtaking, for real "passing power".

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The American also relies on modern LED headlights.

The six gears are clearly audible, but inexorably precise, like the points of the Western Union Express. It belongs like that. The heavy gear wheels of the Harley-Davidson Breakout 114 exude indestructibility. Like the whole machine. If it really has to be: from zero to 100 in 4.1 seconds. The water / oil-cooled Ducati XDiavel S can do that a second faster. Flaring gasoline in huge cylinders (106 mm bore!) Translates the Duc one to one into brute, attack-like acceleration.

Ducati XDiavel S is the queen of the traffic light sprint

This surface-to-surface missile charges forward as if launched from a catapult. A diabolical experience, this start from medium speeds. And that without fear of the front wheel lifting off. The fat Ducati XDiavel S is the queen of the traffic light sprint, slams down as mercilessly as the brass knuckles on the right of the cylinders suggest. As if the incarnate was after you. Hold on tight! The hydraulic clutch can be dosed with great sensitivity, even under heavy use.

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On the left, the V2 shows that it originally hammered its four strokes behind a super sports plastic panel.

The Ducati XDiavel S gearbox is sluggish. As the test duration increases, Georg hardly gets into first gear. And he has to circumnavigate the intermediate idle between fifth and sixth gear like a pilot around treacherous cliffs at the port entrance. Mechanically, the 90-degree V2 runs much harder and rattling than the engine of the Harley-Davidson Breakout 114, snotty-raw. The ultra-short-stroke Satan’s roast needs speed, preferably 4,000 plus, wants a fire, goes on and goes on constantly. Fiery and unleashed, the Testastretta with variable valve control (DVT) turns up to the 10,000 mark. That is a different nature. Hot spur instead of grumbler. Has something too.

Stroll instead of leveling?

Ducati’s inimitable V2 staccato trumpets pure joie de vivre. In push mode it snorts from extremely short exhaust ports. This means that the wonderfully milled rear wheel comes into its own. The Ducati XDiavel S runs like the Deiwel, a full 250 things. And straight ahead like clockwork. Munchhausen couldn’t have felt better when riding the cannonball. The same applies to the Harley-Davidson Breakout 114: Length runs. She waves it away at 190. So what? Does it bother the American oak when the Italian adversary scratches it? But can the "small" 1262 cubic engine also slow down, stroll instead of leveling? Only if you pull yourself together. And stay in lower gear on the boulevard than on the Harley.

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Visually divided into two parts: The chocolate side of the Ducati is on the right, with a stubby exhaust and cylinders with brass knuckles.

The Ducati XDiavel S changes its character at the push of a button: the three driving modes Sport, Touring and Urban change power output, throttle response, ABS intervention thresholds and sensitive traction control. Urban looks clearly defensive, downright trimmed, Touring usually fits perfectly. There is extensive equipment with cruise control, daytime running lights, illuminated steering controls and the modern TFT color display of the intelligent on-board computer. The thermometer is currently showing three degrees, time for an ice warning. "Bluetooth connectivity" connects the phone while driving. But do you want that?

What about the seating comfort?

Sitting on the Ducati XDiavel S is more active, with a little more body tension. Dynamic and relaxed, very compactly integrated into the action. The handlebars come towards you a little more. On the Harley-Davidson Breakout 114, on the other hand, you don’t just ride a motorcycle – you take in the world with an open, broad-shouldered design. The bar of the drag bar handlebars, which is barely cranked, is wide and, like the footrests, is far forward. The on-board computer hidden in the riser knows the most necessary information: about the remaining fuel level, range, time, gear and engine speed. Lean angle? In the American way of grinding ends at exactly 26.8 degrees (factory specification!). Moderation is not a mistake.

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The Duc’s powerfully milled rear wheel is reminiscent of circular saws. The Harley operates as an asphalt milling machine.

The rear can be raised a little using the practical handwheel for the hidden central spring strut in cantilever style – hence the rigid frame look. Nevertheless, soon after the notches, the lower of the two silencers comes on to the right. And that guarantees no more race corrections. The 306 kilograms of combat weight require farsightedness. The Italian takes on new radii much more easily. Stability meets agility. The footrests of the Ducati XDiavel S, which are placed further back and closer, only take soil samples beyond a 40 degree incline. Your Pirelli Diablo Rosso II "made in Germany" rolls completely to the edge of the tire thanks to its much rounder contour, leaving no expensive rubber unused.

XDiavel S wins the braking discipline

In contrast, Harleys Michelins car-like look flat: 40 mm cross-section – less tire sidewall is not possible. Their liability is limited on damp roads. The Pirellis can do more. Despite the endlessly long, stretched fork, the breakout does not automatically fold further in turns, it holds the targeted line. Almost a feat, with a 56 degree steering head angle and an ultra-flat 54 degree fork angle. Very tight corners are still tricky. Logical, with a wheelbase of almost 1.70 meters and a caster of 145 millimeters. The breakout on the brake becomes stubborn (the single disc at the front combines quite a lot of manual force with moderate effect), then preferably only drives straight ahead. The 49er Showa fork with its "Dual Bending Valve" technology dampens properly. The five hundred pound Ducati XDiavel S drives incredibly well and rolls sensationally nimble. It draws proverbial circles around the Harley-Davidson Breakout 114. Ducati’s sport genes shine through. A motorcycle from another galaxy. The superb chassis also ensures driving dynamics. The adjustable, carbon-coated 50s upside-down fork is a poem. In addition to better brakes, it is a hallmark of the S model: This fork is super-responsive and yet smoothly dampened. Famous Brembo monoblocks, when radially operated, bite extremely powerfully and yet finely dosed. Great! That’s how you delay today.

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Two V2 engines, two worlds. While the Ducati turns sports riders on, the Harley is stylish, simply full of experiences.

On the rudimentary pillion seat bun of the free-floating rear of the Ducati XDiavel S, you sit like a monkey on the grindstone. Behind it lurks pure nothing. When accelerating, you have to hold on tight, otherwise there is a risk of falling onto the rear wheel. Only the Harley-Davidson Breakout 114 is recommended for limited passenger use. It remains completely unaffected by the payload. And every time it is parked (often in view of the small 13.2-liter tank!) It is an icon that is already standing. It’s a statement on wheels: I drive, therefore I am. A Harley magically attracts admirers. Chrome, sweet Chrome. Honest mechanics, the sheen of American heavy metal is also fascinating in the digital age. Plastic? Oh no. Mudguard is to be taken literally here. Style is easy, the Americans. Long-term quality anyway. There is also a four-year guarantee.

XDiavel S the better motorcycle?

Hand levers that protrude far should be adjustable, however, the separate handlebar lock is an anachronism in view of the self-arming alarm system and Keyless Go. The cooling fins cool down wonderfully with a crackling sound after they have been put down. For hours, like the embers after the BBQ. In contrast, the Ducati has a more technoid appearance, a cooler charm. It rather impresses connoisseurs, does not fit into any drawer. Obviously, the Ducati XDiavel S is objectively the better motorcycle. Your driving behavior comes close to squaring the circle. Ducati has made a pact with the devil. Lucifer’s Choice. But the breakout unfolds an enormous charm that is difficult to capture in test results. The previous Breakout was the second best-selling Harley in Germany. With the Harley-Davidson Breakout 114, the success story (there is also a 107 with 1,745 cubic meters for 1,400 euros less) is now being continued. There is stalemate between heaven and hell – there are plenty of impressions per kilometer here and there.

MOTORCYCLE test result

Ducati XDiavel S

The white giant accelerates diabolically and drives heavenly even in curves. The Italo bike catapults cruiser fans into higher spheres and even turns sports riders on. The Ducati XDiavel S breaks with conventions!

Harley-Davidson Breakout 114

Stylish, beautiful and damn eventful. The Harley-Davidson Breakout 114 deserves respect. This highly aesthetic flat iron is with a real steam hammer from V2 torque king and executive chair at the same time. Mild and wild!

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