Ducati has a way with names. Why a cocktail of letters and numbers (CBR1000RR for instance) when you can just call the thing by whatever feel it gives you. Case in point is this, Ducati’s new model that will make its world debut at the EICMA International Motorcycle Show in Milan next month. It’s called the Diavel, Bolognese for devil.

Pronounced Dee-ah-vel, the name was born early in the development process of the bike. When the prototype was wheeled out in front of a group of Ducati engineers and technicians for the first time, one man saw its rear silhouette and exclaimed in the Bolognese dialect: “Ignurànt comm’ al diavel!” or “Evil, like the devil!” in English.

From then on, Diavel became the internal nickname for the project, now made official. Apparently, this was also how the legendary Monster was named 20 years ago.

Built to have a commanding presence, lightweight and agile, the Diavel “will take the man-motorcycle relationship to the next level in absolute comfort”. It won’t be lacking in performance with a Testastretta 11° engine and just 207 kg to haul. Features include ABS, Ducati Traction Control and Ducati Riding Modes.

High res image after the jump.
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If you are a Maxis Hotlink and a CIMB Bank customer, you could be riding off in style with a brand new Ducati 1098 superbike worth RM138k. In addition to that there are also daily cash prizes of RM100 for the highest top up amount in a day.

The CIMB Clicks Maxis Ducati campaign will run from 25 June 2009 to 24 September 2009. Basically all you need to do is reload your Hotlink prepaid phone credit either on the CIMB Clicks internet banking portal, or any of CIMB Bank’s 1,800 ATMs nationwide. The minimum reload amount of RM30.

VIDEO: Ducati 1098 Promo Clip

The 1098 (pronounced by most people as ten-nine-eight), unlike its namesake actually has a 1,099c engine, in classic Ducati L-twin cylinder configuration. If you’ve ever encountered a Ducati next to you at a traffic light you’ll know that the sound of a Duke L-twin especially paired with a nice performance exhaust is extremely addictive. Because of the cylinder configuration there is a very unique power pulse pattern. Twins also generally make more torque lower down compared to inline-4 bikes.

Although there is a 1198 now (just launched by Ducati Malaysia), a 1098 is still alot to handle, with 160 horsepower produced at 9,750rpm, matched with a 6-speed transmission. That’s really alot of power for something with a dry weight of only 173kg.

It uses a tubular steel Trellis frame, Showa 43mm adjustable upside-down forks at the front, and an adjustable Showa monoshock with aluminium single-sided swingarm at the rear.

The Ducati 1098 was honoured as the Best Bike of the Year 2008 from the Supertest World Association, the International Bike of the Year for both 2007 and 2008, Bike of the Year 2007 by Moto, Australian Motorcycle News and Motorrad, as well as the Best Design and Best Sportbike awards by the Motorcycle Design Association.

Naza’s Next Bike Sdn Bhd has just opened the doors to its second Ducati showroom in Malaysia, occupying the first floor of the 3-storey 28,000 square feet Naza Autoworld Complex at TTDI Plaza. Service remains at the 4S centre at Naza Automall PJ along the Federal Highway.

The new Ducati 1198 also got its official importer launch at the showroom opening. Next Bike has held the Ducati import and distributorship since November 2000, so it’s been 9 years of sales now. Next Bike intends to sell 120 Dukes this year from the entire Ducati range including the Monster, Hypermotard and the superbikes.

An initial allocation of 13 Ducati 1198 and 1198S has arrived, but already some have been pre-sold. The bike’s 1198cc Testastretta Evoluzione engine puts out 180 horses at 9,750rpm and 13.4kgm of torque at 8,000rpm. The new motor is nearly 3kg lighter than the one in the 1098 S.

The 1198 S also has a Ducati Traction Control system which is competition ready, and system activation/intervention is indicated on the rider’s instrument panel.

Other than the DTC system, the 1198 S further improves upon the 1198 with lighter wheels – 7-spoke GP replica Marchesini forged and machined wheels to be exact, while the 1198 uses 10-spoke wheels. The 1198 S uses 43mm Ohlin shocks while the 1198 uses a set supplied by Showa. There is also a Ducati Data Analysis package for the S, which enables the retrieval and analysis of data collected from your previous track session or road trip via a USB cable and PC software.

Other than the bikes, a full range of Ducati and Ducati Corse mechantise from fashion wear to premium gifts, miniature bikes and lifestyle equipment with Ducati branding are also sold at the showroom.

The Ducati 1198 goes for RM158k while the 1198 S goes for RM185k. Look after the jump for some images and a video of the 1198 and the 1198 S.
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