there was an article on hell for leather regarding who is buying the diavel. The Ducati Diavel is supposed to be something of a segment buster, giving Ducati access to people who can’t or won’t ride a sportsbike and giving cruiser riders a Ducati-badged alternative. Interested to see who, exactly, is placing orders for the 162bhp muscle bike, we asked Ducati North America to share demographic data gleaned from deposits so far. Ducati doesn’t have a formal system for collecting demographics from its dealers on customers placing deposits, so instead we have anecdotal evidence related to DNA by its dealers. We’ll categorize the observations by trends most dealers observed in most customers and trends that aren’t so universal, but still appear to be widespread. Strongest Trends: - Most people placing Diavel orders are existing riders. - Most Diavel customers are 50 or older. - The Diavel is attracting more women than typical Ducatis. Dealers report these women cite the seat height as the reason. At 30.3 inches high, it’s equal to the Monster 696. Strong Trends: - Some Harley riders are swapping their bikes for the Diavel, mostly V-Rod owners. - Dealers report most new faces they’re seeing are staunchly opposed to owning Japanese products. - Some former Ducati customers are returning to the brand from Harley specifically for the Diavel. Local Trends: - In Southern California, most Diavel buyers are existing Ducati customers. That’s largely counter to what dealers are seeing elsewhere in the country. - Dealers in Texas report a strong uptick in deposits after the Diavel was shown at the Dallas motorcycle show. Some even report customers who had no interest in the Diavel ended up ordering it after seeing it in person. Additionally, Ducati reports that most major dealers have already taken 10-15 deposits since the Diavel was unveiled at EICMA a month ago. That’s an strong sign that, like the Ducati Multistrada 1200, the Diavel will be a sales success. So what does all this tell us? Well, there’s nothing terribly unexpected here. The $16,995 Diavel is intended to translate Ducati brand values like performance, handling and technology to a demographic looking for an easier riding experience. That the Diavel is bringing customers back to the brand from Harley is perhaps the strongest indication of its intention. The performance cruiser gives Ducati a way to hang on to high end customers once they’ve aged out of an 1198 or even a Multistrada. That most regions report customers aren’t current Ducati owners is also a strong sign of its wide appeal and that Ducati is making its range more diverse. The female customers are an indication of how they’ve done this, delivering a bike that’s at once exceptionally friendly — low seat, light weight, traction control and other rider aids — yet also seen as being high performance. That combination is something that eluded established rivals like the VMAX, B-King and even the V-Rod, which opt for intimidation over approachability. A friendly, fast, comfortable performance cruiser looks to be a winning combination.