Ever since the Panigale V4’s debut in 2018, Ducati has been slowly but surely uprooting its twin-cylinder engines, replacing them with more powerful, smoother, and reliable V4 units.

With the Panigale and Multistrada already sorted, the Bologna brand is now readying a Diavel V4 which has been spotted testing by Motorrad Magazin. The new Diavel will be part of Ducati’s septet of 2023 model unveils, one of which was the Streetfighter V4 Lamborghini.

The spy shots of the Diavel V4 reveal quite a lot about the motorcycle, starting with its new engine. For the first time in its 12-year life, the Diavel will switch to a 1,158cc V4 engine drawn from the Multistrada V4., with the engine casings and the rather unique four-port, barrel gun-like exhaust being a dead giveaway of the same.

Of course, there’s a high chance Ducati will alter the engine characteristic to prioritize torque against peak power for the cruiser but we still expect upwards of 170 horsepower from the Diavel V4. For reference, the Diavel 1260 currently pumps out 162 horsepower from its twin-cylinder engine.

Like its Testastretta engine, the Diavel also bids adieu to its proven front trellis frame and adopts a new chassis to house the V4 mill. Unlike the trellis, the latter is now mostly over the engine and barely visible at the side.

Speaking of the side, it boasts massive intakes parallel which feeds air directly into the tank. These remind us of another (now discontinued) V4 power cruiser, but we’ll let you do the thinking. Meanwhile, the fuel tank itself appears completely new and doesn’t feature a secondary display like the current model. Instead, all information is now fed via a bigger TFT instrument cluster.

Apart from this, there are notable design differences, too. For starters, the Diavel V4 adopts a new all-LED headlight with longer DRLs alongside a re-designed tail. Even the 10-spoke wheels are new and take inspiration from the XDiavel S. Plus, if you look closely, you can also spot new boomerang-shaped radiator shrouds, a beefy new underbelly, and a new split seat with a “Diavel V4” logo.

What we can’t deduce from these images, though, is whether there are any suspension or brake changes for 2023. The motorcycle appears to boast similar USD forks, disc brakes, and monoshock, but with such extensive changes elsewhere, we can’t not expect an up-spec here as well.

As mentioned above, the Diavel V4 is likely to come out in one of the remaining six Ducati World Premieres. Though the motorcycle looks almost ready (check the red paint under the black over), we believe it’ll come out either by October end or early November, followed by an imminent US launch.

2023 Ducati Streetfighter V4 Lamborghini Is A Straight Up Bombshell