Friday, May 8, 2015

So, you want to steal the Devil?

Is the Ducati Diavel Motorcycle Default Ignition Password a scandal? A friend of mine pointed me to this, but I think that the fix has been instituted since the protocol for setting up the key fob requires rider/owner input - and it may not have in 2011 when the Ducati Diavel first entered the American consciousness.

Bugatti Veyron - almost as fast as a Diavel
It's true that people may ache to steal a dial, which will accelerate from 0 - 100 kph/62 mph in 2.6 seconds (faster than the Bugatti Veyron which comes close to that level of acceleration on four street-legal wheels at a cost of $1.5 million)

The Diavel has a digital ignition switch with a PIN that is the same as the last four digits of the bike's VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) when it's on the showroom floor. Before it leaves, the new owner makes the change.

If you really want to steal a motorcycle, you need a couple of guys and a pick-up truck. Who are you kidding? The ignition system will lock you out, but people who steal Diavels do so to strip them of parts, not to ride them. 

Of course, you also need to make it past the rider, which would make Level 3 body armor desirable for the thief...but even at that, the armor won't protect you from a head shot...and a Diavel owner is like you to treat you the way a Garland, Texas off-duty motor officer treats a Muslim terrorist, offended that people are drawing pictures of Mohammed. 

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