2 cylinder vs. 4 cylinder

[Gremlin]

Having been to Mt. Eden Motorcycles, and realising I was an idiot for wanting faired bikes, I sat on the Hyosung Comet and Honda 250 Hornet...

I would like to know whether 2 or 4 cylinders would be better.

2 cylinders have more torque, so would require less revs to get away, making it easier for learners, bit are not as fast for top end passing (wouldn't like to run out of steam when overtaking). They would also tend to chew through more tyres when I learn to get away quicker :lol:

4 cylinders would be a little harder to get away, needing more revs, but a lot of people have talked about finding their bikes gutless and wanting to upgrade while in their licenses. Ideally, with a limited budget, I would want to not have to upgrade during the licenses.

I know I am a bit of a speed freak, and I'm pretty sure that once I get some skills, I'll be wanting to go faster, accelerate quicker, and generally have a lot of fun...

[N4CR]

I drove the hornet and absolutely loved it (Mt eden too :P).
I drove a repsol cbr rr and liked it too, along with many other bikes.

The vtwins engine did not make much difference for me starting off (I stalled a vtwin more than any other bike I tested and in the same spot ;) ).

Just ride around and see what you like the best... thats all I can reccomend

I ended up with the zxr, but would have preferred the hornet for commuting. :Punk:

[NordieBoy]

Think of a twin as a v8 and a 4 as a rotary.


Then get a big single :D

[Teflon]

With a twin, you can put more power down to the road.

Between each pulse, the tyre has a chance to grip.

[SPORK]

Hornet fuck yes!

[dangerous]

2 cylinder vs. 4 cylinder
Mate, you might as well learn this right now............ 4 cyl's belong in cars :ride:

[Sensei]

[QUOTE=Teflon]With a twin, you can put more power down to the road.

I thought that to when I owned my Ducati, but seen as my GSXR put's out the same Torque as a 999 Ducati 81ftlb that is not so any more . As I proved again today against some Aprilia's :whistle:

[HDTboy]

4The message you have entered is too short. Please lengthen your message to at least 10 characters

[Ixion]

One is enough for anyone. Two is greedy, three is ostentatious and four is absurd.

[TwoSeven]

I would like to know whether 2 or 4 cylinders would be better.


Do you mean 2-stroke vs 4-stroke or 2-cylinders vs 4-cylinders.

If the latter then 4 cylinders is better than 2 because its more evenly balanced and there are more power strokes per crank revolution.

For the former, its a matter of taste.

[Crazy Steve]

Two is better...

I had a 88 gpz500s....Fcking great bike..Did monos and stoppies..:)

Fast of the lights-cheap to run-200kph ish top speed??

And cheap to buy...Twin cylinder..:)

[guzzi_nz]

Sry they dont make guzzi in 4 clys so i have to go with the twins :Punk:

i moved for 4 s to twins never look back :mobile:

[Teflon]

[QUOTE=Teflon]With a twin, you can put more power down to the road.

I thought that to when I owned my Ducati, but seen as my GSXR put's out the same Torque as a 999 Ducati 81ftlb that is not so any more . As I proved again today against some Aprilia's :whistle:

I know what you mean.

With a four at any given time theres more power pulses compared to a twin, which gives less time for tyre traction.

[Flyingpony]

:second: I'd go for the twin.

[idb]

Mate, you might as well learn this right now............ 4 cyl's belong in cars :ride:
I could feel the tears well up when I read that. You sir, are a true philosopher.

[Zapf]

I would go for a twin too as your 1st bike, as you have to worry less about which gear you are in as it'll pull much better than a 4 cyl. But a big 4 cyl is good.... just need a full license... :love: (my 750)

I think a Honda Spada 250 is worth a look I think they are quite fast for a 250 twin...

[FzerozeroT]

With a twin, you can put more power down to the road.

Between each pulse, the tyre has a chance to grip.

yes, that was the reason they made the 250 hornet a twin, if it was a 250-4 you get too much wheelspin, current tyre technology is limited to 200hp :killingme (sorry mate i just had to pt)

[Racey Rider]

Just what I was thinking FT!
Dam hard on tyres those twofiftys! :killingme

I'ld go the 2 cylinder. More torque = more fun. Better for everyday riding.
But if you see yourself as a Thrasher, or a track day bunny, forget everyday riding and go the 4 cyl way. (cost more mind you.)

O, and if DEATH happens to have anything to say on the matter,, Don't listen to him,, He just likes to contradict me! :cool:

[DEATH_INC.]

Right.Don't believe all the CRAP about twins being torquier than fours,it's an absolute load of shit.It's like the old days when everyone thought a fourstroke had more torque than a twostroke.Try it next time you get the chance,run 'em both down to 1000rpm then accelerate away......
On a 250 grip won't be an issue.If you're gonna have it for a while go for whichever has the most power,otherwise you'll grow out of it quickly and we'll get another 'how do I get more power outta my ***** thread'.If you're only planning on keeping it for a short time,get the one that's most user-friendly so you can concentrate on other stuff, like lines etc. :niceone:

[Rback]

Wots this Twins get the power down better than 4's? If thats the case then why do the 4's and 5's seem to be the ones winning all the races in the GPs etc

[DEATH_INC.]

Wots this Twins get the power down better than 4's? If thats the case then why do the 4's and 5's seem to be the ones winning all the races in the GPs etc
That's because the twin's can't make as much power or torque per cc....
The twins get better grip because the tyre has more time to recover grip between power-pulses than a four...one per revolution on a twin,two on a four....

[Teflon]

yes, that was the reason they made the 250 hornet a twin, if it was a 250-4 you get too much wheelspin, current tyre technology is limited to 200hp :killingme (sorry mate i just had to pt)

Was trying to explain in lamans terms the difference between both engines in how they put there power down.

[dangerous]

Sry they dont make guzzi in 4 clys so i have to go with the twins :Punk:
Ummmm... so you know I have to say somwthing here aye, Moto Guzzi have been making 4cyl's since the 30's..... and right up too the 70's, and I might add some were supercharged :whocares: :2thumbsup

[dangerous]

that was the reason they made the 250 hornet a twin,
Ok... so I count four cyl's in the hornets below, one of the 1st posts in this thread implyed that they were a twin aswell.... whats the go?

http://tcimages.net/DisplayImage.aspx?PD=4076304&S=IS

[FEINT]

yes, that was the reason they made the 250 hornet a twin, if it was a 250-4 you get too much wheelspin, current tyre technology is limited to 200hp (sorry mate i just had to pt)

Hornets are inline 4. They are de-tuned CBR engines. Torque comes on lower in the rev range in comparison to the CBR's.

with a 250, I doubt you will get much wheelspin. The Hornet also comes with a 180 rear profile tire. :niceone:

[MSTRS]

I could feel the tears well up when I read that. You sir, are a true philosopher.
2 Ducs @ 2 cyls each = 4 cyls. Basic arithmetic :killingme

[dangerous]

2 Ducs @ 2 cyls each = 4 cyls. Basic arithmetic :killingme
LOL... ahh yes, but that would be a V4..... aceptable as a bike, I can only recall 1 V4 car engine.... and we wont go there will we Mr Ford. :2thumbsup

[Zapf]

LOL... ahh yes, but that would be a V4..... aceptable as a bike, I can only recall 1 V4 car engine.... and we wont go there will we Mr Ford. :2thumbsup

Nissan had a V4

[Ixion]

Nissan had a V4


So did Lancia (I think)

[idb]

So did Lancia (I think)
VFR anyone?
And don't toy with me, I know what you're all doing.
2x2 = 2x2, that's all, nothing more......

[Motu]

One big thumping rod of hard steel has always been good enough for me...

[guzzi_nz]

Ummmm... so you know I have to say somwthing here aye, Moto Guzzi have been making 4cyl's since the 30's..... and right up too the 70's, and I might add some were supercharged :whocares: :2thumbsup
look very much like 70-80 beneill :banana:

[dangerous]

look very much like 70-80 beneill :banana:
LOL.... dont think im telling you something ya dont already know here some how..... but, one of De Tomaso's 1st projects with Benelli (then owner of Moto Guzzi) had been to produce a single overhead cam 4cyl engine, in nearly every respect a copy of a Honda designe. In 74 the 350 version became the moto guzzi 350gts. :Punk:


:doh: :Offtopic: gezzz.... not my fult ya shouldent have mentioned the name Guzzi :whistle:

[erik]

I'd guess that no matter what type of 250 you got, you'd still find yourself wanting more grunt after a few months if you go on highway/open road rides with larger bikes. I'm a bit sick of the Zeal in that regard, having it constantly whining at 10-12,000 rpm and still not able to keep up with them.

[inlinefour]

Ive had twins and four cylinder bikes. Don't quite know about twins having more torque, must have missed that one. The Four cylinder bikes are by far a better bike and I seriously doubt that I'd ever get a twin again as my main ride.

[spudchucka]

I've never had more than three cylinders at one time. I prefer twins and singles, 4's are great but I just don't overly like them. I reckon the twins and singles have more soul.

[Coyote]

So long as you keep a CBRRR above 14,000rpm, it's pretty damn fast, and if your at full revs and you let the clutch out smoothly, it does a nice wheelie, great bike so long as you don't crash it

[Gremlin]

Ive had twins and four cylinder bikes. Don't quite know about twins having more torque, must have missed that one. The Four cylinder bikes are by far a better bike and I seriously doubt that I'd ever get a twin again as my main ride.
Please tell...

Why did you think the four cylinder bikes were better?


I'd guess that no matter what type of 250 you got, you'd still find yourself wanting more grunt after a few months if you go on highway/open road rides with larger bikes.

Well, I am expecting that, but I would still have to ride a 250. I don't want to waste money upgrading, hence trying to find a bike that would have depth...


So long as you keep a CBRRR above 14,000rpm, it's pretty damn fast, and if your at full revs and you let the clutch out smoothly, it does a nice wheelie, great bike so long as you don't crash it
Not an option for me. The bike is too small...

[FEINT]

If the latter then 4 cylinders is better than 2 because its more evenly balanced and there are more power strokes per crank revolution.

Gremlin, The above should answer you as to why a 4 cylinder bikes is smoother.

In all honesty, I found my CBR250RR more than enough to get myself in to trouble. The difference between an inline 4 250 and a v-twin 250 would be insignificant to a learner. I took a Honda VTR250 out for a spin one afternoon and I didn't find it as good as the CBR. The CBR would be alot smoother and pull alot harder once you get up in to the REV Range. I did find the VTR not as scary as the CBR.

I guess it is all up to preference at the end of the day. You have to ride both bikes to see which is better.

Have a look at an inline 4 dyno sheet and a v-twin dyno sheet. That would tell you how and when the torque comes on.

[inlinefour]

Please tell...

Why did you think the four cylinder bikes were better?



Well, I am expecting that, but I would still have to ride a 250. I don't want to waste money upgrading, hence trying to find a bike that would have depth...


Not an option for me. The bike is too small...

The four is faster, much much faster. Also the power curve is much more impressive with that sudden increase at higher revs. I'm waiting for the day that I get the CBR600RR as it will be the bike I will stick with until I'm too shabby to throw my leg over it :msn-wink:
At the end of the day everyone has their preferences and the inline 4 is my favourite over all the other engine types.

[Lou Girardin]

With a twin, you can put more power down to the road.

Between each pulse, the tyre has a chance to grip.

So true, the Bandit is forever spinning up the wheel on my morning commute. :whistle:
But then it's got more torque at the wheel than most twins have at the crank :apumpin:

[Teflon]

So true, the Bandit is forever spinning up the wheel on my morning commute. :whistle:
But then it's got more torque at the wheel than most twins have at the crank :apumpin:

Hard to beat those old oil cooled motors.

Still, not as much fun as a twin.