V twins

[Pwalo]

Are jolly deceptive when it comes to judging your speed. I must admit that I've been caught out a few times on the SV.

Pull out to overtake a car (on the motorway of course), look down and find I'm doing 145 ks. On all my other bikes I've always 'felt' the acceleration, but the V twin just doesn't seem to give you the impression that it's actually accelerating. (You do notice that the cars in front of you are getting close really fast and the cars behind are receding at a similar rate).

What do you chaps reckon?

[vifferman]

What do you chaps reckon?

Yes.

I got a ticket on my VTR for 132km/h in a passing lane, when I overtook a little faster than I ought to have done, after following some pillock in a fume-belching 4WD behemoth for about 15 minutes.
The lazy nature of many v-twins makes them relaxing to ride, but means you can get caught out going faster than intended.
Conversely, IL4s sound busy even when they're not revving much. When I test-rode a 2005 CBR600RR, I thought, "Man, this thing's revvy!", and when I looked at the tachometer, I was doing the same revs as I would've been doing on the VFR.
Hmmmmm....

[Motu]

Flat twins also feel gutless for their capacity,flat and unispiring....until you see how fast you are covering ground.First day on my XLV750 I was stopped and asked by a Cop - ''Do you realise what speed you were doing?''

[V4ME]

Totally agree - on my SV I've got to really watch going into corners as I often do not realise how quick I'm coming into them, (the very reason I came off a few weeks back in a tight corner - ended up crossing well over the centre line). And I agree with vifferman that riding an IL4 you tend to know when you are going quick due to the reviness and scream.
I love the feel of my SV. But it is very deceptive.

[Juud]

Pull out to overtake a car (on the motorway of course), look down and find I'm doing 145 ks.

Been there as well, great for overtaking but not for fines. I used to ride a CBR600, what a difference. In town I really have to keep an eye on the speed as well, it's like you said, so deceptive. In the beginning I had some trouble with the smaller roundabouts (eg outside the grumpy mole in Lower Hutt) until my partner said, yeah I'm not surprised, the speed you're going. I didn't have a clue.

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

Yes they are very deseptive and you don't really feel the acceration/pull as such, then you look down at the speedo and say awwww crap... as the little blue lights flash in your rear veiw mirror.

been there...


but its so much fun

[Dave C]

For me on my SV it's a bit of a mixture. I find that around the 'middle' of the range - like you say, sitting at 90-100k then giving it some stick to get clear of traffic you can very quickly and without really 'feeling' it find yourself well into the numbers where Mr P requires you to 'get off and walk home'. But when you get up to serious high speeds i.e 200k+, (always on private roads under controlled conditions of course...honest...) it is more evident that you are hauling arse than it was on my dear old Gixxer 11, which didn't give you quite the same sensation at the big numbers. All very subjective, but interesting to know it's not just me! Makes me think I must jump on a big multi and see what that feels like again after over a year riding only the double-thumper.

[98tls]

With my TLS i find i ride it on the revs all the time or else it feels like a big fat lazy sack of shite and its rather loud so have no problem with getting lulled into a false sense of what speed i am doing...........

[JimO]

as some of you will know i have only had the vtwin for a few weeks but it reminds me of a big trail bike .....just the way it feels not the way it goes

[doc]

I felt the opposite going from a sporty to a 4cyl (aren't an IL4 to me) V-twin's with the noise and vibration when you are going fast you know it, where as with a 4 you look at the speedo after you have passed and are pulling in and think Feerkin hell. (Miss that noise of the V-twin tho) The 4cyl freaks should try a V-Twin before they chuck off at them.

[Buster]

Twins are easy to keep at legal speeds. They are just so lazy. Get the revs up though and the noise starts, along with the vibes. Thats a good indicator. They feel more 'alive' at pace than cruising. Certainly not the fastest things out there. I think inline fours are alot more deceptive at 2 times the speed limit.

I wont be going back to a IL4 for a while

[spudchucka]

With my TLS i find i ride it on the revs all the time or else it feels like a big fat lazy sack of shite and its rather loud so have no problem with getting lulled into a false sense of what speed i am doing...........

I found with my TLS that it had massive top end for a twin. It didn't do much until mid way through the revs and then it just pulled like pubescent school boy all the way to the red line.

[Detroitdiesel]

I have owned a couple of 4 cyl bikes and in comparison the boxer twin is deceptivly fast on the open road and on more than one occasion I have been caught out doing 140 when I could have sworn I was only doing around 110 Ks, I am not to sure as to why twin cyclinder bikes seem to do this?

[98tls]

I found with my TLS that it had massive top end for a twin. It didn't do much until mid way through the revs and then it just pulled like pubescent school boy all the way to the red line.

Dead right mate............about 6-61/2 it just roars away............kind of addictive.

[McJim]

I want a big V-Twin so I can join in the conversation - My V Twin is 250cc and is therefore pretty gutless all over the range.