Multis vs V-twins

[Zoolander]

For me one of the more enjoyable aspects of the V-twin is the tractability, I love that you can get on the gas fairly hard out of a corner and it just hooks up and goes. If I tried the same thing on the R1 it probably would've spat me off! Just the different ways the engines put their power to the ground, the Ducati gets traction where an inline 4 might not.

Interesting though that most people feel that twins put out more torque, they may make more usable power lower in the rev range, but compare a litre twin with the same capacity four, with similar states of tune etc, and the 4 would most likely still pump out more torque. Not that it matters a jot, just a point.

The twin wins because it feels alive in a way that no inline ever has to me. I absolutely love it and probably wouldn't go back to a four. Be interested in riding the new R1 though, hmmmm big bang......

[Big Dave]

I've had the opportunity to have extended saddle time on motorcycles with 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 cylinders in almost as many different configurations as pots.

There were aspects of all of them that I enjoyed.

I don't think there is a correct answer, as there isn't in any matter of taste.

[Boob Johnson]

Kelly can't ride Boob, but then again he would still be faster than You

No Sensei, he can ride & ride well, he just doesn't show off as often as some & doesn't feel the need to, if he wants to ride fast he will but I can assure you it won't ever be because he wants to impress anyone. I grew up with Kelly, have known him & his entire family since I was 5, the boy can ride. None of my usual riding mates are into pissing competitions, we get out & enjoy riding together & talkin shit over a coffee, not into who's the best/fastest, that just leads to accidents in my view. We have a healthy level of friendly ribbing but no one is ever truly competing. I wouldn't ever be interested in riding along side anyone who is hell bent on trying to prove they are "top dog", again sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.


ps: you're right about one thing though, he can out ride me but then again a lot of people could

Yeah, he was a local lad, nice noise too, he sure was ahem, exploring it's abilities.

Oh that might not be Kelly then, his kinda has a nice noise but he hasn't pimped a thing, the stock cans are pretty quiet so more than likely not. If it was a main road there is a high chance it wasn't him, we are all aware that Taranaki gets hit hard on certain roads.

[Dazza]

None of my usual riding mates are into pissing competitions

Yeah but I can piss further than you well when I was in my 20's I could

[zeocen]

I have one of them 'other' twins, of the parallel kind. So at the best of times it sounds like a lawnmower having an argument with a weed eater but I still just absolutely love the sound. Finding an aftermarket exhaust is a tough one if you don't like obnoxiously loud thumps which most people do.

I also love the rev range of a p-twin, so it can get some nice lion roars at about 9 - 10rpm on my ER6. Like McJim said, I only have a modest 64hp but it's how it handles it in torque is what matters, I have more fun on 64hp than I did on a claimed 155hp-ish litre bike!

In saying that I still have love for the IL4s and if the right bike later in life comes along I'll have no beef switching to the dark side again. Nothing will change my love for ZZR's so the IL4 blood is embedded pretty hard in this one! I especially loved the '05 ZX6R I rode for a day and a night with a Yoshi pipe, it had such a nice low growl until about 8rpm (Never had so many rev's to play with!) and then it started to scream, it was easily the best sounding bike I had ridden to date.. but then again all of my bikes have had stock pipes on them!

Long live the twins, fours and everything inbetween I say!

[vifferman]

I'll tell you what I think (yeah, I know you don't care, but here's my opinion anyway).
Motorbicycling is basically a very visceral thing: it's all about the sensations you enjoy while traveling (the way the bike feels, the acceleration, carving turns, and even the exposure to the weather/sights/smells/sounds). For me, a well-tuned IL4 with a nice zorst might sound kewl, and give you a real rush as it comes on song, but I dislike the buzziness of the engine. A single, twin, triple or V4 tends to have a bit more character to the engine that you can feel as you open the throttle.
It'd be a hard job to say which bike sounds best, but a Ducati with Termignonis or Contis, a piped Triumph triple and a '50s era 500 racing single all take a lot of beating aurally.

It's very much a personal preference thing, of course. When I first started on bikes, I loved the Kawasaki triples, but prefered the Honda and Kawasaki 4s, although the Ducati Desmo 450 'Silver Shotgun' was what I really lusted after.

If we're talking about twins, while I admire the Aprilias, and the odd Harley or big cruiser, they just don't sound the same as a 90-degree v-twin engine, and with 'drag pipes' they sound completely wrong - like a tractor that the muffler's fallen off.

[Cajun]

have a v-twin and a 4 cyclinder in the garage

personally i perfer the 4 cyclinder, where wife prefers the v-twin,

must say v-twins sound awsome, just engine does not suit my style.

going be interesting testing the new aprilia v4 motor due out next year. a mix of both worlds.

[Dazza]

I have one of them 'other' twins, of the parallel kind. So at the best of times it sounds like a lawnmower having an argument with a weed eater but I still just absolutely love the sound. Finding an aftermarket exhaust is a tough one if you don't like obnoxiously loud thumps which most people do.

I also love the rev range of a p-twin, so it can get some nice lion roars at about 9 - 10rpm on my ER6. Like McJim said, I only have a modest 64hp but it's how it handles it in torque is what matters, I have more fun on 64hp than I did on a claimed 155hp-ish litre bike!

In saying that I still have love for the IL4s and if the right bike later in life comes along I'll have no beef switching to the dark side again. Nothing will change my love for ZZR's so the IL4 blood is embedded pretty hard in this one! I especially loved the '05 ZX6R I rode for a day and a night with a Yoshi pipe, it had such a nice low growl until about 8rpm (Never had so many rev's to play with!) and then it started to scream, it was easily the best sounding bike I had ridden to date.. but then again all of my bikes have had stock pipes on them!

Long live the twins, fours and everything inbetween I say!

Well said I'm a wee bit biased though as my first real road bike @ 18yrs old was a Ducati S2900 (a whoping 50hp) which I had for 10yrs, traded her for a 97 1100Sport Moto Guzzi (did 43000k's), then had 2 Aprilia's (Falco,24000k's then RSVR,45000k's) then the KTM Super Duke,50000k's which I traded for my current Super Duke which now has covered 3500k's. @ the time of owning the RSVR I had a KTM640 Duke & then swapped that for a KTM640 Enduro & on the right rodes they where real weapons.I have had a couple of IL4's but not as my sole means of 2 wheels & still have an RGV250 in bits in a shed. So @ the end of the day it's what floats your boat really

[Sensei]

[QUOTE=Boob Johnson;1786044]No Sensei, he can ride & ride well, he just doesn't show off as often as some & doesn't feel the need to, if he wants to ride fast he will but I can assure you it won't ever be because he wants to impress anyone. I grew up with Kelly, have known him & his entire family since I was 5, the boy can ride. None of my usual riding mates are into pissing competitions, we get out & enjoy riding together & talkin shit over a coffee, not into who's the best/fastest, that just leads to accidents in my view. We have a healthy level of friendly ribbing but no one is ever truly competing. I wouldn't ever be interested in riding along side anyone who is hell bent on trying to prove they are "top dog", again sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.

This coming from someone that went on how fast they went in a straightline on ya RF900 ?? No worrys Boob have heard it all before . People that have natural talent & like show it off will always be criticized don't feel bad & buying a fast bike want help either !!

[BarBender]

They'd be one of each in my garage if I could get it past the CFO...

[Motu]

38 years of motorcycles,and I've only had one 4 cyl bike (CB750),although I've ridden a few more.They just don't seem to say motorcycle to me...they are very bland...oh,very fast,but just lacking that certain something.Single,twins,and triples too for me.I don't care whether the twin goes from 45deg through to 180 and 360....they are all great.But singles are even better.

[DMNTD:Me]

They'd be one of each in my garage if I could get it past the CFO...

Fishing with the wrong rod brother?

[Fatjim]

Nah, they're snobs and they're just sneering at the lower classes and their cheap transport.

Well we have been noted for stopping and waiting for lesser mortels for a chat occasionally.

[johan]

I love v-twins. They're slim, torquey, and light.

However I do worry a little bit about linear piston speeds in high-performance V-twins.

What is linear piston speed?

[idleidolidyll]

I took a 2006 Kawasaki Z750 for a squirt this afternoon. It has more horses than my Ducati but a slightly slower quarter mile. Very nice bike, smooth, light steering, handled well, responsive.....but....



I don't get it. I really don't. I understand how reliable and powerful the Japanese multis are. They pretty much do anything the average rider will want plus a lot more. But, for me, they just lack the "Wow" factor that a V-twin or indeed a V-four has. I guess its torque - or maybe just my fevered imagination.

Obviously I'm in the minority because there aren't many Jap V-twins, which suggests their buying public like multis much more.

Dear Winnie,

a twin IS a multi.
The only configuration that isn't a multi is a single.

my 2c: a vee twin multi, parralel twin multi or opposed twin multi is better than a 4 cylinder multi because the power delivery is far better for the roads we ride.

i've had my share of 4's and in the end they've all been ultimately boring. yes, good at most things but just dull compared to multi's with fewer cylionders and IMO, WAYYY less interesting than a single (non multi)