Best engine configuration?

[Mikkel]

Two of these would be a hoot.

[slofox]

Sound has a lot to do with my penchant for the V-Twin config...love that burning snarl as they crank up through the revs....oh, and on the over-run as well....

[BarBender]

Longitudinal 60 degree VTwin

[peasea]

You mean like this fulla.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48foOHK2tyA

I was actually thinking more along the lines of rockets and jets but yeah, I can see where you're coming from.

[peasea]

Two of these would be a hoot.

In a vee configuration. That'd be a right, royal chucklefest.

[nudemetalz]

The sound of this makes your hair stand on end !!!!!!

yeah !!!!!!!

Oops, it's all about best engine config, but hey....

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAYcqSTVBY4[/youtube]

[BMWST?]

The K5-K7 pulls like a school boy from take off. It is easy to spin the back wheel up on the exit of a corner almost irrespective of gear selected and revs indicated. That particular IL4 makes a mockery of the "superiority" of the V/L twin layout having a better connection with the rider. It's so good it makes the bike feel slow.

but thats not very user freindly is it?

[BMWST?]

Having had 4s twins,2s single,4s il4(several)4s single,4s triple,v twin,flat 4 4. the best compromise between the tourqey early throttle opening V twin,and the smooth il4s(both across and inline) is a TRIPLE.It was a relatively modern incarnation though.I have ridden V4s (very nice) and two stroke square fours(very exciting),and IL6(also very exciting).So a triple for me!

[James Deuce]

but thats not very user freindly is it?

I made a subsequent post about that. You may want to read it.

[aahsv]

Interestingly Engine config differentiates the newly released top superbikes models vying for buyers this year:

Ducati 1198 - V-twin
KTM RC8r - L-twin
GSXr1000 - inline 4
Yam R1 - cross-plane inline 4
Aprilia RSV4 - V4

[vifferman]

I DON'T KNOW!!
I haven't ridden every engine configuration, and I bet there's probably not many (if any) here that have.
I've ridden singles and parallel twins in four-stroke and two-smoke, a two-smoke triple, and various v-twins and v-fours in four stroke.
One bike I didn't like was the 1100 BMW boxer-twin; I thought it would be similar to a v-twin, but it wasn't. It felt like riding a misshapen bike with a factory below the gastank, busily churning away, but seemingly whatever activity it was engaged in (making cans of soup? Sewing flour sacks? Who knows? ) had little relation to twisting the throttle, nor to my progress up the road.

What's best?
Best for what?

I currently like my V4 - it has adequate power for what I want to do, and probably a lot more'n I need. But of course, I'd still like more (torque, rather than HP).
When I first got the VFR, I thought it had a huge hole in the power delivery. It produces about the same number of horsies as the VTR it replaced, but at a few higher revs. However (but!) the VTR produced a wodge of torque starting at ~3k rpm, whereas the VFR's torque lump is a few thousand rpm higher, and is much flatter. The nett result is the VFR felt like it had a hole (which it doesn't).
But (however!) the VFR is a nicer bike to ride, all round. Feels like a much better quality 'piece of kit'.

I still miss the v-twin's character - it's lazy to ride (when you want to, you can short-shift everywhere), not as smooth as the V4 (which in turn is not as smooth but also not as buzzy as an IL4), and as others have said, the flat drone is a nice sound.
But so is the rasp of a triple, or the boom of a big single with a megaphone, or the howl of a six....

Nothing is "best", except maybe for a particular role or niche.
Thank goodness for that!

[pritch]

And why do you think the R1 has gone to an uneven firing order..??

Because it's a marketing gimmick.

You may not agree,but realistically that's what it is.

[jono035]

EJK:

Is it just me or is that BMW engine in the picture you attached missing the valves from the head that is laid out on the right hand side?

[dipshit]

Because it's a marketing gimmick.

You may not agree,but realistically that's what it is.

You're right, i don't agree. Radially mounted brake calipers are more of a marketing gimmick than something that will help to get the power to the ground.

[pritch]

something that will help to get the power to the ground.

That's why the M1 has a cross plane crank. The R1 has it as a marketing gimmick. Albeit a good one.