Thumping singles, pulsating v-twins or purring fours?

[vifferman]

V-fours, of course! (Although I do miss my last v-twin's torque wodge starting at 3krpm...). Didja know (must be true coz I read it on teh interdweebs this week) that it's a misconception that v-twins produce more torques than stinky inline fours?

[darkwolf]

I love the sound of an inline 4 for short bursts but after a while the noise gets to me. Luckily they don't seem too bad for cruising.

V-Twin by far the best sounding engine I've heard on a bike. For low down, mid range the V-Twin is the best.

Don't like the lawnmower sound of the single cylinder.

Haven't heard parallel twins or boxers on a bike - youtube probably doesn't do them justice.

[Bonez]

I miss thrashing the tits off the GB. Why settle for one configuration when you can have a selection to choose from?

[Edbear]

i love em all for all different reasons, i just cant decide

Same really, I loved the C50T for its cruisy nature and the V-twin beat, but I also loved my old GXS600F and the induction howl when it was wound out.

I loved the relaxed, torquey nature of the V-twin but missed the outright performance of the GSX. I loved my old BSA B31 single for it's sound through its Dunstall megaphone and the way it would rattle windows up Bank Street in Warkworth in second gear...

[Mad-V2]

I prefer Twins



The TL sounds awesome but is not too good for urban commuting. Really good for open road cruising though and plenty of power to pass anything comfortably at highway speeds.
It can be quite thirsty when your riding aggressively, and from my almost 12 years experience it is very reliable and fun to ride.

[Winston001]

... now im on the Vtwin Hyosack 650, and the low end tourque and the sound of the motor when your giving it a good thrash is great, doesnt feel like the bike is trying to rip me outta the seat like the other bikes...

Agreed. That's it in a nutshell.

[Subike]

I love the sound of my XS1100 Yamaha,
Although it is an in line four, it is not a high reving screamer like most, tops out around 9000rpm, but the useable power comes on at 1200rpm, 100kph is a lazy 3200rpm, forget about changing gear as roll on torque is choice
Sound ?
A very deep growel, that turns into a howel, but never a scream.
The a very good burbble when backing off.
If I am in a mood to have fun, two bolts remover the nice road legal muffler, and a Harris Pipes Megaphone slips on....now you want a banshee howel you can hear four city blocks away??? stupidly loud,
A purring four?, na, its a growler...

[bogan]

Twins for road stuff, 2T single for dirt work, and a screaming 4 for the track!

[Winston001]

...we have to move away from the pursuit of ultimate speed and find different ways of enjoying our bikes.

Yes. Still, its for each person to find the best type of bike for that person.

My thoughts:

• motorcyclists enjoy speed
• racing on track days is an excellent way to satisfy the speed demon
• as a result road riding slows down because you can hammer it on the track
• the ergonomics of sports bikes encourage more speed
• by contrast wide handlebars and an upright riding position places you fully in the airstream and tells your brain you are moving quickly
• the perception of low down torque from a twin cylinder is powerful
• the guttural snarl of a twin feeds some primitive part of the brain and just sounds right. FTW

I've lived through the ownership of an Italian V-twin - just. Ohhhh how I loved that bike. However it was watercooled and the torque didn't start until 4500 revs, and at 7000 it suddenly got interesting and took off. I'd innocently thought that was only an inline 4 thing.

No regrets of course but speed became addictive an in hindsight, an air cooled tamer machine would have been better. A Thruxton or Ducati ST2.

[Geeen]

As has been said by a few enlightened posters, its gotta be a triple, 1050cc at 6k rpm sounds awesome through a set of Neptunes

[Zamiam]

Has to be V-Twin - although I am biased. Nothing like the sound of a V-Twin when you crank it open (even if it takes a week to accelerate to the speed limit. Its a bit like owning a V8 - you find yourself putting the windows down around town just to listen to it.

[DrunkenMistake]

i love em all for all different reasons, i just cant decide

Has to be V-Twin - although I am biased. Nothing like the sound of a V-Twin when you crank it open (even if it takes a week to accelerate to the speed limit. Its a bit like owning a V8 - you find yourself putting the windows down around town just to listen to it.

Had my bike for about a month almost and im 100% with you on that one!
Im actually obsessed with the noise of the sex it produces when you crack the throttle wide open

[Rhys]

Got to love V twins

[DR650gary]

I love the sound of an inline 4 for short bursts but after a while the noise gets to me. Luckily they don't seem too bad for cruising.

V-Twin by far the best sounding engine I've heard on a bike. For low down, mid range the V-Twin is the best.

Don't like the lawnmower sound of the single cylinder.

Haven't heard parallel twins or boxers on a bike - youtube probably doesn't do them justice.

Listen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZQrYdD5fP4

You have now. Had em all bar the V twin. Liked them all but the older triples do have a special vibe. The V4's are awesome revving up but the parallel twin does it for me at the moment.

Go on, listen again

[BurningPlastic]

I like V-Twins, but I really love parallel twins... They just sound and feel right to me. Smooth power all the way up with a beautiful rumble pulling at lower revs...

For whatever reason, most of the bikes I've had have either been parallel twins or 2 stroke singles.