What's new
By:
Filters

Preferred engine configuration.

klaviator said:
I have owned inline fours, a V- four, parallel twins, V- twins, a boxer twin, two and four stroke singles. I have also ridden 3 and six cylinder bikes. I enjoyed them all and they all had some advantages.
Click to expand...
True and any engine configuration brings with it some compromises, its a case of as individuals we all are prepared to accept these compromises or not. And lets not forget the bike manufacturers technical development and how they can help with some of the issues surrounding certain engine configurations.
Balance shafts and crank flange design reciprocating mass firing order etc all can play a part in refining changing creating the nature if you like of a given engine configuration.
 
klaviator said:
I have owned inline fours, a V- four, parallel twins, V- twins, a boxer twin, two and four stroke singles. I have also ridden 3 and six cylinder bikes. I enjoyed them all and they all had some advantages.
Click to expand...

Haha yeah. If there wasn't an artificial limit on sig length here I'd list all the bikes I've owned. They are all over the map WRT cylinder configuration and number of strokes per power pulse.

When in doubt, take the v-twin. You'll be happy. :D
 
JustAnotherSquid said:
When in doubt, take the v-twin. You'll be happy. :D
Click to expand...
Maybe for some. No v-twin ever made me happy, not even the '95 Harley Heritage Softail Classic I acquired for $300 a little over a year ago after sitting in the guy's garage for 15 years covered up with 1968 original miles on it. I cleaned the carb, replaced the battery and did an oil/filter change on it, rode it about 7 miles, knew it was not for me and sold it for $5500. That pile of cash made me happy, so I guess in a way a v-twin DID make me happy once
 
matty said:
An Engine i am interested in, and one if it ever becomes proper mainstream could be the salvation of internal combustion in motorcycles and cars/ trucks /vans at any rate.
Click to expand...

IMHO This is a more efficient way of using hydrogen.

Carrier H6 Hydrone - Harris Aerial

The Carrier H6 Hydrone is our all-new hybrid electric drone powered by our hydrogen fuel cell. The Carrier H6 Hydrone is equipped with Intelligent Energy’s 2.4kw FCPM (fuel cell power module). The recommended payload is 3kg allowing for up to 2.5hrs of flight. The max payload is 5kg allowing...
www.harrisaerial.com www.harrisaerial.com
 
I've always wanted something turbine powered. I like the idea of walking out of 7-11, hitting the starter, and watching jaws drop as the turbine begins its long, dramatic spin up into the screaming whine of pure awesome. Someday maybe... :D
 
Those 10,ooo HP cars are badass


1656511595844.png


1656511645569.png
 
DJ_MI said:
I've always wanted something turbine powered. I like the idea of walking out of 7-11, hitting the starter, and watching jaws drop as the turbine begins its long, dramatic spin up into the screaming whine of pure awesome. Someday maybe... :D
Click to expand...
Like this?

Y2K-bike-1.jpg
 
DJ_MI said:
I've always wanted something turbine powered. I like the idea of walking out of 7-11, hitting the starter, and watching jaws drop as the turbine begins its long, dramatic spin up into the screaming whine of pure awesome. Someday maybe... :D
Click to expand...
Not super reliable but quick ..I was not there but remember seeing and reading about this. Shame hislop died so early he was a legend.

Rotary Wankel motors the rice racer drag car boys get good power out of them.

Anyway if your bored watch this documentary. My guess is you will be on the edge of your seat.

 
^^^ Related - we use cheap air drills for underwater construction project and run them off of 80CF HP tanks (3500psi) regulated down to 80 psi.
 
Last edited:
I've had more parallel twins (180 and two 360s) than anything else, but that's because they keep sticking them in bikes I want to buy. Had a 90* v-twin (duc) and was surprised how much it hated to be at low revs. I really like thumpers more than I thought I would. Have one now, had one in the past...love the grunt at low RPM when you dig in. My favorite though was the 90* V4 in my old VFR. Best of all worlds, except maintaining it!
 
Pardon the long-winded story below. Suffice it to say I'm not sure I have a favorite. Read my backstory if interested. :-)


My first bike was a '72 Honda 500-4. I was a young rider in the neolithic age of communication (pre web, let alone pre social media) and didn't know what I should have to really take advantage of that engine's power band. It wasn't that it made huge power by any means, but it had this very cool slippery feel at about 6 grand that I didn't really explore much.

I owned a few more I-4s but they didn't impress. Then I had a VFR 500 and that engine had a great sound, good vibes and was surprisingly fast (recorded my highest top speed on it). But then I had a '91 VFR with a Yoshi muffler - what a great sound! The bike was heavy and hot, on the downside.

The V-twin in my Super Hawk was pretty nice. I liked its relative simplicity and narrow build. The power was sufficient and it felt a bit more present than the V-four, a lot more than my I-4s. I owned it the longest. But then I had a DL1000 that I got cheap. The prior owner, a shop employee, didn't know how to sync the carbs and thought the bike was bad. I synced the carbs, but I never got on well with the engine's vibes and noisy clutch.

I'm currently on a Triumph triple and I really like the engine. I like its power and its vibes. I also like the simplicity of it compared to 2 & 4 V layouts (one valve cover, one timing chain, two camshafts). It may be my favorite bike of 'em all, and yet I kind of feel like I should try some other configurations before I'm done, like a good parallel twin (I had a bad one once), an L-twin, or a transverse V. I've never owned a boxer either, so ...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom Back Refresh