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Well a V Twin is simple really, 2 cylinders in a V configuration with the crank at the bottom (1/4 of a V8). Most are 90 degrees apart. Aprilla make a 60 degree i believe.

The main reason the differences between V Twins and inlines is discussed is due to the WSBC. In that championship your allowed to run a 900 if your running a twin, but only a 750 in a four. This means that twins have a pretty distinct torque advantage and greater acceleration out of corners, while the 4 has better top end speed.

However when it comes to purchasing a bike on the street theres much more options. You can go for a 1000cc in line four which has plenty of torque and the top end speed to boot. The GSXR-1000 and Yamaha R1 are your 2 best options here.

As far as twins go, i wouldnt know much about anything thats not Japanese, such as the TLR. Im not a fan of Italian bikes at all, and thats where a large majority of the worlds twins come from.

Despite the sexy sound of a twin, id still go the inline four. Theres just so many good cheap bikes out there in this configuration nowadays. Where as Ducati's and Aprilla's start expensive and stay expensive.

Red17

Other issues to note: you can have v-twins (configurations as listed above, plus Harley Davidson traditionally makes a 45 degree v-twin) or a boxer twin (180 degrees apart, like a BMW R series or half a VW beetle engine) or a parallel (or inline) twin, like the old English Triumphs & Nortons etc, where both pistons go up & down together, with one cylinder firing on each rotation of the crank.

V-twins have some benefits in packaging, ie often not as tall as a parallel twin or as wide as a boxer, and also some benefits in power delivery due to their firing order.

Because of their shape they also tend to give you a lower centre of gravity in most cases, which is particularly useful for a bike's handling.

Apart from anything else, they also tend to give a nice "pulse", and don't shake as much as a parallel twin.

....and they sound brilliant (except Harleys)

The main thing I like about the Ducati is the torque low in the rev range. Inline fours tend to be a bit more peaky and when they come on power you'd better be ready if your giving it some stick.

The Duc' is just so progressive in it's power delivery. You can lump around using the full rev range and when you need it the grunt is always there.

The sound is the other standout feature, nothing like it :)

I haven't met a V-Twin yet I didn't like :uh-huh:

Thats some nice piece of machinery you have there ylwgtr is that an RC45?(sorry I just relised the RC45 was 750 V4 config not two stroke meant to say NSR500) I have attached a pic of my bike (R6 nothing special like yours!) I used to have a bit of a reputation in my home town when I would pull up next to all the car nuts(no pun intended) do huge tyre destroying burnouts and then wheelie away!(I really miss doing wheel stands, burnouts and endos on the R6!) Sadly the R6 is no longer with us!, but we had many a good time annihilating every thing with four wheels that I came across!

MEGA

nah its an RGV250 Fitted with a highly modified RG500 engine it has a sachs rear shock ...numerous billet machine up parts...its like it rolled of the productionline...it looks like the factory made it.I even put all new bolts and warning decal like"do not drill,weld or modify the frame of this motorcycle"...which is quite ironic coz i spent 2 weeks "welding,drilling and modyifing"the frame :)

Ok, thanks for the reply folks. Now it makes sense. :)

My next question is abour learner legal bikes. I really like the Aprilia rs125, but I'm concerned about their reliability as it's a 2 stroker. Is it really that bad? Any other recommendations on other learner legal bikes?

Thanks.

Originally posted by red17

Well a V Twin is simple really, 2 cylinders in a V configuration with the crank at the bottom (1/4 of a V8). Most are 90 degrees apart. Aprilla make a 60 degree i believe.

Correct.

The main reason the differences between V Twins and inlines is discussed is due to the WSBC. In that championship your allowed to run a 900 if your running a twin, but only a 750 in a four. This means that twins have a pretty distinct torque advantage and greater acceleration out of corners, while the 4 has better top end speed.

Wrong. Twins are allowed to run up to 1000cc - Ducati 998. Triples up to 900cc - Benelli Tornado. Fours up to 750cc - Suzuki GSX-R 750.

As far as twins go, i wouldnt know much about anything thats not Japanese, such as the TLR. Im not a fan of Italian bikes at all, and thats where a large majority of the worlds twins come from.

The TLR is a Suzuki, its Japanese. Not a very popular twin due to is relatively wide girth, heavy weight, and experimental rear damping system which was promptly forgotten about by Suzuki. It was one of the reasons the TLR didnt compete in World Superbike (hard to set up).

Despite the sexy sound of a twin, id still go the inline four. Theres just so many good cheap bikes out there in this configuration nowadays. Where as Ducati's and Aprilla's start expensive and stay expensive.

There are lots of cheap Japanese V Twins. The RGV 250 (two stroke) is really the only quick one as far as I know. Rode a VTR250 (honda) very nice bike, slow but. Owned a GSF250 Bandit (suzuki) inline 4, 20,000rpm nakedbike but also slow (quicker than the VTR though). CBR250RR is the weapon of choice for young blokes. 20,000rpm + cheap. Aprilia RS250 would be my weapon of choice with the quickish RGV engine, and italian suspension/chassis. I think the 125 would end up leaving you wanting. Keep in mind though, that everything happens over 9000rpm on an RS250, fantastic through the twisties. Mixing oil everytime you fill up would be a pain, but the payoff is power. Get a cheap CBR250 so that if you crash it, its cheap to repair, then shell out the big $ for a 600cc when you want to upgrade.

red17, its quite obvious you have a vague idea of what you are talking about, but please dont post advice or "facts" when you really haven't got a clue.

Both motors have different aspects!(Pros and cons)

Motors in the inline configuration usualy rev much higher than their V configuration motors but this also has a down side, that the max hp/torque will be higher up in the rev range!!

V-twins usualy have a flatish torque curve which makes it good to do wheelies and also helps the bike have a good smooth exit on the corners.

MEGA

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