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I Don't Like 180 Degree Parallel Twins

russ69

russ69

Backside Slider
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Location
Southern AZ Chapter
Moto(s)
I like 'em
Name
Russ
It least I didn't use to. My old Honda CB350 looked great but I never liked the feel of the engine. Same for the Honda 175, 450, and some others. When I first rode a Norton twin (360 crank), I really liked it but never ever liked any of the 180 twins I rode.
Then I got a Burgman 650, and the engine is one of the best/smoothest parallel twins I ever owned. It really feels more like a 4 cylinder than a twin, it's great. My new Ninja 250 runs great but the vibes might be small because it's a small bore to start with? Now I'm re-thinking my hate for parallel twins. So what's the word, are the new counter-balanced 650 twins good runners?
 
the kawasaki 650 versys has a smoothness to the parallel twin with a little hint of character...
 
that ninja 250 isn't counterbalanced

kawi 650's are smooth 180degree counterbalanced engines... you still get some buzzing, but it's much smoother than the old british twins...
 
My Versys is smoother if I let it rev. Definitely smoother between 5k and 6K than between 3K and 4K. It baffles me why some owners will complain of vibration then add a tooth to the countershaft sprocket. :dunno
 
i like the bmw f800 parallel twins...buzzy but it got charisma...
 
I like inline 4's and big vtwins a lot more. I4 will be smooth and gutless low but scream to the top. Vtwin will pull well till midrange.

The few parallel twins I've tried just kiinda sucked. Buzzy down low with a boring power deliver till it huffs and puff up top......relatively speaking.
They all reminded me of a ho hum boring econo car.

....yes this is your que to google some obscure one off race team parallel twin bike and tell me Im wrong and your choice is the best.
 
theAmazingKickstand said:
I like inline 4's and big vtwins a lot more. I4 will be smooth and gutless low but scream to the top. Vtwin will pull well till midrange.
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You're making generalizations related to engine configuration that are really impacted more greatly by other parts of the design. For instance, 1200 and 1250 Bandits pull hard down low and in the mid-range, but not so much on top, despite being I-4's. An 848 Ducati doesn't have that much down low, but rips on top, despite being a v-twin (yeah, yeah, "L" twin).
 
V4 said:
i like the bmw f800 parallel twins...buzzy but it got charisma...
Click to expand...

+1 It can be slightly buzzy but I have gotten used to it. It seems some machines are worse than others as I rode a rental my friend got and it was way more buzzy than mine.

They are WAY less buzzy than a Ninja 250 at 75-85.

Take a ride on one of the newer machines. I think you will be surprised.
 
I agree about the Bandit and will add a ZRX1200(my fav)...those few examples slipped my mind. Im sure there are more.

FWIW the bmw boxer twin is much shittier to me than nay Ptwin I've tried.
 
revnort said:
+1 It can be slightly buzzy but I have gotten used to it. It seems some machines are worse than others as I rode a rental my friend got and it was way more buzzy than mine.

They are WAY less buzzy than a Ninja 250 at 75-85.

Take a ride on one of the newer machines. I think you will be surprised.
Click to expand...

The only time my F800 made my hands tingle was during the first 300 miles of breaking.

After that very smooth with no tingling hands whatsoever.
 
After giving TAKS crap for generalizing, I'll kind of agree with him. :teeth I find my Ducati has a more satisfying feel to it than my Versys. Something about the sound of 90 degree twins hits me just right. Doesn't really matter if it's a Duc, a VTR1000, a Guzzi, or SV with pipe. They just sound nicer. :dunno

I've ridden an F800GS and liked it, particularly the sound (not the same on the ST). I like my Versys, but the 180 degree twin does not sound as nice as the 90 degree twin. As I see it, the the 180 degree twin has two key advantages:
  • Low manufacturing costs compared to a 90 degree twin or I-4
  • The compact size of the modern 180 degree can be used to enable better mass centralization leading to better vehicle dynamics.

So I love the handling feel of my Versys, but I'm not crazy about the feel of the motor. That said, the motor is very flexible.
 
flying_hun said:
After giving TAKS crap for generalizing, I'll kind of agree with him. :teeth I find my Ducati has a more satisfying feel to it than my Versys. Something about the sound of 90 degree twins hits me just right. Doesn't really matter if it's a Duc, a VTR1000, a Guzzi, or SV with pipe. They just sound nicer. :dunno

I've ridden an F800GS and liked it, particularly the sound (not the same on the ST). I like my Versys, but the 180 degree twin does not sound as nice as the 90 degree twin. As I see it, the the 180 degree twin has two key advantages:
  • Low manufacturing costs compared to a 90 degree twin or I-4
  • The compact size of the modern 180 degree can be used to enable better mass centralization leading to better vehicle dynamics.

So I love the handling feel of my Versys, but I'm not crazy about the feel of the motor. That said, the motor is very flexible.
Click to expand...

I really do like the sound of a v-twin so I understand. It took me a little bit but I actually do love the sound of my bike. I wasn't crazy about it at first.

I actually didn't ride a versys when I was test riding before buying the gs. Did the two engines feel similar, being used to another parallel twin?
 
revnort said:
I actually didn't ride a versys when I was test riding before buying the gs. Did the two engines feel similar, being used to another parallel twin?
Click to expand...

The F800GS has noticeably more power on top, and it rewards revving more than the Versys. Maybe a better way to say it is that I thought the F800GS needed to be revved more.

Note: the 30 or 40 miles that I rode the GS we were all pretty much caning the bikes we were on, so take my comments in the context of a fast and aggressive group ride.
 
theAmazingKickstand said:
FWIW the bmw boxer twin is much shittier to me than nay Ptwin I've tried.
Click to expand...

Time for you to google BMW F800 and realize we're talking about a parallel twin and not the Boxer configuration - and then go find another thread to peruse. We're ragging/supporting/discussing parallel twins, not Inline fours or V Twins. Your opinions of those layouts, while valid, are superfluous to this thread.
 
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