Well said Zombie.
Its really down to personal taste BW-you've got none so why worry?

But seriously, Its down to what you want it for & why you want it.
If you like the 1200 Bandit then go get one(i've always been a big capacity 4 cyl fan myself)
But do you REALLY need a 1200? (says the man with a ZZR 1100).
Will it be that much faster/handle any better in the twisties?
How much more will the insurance cost?
Twice the capacity-does that double the running costs?
It would cope with 2 up touring better than your 6- but so would a "faired" 750/800.
Just a thought.

That's the ticket!

A large capacity four has the torque anyway due to it's size.

Naked twins like the moster and the SV always look to me like they haven't been finished.  Dont believe me?  How come so many companies sell lower fairings for the sv then?

The monster however falls into the category of bikes that people reckon are beautiful by virtue of who makes them - it's like the kings new clothes.

Well, that's all there is to it then... a naked Bandy 1200 for me

:buttrock:

V twins make more torque at lower revs than an equivalent in line four.  the equivalent four has smaller pistons and can rev higher as a consequence.  they can generally make more power but its due to higher revs and so twins can get the power on earlier.  Look at a big harley or jap cruiser with twin cylinder engine, from the start they go really well due to the instant torque but run out of oomph as the revs rise.  the ducatis and aprilia and honda sprot twins have over square pistons making them lighter and so can rev higher thereby being a good compromise - you only have to watch the superbike racing to see the benefits of low and mid range torque.  harley engined bikes always do well at drag racing too.  the four should be smoother as the smaller pistons are going up and down more creating a higher frequency vibration - the higher the frequency of vibration the less noticeable it is.  In line fours can have fewer parts as if you have a twin in a vee then you need cam shafts for both cylinders whereas the inline engine has all cylinders sharing the camshafts.

fours roar and twins rumble - i prefer the sound of the twin.

the twin is better in smaller capacity because of the torque but the smaller capacity four is usually more sporty although very high revving (ZXR400 for example).

i reckon an inline triple is the best of both worlds and my experience of the sprint seem to confirm that.

i wouldn't say which was better and believe it depends on whose point of view you take - twins make good torque but are lumpy at low revs - they sound better - they make your teeth fall out.

Fours have more sense of oomph at higher revs - they (potentially) can have more top speed - they should be smoother - they scream when wound up - they look better in naked form.

Alright clever bastard I'd forgotten about those silly little engines

I ride a V and a four, its called a V4.  :swivel:

Twins have more torque because they have a larger piston driving the engine or am I wrong there. Somebody with a bit more technical savvy will know. The V configuration is also smoother because the movement of the piston counteracts each other is some way, whereas the inline engine produces a lot of vibration. I read an article on it in one of the mags but it was a long time ago.

OK, who rides V-twins here? Are they better than fours? If so why, if not why not.

Discuss (copyright Hilts MMII of course )

I'm still mulling a new bike this year but...

I have no experience of new bikes, or sports bikes, but I have to put my five eggs in here, cos when my GT was off the road earlier this year a fgellow club member lent me his second bike, a CX500 - no, don't groan!

Loads of peeps in our club have ridden this bike and they ALL say it makes you grin!

It sure made me grin!  I LOVED it!  Loved the torque, loved the buzz, loved the way it went round corners (it's the eurostyle single-shock one).  John's always mumbling about selling it and I might have tried to persuade him only the weights a bit high up for me, had difficulty with parking etc.

It's actually 50cc less than my own bike, but about 500cc more fun!  (Though my knees were very glad to get back on Gertie)

So I rather fancy a V twin............

Had a GSX750F (baboon's arris thing) then dropped it and entered the world of the SV650s

world of difference cos its lighter, far easier to flick around.  and loud exhausts sound so good

I like the way that the power comes in early, and would look next at a bigger V-twin before another 4

SV1000 or firestorm perhaps  :)

Twin for me also  :D  :D

good drive out of corners

noise causes peoples heads to spin round(who needs an horn)  :D

poss increased rear tyre life due to only 2 power pulses,4 on a 4cyl

4000 miles on mine tyre still like new (almost)

tend to be more chuckable .

even tho ive just sold my sv650s and bought a tt600 i still prefer the sound and torque of a v-twin. like zombie i can never understand why they dont sell them with full fairings. they look so much better!

Saying that i like the 4 too. nice and smooth and alot easier to control .. ive always found  v-twins have too much of a on-off throttle, just something you get used to tho.

If i could afford the insurance, i would have probably gone for a rsv1000 mille. im sure the sv1000 will sell by the bucket loads, i just dont like the styling that much and dont even get me started on the 999!  :p

oh btw my sv650s still had the original back tyre  after 7000 miles and it was still legal... just about!

Yeah... hence I post here often

I need to go through this again... am confused and befuddled! A 4 needs more tyres (or another wheel) but a V makes 3-rex Grin (which in itself, having read some of his posts is a concer) and DP's off on his own somewhere.

A Battle Is Declared! I shall get to the bottom of this as the Bishop said to the queen... or was it the rook to the castle

Ahhh... late nite posts... makes sense when you rite em

.. best thing t o do m8 is to go out and test ride a few and see which one YOU prefer.  To be honest i think tyre life depends how you ride a bike more than anything rather than whether its a 4 or a twin. If i dont get at least 5000 miles out of the tyre on my tt600 im gonna be most disapointed! i simply dont thrash my bike that much, and i dont go knee scraping round bends hence the long tyre life i normall can get

the noise of a v-twin certainly should bring a smile to your face tho    :D

I ride an Italian V60.

It's got endless amount of grunt and makes a triffic noise. It scares little old ladies and dogs and is great for setting off car alarms.

It also annoys cagers on mobiles when I pull alongside and drop a gear or two. Means they cannae hear a thing

RSV mille next or a Tuono Fighter.

Twin definately  But it's wotever floats yer boat init?

I have mostly been lucky enough to ride an L-twin, testastretta, 998cc, head down butt up, thundery thing.  It creates cracks in the tarmac without me sitting on it.  Heaps better than the 996 - the Testa engine is MUCH better than the Desmo - you can redline it - much more grunt.  Expensive bike, expensive insurance.

It's not a good all rounder like Andy's Falco tho.  But it makes you grin    You can pick up the older versions for the 4-5K mark.