What's the attraction to V Twins?

Thank GOD! I thought I was the lone dissenter on the new 'Max; the thing looks like a heavily 'fightered Max only done all the way past the edge. In particular I think the tail section looks un-finished...doesn't flow at all. Not a 'shaft' guy either, but that's subjective...this new 'Max sure seems to have stirred the tuning-fork masses...but not me.

No, BK, you're not alone. Over at the Cycle World forums this summer there was plenty of dissent with a lone Max lover getting verrrry nasty at a personal level toward any of the dissenters. That didn't help my acceptance of the bike (funny how fanatics can turn a ho-hum attitude into an intense dislike of something).

I think that if I "needed" that kind of speed, a ZX14 would better suit my "need".

The ZX10 had a much better 0-180 mph time than did its bigger brother! Just over 17 seconds. They tested at an airbase on a runway in a recent Cycle World. They also tested on a race track and it had the 2nd best lap time while the best was an MV Augusta (sp?) costing a bunch more. The winner of the super bike comparison? The GSX-R1100R. Why? Uh... I think Cycle World has a bit of a bias. There were two twins in the comparison... the Duc superbike (I think a 1098) and another Duc that cost a lot more. They wouldn't test the real expensive Duc on the track as it cost over 40K. Neither did all that well in the flat out speed comparison.

reborn650 wrote:

My guess is that the proliferation of the twins is simply to copy the sound and styling of the heritage and history of Harley. If Harley were to ever change their basic power plant configuration it would only be a matter of time before the other manufacturers followed suit as Harley is still viewed (arguably) as the pinnacle of coolness in the cycle world. Throughout most of the twentieth century, the big twins (including Indian) were pretty much the only multi-cylinder game in town until the Brits started with their inline twins.

As much as we love the inline-four design (most of us 4 juggers here on Kzr) the simple fact is that Harley has been around for 105 years and our basic engine design has only around forty years of tradition. These points are certainly worth considering when asking the question about the attraction to V-twins.

Cheers-Colin Firth-Ontario Canada

OK...well you guys asked for it...
I know a lot of you readers are fanatical about Kawasaki's but I dare interject my own experience. The most comfortable bike I ever had was my 1968/1973 Harley. Yup! Sorry!
I bought it when I was in Uncle Sam's Yacht Club wayyyyy back in 1978. It was basically a crappy AMF 1973 electra-glide/chopper all in parts and in several boxes. I hated it as a chopper so I swapped a lot of parts and transformed it back into what it was originally....more or less. After much effort, curses, dollars and parts trades from a 1968 police special basket case, I was able to get it on the road by the time I was discharged.
Over the course of the next 5 years I rode that bike accross the USA 3 times and accross Canada once. Other than the normal issues that old Harley's had (oil leaks from the primary, constant lifter adjustments, points/condenser issues, etc) I found that not only was it a 'cool' bike to ride but also it was soooo comfortable, especially on long distance tours.
Yeah, most Jap bikes could beat me in a 1/4 mile race. Yet the 'feel' of lower RPM's, lower seating and over-all comfort levels really felt much better than any other bike I ever had. That includes all Jap bikes and a BMW I had before. None would ever compare as a distance cruiser. Add the fact that, at 5'8" I could sit on my Harley, both feet flat on the ground, knees bent, also made it more comfortable. The low center of gravity made it fairly good at cornering too.
That said, I have no regrets buying my 1979 650SR. It is reliable, looks good and has taken my wife and me over 30K miles the last 3 years. Unlike a Harley, it was also affordable. But...it is really NOT a comfortable bike to ride long distances. If I were to have opportunity to ride long distances again, I would probably buy a Yamaha Venture or another old Harley to do so.
In my opinion, there are different bikes for different riders and purposes. I am not a fanatic either way when it comes to a riders personal choices. I also feel that the 'new' Japanese V-twin bikes are simply copycats of the Harley and I likely wouldn't buy one (except for the aformentioned Yamaha). The V-twin is distinctly Harley, the in-line 4 cyl is distinctly Japanese. Each has its' own merits.
That's my 1% for the day.

KZCSI wrote:

... Still the whole mess is Honda's fault for choosing to name their V-Twin the shadow.:woohoo:

Does anyone need to ask, Shadow of What????

KZCSI

Vincent?

:blink:

must be some sort of attraction to go on for 7 pages!:laugh:

they lost me on the v-max didn't learn any thing from guy's like mad max out of penn. chain drive it lose about 200 lbs and a guy like me might look at buying it. since they stayed with shaft drive with thatbig lumpof a bike they lost me,can't change gearing fugitabotit.

PLUMMEN wrote:

must be some sort of attraction to go on for 7 pages!:laugh:

Nope. No attraction. We're just bored. :woohoo:

Bored? We're not bored! But then we're the keepers of all things Kaw. Like the blond chick in Animal House. We're fascinated but we still wear rubber gloves!

For GOOD Reason!

KZCSI

timebomb33 wrote:

they lost me on the v-max didn't learn any thing from guy's like mad max out of penn. chain drive it lose about 200 lbs and a guy like me might look at buying it. since they stayed with shaft drive with thatbig lumpof a bike they lost me,can't change gearing fugitabotit.

And 'The People' said:
AMEN!

WELL...this V-Twin makes my mouth water...so there!!!

:whistle: :whistle: :whistle: :whistle: :whistle: :whistle: :pinch: :pinch: :pinch: :silly: