V-twin

A V-twin is a two cylinder internal combustion engine where the cylinders are arranged in a V configuration.

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This arrangement is common on motorcycles, the engine can be mounted in transversal position like on Harley-Davidsons, Ducatis and many recent Japanese motorcycles. The transversal position give the motorcycle a reduced front surface.

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The longitudinal V-twin as seen on Moto-Guzzis and some Hondas is less common. This position is well adapted to transmission shafting, but has the disadvantage of causing a torque reaction that tends to lean the motorcycle on the side. The main disadvantage of this configuration is that the rear cylinder and the front cylinder will receive different air-flow making air cooling somewhat problematic especially for the rear cylinder.

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The longitudinal V-twin should be viewed as an alternative to the flat-twin configuration. The flat-twin is perfectly balanced but larger than the V-twin. This requires the flat-twin to be mounted high on the motorcycle to avoid cylinder heads touching the ground in curve. On the other hand a V-twin could be mounted lower and could result in a lower center of gravity for the whole motorcycle.

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The most obvious configuration for a V-twin is a 90? angle, but other angles can be seen like the 45? of the classic Harley-Davidson engine, the 75? Suzuki and the 60? Aprilia.

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A 90? V-twin can achieve perfect primary balance but has some secondary imbalance.

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Internal combustion engine: An internal combustion engine is an engine that is powered by the expansion of hot combustion products of fuel directly acting within an engine. A piston internal combustion engine works by burning hydrocarbon or hydrogen fuel that presses on a piston; and a jet engine works as the hot combustion p...

V: :This article is about the alphabetic letter. For the TV series, see V (TV series)....

Motorcycle: A motorcycle (or motorbike) is a two-wheeled vehicle powered by an engine. The wheels are in-line, and at higher speed the motorcycle remains upright and stable by virtue of gyroscopic forces; at lower speeds continual readjustment of the steering by the rider gives stability. The rider sits the ve...

V-twin related Images and Photos (experimental)

Twin Town	Twin Falls	Twin Sisters	Twin Oaks III
Twin Towers DVD (Full Frame)	Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me	Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (DVD)	Doctor Who: Twin Dilema, The (DVD)
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me 1992	Twin Peaks- Fire Walk with Me	New Pornographers: Twin Cinema	New Pornographers: Twin Cinema