Motorcycle Engines Part II – Four and Six Cylinders

In my last post about motorcycle engines, I talked about: single, twin and triple cylinder engines. Now it’s the turn for the bigger engines with four cylinders found in medium to large size bikes, as well as the six cylinder engines you can see in a few models out there.

Four Cylinder Motorcycle Engines

These were first used in cars but it didn’t take long to see them installed on motorcycles, too. Even though they are heavier than singles, twins and triples, and they obviously need a higher input of fuel; they produce much smoother power, which makes the bikes equipped with them more suitable for long and pleasant rides.

Basically, there are two kinds of configurations for four cylinder motorcycle engines: Inline-Four and V-Four.

Let’s talk a little about each of them…

Inline-Four

In this configuration, all four cylinders are lined up with the rods/pistons in parallel. Narrower engine compartments are possible this way, but vibration is harder to minimize, so they often come equipped with offset mechanisms to improve the balance.

You can find these engines in many medium to large size (400 cc and up) Japanese motorcycles (traditional and sport bikes) from Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki.

In their own particular configuration, BMW also use in-line four’s in their very popular K Series.

V-Four

These engines were first developed for small compact cars, but have been used in motorcycles for a few decades now. They produce lots of power at high RPM with low vibration. These quiet, water or oil-cooled engines deliver reliable performance for long trips. On the downside, they are heavier and torque a low RPM is normally not their strong point.

You can find V-4’s in many cruiser and touring bikes from American, Japanese and European manufacturers. You can also see them in a few large sport bikes.

Six Cylinders Motorcycle Engines

These engines are not very common and they are only used for large motorcycles (1000 cc and up), but the bikes equipped with them deliver lots of power through every gear and a smooth, low-vibration ride.

Six cylinder bikes have a large number of moving parts, are normally pretty expensive and are more difficult/expensive to maintain (not only there are more parts to take care of, but they are also harder to find).

Six cylinder motorcycle engines also produce a lot of heat and fan-cooled radiators are almost always mandatory.

The first commercial model I remember that was equipped with a six cylinder engine is the 1979-1982 Honda CBX. Other models using this kind of engine are the Honda Valkyrie Rune and the Kawasaki KZ1300.

A small conclusion on motorcycle engines

Each engine performs differently and choosing the right one for your kind of riding conditions is key. The engine plays a role in bike performance, stability, speed, styling and comfort, and all these factors are important.

Here are a few pointers:

• A two-cylinder Boxer can be fun and provide a smooth ride, but depending on the bike, cornering and space limitations can become an annoyance after a while.
• If you like low-rumble (loud big engine with big pipes) cruisers, a V-Twin is an excellent choice, e.g., Harley Davidson’s.
• If you are looking for a cruiser that delivers smooth power with low vibration and that is not very noisy, you’ll probably want an in-line four.
• For touring bikes, one of the best choices you can make is a V-4.
• Looking for a fast sport bike? Three and four cylinder options are probably the best selection.
• For off-road riding, you can’t go wrong with a single cylinder engine. Some twins also perform well in the dirt.
• For standard commuting bikes you can find a variety of options ranging from one to four cylinders.

Important: the above are just a few guidelines and you should always do research and inform yourself (with your local dealer, motorcycle friends, books and the Internet) before choosing the right motorcycle for you.

Do you have something to add? Leave a comment in this post.

Enjoy the Ride!

Rider
WorldWideMotorcycles.com

Related post:

Motorcycle Engines Part 1 – Singles, Twins and Triples

Note: The image in this post is licensed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version.

Technorati Tags: motorcycle engines, motorcycles