A V-twin engine, also called a V2 engine, is a two-cylinder
piston engine where the cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a
V configuration.
Although widely associated with
motorcycles (installed either transversely or longitudinally), V-twin engines have also been used for industrial engines and in several small cars. The V-twin design dates back to the late 1880s.
Origins
One of the first V-twin engines was built by
Gottlieb Daimler in 1889. It was used as a stationary engine, for boats and in the
Daimler Stahlradwagen ("steel-wheeled car"), Daimler's second car.
The engine was also manufactured under licence in France by
Panhard et Levassor.
An early V-twin engined motorcycle was produced in November 1902 by the Princeps AutoCar Company in the United Kingdom. The following year, V-twin motorcycles were produced by Eclipse Motor & Cycle Co in the United Kingdom (the ''XL-ALL'' model),
Glenn Curtiss in the United States, and
NSU Motorenwerke
NSU Motorenwerke AG, or NSU, was a German manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles and pedal cycles, founded in 1873. Acquired by Volkswagen Group in 1969, VW merged NSU with Auto Union, creating Audi NSU Auto Union AG, ultimately Audi. The ...
in Germany.
Peugeot, which had used Panhard-built Daimler V-twins in its first cars,
began producing its own V-twin engines in the early 20th century. This Peugeot engine powered a
Norton motorcycle that won the first
Isle of Man TT race in 1907.
Typical design
Crankshaft configuration
Most V-twin engines have a single
crankpin, which is shared by both
connecting rods. The connecting rods may sit side-by-side with offset cylinders, or have
fork and blade connecting rods which avoids the twisting forces caused by having offset cylinders.
Some notable exceptions include a 180° crank pin offset used by the 1935
Moto Guzzi 500cc, a dual-crankpin configuration used by the 1983
Honda Shadow 750, and the 75° crank pin offset (45° offset in the United States) used by the 1987
Suzuki VX 800.
V angle
Although any 'V angle' (the angle between the two banks of cylinders) between zero and 180 degrees is theoretically possible for a V-twin engine, in practice angles smaller than 40 degrees are rarely used. The most common V angle for a V-twin engine is 90 degrees, which can achieve a perfect
primary balance (if the correct
counterweight is used) like most Ducatis, most Moto Guzzis, the Honda RC51,
Suzuki TL1000S and
TL1000R.
However, this arrangement results in an
uneven firing order, with the second cylinder firing 270 degrees after the first cylinder, then a 450 degrees interval until the first cylinder fires again. 90 degree engines are sometimes called L-twin (like the "L" in
TL1000R or
TL1000S) rather than V-twin.
The alternating longer and shorter gaps between firings produce a characteristic V-twin alternating engine noise "phutphut phutphut phutphut phutphut".
When a V angle of less than 90 degrees is used, perfect primary balance can only be achieved if offset
crankpins are used. If not,
balance shafts are usually required to reduce the vibration.
Vehicles which use engines with V angles of less than 90 degrees include:
* 20 degrees: 1889
Daimler Steel-wheel car
* 42 degrees: 1916-1923
Indian Powerplus, 1920-1949
Indian Scout, 1922-1953
Indian Chief
* 45 degrees: 1909–present
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson, Inc. (H-D, or simply Harley) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depressi ...
V-twin , 1990-1997
Suzuki VX 800, 2001-present
Suzuki Boulevard C50, 1985-2007
Honda VT1100
* 48 degrees: 2005-2012
Yamaha MT-01, 1999-present
Yamaha XV1600A
* 50 degrees: 1919-1924
BSA Model E
The BSA Model E was a British V-twin motorcycle manufactured by Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) at their factory in Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham from 1919. It was often used with the matching BSA sidecar.
Development
After having ...
, 1924-1936
Brough Superior SS100, 1929-1940
Matchless Model X
The Matchless Model X is a Matchless motorcycle made from 1929 to 1940. There were yearly modifications and in 1937 the Model X was completely redesigned as a fast touring motorcycle. Production ended with outbreak of World War II.
Developme ...
, 1936-1955
Vincent Rapide
The Vincent Rapide is a line of standard motorcycles designed and built by the Vincent HRD motorcycle company at their works in Great North Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. The model debuted in 1936 and was built until 1939. Production ...
, all Victory Freedom engines
* 52 degrees: 1997–present
Honda Shadow, 1987-present
Honda Transalp, 1998-2013
Honda Deauville, 2002-2008
Honda VTX, 2004-2010
Kawasaki Vulcan 2000 series
* 54 degrees: 2008–present
Suzuki Boulevard C109R
The Suzuki Boulevard C109R motorcycle was introduced in 2008 as Suzuki's V-Twin Cruiser. The same model is sold in Europe as the Suzuki Intruder C1800R.
The engine is a , four-valve DOHC, 54-degree, liquid-cooled, fuel injected V-twin. Each bor ...
, 2006-present
Suzuki Boulevard M109R
The Suzuki Boulevard M109R motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: l ...
* 55 degrees: 1985-2006
Kawasaki Vulcan 750, 2006-present
Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic
* 60 degrees: 2001-2017
Harley-Davidson VRSC, 1998-2003
Aprilia RSV Mille, 1988-present
Yamaha XV250, 2001–present
Yamaha DragStar 250, 2015-present
Indian Scout
* 70 degrees: 1988-1998
Suzuki RGV250, 1987-2004
Yamaha Virago 535, 1997-present
Yamaha DragStar 650
* 72 degrees: 1974-1989
Moto Morini 350 & 500 V-twins Voxan 1997-2010
* 75 degrees: 2005–present
Hyosung GT250
The Hyosung GT250 is part of Hyosung's GT series. It shares many parts with its larger displacement siblings and it came in two flavors: GT250 (Comet) (naked bike) and GT250R (sports bike). The GT250 Comet came out in 2004, with the "Comet" suffi ...
, 2008-2015
KTM 1190 RC8, 1981-2007
Yamaha Virago, 1998-2008
Yamaha DragStar 1100
* 80 degrees: 1978-1983
Honda CX series,
Rotax 810/660/490 engines
Vehicles which use engines with V angles of greater than 90 degrees include the 1934
Moto Guzzi 500cc (120 degrees) and the 1940-1948
Zündapp KS 750 (170 degrees).
Motorcycles
As per other motor vehicles, the terms
longitudinal engine and
transverse engine are most often used to refer to the crankshaft orientation relative to the frame.
However, some companies use the opposite terminology, stating that a "transverse" V-twin engine has the cylinders mounted on each side of the motorcycle (therefore with the crankshaft running in line with the frame) and that a "longitudinal" V-twin engine has the cylinders at the front and rear.
[
*
*
*
*
*] The latter terminology is used by the Italian manufacturer Moto Guzzi.
To avoid such ambiguity, some people use descriptions of "transverse crankshaft engine", "longitudinal crankshaft engine",
or "transversely mounted cylinders".
Transverse engine
The most common arrangement is to mount the engine with the crankshaft oriented transversely to the frame. The advantage of this mounting is that the width of the motorcycle can be smaller than a longitudinally-mounted V-twin.
A disadvantage of this configuration for air-cooled engines is that the two cylinders receive different air-flows and cooling of the rear cylinder tends to be restricted
(although the uneven cooling isn't as pronounced as a parallel-twin engine, where the inner faces of the cylinders are not exposed to any airflow). Some transverse V-twins use a single carburettor in the middle of the V-angle to feed both cylinders. While this avoids the need for two carburettors, it creates further cooling problems for the rear cylinder by placing its hot exhaust port and pipe at the back of the cylinder, where it may be exposed to less cooling airflow.
Transverse V-twin engines have been used by
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson, Inc. (H-D, or simply Harley) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depressi ...
,
Ducati and many recent Japanese motorcycles, such as the
Suzuki SV650. Some Ducati V-twin engines have been marketed as "L-twin" engines, due to the front cylinder being vertical and the rear cylinder being horizontal, thus forming an "L" shape.
File:Princeps V-Twin Motorcycle 1902.jpg , 1902 Princeps V-Twin
File:Sokol 995 cc zijklep v-twin.jpg , 1933-1939 Sokół 1000
The Sokół 1000 (also known as CWS M111) was the heaviest Polish pre-war motorcycle manufactured by the PZInż works, for both civilian and military use by the Polish Army. Production of the model 1000 started in 1933 and lasted until the outb ...
File:Ducati Monster 620 Dark.jpg, 2002 Ducati Monster 620
File:Honda VTR250 2009 Engine Radiator.JPG, 2009 Honda VTR250
Longitudinal engine
A less common arrangement is to mount the engine longitudinally. An advantage of this arrangement is that both cylinder heads can protrude into the air stream, so they can each receive the same amount of cooling (for air-cooled engines).
Also, the transmission being located behind the engine is easier to fit within a typical motorcycle frame and, for shaft-drive motorcycles, a 90°
bevel gear
Bevel gears are gears where the axes of the two shafts intersect and the tooth-bearing faces of the gears themselves are conically shaped. Bevel gears are most often mounted on shafts that are 90 degrees apart, but can be designed to work at ot ...
is not needed at the start of the driveshaft.
As per all longitudinal engines, a disadvantage is that the torque reaction will twist the motorcycle to one side (such as on sharp acceleration/deceleration or when opening the throttle in neutral) instead of shifting the weight balance between the front and rear wheels. However, many modern motorcycles reduce this effect by rotating flywheels or alternators in the opposite direction to that of the crankshaft.
Longitudinal V-twin engines have been used by the
Honda CX series and several
Moto Guzzi motorcycles.
File:Honda Longitudinal V-twin.JPG , 1978-1983 Honda GL500 Silver wing
File:Moto Guzzi V-twin.JPG , 2000 Moto Guzzi Jackal
Automobiles
Most cars are powered by engines with three or more cylinders, however several small cars have been produced with V-twin engines particularly during the period from 1912 to c1920 when
cyclecars were made by many companies (due to a favourable tax position). Almost all of these used proprietary engines, either adapting the larger motorcycle engines used for sidecar work (large singles or V-twins), or using engines specifically made for cyclecars such as those made by
JA Prestwich Industries ('J.A.P.' engines) or
F.E. Baker Ltd ('Precision' engines).
In 1912 Humber produced a light car called the Humberette with a Humber-made V-twin side-valve engine of 998cc. The engine had directly attached clutch, 3-speed gearbox and prop shaft output to a rear differential. A water cooled version of this engine was made available in 1914, but WW1 ended Humberette production in 1915.
From 1911-1939, various
Morgan 3-wheelers three-wheeled
cyclecar models were powered by V-twin engines. Production of three-wheeler models then resumed with the 2012–present
Morgan 3-Wheeler
The Morgan Motor Company announced that they would launch the 3 Wheeler in 2011
at the Geneva Motor Show.
Technical
The 3 Wheeler was initially said to have a Harley-Davidson ''Screaming Eagle'' V-twin engine and a Mazda 5-speed man ...
. Also in the United Kingdom,
Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) produced several cars powered by their V-twin motorcycle engines. These were produced from 1921-1926 (four-wheel models) and 1929-1936 (three-wheel and four-wheel models).
Several manufacturers have produced models inspired by the original Morgan three-wheeled car, such as the 1978–present
Triking Cyclecar (using a Moto Guzzi engine), the 2006–present Ace Cycle Car (using a Harley-Davidson engine) and the 1990–present
JZR Trikes kit car (using engines from several manufacturers).
Mazda's first car, the 1960-1966
Mazda R360 rear-engined
kei car, was powered by the
Mazda V-twin engine. The 1961-1962
Mazda B360 front-engined light commercial vehicle used a version of this engine.
File:HumberetteVtwin1912.jpg, V-Twin Humber engine used in the 1912 Humberette
File:1934 Morgan Super Sports.jpg , 1934 Morgan Morgan may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Morgan (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Morgan le Fay, a powerful witch in Arthurian legend
* Morgan (surname), a surname of Welsh origin
* Morgan (singer), ...
Super Sports (using a JAP engine)
File:Mazda R360 Coupe V-twin engine 003.JPG , 1960-1966 Mazda R360 engine
Industrial engines
Various V-twin engines have been produced for industrial uses such as pressure washers, lawn and garden tractors, tillers, generators and water pumps. The engines are usually air-cooled with a 90° V angle. Depending on the application, the engine's orientation can be either have a horizontal or vertical crankshaft.
Manufacturers of commercial V-twin engines include
Briggs & Stratton with its Vanguard, Professional and Intek V-twin series,
Honda with its V-twin series engines,
Kawasaki
Kawasaki ( ja, 川崎, Kawasaki, river peninsula, links=no) may refer to:
Places
*Kawasaki, Kanagawa, a Japanese city
**Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki, a ward in Kawasaki, Kanagawa
**Kawasaki City Todoroki Arena
**Kawasaki Stadium, a multi-sport stadium
*K ...
with its FD, FH, FR, FS, and FX series,
Subaru with its EH series,
Tecumseh with its OV691EA and TVT691 engines, and
Kohler.
See also
*
Flat-twin engine
*
List of motorcycles by type of engine
*
Motorcycle engine
*
Straight-twin engine
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:V-Twin Engine
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