buell woes

[Tmall]

Originally Posted by smileyman

All the WSBK twins were given displacement advantages and then either carried extra weight or restrictors or both, but somehow manage to win more championships than any other config. V4s, RC30 & 45, had little restrictions but were of same displacement as the I4s.

Basically my theory is proven by the fact that you have to handicap a twin or V4 by weight or restrictors in order to get a fair race with the I 4s.

And you have to go no further than the Ape RSV4 to see what inherent advantages the V4 layout produces...

And again, in AMA, when Hayden won. He won with an advantage. The 1000 I4's had restrictor plates. And before that it ran against 750's.

A V4 has no real disadvantage over an I4 when it comes to revs. The valve area, and piston weight/size should be roughly the same.

Twins very rarely compete evenly. Only when Ducati came out with the Desmo valve arrangement (mechanically linked the entire time, as opposed to being closed with a spring) have they made comparable power to the equivalent I4. Even now, they use an 1198 instead of a 1000. And the Desmosidici ( based off of the gp bike, therefore gp specs are why it's a V4) is outrageously priced and make the same power if not slightly more than a Gixxer 1000, and costs seven times as much.

I love twins. I dislike I4's. But, facts are facts. Four cylinders can usually rev higher, therefore do more work, which gives them an advantage.

[smileyman]

I hear what your saying. I4s can rev higher produce more HP and speed, but i guess we have to disagree. I still feel the torque spread and throttle connection of a V will beat the all out HP of an I4 head to head, cc for cc.

And yeah, there have been many formulas for what is considered a fair fight between WSBK favoring Ducs and one certaim AMA boss handing Buell a championship. The twin loses out somewhat in rpm but gains in tractibility which in my racing history usually means money.

It has beared out for me in roadracing MC's, Stock car racing, and drag racing, torque means more than HP.

Now I am quick to agree on the performance to dollar facts of I4 vs V twin orV four.