Best twin motor?

[Scout63]

Flat, vertical or V?

I love the /5 motor for low CG but it sounds, well, bland.  The Commando sounds great but keeps breaking things off.  There is really nothing bad I can say about bevel Ducati twins.  Smoothness and great sound are a great combination.  I like The Harley sound but where I live it’s a veritable potato fest.  My vote goes to my old and sold V50II with Bubs. It just screamed at 40mph like a Ferrari doing the ton.

[s1120]

Vtwin sounds the best to me. I agree with the thought on the HD's. Mostly becouse all the ones local that just have no or hogged out mufflers, and no follow up tuning to allow it to run after..  The Ducati's sound amazing, but not a huge fan of the maintenance involved. The Guzzi's just sound amazing. Nice lope at lower speeds, but growl like a V8 at speed.  All that and its really one of the easiest rides to keep running! 

[Huzo]

The early square case or round case Conti equipped Ducati desmo bevels…

[PeteS]

I have a Norton and used to have a Airhead but My 850 LeMans with Rennsports sounds like a small block Chevy when it winds up. Plus its bulletproof. No contest, its the Guzzi.

Pete

[ital4me]

I love the sound of my Guzzi. It has what I was told were racing pipes, can't say for sure. They were open megaphones with a reverse cone. I cut the reverse cone off, put in some Vance & Hines baffles and welded the cones back on. I was very lucky because it sounds amazing without being too noisy. I just sold an early desmo Ducati. It had contis on it and it had the sound that everyone loves. Never mind that the smooth ride and visceral feedback were the best of any bike I have owned.

[mechanicsavant]

So , far my favorite twin was the one in my R1200ra . An amazing piece of engineering IMHO . 1200cc, 2 balance shafts & damn near 7500 rpm w/a broad torque band & 100 HP. A few of the guys I ride with are well north of 100k trouble free miles , even original clutches ! Much better than the 1150 motor too ,
I’m quite happy with my current small blocks . The V7 MkII took a bit of patience to get sorted & at 25k Mi. It’s a hoot on a back road , it’s even been pressed into touring duty without complaints. The power plant in the V7/850 is my Goldilocks small block @ only about 10k Mi. It’s beginning to settle in nicely as is the gearbox . Looking forward to a troublefree future with both bikes

[JJ]

V-Twins - Guzzi - Ducati - Harley-Davidson... Pros & Cons for all three...

Never owned a Ducati, but have ridden several.  However, I have thousands of miles on several models of the other two...all good bikes in their own right.  Now, just have a Guzzi and a Victory...

[Scout63]

As always Huzo nailed it with the bevel/Contis. The only downside (upside?) is watching pedestrians dramatically stick their fingers in their ears.

[LowRyter]

interesting that many of the verticals (parallel) twins are trying to emulate 90 & 70 degree VTwins (and some triples and 4's with cross plane cranks)

[guido guzzi]

Absolutely in agreement on the 90 degree V Twin but... Having owned Guzzi, '96 Ducati 900 SS and '02 (last year with carburetors) Suzuki SV650 my current all time fave is the SV. It revs so quickly and sounds soooo wonderfully nasty with a M4 exhuast; it's a perfect example of the 'second mover advantage' by using Ducati's V twin design and taking it to the next level with DOHC and liquid cooling. 

[Bpreynolds2]

You left off the most popular one going these days, parallel twin.   

[DesertPilot]

Of all the twins I've had, Ducati seems the most enthusiastic.  It has a, "What's up ahead!  What's around that turn!  Whatcha got for me today!" kind of glee that's difficult to resist.  Guzzi's the coolest, Suzuki's 650 v-twin is the one I'd want for the Zombie apocalypse, Harleys are what I'd want the zombies to be riding, to give me a bit of an edge, and all the others were just... twins.

[JJ]

You left off the most popular one going these days, parallel twin.   

YES!  The Triumph 900 / 1200...the Kawasaki W800...the Royal Enfield 650's...the list goes on!

[Moparnut72]

I have a 1200 Triumph with a 270* motor. It is quite smooth. I wasn't even considering a Triumph when I was looking for a new bike. I remember the Triumphs from the late '60's that were just awful from vibration, miserable to work on and reliability issues. I only have 5,000 miles on it so far but I am quite pleased with it. The V100 piques my interest though.
I also had one of the first /5's and I believe it was the best twin in it's day. Reasonably fast and very smooth. If those motors were knife and fork like Harleys they would have extremely smooth.
kk

[Chuck in Indiana]

I've had (ahem) 17 Guzzis  and the sweetest engine was the V50 Monza. To me, there is a "different" character in sound between the big blocks, small blocks, 2V and 4Vs. The Aero engine is different from the others, too.
Over the years, I've had a couple of Conti powered  Ducks, also.
Tough call.

[Gusable]

Ducati 1000/1100 , oilhead 1100 bmw or guzzi 1100!

[Brand X]

VTR 1000 Honda. 

[Tkelly]

I don’t claim any bike is the best but the motor on the Stelvio is hard to beat in terms of powere and reliability.

[Ncdan]

The MG 1100 motors with the H Pipe and the mufflers opened up a bit, sounds really great when pushing it through the mountain curves and straights.
 

[antmanbee]

For me the best twins were my 70's bevel Ducati's with Conti's and somewhat more currently at a close second is my V11 Sport with M4's.
Probably because it reminds me of my Ducati's from long ago.

[huub]

I still own a ducati bevel twin,
I like the sound of my 900SS , but apart from that the engine isnt that special.
used to be in the seventies, but extremely dated by now.
another case of dont meet your hero's.
anyway with a non existing part situation and pretty fragile engines they are museum pieces now.

for me the 850 le mans is about as good a twin i can think of, especially if other aspects of ownership are considered.
 may be with a buell as a close second.
or if you like small bikes , the morini 350
a well setup 350 sport on a winding mountain road is a amazing ride, you need to go up and down the gears to keep the little engine screaming near its redline.
but then it delivers like a tuned two stroke.

[Huzo]

I have a 1200 Triumph with a 270* motor. It is quite smooth. I wasn't even considering a Triumph when I was looking for a new bike. I remember the Triumphs from the late '60's that were just awful from vibration, miserable to work on and reliability issues. I only have 5,000 miles on it so far but I am quite pleased with it. The V100 piques my interest though.
I also had one of the first /5's and I believe it was the best twin in it's day. Reasonably fast and very smooth. If those motors were knife and fork like Harleys they would have extremely smooth.
kk

What are you referring to when you say “one of the first /5’s”...BMW ?
If they were knife and fork, they would have been an abomination. Both pistons would be @ TDC 180 deg apart and a severe rocking couple would have been horrible.

[Moparnut72]

You are right, my brain was in sleep mode.   . I had the very first R75/5 to come to Denver. I had to wait six months to get it. Sound familiar, V100?
kk

[Scout63]

I still own a ducati bevel twin,
I like the sound of my 900SS , but apart from that the engine isnt that special.
used to be in the seventies, but extremely dated by now.
another case of dont meet your hero's.
anyway with a non existing part situation and pretty fragile engines they are museum pieces now.

for me the 850 le mans is about as good a twin i can think of, especially if other aspects of ownership are considered.
 may be with a buell as a close second.
or if you like small bikes , the morini 350
a well setup 350 sport on a winding mountain road is a amazing ride, you need to go up and down the gears to keep the little engine screaming near its redline.
but then it delivers like a tuned two stroke.

I think the bevel 900SS holds up very well to scrutiny.  The engine is a marvel.  It’s downside is how completely awkward and uncomfortable it is to ride at sane speeds, which sort of adds to the mystique.  I pickled mine and put it in my office so that I can waste time and look at it. The 32 carbed 860 has less power but sounds just as great, is way more comfortable and I think still looks nice.  Since they got such a bad rap when they came out they are still very affordable.  I think that square case 860s are a vintage rider no-brainer. 

[LowRyter]

so far as sound goes, my green V11 Sport with crossover and pipes has about everything covered.  It's certainly the best looking and best sounding bike on the planet.

[tommy2cyl]

My immediate thought for my response to this thread was my 1991 Ducati 900 SS.  Motor was sublime and made a glorious sound with the Jimmy Adamo cans.  But I was also completely seduced by the machine in total so it is hard to separate out just the motor.  The more I thought about just the motor, the best twin I have ever owned was my 2002 VStrom 1000.  You really couldn't ask for more.  I rode it most of the time shifting around 5-6 K point which was always more than adequate to get going and have fun.  But on those days when I wanted to wick it up into the higher RPM's toward redline, I would remember what a glorious kick ass motor this was and the super bike heritage from whence it came.  I know I mentioned in the past that some guy on Stromtrooper had one with well over 300,000 miles and the motor had never been apart.  So yeah, fantastic fun and bullet proof has to merit the best on my list.

[SIR REAL ED]

Sounds like a consensus is forming around 90 degree v-twins and parallel twins with a 270/90 degree crankshaft designed to mimic the 90 degree v-twins in terms of both sound and vibration.

[SIR REAL ED]

My immediate thought for my response to this thread was my 1991 Ducati 900 SS.  Motor was sublime and made a glorious sound with the Jimmy Adamo cans.  But I was also completely seduced by the machine in total so it is hard to separate out just the motor.  The more I thought about just the motor, the best twin I have ever owned was my 2002 VStrom 1000.  You really couldn't ask for more.  I rode it most of the time shifting around 5-6 K point which was always more than adequate to get going and have fun.  But on those days when I wanted to wick it up into the higher RPM's toward redline, I would remember what a glorious kick ass motor this was and the super bike heritage from whence it came.  I know I mentioned in the past that some guy on Stromtrooper had one with well over 300,000 miles and the motor had never been apart.  So yeah, fantastic fun and bullet proof has to merit the best on my list.

I echo your appreciation of the Suzuki SV/V-Strom motors.  I've owned 650's in both configurations. Every time I got on the SV, I was impressed all over again.

Test rode a friend's V-Strom 1000 and really enjoyed that low end torque mated to higher rpm get up and go!

[80CX100]

I've owned a bunch of different motorcycles,but because I grew up riding UJMs,it was only later in life when I treated myself to my first guzzi CX100 that I owned a twin.

I did own a larger version of the SV650 mentioned above with my 1st gen DL1000 VStrom. That engine was a beast,had a glorious sound with Staintunes,but the love affair ended any time I had to work on it & the first time I adjusted the valves.

Imho,guzzi V engines nail the sweet spot for me with simple basic design & engineering. I find the simple maintenance requirements suit my luddite skill level. I don't have a decent dealer or mechanic near by;knock on wood,I don't need one

The bikes I own are all the basic same 2V engine,I find the engine's character works well in real world riding. What I continue to be amazed with,is that with minor changes in the oem tuning design;ie mapping,fueling,cams,valve size etc how different each motor can feel.

In my CalVin,I know it's frowned upon,but I can lug it down to 2K rpm & if I'm mindful of the situation,it doesn't complain. It feels like it's obviously been tuned to compete with HD.

I don't have a lot of miles on my V11Lemans,but I've read that the engine is the last of the hot rod guzzis;I have to agree.

I don't know if the cam is different,I know the valves are larger,definitely different oem tune & mapping. With the Mistral Carbon Ovals sounds amazing,my biggest challenge will be holding it in check so I don't end up losing my license due to speeding tickets.

Like my DL1000 it's very comfortable cruising at high speeds,loping along well above 80 mph;the difference is, while the DL1000 had no road feel,like riding on pillows,the V11 Lemans feels very planted on the road and it's scary how confidence inspiring it feels at high speeds.

[Bpreynolds2]

I’ve had about 38 or 39 bikes in the last 19 years, and about 13 or 14 different Geese.  I’ve owned singles, Vtwins, Parallel twins, Ducati L twins, triples, and fours.  Loved them all but to this day there is still something about a V twin that checks the most boxes for me.  It would be hard to pick a favorite Guzzi engine; they are all fantastic and special, so much application, so much charm.  I “seem” to always come back to the 1100 but if you asked me I might tip the hat to the Roamer engine, maybe my fav.  I will say, however, that probably my personal twin favorite engines are likely the Vtwins from KTM, the 950, the 990, and the 1290.  The latter is just too much in most ways but I will acknowledge that it may very well be the greatest motorcycle engine I’ve ever experienced.