Hey I was just curious as to what ALL of the advantages/disadvantages are of 2 cylinder vs 4 cylinder bikes... I was just thinking of a few... feel free to add. (from what I know, correct me if I'm wrong)... assuming the same displacement.

2 Cylinder
Pros: Low End Torque, Better Fuel Consumption/Economy, Lower Maintainance costs (less parts)
Cons: Less HP on High End, More Vibration, Less smooth powerband

4 Cylinder:
Pros: High End HP, Less Vibration, Smooter power delivery from consistent powerband
Cons: Less low end torque, Worse Fuel Consumption/Economy, Higher Maintainance costs (less parts)

Did I miss anything?

 

I would prolly add that a twin has less gyro effect in corners compared to the I4 configuration.

 

LOL, obviously you've never ridden any of Honda's old CX models?

 

Whats the gyro effect and what's up with the old CX's, I've never ridden them either.

 

the gyro effect is based prymarily on the mass of the internals

there are high reving twins

an i-4 could easily be tuned to run like a lower reving twin - but nobody really does, they just use a twin for it because they are cheaper to make.

twins are more narrow

twins can be lighter but aren't necessarily

 

So the gyro effect occurs due to the mass of internals, or the balance of internals because the mass doesn't seem like it would matter that much if everything was balanced right?

I've had two twins before - but never owned an I4. My Ninja 500R was absolutely phenominal and I loved it. My Vulcan 900 Custom is the best cruiser I've ever ridden in terms of smoothness, value, aesthetics, and power. I'm looking at a Ninja 650R because I like the previous twins I've had and have felt the power to be adequate, and the fuel consumption is reasonable. Most of the time I'm driving to work or around the city so I figure a lot of gas is wasted by running an extra two cylinders at a stop light. I don't really do 120+ mph that often, so I guess I don't see the point of having an I4 unless you're on a track. Maintainence costs more because there are almost twice as many parts in the powerplant.

Any feedback on that general idea? I've ridden a Gixxer 750 and I thought it was fun, but it was heavy and the front end felt really weighty. Not flickable like the twins at city speeds.

 

its the mass of the parts in motion - its really the inertia. which is affected by speed of motion and mass.

the # of cylinders has nothing to do with fuel consumption - displacement andvolumetric efficiency do.
a 650 twin vs a 600 i4 will be roughly the same fuel idling . in motion hey will be very different due to the cams and the power curve.

the 650 is cammed for better combustion at lower rpms resulting in more low end torque which will be more fuel efficient around town than the 600 which is cammed fortop end.

 

only advice i could give in that regard to to test ride a 650r and a zzr600 around the same price, vtwin vs i4 - the zzr i believe is a little lighter than the 650. see which one you like better.

 

Thanks for the clarification, that clears up the picture for me a lot. I was looking at the ZZR also, but it's carbed with no fuel injection, which I kind of like for the colder spring and falls we get here in Michigan. The maintenance was the only other issue I was really concerned about. I like to work on my own stuff if at all possible, time permitting. I know the twins are simpler machines to work on, and the parts are cheaper if there are less of them.

I will definitely take another look at the ZZR though. As far as performance goes, I never really noticed any problems with my 500R besides for starting/warming up in the cold.

 

my 95 zx6r is basicly the same as the zzr - and it doesn't have any trouble with cold starting as long as i choke it. the seat is also awesomely comfortable. i've spent hours on it without a single complain from the hind quarters. however i do wonder if my back would preffer the more upright position of the 650