top 10 motorcycle engines

British parallel twins ended an entire industry and killed at least 5 brands.

No rotary engines????? Suzuki bet the whole company those babies ..........

Hmmm, a list of "innovative" engines that is 70% Japanese is somewhat suspect to say the least as they rarely innovate much. Copy, yup...improve..no doubt, but innovate? Nope.

Even the #1 engine on that list was a tweaking of an established architecture and technologies, i.e. L-twin lay out already done, desmodromics already done, belt drive already done. So really, it featured water cooling, 4 valve heads and efi, all great improvements yes but to an already invented engine. Same with the Evo pick...updated Knuckle head.

Not one German or British twin mentioned? No MG transverse twin? Or better yet, considering all the Japanese I-4's on the list (30%) no mention of the original I-4?

http://www.rondinemotor.com/history-rondine/

That list is a sham, but then again, written by a squid, so what can one expect?

crankcall said:

British parallel twins ended an entire industry and killed at least 5 brands.

..........

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That's a pretty narrow and misguided perspective IMO. British twins created an industry that lasted for many decades and employed multiple thousands on at least 2 continents. British twins are highly desirable to this day. Try finding a good example for less than what the bike sold for when new. British twins are still being sold today in one form or another, in fact some venerated brands have been resurrected, and are still associated with a more romantic and simpler time in motorcycling offering beautiful, clean roadster designs. Oddly, a big fad of late is to get an older UJM, and try and make it look like a British twin cafe racer. So not only are they alive in the hard material sense, they live in the spiritual sense as well. But then again, some twins, British, Italian and American, are said to have soul, and a soul can't be destroyed.

twinswin said:

That's a pretty narrow and misguided perspective IMO. British twins created an industry that lasted for many decades and employed multiple thousands on at least 2 continents. British twins are highly desirable to this day. Try finding a good example for less than what the bike sold for when new. British twins are still being sold today in one form or another, in fact some venerated brands have been resurrected, and are still associated with a more romantic and simpler time in motorcycling offering beautiful, clean roadster designs. Oddly, a big fad of late is to get an older UJM, and try and make it look like a British twin cafe racer. So not only are they alive in the hard material sense, they live in the spiritual sense as well. But then again, some twins, British, Italian and American, are said to have soul, and a soul can't be destroyed.

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Ya but are those pos a top 10 engine?

10. KAWASAKI H1 500
Year: 1969
Horsepower: 53bhp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 38ft.lb @ 5,000rpm
Layout: 498cc, air-cooled, parallel-triple
9. HARLEY-DAVIDSON EVOLUTION
Year: 1984
Horsepower: 66bhp @ 5,400rpm
Torque: 78ft.lb @ 4,000rpm
Layout: 1,340cc, OHC, 45° V-twin

8. TRIUMPH DAYTONA 675
Year: 2006
Horsepower: 123bhp @ 12,500rpm
Torque: 51ft.lb @ 10,200rpm
Layout: 675cc, DOHC, triple

7. HONDA NSR500
Year: 1992
Horsepower: 168bhp @ 13,000rpm
Torque: 78ft.lb @ 11,450rpm
Layout: 498cc, two-stroke, 60-degree V-four

6. KAWASAKI Z1
Year: 1973
Horsepower: 85bhp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 58ft.lb @ 6,900rpm
Layout: 903cc, DOHC, parallel-four

5. HONDA C90
Year: 1958
Horsepower: 7bhp @ 3,700rpm
Torque: 16ft.lb @ 2,750rpm
Layout: 88cc single

4. SUZUKI GSX-R1100
Year: 1986
Horsepower: 125bhp @ 8,750rpm
Torque: 62ft.lb @ 7,800rpm
Layout: 1,052cc, DOHC, parallel-four

3. YAMAHA R1
Year: 1998
Horsepower: 138bhp @ 11,700Rrpm
Torque: 72ft.lb @ 9,100rpm
Layout: 998cc, DOHC, parallel-four

2. HONDA CB750
Year: 1968
Horsepower: 67Bbhp @ 8,000rpm
Torque: 49ft.lb @ 6,900rpm
Layout: 736cc, SOHC, parallel-four


1. DUCATI 851
Year: 1988
Horsepower: 94bhp @ 9,00rpm
Torque: 63ft.lb @ 7,500rpm
Layout: 851cc 8-valve 90° V-twin

inreb said:

Ya but are those pos a top 10 engine?

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In this POS list that means SFA, no. But among the cognoscenti, yes. They know what is a classic and innovative engine, like for example a JAP engine in a Brough Superior, or an Edward Turner P-650 twin in a Triumph, not some air-cooled, Japanese in-line four from the 70's or 80's, that's for sure.

Want classic? Want valued? Try finding "classic" Brit, or Italian, or American twin down at your local MC bone yard. It will be filled with Japanese in-line fours, but the "real deal" bikes, rarely, if ever, make it down that far the "food chain". They are restored, and kept running, or traded to fellow enthusiasts, not dumped off at a bone yard.

I can go to pretty much any bone yard out there, and find all kinds of almost all the Japanese "top ten" engines on that list, and probbaly not 1 or 2 Brit twin, so how top can they be?

twinswin said:

In this POS list that means SFA, no. But among the cognoscenti, yes. They know what is a classic and innovative engine, like for example a JAP engine in a Brough Superior, or an Edward Turner P-650 twin in a Triumph, not some air-cooled, Japanese in-line four from the 70's or 80's, that's for sure.

Want classic? Want valued? Try finding "classic" Brit, or Italian, or American twin down at your local MC bone yard. It will be filled with Japanese in-line fours, but the "real deal" bikes, rarely, if ever, make it down that far the "food chain". They are restored, and kept running, or traded to fellow enthusiasts, not dumped off at a bone yard.

I can go to pretty much any bone yard out there, and find all kinds of almost all the Japanese "top ten" engines on that list, and probbaly not 1 or 2 Brit twin, so how top can they be?

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Well, it could be that they ended up in bone yards before you were born or, alternatively, the few that survive now are swaddled and unused, mounted on some millionaire's wall somewhere.

twinswin said:

I can go to pretty much any bone yard out there, and find all kinds of almost all the Japanese "top ten" engines on that list, and probbaly not 1 or 2 Brit twin, so how top can they be?

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And you could pretty much drag any one of those Jap bikes out, do a service and ride it across your favourite continent. The Brit bike? A full cognoscenti rebuild might get you there I don't think so.

I think its kind of like trying to list the top 10 greatest rock and roll songs from the last 50 years. No two people will agree on the list and or the ranking. 10 spots too small a list, ranking is very debatable.
I am surprised that there is not a BMW twin on the list.