What’s nice about bikes is that they come in all shapes and sizes. The identical will be mentioned for the engines that propel them down our favourite roads. There are single thumpers, parallel twins, inline fours, and V-twins. And one of many extra attention-grabbing engine configurations is the V4. These engines will be pretty compact, sturdy, and have a balanced middle of gravity.

So why aren’t there extra of them? Why do they principally come from Honda, Ducati, and Aprilia? Well, whereas there are many advantages to a V4 engine, there are additionally downsides. Higher construct price because of their complexity and overheating points that may creep up within the rear pistons are likely to scare away some producers. But that does not imply we do not have some unimaginable and highly effective V4 bikes on this planet already. The legends on this checklist have been sorted by horsepower, using our proven methodologies.

In order to provide the newest and correct data doable, the information used to compile this text was sourced from varied producer web sites and different authoritative sources, together with Motorcyclenews.com.

10 Honda RC30

Power: 112 HP

Don’t let the low horsepower of the Honda RC30 idiot you. This bike’s popularity is nothing in need of legendary. This gnarly superbike was constructed to be street-legal, and got here in such restricted numbers that it’s virtually unattainable to search out an proprietor that is prepared to half with one. And although the facility of its V4 is not something to put in writing dwelling about nowadays, it was capable of crack 150 miles per hour. That’s actually nothing to be embarrassed about, particularly for a motorbike over 30 years previous now in an ocean of other vintage sports bikes. It was a motorbike on the bleeding fringe of expertise again then, and a uncommon piece of historical past now.

Engine Specifications

9 Honda RC40

Power: 125 HP

An even rarer beast is Honda’s RC40. Arguably a better-looking bike than the RC30, this absolute unit of a bike cranked out 125 horsepower and will simply hit 160 miles per hour. Not unhealthy for the early 90s. Honda threw a ton of superior expertise at this bike, together with the notorious oval pistons it had been growing to make the engines small and highly effective. The RC40 (in any other case often known as the NR750) is extraordinarily laborious to search out nowadays. And in case you do, be ready to unload your entire belongings, and reside in a cardboard field; they’ll set you back a pretty penny.

Engine Specifications

8 Honda VF1000R

Power: 130 HP

When Honda was growing the RC30 and RC40, it little question was wanting again at its earlier V4 successes just like the VF vary of bikes. Chiefly amongst them was the super-limited sports activities bike, the VF1000R, doing a lot of the heavy lifting on the time. It was actually a halo-type bike for Honda, who spared no expense in constructing it. It had intensive use of carbon fiber, the adjustable handlebars had been constructed from polished alloy metals, and the engine was tuned to inside an inch of its life. The VF1000R was a exact and highly effective avenue rocket that regarded nice on a poster, and even higher in your storage.

Engine Specifications

7 Honda VFR1200F

Power: 160 HP

Fast-forward to the mid-2010s and Honda was nonetheless obsessive about V4s. Enter the VFR1200F, though its reception was lower than enthusiastic. Most of the hate that it acquired was because of its polarizing appears to be like. Yes, Honda just isn’t above producing bikes that push the design envelope (we’re you. DN-01). But what was misplaced in all of the hubbub in regards to the VRF1200F aesthetics, was simply how good the bike was beneath. With typical Honda construct high quality, it was stable, planted, and powerful.

Engine Specifications

6 Norton V4SV

Power: 185 HP

It’s laborious to speak about Norton’s bikes with out mentioning how troubled the historic British brand is these days. Emerging from controversies of the previous, and with new possession on board, it might take a while for Norton to realize some type of normalcy. In the meantime, there may be the V4SV, which is a good-looking V4, with some critical pep in its step. It could not have true superbike blood coursing via its veins, however the truth that it has 185 horsepower on faucet is respectable sufficient for us.

Engine Specifications

5 Yamaha V-Max

Power: 197 HP

Not each V4 engine was slapped right into a rocket chassis and despatched on its strategy to the racetrack. Yamaha, because it seems, had way more sensible aspirations for it within the type of the insane cruiser, the V-Max. And the longevity of the bike simply goes to indicate how profitable that mixture proved to be. It actually regarded nothing like anything on the streets, and better of all, Harley-Davidson had no reply for it. This left the significantly whacked-out V-Max to wreck the facility cruiser market, on their lonesome, for 30-plus years.

Engine Specifications

4 Ducati Streetfighter V4S

Power: 205 HP

In the previous, Honda could have stored the V4 torch burning vibrant. These days, nonetheless, it’s decidedly in Ducati’s fingers. Looking each bit the menacing predator prowling the streets at evening, the Ducati Streetfighter V4S is not for the faint-hearted. Inside the uncovered Desmosedici Stradale V4 engine are 205 fire-breathing ponies that may propel you previous 170 miles per hour with out breaking a sweat. And as for Ducati, its V4s solely get extra highly effective and quicker from right here.

Engine Specifications

3 Ducati Panigale V4S

Power: 213 HP

If the bare bike aesthetics of the Streetfighter aren’t up your alley, the excellent news is that Ducati has loads of different V4 choices up its sleeves. The Panigale V4S just isn’t solely a totally faired sports activities bike different, however it additionally comes loaded with extra horsepower and a quicker high pace than the bare. Ducati has a popularity to take care of, and if the current MotoGP outcomes are something to go by, they are not doing too shabby in that division. As lengthy as they preserve producing bikes just like the Panigale V4S, none of us V4 followers can have something to complain about.

Engine Specifications

2 Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1100

Power: 217 HP

Lest we neglect, there’s a couple of notable Italian bike maker on the market. And Aprilia happens to be making one of the most powerful V4s on the market. It’s totally on par with the Panigale V4S on nearly all the pieces, although it edges it out by a few ponies. Nevertheless, if you’d like an antidote to the glitzy extra of Ducati, the (comparatively) down-to-earth appears to be like of the RSV4 could be the remedy. Oh, who’re we kidding? The Aprilia is simply as beautiful because the Panigale.

Engine Specifications

1 Ducati Superleggera V4

Power: 224 HP

The Mack Daddy of V4 energy giants is (not surprisingly) a Ducati. It’s laborious to argue with 234 horsepower. Ducati had by no means supplied the highest pace of this restricted version superbike, however some enterprising internet lunatics had this bike at well over 200 miles per hour. Unfortunately, solely 500 items of the Superleggera V4 had been ever made, and good luck to anybody looking for one for an inexpensive value.

These technological wonders at the moment are going for $85k a pop, if no more. But what do you count on from the head of bike using? This Ducati is crawling with light-weight carbon fiber and is loaded with the easiest expertise the Italian model has at its disposal. Though it might now not be in manufacturing, it is good to know what the V4 engine structure is able to, when no expense is spared in making it. Oh, and no, we did not neglect the bonkers Panigale V4 R. It’s simply that the R wants the race equipment to place out its insane close to 240-HP output.

Engine Specifications