The Fortnine engine video

[Sparkie]

 

 

 

https://youtu.be/aOTz0Ol8fLA

 

 

 

[squirrelman]

another youtube self-appointed expert  😆

[Grum]

Thanks Sparkie.

A good insight into engine balance etc. and the benifits of a V4 for motogp bikes, and a V4 just sounds great as well, no wonder we all love VFR's

 

[TimC]

I watched that video when it come out.  I watch most if not all F9 videos, which are generally great.  I thought Ryan laid out some great points about the pros and cons of each engine configuration.  But I do wish he had included some details on ease vs. difficulty of maintenance, long-term reliability, general fuel economy, and service costs.

[gropula]

3 minutes ago, TimC said:

I watched that video when it come out.  I watch most if not all F9 videos, which are generally great.  I thought Ryan laid out some great points about the pros and cons of each engine configuration.  But I do wish he had included some details on ease vs. difficulty of maintenance, long-term reliability, general fuel economy, and service costs.

I like his videos too. Thing is, he has to make his videos short, or they won't get much views. Only enthusiasts would enjoy a 45min video full of intricacies. But your point is valid. V4 is inferior in each of those categories by design. It has double the parts regarding the valve train which increases likelihood of failures, increases friction leading to increased fuel consumption. Don't get me wrong, for example 8th gen VFR has great fuel consumption, but an inline 4 with exact same specs would have slightly better efficiency. It's more expensive to produce than a comparable I-4, which doesn't look good on the spec sheet when you have two bikes with same engine specs but a big difference in price. Good thing Honda built VFR to be reliable, but maintenance is time consuming and it's expensive if done in a shop. Weight is also a consideration, I-4 can be built lighter. All in all, VFR pulls it off because of great reliability, great sound, racing pedigree and the fact it's a good compromise between sporty and practical.