v4 question

[freak_leg]

I know the V4 was a strong motor that held up well I.E. 80's honda v45. Why did these motors die out? They seem to make good power and be pretty smooth so what gives?

[rpgoerlich]

The Yamaha Royal Star Venture is still a V-4 and so is the V-Max.

[freak_leg]

I stand corrected Thanks, any idea why its unheard of in the car world?

[rpgoerlich]

It was used in Europe up into the '60's.
I see where it's used in midget race cars these days.

[madmax-im]

Not only the V45 but the big powerhouse V65 Magnas and Sabres...these motors are STill alive in the Honda ST1100s' and ST1300s'

[perurider]

the '85-up Honda vfrs(not sure about the lil ones)750 and up are a V4, cam gear drive too!

[b.walker5]

I stand corrected Thanks, any idea why its unheard of in the car world?

English Ford used a V4 for years, in Transit Vans, Granada, Corsair and Capri Cars. IIRC they were in 1600 and 2 litre sizes and were very popular for the small car hotrodder back in the day. A cousin of mine put a 2 litre one in a '52 Morris Minor once. (think VW bettle but with a front engine and rear wheel drive) Series II Morrie's were designed with a 800cc 30hp engine, so a 2 litre 80 something hp engine made it a beast If he could hold it on the road long enough he could give some of the V8's of the day a serious fright.

Lancia produced V4's for a variety of makes, and SAAB used them for a while too.

[hamjam]

http://www.motusmotorcycles.com/

[fredintoon]

I know the V4 was a strong motor that held up well I.E. 80's honda v45. Why did these motors die out? They seem to make good power and be pretty smooth so what gives?

Hi Freak,
FWIW, unlike narrow angle V-twin motors, a 90º V-twin motor has perfect primary balance so that multiple banks of them, like the V-4s and Detroit's classic V-8s also have perfect primary balance.
What gives is that an in-line 4 is also perfectly balanced and V-4s cost more to make.
And in the specific case of the Honda VF series, those 4 interwoven carbs are a cross between a nightmare and an abortion.
That and Honda's hasty conversion of a great racebike into a production road machine led to reliability issues which in turn led to souring the market for all V-4 configured bikes.

[Rstyduck]

the '85-up Honda vfrs(not sure about the lil ones)750 and up are a V4, cam gear drive too!

84 and 85 are chain drive. The 86 Honda VFR750 was the 1st Gear drive. And a saving grace for Honda.

Easy to work on, Also 106HP stock in a 750cc and does the 1/4 mile in 10.59 seconds at 113mph.

[cywelchjr]

Hi Freak,
FWIW, unlike narrow angle V-twin motors, a 90º V-twin motor has perfect primary balance so that multiple banks of them, like the V-4s and Detroit's classic V-8s also have perfect primary balance.
What gives is that an in-line 4 is also perfectly balanced and V-4s cost more to make.
And in the specific case of the Honda VF series, those 4 interwoven carbs are a cross between a nightmare and an abortion.
That and Honda's hasty conversion of a great racebike into a production road machine led to reliability issues which in turn led to souring the market for all V-4 configured bikes.

The primary advantage I can see to a "v" engine in a bike is it being narrower. I'm sure there are others, but that is the primary advantage I see with v8's and v6's is that they are shorter for the same number of cylinders so that they fit in a more compact space.

[MacMcMacmac]

I know the V4 was a strong motor that held up well I.E. 80's honda v45. Why did these motors die out? They seem to make good power and be pretty smooth so what gives?

Twice as many heads and cams as an inline 4 = higher production costs = less profit in selling them.

Harder to package properly, as they led to long wheelbases and a more rearward weight distribution.

They (Hondas) did not hold up well at all. Cam eaters, cam chain tensioner faults, bad heads, difficult to work on etc. Not a whole lot narrower than an inline 4 with the alternator tucked behind the block (can't do that on a v4). Complex, heavy exhausts. Early Honda V4 sportbikes were considered a step backwards in handling compared to the 750 and 900F models. There were some that lasted, usually due to doing low miles, or highway miles where the oil pressure was kept up, or a knowledgeable owner did an oil circuit mod to the heads. Honda themselves probably sorted that in the later years, but their rep was toast by then.

ST1100 and 1300 have nothing in common with the first gen V4 motors. Even the 86's were a clean slate design.

They were smoother than an inline 4, which is a pretty rough running layout, vibration wise. Nice broad, flat torque curve. I'd have a V65 Sabre if the price was (extremely) right and I knew it wasn't rattling, but I'd never spend much for one. Suzuki had the Madura, which was also a torque monster, but ugly as sin. The Cavalacade used a big-bore version of the same motor. Never heard a whole lot bad about them, but they weren't out long. Finding parts would be an adventure, I'm sure.

The Yamaha V4 became a legend of course, but even it was a niche design, with only the Vmax carrying the torch.