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[Rattlebattle]

I'm incined to agree with that Jefrs. What I would like is a long-stroke 1,000cc v-twin that is low revving but has plenty of torque like an old Vincent or B-S or pre-war RE. But if RE does decide to make one, PLEASE don't make it two Bullets cobbled together...As for the twin, I doubt it'll worry Triumph much; if it only has double the claimed bhp of the CGT it'll only produce about 36bhp actual in factory spec. Whilst it will no doubt be improved as it is it looks like a cross between an English big twin and a seventies 250/400cc UJM Jap twin to me. If is to be a parallel twin I prefer a 360 crankshaft, with balance shafts. 270 cranks make the engine sound like something it isn't (a V-twin) whilst 180 degree cranks just sound odd to me. Each to his own and all that. BTW at my local club a B-S SS100 regularly turns up, as do a number of Vincents. The B-S, whilst looking terric having been rebuilt, leaks a lot of oil....None of the Vincents does.

[jefrs]

An RE Vee would never match Vinne performance but if they matched looks to amount of go it would sell. If you can't make a sport bike, don't make a sport bike. I reckon 700cc would do it, no need to complete at 1 litre - and I would hate to see a RE Harley cruiser look-alike, perfectly horrible, the indians would make it as garish as a beach front fair ground ride.

[Thack]

BW wrote: "Each to their own, of course .... but I would take a parallel twin over a vee, every time, the 180 degree layout being my personal favourite."



Yes!! I am totally with you - my favourite twin cylinder engine configuration by a BIG margin is the 180 degree parallel twin. There is NOTHING that sounds sexier. That's why my other bike is a Versys. However, that configuration requires a balance shaft, and it's hard to imagine RE building an engine with a balance shaft: there is no historical precedent for such a configuration, although I guess they could break the mould this time.



If it's just a Constellation reborn, then it'll be a 360 degree crank, and thus super boring. They'd be mad if they think they can compete with the Bonnie or the W800.



A 90-degree air-cooled V-twin, like the Ducatis from the 1970s, could be something very special. You say V-twins are as common as muck, but 90-degree air-cooled ones aren't. But given a choice I, like you, would go for a 180-degree parallel twin.

[Bullet Whisperer]

Hi Thack, I know it is old in its' own right these days, but the CB500T engine is a 180 degree lump and has no balancer shafts. It is not too vibratory, perhaps most of it is present at lower engine speeds, but smoother than a similar sized British twin by a small margin. The sounds from these engines, with, shall we say 'healthy' exhaust pipes are pretty manic when on the boil and certainly give me an adrenaline rush! 9000 rpm on the 500T makes it sound like those dive bombers in the old war movies - then I think of the camchain and back off! These days and with an engine of around 750cc, perhaps balancer shafts would be a requirement in such an engine. Regards, Paul.