Understanding Your Bike: V-Twin, Stroke, And Valve

Posted on: Feb 8, 2023 | | Written by:

Understanding Your Bike: V-Twin, Stroke, And Valve

Published on February 8, 2023. EST READ TIME: 4 minutes

Riding a bike can be quite similar to meditating. It can clear your mind, requires a lot of focus and concentration, and helps you connect with yourself. It involves a lot of passion and understanding your bikes and different components. If you are an aspiring biker, you must be aware of some of the jargon of owning a bike, including buying a comprehensive two wheeler insurance policy.

Knowing some of the common terminologies in biking will help you decide better on choosing your bikes or even during servicing. Here is a list of some of the biking jargon that you should know.

What is V-Twin?

V-twin refers to the engine configuration on the bike. Sometimes, it is also known as the V2 engine. The number 2 or twin signifies two cylinders in the engine. And the alphabet V shows the arrangement of the engine in a V shape. Thus, the engine gets its name as V2 or V-twin.

The V-twin arrangement of the engine is quite common in bikes and some cars as well, with lower capacity. The arrangement of the engine is such that there is a 90-degree gap between the two cylinders. It makes the engine more stable and offers a lot of balance.

Due to the usage of a 90-degree angle between the two cylinders, they are known as V-twins or L-twins. However, it is also possible that the angle between the two cylinders can be less than 90 degrees. In such cases, the usage of crankpins provides the needed balance.

Given the fact that the engine is the most important part of a bike, it only makes sense to protect it. You can opt to buy bike insurance online and choose an engine protection add-on. It will ensure that your engine receives the utmost protection and the policy will cover any damages or repairs to it.

What are the layouts of V-twin engines?

V-twin engines can either be transversal or longitudinal in arrangement. Here are the differences between both.

1. Transverse

If you were to imagine your bike in a 2D mode, the transverse setup would place the engine in the same plane as the bike.

2. Longitudinal

Similarly, if you were to imagine your bike in a 2D mode, the longitudinal setup would place the engine in the opposite plane as the bike. This is the more unconventional setup among the two.

Workings of a V-twin engine

A V-twin engine works in the same way as any other engine. Here is the detailed process of the working of a V-twin engine.

1. Once the fuel intake activates, a mixture of air and fuel enters the engine with the help of a carburetor. It is then ignited by a spark.

2. Spark then causes a controlled explosion, which pushes the pistons on the engine down into the shafts. The process then continues and the pistons keep moving up and down, as long as they receive the controlled explosion.

3. The movement of the piston in the engine turns the crankshaft that is attached to the V-twin engine. The heat energy generated during the process turns into rotational energy through the crankshaft.

4. The transmission relays this energy to the wheels, which causes the bike to move.

Before you are all set to take your bike out for a spin, ensure that you have third party bike insurance at the minimum. The policy will protect you and your finances in the event of an accident that involves third parties.

What is a Stroke?

You must have come across the term, 2-stroke and 4-stroke two-wheelers. Here is all that you need to know about the stroke of a bike.

The combustion cycle of an engine happens in four phases. Namely:

1. Intake of fuel

2. Compression of fuel

3. Combustion of fuel

4. Expulsion of exhaust fumes

All the activities that take place between these four cycles, define the stroke of your bike’s engine.

Type of strokes in engines

V-twin engines usually come in only two configurations, 2-stroke and 4-stroke. Here are the details of each type of engine.

1. 2 Stroke engines

In a 2 stroke engine, the pistons must make two full movements, to move the crankshaft through one full rotation. The engine must go through all four phases during these 2 strokes. As there are only two strokes, the four phases are split. The first stroke involves the fuel intake and exhaust of gases. While the second stroke involves fuel compression and combustion.

2. 4 Stroke engines

As you would have guessed by now, in a 4 stroke engine, the pistons must make four full movements to complete one complete rotation of the crankshaft. Since there are four strokes, each phase mentioned above gets one stroke.

Irrespective of which type of bike you choose and the engine configuration, buying bike insurance online is both convenient and light on your pockets. When you choose to buy bike insurance online, you can compare different policies and select a plan that offers maximum coverage at affordable rates.

What are Valves?

The role of a valve in the engine is to keep fuel and energy where they are supposed to be. Its function remains the same in a V-twin as well as a standard engine. Depending on the position of a piston during the combustion cycle, the valves can perform the function of either inlet or an outlet. For example, a 4-stroke engine can have two or four valves. If there are just two valves, one is used for intake and the other is used for exhaust. However, if there are four valves, two are used for intake and two are used for exhaust.

The internal workings of a bike might not be very relevant for all bike owners. However, buying insurance for the bike is. As per the law, third-party two-wheeler insurance is the minimum requirement to ride your bike. But for better protection and coverage of damages on your bike, comprehensive two-wheeler insurance is highly recommended.

Frequently asked questions

1. Do V-twin engines have 2 strokes or 4 strokes?

V-twin engines can have both 2 and 4 stroke engines. However, a 4 stroke engine is preferred, due to the higher power output.

2. Are V-twins a common configuration?

No. V-twins are used on a limited set of bikes that are available for buying. Some of the superbikes and bikes of higher engine capacity use this layout.

3. Is the bore size important?

The bore size plays a significant role in the power output of a bike. An engine with a bigger bore draws in more fuel and air mixture, thereby resulting in higher power figures.

Conclusion

Above are some of the terms that seasoned bikers or aspiring bikers should know. Knowing more about your bike will help you extract better performance while taking even better care of the bike. For the best care possible, you must opt for bike insurance online. It will protect your bike from all possible contingencies.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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