L twin one horizontal piston one vertical 90 degree as fitted into the bike, V twin two diagonal pistons less than 90 degrees as fitted into the bike. Ducati L Harley V I think I'd rather ride an L!
Length of stoke has diddly squat to do with it. Its the angle between the cylinders only. Aprilias are V. Ducatis are L technically speaking but i wont be thinking about that when im doing the good friday pub crawl starting at 2pm
The Honda VTR1000 (1997 - 2007) also had a 90 degree twin layout. If a Ducati is an L, then a VTR must be an L too, no?
I think that the V is used in English speaking countries because it conveys the fact that the two arms are of equal length, as are the cylinders. The L, for the Italians conveys the 90 degree angle between the cylinders, and so is the main signifier for them. It has no reflection on the engine, but rather on people's interpretation of the symbols. But to be very specific, the Ducati traditional lay out is best described as a longitudinal V Twin, as opposed to a Moto Guzzi transverse V twin, or indeed a Honda CX500. A
Its an 'Inline V twin' as opposed to a 'Transverse V twin' IE Guzzi.............. ...........Ah but hold on, I hear you say..................... .........What's an 'Inline V6' or 'Inline V12'?....... .....the engine is aligned the other way to a Ducati engine.......so does that make the Ducati a 'Transverse V twin'? ...Well, course not, seeing as how the BMW Boxer engine is a 'Horizontally Opposed Transverse Twin'.......IE a Flat Guzzi Oh, boll*x.............make your own mind up, effing waste of time......
What car had an 'Inline V' tipped to one side like an 'L'?? So one set of pots was horizontal and transverse, while the others were inline and vertical..............
iirc Ducati have always marketed it as an L-Twin because the cylinders have always been at 90 degrees. However, I stand to be corrected if someone can post up official literature that says otherwise.
