Un-Identical Twins

Nothing stirs the emotions like a thumping big twin, as Bruce and Boothy discovered while double dating Aprilia's RSV-R Factory and KTM's RC8R.

Most things in life are better in pairs, such as socks, chocolate bars and naughty sisters. But before I get all sidetracked and tell you about the dream I had where the Cheeky Girls were covered in chocolate while wearing knitted footwear, I’ll keep things focused on the real topic at hand; a pair of cylinders. Namely, cylinders in the shape of Winston Churchill’s acclaimed gesture; the humble V. There was a point in time, not all that long ago, when every Tom, Dick and Harry had a stab at rivalling Ducati’s consummate V-twin performance, which was dominating the global race scene at home and away pretty much concurrently throughout the 90s and early Noughties.

While some would argue the benefits of larger displaced motors gave the Italian brand its edge over its 750cc inline-four rivals, others would claim the torquey and mechanical grip inducing disposition of a thumping great V-twin was the real secret to their success. Whatever it was, everyone wanted a slice of the action, including Suzuki with its TL1000R, Honda with its SP1s and SP2s, and Aprilia with its RSV Milles. Come the turn of the new millennia, V-twins were more common than whiplash claims. But just as quickly as it arrived, the V-twin dream began to shrivel back.

With the coming of new seasons came the arrival of new tech that meant inline-fours were achieving unequivocal heights of power, torque and usability. Despite fours being cheaper to buy and easier to ride, not everyone was ready to walk away from the stuttery, booming nature of a charismatic big-V.