• Like beauty is subjective, so is everyone’s preference for motorcycle exhaust note.

• V-Four engines are among the best – if not the best – sounding.

• Listen to this Yamaha YZF-R1 and Aprilia RSV4 RF.

Just as beauty is subjective, so is everyone’s preference for motorcycle exhaust note. To bikers, the exhaust note is another aspect which stirs the sould. However, V-Fours sound the best in our books as demonstrated by this Yamaha YZF-R1 and Aprilia RSV4 RF.

Yes, yes, the Yamaha R1 isn’t a V-Four but an inline-Four, instead. But I’m sure you already know that the “crossplane” crankshaft is arranged in such a way that the engine fires like a V-Four, hence sounding like one. Or like some say, sounds like Valentino Rossi’s YZR-M1 MotoGP bike.

The crossplane crankshaft spaces the crankpins at 90^ofrom each other. Therefore, the R1’s firing order mimics the firing order of a V-Four with a 180^ocrank, which gives it a 270^o– 180^o– 90^o– 180^oignition timing. The irregular firing order is what gives the bike its distinctive exhaust note compared to traditional inline-Fours.

The Aprilia RSV4, on the other hand, uses a 65^oV-Four with a 180^ocrankshaft. As such, the firing order is a regular 180^o– 115^o– 180^o– 245^o, giving it another distinctive and gloriously LOUD(!) exhaust note.

By the way, the numbers with degrees denote the crankshaft rotation angle.

NOTE: Please ride responsibly on public roads.

Video credit: SuperBike Racer