2004 Honda Vtx 1800N Engine View
Maximum Twin-Cylinder Motorcycles: Honda VTX 1800N vs. Kawasaki Vulcan 2000 vs. Yamaha Road Star 1700
Aside from size, the VTX 1800's engine is an almost typical Honda cruiser V-twin. That is, it employs Shadow-like technology in the split crankpins—the connecting rods meet the crank at two slightly skewed positions, not side by side as on the other V-twins here—which helps reduce vibration significantly. (Split pins create other types of vibration in smaller amounts, but aren't nearly as annoying as the large primary imbalance of a narrow-angle—in this case 52-degree—V-twin.) This scheme makes the engine act more like a 90-degree V-twin, which has perfect primary balance. What vibration escapes the split crankpins and the massive, 41-pound flywheel assembly is counteracted by a gear-driven counterbalancer, while driveline shocks are taken up by three sets of dampers, one on the crank end and two in the clutch. Twin-plug combustion chambers are fed by three valves each, two intake and one exhaust, long a Honda hallmark for engines intended to produce little high-rpm power. Unlike the Kawasaki and Yamaha, the Honda uses chain-driven single overhead cams. Generous cooling fins suggest otherwise, but the VTX is in fact liquid-cooled. If you're wondering, the actual redline is 5750 rpm. View Related Article