V-twin motorcycles have always fascinated those with a need for speed. Meaning, those who want to test all the laws of physics and nature against a riding a wobbly thing on two wheels that goes at bowel-loosening speeds.

That's us, and that's why we're talking the best V-twins here. While it’s a close battle, Indian Motorcycles were the first to come out with a V-twin engine, and times have changed with almost every motorcycle marque offering at least one of these fast motorcycles on their menu.

RELATED: 20 Motorcycles With Engines Bigger Than Most Cars

Even if many of these are not produced anymore, these V-twins changed the game in the motorcycle industry, and we rank them from the best to the even better. So which of these gorgeous pieces of motorcycling history and present have your heart?

10 Suzuki TL1000S’s Widow-Making Capabilities

2023 Suzuki TL1000R Greatest V-twin Motorcycle
Mecum

The Suzuki TL1000S and its racing variant, the TL1000R was a legendary motorcycle introduced in the late ‘90s. It remained a bit of a controversial machine in its lifetime because of a rotary rear shock that tended to overheat and a fierce torque that got it labeled a widowmaker.

Suzuki TL1000S
via Bike-urious

It’s the engine, still used today, that turned it into a legend though the later motorcycles from Suzuki were far better balanced and less prone to kill you. People still look at it awe though because if you rode and survived on this, you could handle anything.

9 Harley-Davidson FXS Low Rider: Rides Till Date

1977 Harley-Davidson FXS Low Rider
via NationalMotorcycleMuseum

What’s special about the Harley-Davidson FXS Low Rider so introduced in 1977? It was modeled on the popular motorcycle modifications of the time, thus having a seat height of only 27 inches, allowing most riders to stop flat-footed. It was an HD factory custom and looked as mean as it was capable.

1977 Harley-Davidson FXS Low Rider Engine Area
via NationalMotorcycleMuseum

At introduction, it was powered by a 1.2-liter V-twin that let it fly at 105-mph top speeds, and its popularity has let Harley-Davidson make different versions of it to date, with the latest being the 2020 Low Rider S.

8 Yamaha Virago: Scared The Harley

1981 Yamaha Virago
via BikePics

The Yamaha Virago made its debut in 1981 as a 740-cc V-twin with a mono-shock rear suspension, the latter a first for the industry on the whole. It was received so well that Yamaha soon added 500-cc and 900-cc engine options as well, and it lasted till 2007, post which it was replaced with the V-Star and the Road Star.

1983 Yamaha Virago
via Bike-urious

This motorcycle’s success worried Harley-Davidson to the extent they wanted the policy on imported motorcycles revised to be able to continue their home run, thus limiting engine displacement on imports.

7 Ducati 916: Sold Out Before Delivery

Ducati 916
via OldBikeAustralasia

How great was the Ducati 916? The first-year production run slated for the US shores was sold out before a single motorcycle was delivered. A beautiful motorcycle that still has takers despite its short four-year-run from 1994 to 1998, it led Ducati to win over 34 championships.

Ducati 916
via BringaTrailer

The 916 followed on the heels of the Ducati 888 and refined the engine to a fantastic degree with over six wins before it was further replaced by the Ducati 996. The top speed of this 998-cc motorcycle was 160 mph.

RELATED: The Hidden Truth Behind Ducati's Motorcycles

6 Vincent Black Shadow: Way Too Fast For The ‘50s

1951 Vincent Black Shadow Series C
via Pinterest

In 1948, Vincent Motorcycles launched the Black Shadow, which not only looked beastly but became the world’s fastest motorcycle for a while. All because of the designer, Phil Irving, who superimposed two drawings of a single-cylinder engine to arrange them as a V-twin on paper. That was his Eureka moment. Pre-1950, this motorcycle went 125 mph, and may as well be called the Black Death instead.

1951 Vincent Black Shadow Series C
via Mecum

Another super build of the Black Shadow was made in the ‘50s and this was called the Black Lightning because this went a crazy 150mph. Sadly, 1952 saw the end of the Vincents.

5 Aprilia RSV Mille: Pure Performance Power

Aprilia RSV Mille
via: Aprilia

Aprilia dominated the 125cc and 250cc GP racing in the ‘90s and then decided to enter the muscular world of the Superbike World Championship as well, to take not just Ducati but also Honda. The RSV Mille was launched in 1998 and carried on the good fight till 2003, post which Aprilia debuted the RSV1000R, and then later the V4 RSV4.

Aprilia RSV Mille
via CycleTrader

Troy Corser rode for Aprilia in 2000 and both this and the next year proved to be good wins for Aprilia. Post that, Aprilia could not beat Ducati or Honda and many blame the Dunlop tires for this…

4 KTM RC8: KTM’s First-Ever Sports Motorcycle

KTM RC8
via MotorcycleSpecs

We are so used to seeing naked motorcycles from the house of KTM that when they debuted a V-twin sports bike that looked this good, people double-checked the logo just to be sure that the RC8 was actually from KTM! It debuted in 2008 and lasted until 2015 before being replaced by the more powerful RC8 R.

The KTM RC8 parked on the track.
via TotalMotorcycle

The 1,150-cc engine made a cool 151 horses while the 2009 upgrade to a 1,195 V-twin managed an even better 170-plus horsepower making this motorcycle whiz as fast as it looked good.

RELATED: The Story Behind KTM’s Rise To Motorcycle Greatness

3 Harley-Davidson EL: The Advent Of The Knucklehead

1936 Harley-Davidson EL
via MecumAuctions

The Harley-Davidson debuted the EL in 1936 with the OHV as in Overhead Valve Knucklehead engine, which had to be redesigned mid-year before being reintroduced. This 999-cc Knucklehead lasted only till 1947 but it set a precedent for all heavyweights from Harley-Davidson and was the first one to introduce that signature exhaust sound of nearly all Harleys today.

1936 Harley-Davidson EL
via Pinterest

The Harley-Davidson EL is still dubbed as one of the best Harleys of all time. The Knucklehead nickname arose in the ‘60s, because of the valve covers that looked like the knuckles of a hand. Old yes, but this old is still gold.

2 Honda RVT1000R: The Ducati Trouncer

Honda VTR1000 SP2
via Pinterest

The Honda RVT1000R took away Ducati’s hitherto unchallenged V-twin dominance in 2000 and established the base of the CBR1000RR that has been in production since 2004 to date. This 999-cc motorcycle was made to race and it trounced Ducati in 2000 and 2002, going at top speeds of 164 mph.

Honda VTR1000 SP2
via Twitter

While this wasn’t a savior for Honda because Honda remained untroubled, it challenged Ducati’s V-twin supremacy and win as well, though not always. Plus it looked good and came with that unmistakable Honda reliability and riding comfort.

1 Ducati M900 Monster: Truly An Angel

Ducati M900 Monster
via YouTube

The Ducati M900 came out in 1993 and continues to date, and is often dubbed the motorcycle that saved Ducati simply because it was made cheap and sold well. In the ‘90s, Ducati was cash-strapped, and so designer Miguel Galluzzi created it using nothing but parts sourced from other Ducati models, thus saving on production costs.

Ducati M900 Monster
via RareSportbikesForSale

The fuel tank was the only thing that was created new and made this naked V-twin look macho. 300,000 of these have been sold to date, making it a motorcycle that proved a gamechanger for Ducati and motorcycle lovers on the whole.

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