Jack Miller calls Yamaha V4 engine debate “a fad”
“There are pros and cons to everything”
Pramac Yamaha MotoGP rider Jack Miller says the debate over whether or not a V4 or an inline four-cylinder engine is better “is a fad”.
Yamaha caused a stir late last year when it announced it was working on a V4 programme for the first time in the modern era, having previously stuck to its inline four engine philosophy.
The only manufacturer on the grid with that engine configuration, Yamaha has been quizzed for a number of years about switching to a V4.
While there is no track debut in sight for Yamaha’s new V4, Pramac rider Miller believes the inline four “is strong” having come from V4s at Honda, Ducati and KTM.
“Not so much. You ride every bike differently,” he said when asked at the recent Sepang pre-season test if he has needed to adjust his riding style to the inline four.
“As a rider, you understand what the bike needs. My riding style hasn’t changed.
“You ride how the bike allows you to. If it allows maximum corner speed, that’s what you do. If you realise ‘s*** I can turn’ you keep working in that direction.
“Most motorcycle riders can work that out. We’re simple fellas but we can work that out.
It’s easy to work out what the bike wants from you. The character of the engine is different.
“But it’s awesome to step onto one of these things. It’s different, the power curve. It’s a considerable amount different even to the bike I rode in Barcelona.
“I have rode screamers, big bangs, and now an inline.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a Yamaha 450, a Honda 450, or a motocross bike - the power curve is always different.
“It does what it does very well. I believe this whole ‘V4 or no V4’ is a fad. I don’t believe it’s set in stone that you need a V4.
“There are pros and cons to everything. The inline-4 that we have, at the moment, is strong.”
Fabio Quartararo recently cautioned that a V4 won’t fix all of Yamaha’s problems, pointing to the fact Honda has run V4s for years and is even further behind in the competitive order.
At the Sepang test, Yamaha looked to have made clear progress with its M1, with Quartararo's form in particular catching the eye of Ducati team boss David Tardozzi.
Testing continues this week at Buriram in Thailand on 12-13 February, with the opening round of the season taking place at the same venue on 28 February - 2 March.
Quotes provided by Crash MotoGP Editor Peter McLaren
