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The
right engine capacity for you
This can range between 50cc and 1800cc. Generally, bigger capacity
means big power, big weight, big fuel bill and big bucks.
Anything below 250cc is considered a small motorbike. Anything
from 250cc to 650cc, mid range; 650cc to 1200cc is a big bike
while anything bigger than that is a monster!
Bikes bigger than 300cc are not suited to radical off road conditions
as they are too heavy.
Pillion passengers should not be accommodated on anything less
than 500cc if distance is involved.
Screaming, nimble performance is found between 650cc and 1000cc
Comfortable long distance road touring is found between 900cc
and 1200cc
Comfortable long distance off road trial riding is found at 600cc.
Anything bigger than 1400cc is all style and attitude and is only
found in cruisers. In cruiser design, big engine capacity does
not translate into huge power or acceleration.
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A
cruiser style tourer with a V twin engine. Note the tank bank
and the leather and studs panniers. The large bag at the rear
attaches to a vertical steel frame bolted to the bike - convenient,
but ensure that only the lightest of items is in the top half
of the bag.
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How
many cylinders?
You have a choice. You can either have the "growl,
grunt and thump" or you can have maximum performance
- but you cannot have them both. Fewer cylinders sound
great and are associated with biker attitude and popular
cruiser culture. Fewer cylinders however limit the
motorcycle’s maximum rpm. This impacts performance,
acceleration, horsepower and torque at the top end
of the rev counter. At lower revs however there is
little to choose between 2, 3 and 4 cylinders - in
fact 2 cylinders delivers more torque at low revs.
The fewer the cylinders in the engine, the more the
bike is suited to trails, off-road and MX conditions
because of the need for more torque at low revs.
The more cylinders there are, the more the bike is
suited to long distances on tar road due to the increased
smoothness of the engine.
Vibrations generally decrease with an increase in
the number of cylinders. Important for long distance
touring. |
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Screaming, howling performance is more characteristic of
a four cylinder motorcycle where the engine is able to rev
up to 10000rpm and beyond.
Suspension
Suspension is a complex topic and varies greatly from bike
to bike.
Off road bikes have suspension systems with a lot of travel,
maybe 27cm on the rear wheel. Street bikes have about 12cm
of travel while some cruisers have very little offering
a hard ride especially at the tail end.
Sportbikes have complex adjustable suspensions systems to
match a variety of variables including tyre choice, weight
of the rider and road surface.
More modern systems have a single adjustable monoshock at
the rear while more conservative motorcycle designs have
dual shocks with little or no adjustments possible.
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Gear
Boxes
Motorcycles designed for fast acceleration have
5 or 6 speed gear boxes with gear ratios closer
together. This includes small Motocross bikes as
well as sport bikes. These bikes have to be driven
hard with frequent gear shifts.
Bikes designed for a more leisurely pace like tourers,
cruisers and even dual sport bikes have a 5 speed
box with the gears spaced further apart.
Before heading out
Making sure your bike has a full MOT before you
ride it is paramount. This makes sure the bike you
buy is road logal and also looks at the bike from
a safety point. More
information on MOTs. Also making sure that you
have the best insurance available, so that you are
covered for all eventualities. For
more information on insurance please use this link
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