|
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.
|
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.
|
|
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.
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.
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.
|
|
