Motorcycles that achieve higher engine power with less cubic capacity than comparable models typically rely on advanced engineering techniques and technologies to enhance their performance. Here are a few reasons why this can happen:
Advanced Engine Design: Manufacturers can employ advanced engine designs to optimize power output while reducing displacement. This includes techniques like using higher compression ratios, variable valve timing, multi-valve cylinder heads, and advanced fuel injection systems. These design features allow the engine to extract more power from each combustion cycle, resulting in higher overall output.
Forced Induction: Some motorcycles use forced induction, such as turbocharging or supercharging, to compress the incoming air and increase the amount of oxygen available for combustion. This allows smaller-displacement engines to generate more power by increasing the density of the air-fuel mixture.
Lightweight Construction: By using lightweight materials like aluminum and carbon fiber, motorcycle manufacturers can reduce the overall weight of the vehicle. A lighter motorcycle has better power-to-weight ratio, allowing it to accelerate more quickly and reach higher speeds even with a smaller engine.
Regarding your second question, horsepower and torque are related but not the same thing. Horsepower is a measure of power, which represents the rate at which work is done. Torque, on the other hand, is a measure of rotational force. In simple terms, torque determines the ability of an engine to generate force to overcome resistance (such as the weight of the motorcycle and the rider) and accelerate. Horsepower, on the other hand, reflects how quickly the engine can sustain that torque over time.
While there is some relationship between horsepower and torque, an engine can have high torque but relatively low horsepower, and vice versa. It ultimately depends on how the power is distributed across the engine's RPM range. Some engines may be tuned for low-end torque, which can result in impressive off-the-line acceleration but may not have as much high-end horsepower. Others may prioritize high-end horsepower for achieving higher top speeds.