What does max power mean in motorcycle? What is max power in vehicle? How is max power calculated? How much power is good for bike Is a higher power rating better? This content reveals the meaning and details of the maximum power of a bike or motorcycle.
What is Bike Max Power?
The max power of a bike is actually a measurement of the maximum amount of power that a motorcycle can sustain without facing any damage issues. The max power means or tells how much power the engine can through. When a bike has higher max power, it can maintain more maximum speed and can carry more load as well. A motorcycle’s maximum power is expressed via:
- Kilowatt (KW) or
- Brake Horse Power (BHP) or
- German Horse Power (PS). (In German PS=Pferdestärken)
What is Max Power and Max Torque?
Power and Torque are different terms. Many bike lovers get confused and think both are the same. But actually, they are different. Here we differentiate the max power and max torque.
| Max Power | Max Torque |
| Power is the rate at which something gets the work done or transfers energy. And the max power is the highest ability at which the engine won’t face any damage. | It is actually rotational force measurement. |
| Signifies how fast your motorcycle will go. | Reveals how quickly your bike will go or react. |
| Ensures more top-end speed. | Meanwhile, it provides better initial acceleration. |
| Your bike will go faster if it has more power. | With max torque, it can respond quickly. In other words, max torque emphasizes how much weight it can move quickly. |
| Expressed in Kilowatts (kW) or brake horsepower (bhp). | Expressed in Newton-meters (Nm) or foot-pounds (ft-lb). |
| Higher gears will provide you more power and hence better speed especially on flat tracks. | Lower gear can maximize torque in case of climbing. |
| For instance, it means “how fast you hit something”. (Quora) | On the contrary, it is a term that reveals the ability of “how far you take something with you”. (Quora) |
| Is of great importance for the bike. | More important than max power indeed. |
How Much Power is Good for a Motorcycle?
Generally, a horsepower between 10-25 is enough for a bike for a city ride. And 25-30 horsepower will make your bike sufficient enough on a freeway without being run over. For example, the Yamaha YZF-R15 can produce 14.2 kW (19.0 hp) of power at 10,000 rpm. TV Apache 4V has a maximum power-producing ability of 16.6 BHP. The max power for the Suzuki Gixxer SF is 13.9 bhp while Honda CB150R Exmotion is able to generate 19.7 bhp.
