An attempt to demystify the two terms that puzzles most of us.. which one should we use to compare bikes?
"Power' and "Torque" are two terms very often used to describe and compare the (engine) performance of motorcycles. Even if I have always had an idea of what these two terms meant, I have so far struggled to put it in simple words which any layman could understand.
Harley Davidson doesn’t even bother to mention the Power figures of its bikes in its tech specs..!!
A google search for these two terms will land you on numerous of web pages, each trying to explain in detail the definition and the difference between them. But as the definition often gets into the scientific equations and technical nitty gritties, I have always invariably ended up closing the web pages.
Recently I found a very simple explanation for the difference and explanation of Power and Torque on this site (www.HowStuffWorks.com)
"Power" and "Torque" demystified in 4 sentences in simple English (courtesy the above mentioned site)
[1] Both Power and Torque are responsible for acceleration (which most of us also call as Pickup)
[2] Power affects acceleration (pickup) at high speeds (higher engine speeds)
[3] Whereas Torque aids acceleration (pickup) when the vehicle has to move from standstill or has to pull a heavy load (lower engine speeds)
[4] Torque lets the engine to do the work (of moving the motorcycle), but Power lets it do the work quickly when you're already moving and pulling something heavy behind you
Which suits you better? A bike high on Power, or a bike rich in Torque?
To put things into perspective.. For Super Sports bikes like the Yamaha R1, Honda CBR1000RR, Ducati 1198, the talk always revolves around the Power figures.. rightly so as racy bikes need more engine grunt at higher engine revs.
Power
On the other extreme, Harley Davidson, the maker of heavy cruiser bikes doesn’t even bother to mention the power figures of its bikes in its tech specs (Check out the Harley Davison site if you don’t believe me)..!!
Torque
To sum it up,
If you are inclined towards words like Sporty and Racy, "Power" should satisfy your need for speed.
If you don’t like to rev up the engine and want to take things at a leisurely pace, or if you have a heavy girlfriend/wife as pillion, you should probably talk more about "Torque".
Disclaimer:
This is to remind that the Views or Opinions in the blog are entirely mine unless explicitly stated. The Views and Opinions published in this blog should in no way be related to any other person or organization associated -- directly or indirectly -- with me.
