how does the cc on a motorcycle correspond to the horsepower?

Question

how does a motorcycle with fewer cc (say 600 cc ) beat a motorcycle with a higher cc (say 1400 cc)

Answer 1

More cc's doesn't always equate to more horsepower as others here have mentioned. The reason for that is because factors like porting, ignition curve, compression, etc. all play a role in horsepower. That being said, a CR85 will have more horsepower that a CRF150F because the 85 has a higher performance engine. But, if you are talking about increasing the displacement of the same bike, for instance boring a 125 out to a 144, you will see an increase in horsepower. If all other factors remain the same, increasing displacement will increase horsepower.

Answer 2

Like everyone else said, cc (cubic centimeter) is the amount of space the piston displaces. Usually, more space means a bigger combustion in the chamber which means more power. However, if you are using an extremely inefficient design, it could be a big difference in horsepower. A good way to compare is horsepower (at rear wheel, the engine hp isn't accurate) divided by the weight of the vehicle. The power to weight ratio is important. That is how a 300lb, 100hp bike can beat a 3000lb, 300hp car. Technology plays a big role too. The engines on a 600cc sport bike are a lot more advanced than the engine on an air cooled, carbeurated cruiser.

Answer 3

It doesn't equate. CC's are the engine displacement. Meaning that in a 600cc engine, the engine has 600 cubic centimeters of displacement. The amount of cc's is only one factor when talking about racing of two separate bikes. In addition, the weight of the bike and the weight of the riders has to be taken into consideration. If the 600cc bike weighs 300 pounds, with a 150 pound rider the total weight would be 450. Now, the 1400cc bike might be 800 pounds, plus a rider that weighs 200. That would be 1000 pounds of combined weight. You have to also take into consideration, the experience of each rider. The one with the fewer cc motor, might be able to change gears faster, at a higher rpm and therefore accelerate faster.

Answer 4

& now from someone that has an IDEA...



cc of a bike engine( or any other) is the size of the motor



horse power is how much work you can get from the motor



the number of cylinders ( 1,2, 3 ,4 ,5,6, 8 )



the configuration of the cylinders. (in line,tandem twin.v twin,inline 4,or 6 or 8 V6 or 8,W16 even)



the cam shaft and valve configuration.



the carbs( fule injection) exaughst...



the state of tune... the compresion ratio..



all these things afect the horsepower that a motor puts out



then the gearbox/ transmision has an effect..



& the amount of stream lining has an effect on the top speed of a vehical....



so a 1400 V twin cruiser that has no streamlining & a motor built for torque & a gear box to suit,& is air cooled,....is a slug when compared to a 600cc in line four high reving streamlined fuelinjected watercooled rocket...



the old saying goes"nothing beats cubes"...



but how the vehical is set up & what its designed for do make a differance...

Answer 5

Like others have said weight design etc... Back in the day there were some smaller 2 strokes{road bikes} that would beat the crap out of most any bike on the road. Biggest reason was because they could hit a higher rpm allot faster. You can take two bikes with the same engine hp, but how that power gets to the pavement is what makes the difference. V-twins are designed to run on a lower rpm then a crotch rocket. This doesn't mean one is weaker then the other it just shows a difference in design, wants, and needs.



Take a tractor trailer running a diesel engine has a crap load of hp but not much rpm{or speed} now take a gas engine with the same rated hp in a mustang, which one would you pull a 40,000 lb trailer with?????

Answer 6

to answer ur question, cc's (cubic centimeters) measure the engines displacement, like cubic inces on a larger engine, or liters to those with smaller auto motive engines. how a 600cc bike would beat a 1400cc bike can be answered in 2 ways. either the 600cc is a well tuned engine and puts alot of power to the ground, or the 1400 is a rough tune engine and makes alot of noise. some engine makers will tend to use lighter materials on the bikes as well to cut down on weight, like aluminum engine blocks, which also work to make the engine stronger and able to handle more power. another way a 600cc could win is by weight. if the 600cc bike was engineered for racing, then it will rev high and fast and thus make alot of power on the top end. but it all comes down to the driver in the end, and how well the bike is built. ive seen volkswagens destroy ferraris down a quarter mile, granted the vw was eavily modded.

Answer 7

Your first question is fairly easy. CC refers to cubic centimeters which is a measurement of displacement, much like cubic inches. And without getting a physics book out, horsepower is derived from measurements like torque, Watts, Newtons, etc. All things being equal, you can usually ASSUME that more displacement equals more horsepower. That's as simple as it gets.



If you start looking at different engines (4 cylinders, V-twins) and different motorcycles (belt-drive Harley's versus chain-drive crotch rockets) the answer gets real complicated real fast. Torque, gear ratios, horsepower to weight ratios, compression, etc. The second part of your question is infinitely harder to answer when you consider the dynamics involved in different applications.



You could always find an R6 Yamaha willing to race a Kawasaki ZR-14!

Answer 8

the holy grail of engines has been one horsepower per cubic inch of displacement. This is for a normally aspirated engine, however this may be exceeded with the use of nitrus or supercharging. This, with power to weight ratio, gearing will give you an edge. This is why a sport bike may outrun a cruiser in a roadrace if kept in the powerband, but a bike with more torque will have the edge in a tighter course, able to pull quicker out of the curves.

Answer 9

The 600cc bike would have to be *significantly* lighter than the 1400cc to compensate for the lack of horsepower. More cc's means a larger engine (cc stands for cubic centimeter), and a larger engine translates to more horsepower.

Answer 10

It all depends on what you compare. a 600cc sports bike

will be faster than a 1400 cruiser / touring bike but if both are the same sport or touring the bigger bike will be faster.

More CC`s mean more power.

Answer 11

bigger is not always better, 600cc is lighter so its faster off the line. 1400cc is a bigger engine. its like a fat person and a skiny person, the skiny person is faster and a fat person has more power.

Answer 12

it dosent, no 600 will beat a 1400 without heavy modification, enless the rider just sucks