Motorcycle High Performance Modifications, Custom Work. SSU Motorcycle Service Center

Frequently Asked Questions

I want more power from my motorcycle. What can I do?

An internal combustion engine is a giant air pump. It creates torque by converting thermal energy harness by mixing air and fuel then igniting it in a sealed chamber. The more air and fuel you can flow through a motor, the more torque it will make and the end result is more horsepower.

How does one get more air flow through the engine?

There are numerous ways to accomplish this. The most common modifications to start out with is increasing airflow into the engine with modifications to the intake (hi flow air filters and enlarged air boxes) and performance exhaust systems. These methods yield minimal amounts of gains when properly tuned but even so, the benefits from improved throttle response are worth the effort.

Next there is increasing the size of the engines displacement. Bigger pistons will draw more air into the engine thus creating more power. As they say , there is no replacement for displacement. Until you start talking about forced induction.

By far the most efficient way is force feeding the engine air with a turbo charger or super charger. This is usually a very expensive route to take but yields the best results.

Then there is chemical supercharging or Nitrous. This force feeds added oxygen in the form of a spray. Nitrous combined with raw fuel is shot into the intakes in a spray. When the nitrous is heated it gives of oxygen molecules that help ignite the added raw fuel creating more torque per a piston stroke. By far the best bang for the buck.

Which method is right for you? Well a lot of that depends on how much money you are willing to spend. Horsepower really is a matter of how much money you want to spend. The more you spend, the more you can make! But seriously, if you are on a budget, stage one mods such as exhaust ensure filters will get you a nice boost in performance. If you are out there trying to break records, you will probably want to select forced induction or a big bore kit.

Can my 600 be as fast as a 1000cc machine?

Yes, in theory it can. If you can make a 600cc motor flow as much air through it as a 1000cc motor then the end result will be just as much horsepower. This can be accomplished by increasing cylinder pressure which in turn makes more torque which in the end leads to a large HP number or by increasing the amount of work done on the available torque which also leads to more HP. Work done is RPM. Now you can only make an engine rev so high before you read maximum mean piston speeds and things go kaboom so increasing RPMs is not always the way to go about doing this. Increasing cylinder pressure is safer and only requires that we get the cylinders to fill more efficiently. This can be done with forced induction. larger bore size or head porting.

To get a better idea of how horsepower is made. A look at this simple formula reveals the relationship between torque, RPM and HP

Horsepower = (torque x RPM)/5252

Torque = (5252xhorsepower)/RPM

RPM = (5252xhorsepower)/torque

What is porting?

Porting of a cylinder head means altering the shape and/or the dimensions of the intake and exhaust tracts to provide the most optimal flow characteristics to fill the engine cylinders most efficiently Many factory cylinder heads are a compromise of best flow over a wide range of speeds. In racing applications with constant high RPM use is in play, larger intake and exhaust tracts can aid in the filling of the cylinders. remember that more air fuel in a cylinder means more pressure which means more torque and in the end, more fun!

What is re jetting a carburetor or remapping?

Whenever airflow is increased to the engine, fuel must be added. In the case of carburetted bikes, replacing the metering jets inside the carb with larger ones will flow more fuel. In the case of a fuel injected motorcycle, a computer can be used to re program the bikes computer or a Power Commander to alter the fuel flow. Failure to increase fuel when increasing air can lead to lean fuel mixtures that can cause poor performance and in extreme cases, engine damage.

What is a Power Commander? What does it do?

A Power Commander is a piggy back computer made by the DynoJet Company. It attaches to your bikes onboard engine management computer (the ECU or ECM). It intercepts the signals from various sensors on the bike and modifies them to trick the motorcycles ECU into spraying more or less fuel. This allows you to tailor your fuel map for your motorcycles modifications.

What is a Jet Kit?

A jet kit contains new metering needles and metering jets to alter the fuel flow characteristics of your motorcycles carburetor. These kits are made by various companies who have used donor motorcycles to create a set of metering components that enhance the performance of intake and exhaust modifications and even stock motorcycles by bringing the air fuel ratios to a more optimal mix for better throttle response and overall performance.

I want to add nitrous to my motorcycle. How safe is it?

Properly installed and used, nitrous oxide yields phenomenal results for little money. And if you want more power, it is as easy as installing larger metering jets in the system. The downfall to nitrous is it does not last forever and a small 5lb bottle is only good for a few 1/4 mile passes.

Nitrous related failures of engine are usually caused by greed and heat. Greed for more power will result in more heat which will melt pistons if the motor experiences pre ignition problems. For most liter bikes a 50 shot is considered the maximum safe limits without the need for internal modifications to your engine to beef it up.

What about pipes (exhaust systems) How does that make more power?

Getting the exhaust gasses out more efficiently will aid in filling your engine with fresh air and fuel faster. A good free flowing exhaust will be tuned properly by its pipe diameter and length to provide best performance with your engines flow characteristics. A reputable exhaust manufacture will spend hours of time testing their design on a dyno to ensure that you are not just buying a loud pipe that does nothing but make more noise. remember, more noise does not mean more power but sometimes it sure sounds good!

What else can I do to go faster?

Is all about power to weight ratio. The lighter your motorcycle is, the less power it takes to make it go. Lightening the motorcycle can get things going faster as well as add to the handling characteristics of your motorcycle. Reductions on reciprocating mass (anything that is spinning) yields the most usable gains as less HP is being used to turn that weight. Lighter wheels, lighter crankshaft, lighter chain and sprockets can aid in better acceleration.

Learning to ride your bike faster will also make more use of your motorcycles power. What good is all that power if you the rider cannot get it to the ground. Spend a day at a track school and you might be amazed at how fast your already fast motorcycle can really go!