Overpowered Machines

Motorcycles are loads of fun for many reasons, but chief among those is the sheer power they can produce relative to their low weight. Though some machines are more speed-oriented than others, it is rare to find a motorcycle today that can't get from 0 to 60 in under six seconds, a feat that less than 10 percent of cars are capable of. This is achieved by the use of high output, performance tuned engines in conjunction with low weight frames and components.

Motorcycle engines today are often capable of putting out more than 100 horse power, with some able to reach the 200 HP mark completely unmodified. This higher end engines tend to be found in the sport-bike class, whose weights vary from just 350 pounds to about 500 lbs. To put these numbers in perspective, small cards often have power outputs between 100 and 200 HP, but weigh more than 2000 lbs. The horsepower wars between sport-bike manufacturers have raged since the 1980's, more than tripling power in that time period. In addition, improvements in design, manufacturing, and materials are producing lighter and sturdier machines for these engines to power. Sport-bike weights have steadily dropped an average of nearly fifty pounds per vehicle in the past two decades.

These factors have yielded bikes that today, in stock form from the factory, could outrun the fastest racers from just ten years ago. Given that there is no requirement for motorcycling safety education when buying one of these wildly powerful machines, it is no wonder that motorcycle fatalities are rising. It is important for new riders to take into account the capabilities of their new ride before they twist the throttle and get themselves into a world of hurt.