My K2 GSXR600 had a fairly hefty spec engine, Supersport cams, kit head gasket, gas flowed head etc. It made 116bhp at the rear wheel. It did nothing below 10,000 rpm but pulled harder and harder the closer you got to the 16,000 rpm red line. It could have done with losing a few pounds but it was an absolute riot to ride! It would have made a nightmare of a road bike but on track it was epic, not the fastest bike out there by any means but brilliant fun and very confidence inspiring. Too much torque with low revs is fast but lazy and a bit boring, power at high revs with nothing low down can be exciting but hard work. The key is to get the balance between the two.
Havn't had too much trouble so far lol. I doubt any of us "knows" how much bhp we are using at any given time, but i do think most of us know when we are using all the available Torque.
My 916SPS makes over 130HP and I was thinking of upgrading engine to 1098R if I could find one for sale.Then I took it out again on some of my favourite UK roads and found I was hardly ever hitting full throttle due to twisty roads and traffic.Doesnt need electronic bollox like traction control either as I enjoy spinning the rear in cold winter months. That put the power upgrade idea to bed.Most of my mods on the bike have been to lose weight and improve braking which has made it a far better bike than simply adding more power. Id say my old 996BP had more than enough power also just delivered in a more civilized way (bit boring compared to sps engine) so I say anything betwwen 100HP - 140HP is a lot of fun on UK roads but the lighter the better.Anything above is just a waste imho on UK roads great for drag strip though.
At its most basic Force (Torque) is how hard you push. Work done is a combination of how hard and how far you push. Power is a combination of how hard and how fast you push. ie the rate at which work can be done.
I think my Daytona 675 had the best hp figure for the road, it was about 108hp at the wheel I believe. The thing is I sometimes go on a mates il4 600 and they have so little torque that the power is in the top 20% of the revs all the time. I saw a dyno graph with the Daytona engine versus the il4's and at 6k rpm it was making 25HP More than them which just makes it such a better road bike. For that matter I wonder If the standard 848 with it's reported bigger low down grunt would be better on the road than the evo.
My Daytona was around 110bhp, the gsxr thou about 165bhp, give me bhp please or Ill get the bus. Seriously, I think the 1098 is around 160bhp and that seems sufficient, i do enjoy the rush from fast acceleration. I had lots of fun on the KR1S too though. The whole BHP/torque thing is entirely dependant on personal preference and what you want to do with it hence the vast choice of machinery out there. The 899 does appear to have hit a sweet spot for all the sports bike riders out there.
My answer to the original question - about 10 more than you actually have.... More! Gimmi more!! I know I'm fat and of average talent (at best!) but more is better!!! This mentality of mine is what sells new sports bikes - and I lose a fortune in depriciation.
I think that 198 RWBHP and 115 FtLbs is just about right for the road,anymore than that is a waste and needless IMO.When I owned my beautiful 748R I rode GSXR600 belonging to a mate of mine and it felt absolutely gutless in comparison but balls to the wall,it was every bit as quick as my R.That's why I like torque over horsepower, just feels more.
I'm never entirely satisfied with less than too much - but have a feeling that 198rwbhp for the road may actually be over the top!
The 0 to 70 MPH times are quite good really but for the life of me can't work out what the other 5 gears are for....
The good thing about plenty of power is that the engine is pretty unstressed in normal use and should last longer. I can't help feeling that thrashing your buzz box at 18000 rpm all day it isn't going to last as long as the bigger more powerful engine loping along at 6000 rpm. When I ride my mate's DB1 which has an air cooled 750 Ducati engine inside, I find I am constantly thrashing it to within an inch of its life. The package is capable of having much more power. But if it had, say, a modern 900ss engine in it, it would be about perfect. It's great fun already as you don't have to slow down for much - it's tiny with amazing handling. Ducati Bimotas are probably the way to go.
So much depends on how the engine makes its power rather than what the figure actually is. Which is why i like my v-twins and also the Speed Triple engine i had. I still reckon a sportsbike with 120bhp max and very light weight would be about perfect.
