In a world that is always demanding "more power," many motorcycle enthusiasts are searching for ways to make their bikes go faster. For years, street rodders had been equipping their rides with nitrous oxide, and then finally, someone had the bright idea to put it to use on two wheels instead of four. What bikers found is there are many advantages to this method of boosting horsepower and that dollar for dollar, nitrous oxide is the best performance a person can buy.

Without getting too technical here is a brief history of the use of nitrous and just how the process and system works. Originally, N-2-O was used to provide a take-off boost for additional engine power in propeller aircraft. Later, in the 1970s it became fairly common around race tracks where it was used on dragsters and hot rods, and although no one really knows when it was first used on a motorcycle, today it is used increasingly as an inexpensive procedure to get a significant increase in horsepower.

Now, how nitrous oxide actually helps an engine make more power is pretty simple. In short, it provides a cold blast of extra oxygen to help the engine burn extra fuel. There are two types of systems that allow this action to occur: a "dry" system that is used on fuel injected engines, and a "wet" system that injects both nitrous and additional fuel into the air intake simultaneously. There are also two basic types of "wet" systems: there is a "plate" system that sprays the nitrous and fuel from a plate installed between the intake and the carburetor, and then there is the "fogger," or direct port system, that adds nitrous and fuel through specially designed injector nozzles directly into individual ports. The latter system is preferred by motorcycle builders because is can evenly deliver the nitrous and fuel mixture in larger amounts. So, there is the basic premise behind the power.

A significant benefit to nitrous oxide injection as opposed to other power enhancing methods such as superchargers or turbochargers is that nitrous is only used on demand so there is no waste of fuel or potential drive-train problems; however, what most builders and enthusiast like about the system is the ease of installation and the price. Typically, many nitrous systems are available for a few hundred dollars and they bolt in using basic tools in about four to six hours. So, for just an afternoon's labor and with a minimal investment you may gain as much as a 40% increase in horsepower! Also here is another important factor to consider, while an increase in horsepower is increased, so are the potential risks that go along with it so safety is the first concern. So before you hit that button or open that throttle all the way after installation, lean over the front wheel and hold on tight!

Back to Episode CRN8013