Riders almost always feel the need to improve the performance of their bikes in one area or another. However, before they begin, there is often the question, "Where do I start?" Well, quite simply put, you need to have a vision of the end result you are trying to achieve! In this segment of Corbin's Ride On , we are going to show three basic approaches on how you can boost the power on your bike.

First, depending on how much power you want, there is the ensuing question of, "How much do you want to spend?" We'll look at power upgrades in three levels concerning cost: baby steps (the relatively inexpensive approach), uptown (the middle-of-the-road upgrade), and livin' large (or "goin' whole hog).

Along the baby steps route, the best thing you can do to enhance your engine's performance is to get more air into it and then out of it. Consequently, you must eventually replace the intake and the exhaust. However, this task isn't as simple as it sounds. If you install a new air intake and add a new set of exhaust pipes, you must also re-jet your carburetor. If your bike is fuel-injected, have it retuned on a computer. The other baby step that we recommend is installing a high-voltage performance coil to increase the spark! While these upgrades are relatively inexpensive, just by doing them you can gain as much as 20% in horsepower!

In the uptown stage, we tend to get into the internal workings of the engine by installing aftermarket parts, such as high-performance cams. This is done by a process called "porting and polishing" on the engine itself. After that, a change in pistons is another step in which you can see significant gains in horsepower. Dome pistons increase compression which leads to better performance. Once again, the ignition system is another area in which performance can be enhanced. Installing a high-output, single-fire system will reduce the chances of the spark becoming "washed out" when it reaches the plugs.

We've taken baby steps, and we've walked uptown. Now it's time to think about "livin' large." Bigger pistons are one way to get there. If you go that route, you also need to invest in a new carburetor. A change in the exhaust system is necessity, but you must be sure to choose a set of pipes that optimizes the performance of your engine. Believe it or not, changing a stock exhaust system for a set of drag pipes can actually cost 5% to 10 % of you bike's horsepower if those pipes don't pull exhaust gasses away from the engine efficiently. Finally, replacing stock cylinder heads with ported, high-performance competition heads will increase compression and efficiency.

If you have gone from baby steps to livin' large, you have turned that 50-something horsepower bike into a screaming 85 horsepower beast of the streets! For more information on the steps discussed here, consult the entire tech segment in this episode of Corbin's Ride On .

Back to Episode CRN10003