Can someone explain torque to me?

[MSTRS:Me]

I've always thought of it as -

High torque = high acceleration
High HP = high top speed

It is why I claimed in another thread that a big v-twin will usually see to an equivalent capacity IL4 in the twisties.

[El Dopa]

okay then...thats all the technical stuff...but for a dumbass like me a bike with lower HP but higher torque is better in the twisties than one with higher HP and lower torque???

Very, very crudely, and leaving out the technical stuff:

If you want a bike that can go through twisties well (accelerate out of a corner) - get a higher-torque bike.

If you want a bike with a higher top speed in a straight line - get a higher HP bike.

simple?

Edit: beaten to it by MSTRS.

[cowpoos]

mate, a "tourquey" bike has say a twenty litre bucket of "force" and a "Revvy" bike has a ten litre bucket of "force"

at 3,000 buckets per minute the tourquey bike is moving twice as much as the revvy bike, but by 5,000 buckets per minute it hits the wall, moving approximately 100,000 litres per minute

the revvy bike can move 15,000 buckets per minute at it's fastest so it can actually move 150,000 litres per minute

tourque being the size of your bucket
power is the work per minute
more buckets per minute = more power!

Thats a fucking excellent discription!!! I was about to explain it in air pump terms...

But one thing I would add to you post Matt...is at a point where your maximum torque [maximum buckets of water per minute without spillage??] the torque drops off [water starts to spill]...so efficency drops off...but the higher work rate counters that and you still get the higher work rate [more litres per min]

[HDTboy]

The way I see it, Torque will get you out of a tight corner quicker, while horsepower will help you pass someone in a straight line.

People ride torque, and talk horsepower. The bigger and flatter an engine's torque curve is, the easier, and faster it will feel to ride.

The dyno charts attached are for two bikes with similar power, but massively different torque curves, which do you think would keep it's front wheel off the ground more? Which do you think would feel faster?

[idleidolidyll]

I've always thought of it as -

High torque = high acceleration
High HP = high top speed

It is why I claimed in another thread that a big v-twin will usually see to an equivalent capacity IL4 in the twisties.

only sorta: the world's fastest indian had bugger all horsepower but managed over 300kph.
instead it had good torque, low weight and a great shape.

torque is a measure of available power (at any specific revs) and HP is a measure of work done over time.

[martybabe]

okay then...thats all the technical stuff...but for a dumbass like me a bike with lower HP but higher torque is better in the twisties than one with higher HP and lower torque??? The reason I ask this is there are 2 bikes on my mind that keep on popping up as possibilities for later.
One of my criteria is a low seat height (wife suffers from ducks disease)

So here are the specs (hp and Torque) of both. On those details which one is better?
Bike 1: 34HP 40.68 NM @ 3200 RPM
Bike 2: 31HP 45.5 NM @3400 RPM

Both have seat heights at 27 inches...

I know the figures are not flash but I am not a speed freak and dont plan to be going at 150kmh

OK,thats a bit easier.You want to take the wife and her handbag but don't go that fast.Bike two is the bike for you theoreticaly...in reality those figuers are so close I doubt you'd notice much difference. Bike two

[jrandom]

I claimed in another thread that a big v-twin will usually see to an equivalent capacity IL4 in the twisties.

Bike: 10%

Rider: 90%

[cowpoos]

Bike: 10%

Rider: 90%

I'd go IMHO...rider 70% setup 20% bike 10%

[jrandom]

I'd go IMHO...rider 70% setup 20% bike 10%

Yes, true. Good point.

[cowpoos]

Yes, true. Good point.

and in saying that...Rider is the key to good setup anyway.

[Ixion]

If you have to shovel a big pile of dirt from A to B, is it better to use a big shovel and chuck a big shovelfull every so often, or a smaller shovel and thow the dirt faster.

Torque is the size of the shovel, horsepower is the size of the pile of dirt. Smaller shovel, you need to shovel faster (more revs). Bigger shovel, you can fling the dirt less often, but it's going to be harder work each time. In the end the pile of dirt is the same size when the foreman comes round, whichever way you do it.

[NordieBoy]

Don't make the mistake of selcting a bike based on HP and torque alone.

It has to be the right colour too.

[Ocean1]

They're onto it, unless you're chasing ultimate top speeds concentrate on the torque numbers, and how well spread it is across the rev range.

Hint: 86ft lbs on a 178kg bike makes for great acceleration out of the hole.

This explains it well: http://www.msgroup.org/Tip.aspx?Num=221

[idleidolidyll]

Can someone explain torque to me?

it's what those who 'can't' do

[idleidolidyll]

Hint: 86ft lbs on a 178kg bike makes for great acceleration out of the hole.

hell yes!
that's nearly as much as my yammy 1300 had.

on a bike under 180kg, that's great acceleration

'course, on say a buell, that acceleration only lasts for a few thousand revs and then you'll need to hook a new gear; the yammy was way wider