There is a lot of misunderstandings of what ABS is and what it does and more importantly, what it doesn't do. Let us discuss it with a listing of what I think are 3 facts and myths surrounding ABS and why it could save your life someday . ABS is Anti Brake-Locking System As the name implies, it prevents brake locks - the heart-stopping panicking moments of wheel locking up if we apply brake too suddenly. Brakes? Kinda are more important than the engine themselves. This can cause awesome skids which could be attractive if you are a stunt rider and are stunnting. Whereas, if you are trying to stop because you are riding head-on onto oncoming traffic; I have no clue why you would be; but that wouldn't spell good for you, so stopping the biking when you want it to stop is critical for riding. ABS is any system that prevents the wheel lock, by releasing the pressure on the brake disc, if it senses a wheel lock. This is done using motion sensors, which in turn
We often state "That's a Bajaj bike, its engine wouldn't last much.."
To state that the life of a particular brand's engine is short is berating the entire RND team's work for that particular company - Let us discuss why
Why is Bajaj still in the market if their engines don't last?
The overall engine life depends on multiple aspects. Every engine looses power as it runs more Kilometers. The engine life can be defined as the time period cum kilometers ran by the engine before the power loss becomes too high.
The engine goes through a lot of stresses during its operation; let us call this abuse as it is inducing wear and tear constantly.
Let us take Conrods for example.
Therefore running at higher RPM will result in Higher Abuse as the reverse in motion happens more frequently.
Hence having an engine with higher weighted moving components will go through more abuse.
Hence it becomes impossible to decrease the weight beyond a threshold without sacrificing on the sturdiness of the engine.
Now the Beauty of RnD Team comes into the picture as they have to achieve all this: Select the materials to create the engine in such a manner that the engine can withstand the use age at the RPM they want.
Higher and lighter the quality of materials used, higher RPM the engine can run at.
Higher the RPM the engine runs at, higher the Power that can be produced from the engine.
Higher the RnD and materials quality, higher becomes the overall manufacturing cost involved.
Ergo, brands trying to mass produce at lower cost do the cost cutting at keeping the RPMs low so that materials needn't be of highest standards and special entry bikes like Yamaha R15 cost more for 150cc as their engines and supporting components are made for such usage; hence the higher engine life can be expected out of them if used with care.
As a consumer, it is our job to identify a balance of quality and where the cost cutting can be accepted for our motorcycles.
Stay tuned for an article on a controversial topic of which is more important; torque vs power; aka engine characteristics by clicking on subscribe as shown below!.
And do share to show some love :)!
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| How do Some Engines last forever? While Some don't?! |
To state that the life of a particular brand's engine is short is berating the entire RND team's work for that particular company - Let us discuss why
Why is Bajaj still in the market if their engines don't last?
The overall engine life depends on multiple aspects. Every engine looses power as it runs more Kilometers. The engine life can be defined as the time period cum kilometers ran by the engine before the power loss becomes too high.
The engine goes through a lot of stresses during its operation; let us call this abuse as it is inducing wear and tear constantly.
Let us take Conrods for example.
- These are an essential component of any engine.
- They transfer the energy created during combustion to the camshaft which in turn rotates the wheels eventually.
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| Conrods connected to the Camshaft |
Only Scientific Knowledge Required: F=ma
As Acceleration Increases, Force on the Component Increases
- When the piston is at the TDC or BDC the direction of motion of the piston/conrod is completely reversed.
- This induces twice the amount of acceleration on the piston/conrods at these points.
Therefore running at higher RPM will result in Higher Abuse as the reverse in motion happens more frequently.
As Weight Increases, Force on the Component Increases
- Two distinct engines running at same RPM but have pistons/conrods of different materials.
- The momentum and force experienced will be proportional to the weight of the component.
- More the momentum, the tougher it is to stop its motion and then reverse it, hence more stress on the components.
Hence having an engine with higher weighted moving components will go through more abuse.
Higher the Engine CC; More the Energy for each Combustion Cycle
- Aluminum is light weight and when used for certain types of engines, they are great.
- But as RPM and Compression Ratio increases (click to learn more) the heat dissipated increases and this can be serious issues for the aluminum engine as it can loose its shape slowly and cause large intrinsic issues.
Hence it becomes impossible to decrease the weight beyond a threshold without sacrificing on the sturdiness of the engine.
To narrow down on the favorable aspects of the Engine:
- Lower the RPM the better - as increasing RPM exponentially increases the stress on moving components
- Moving components must be light weight.
- The Materials used must be sturdy enough to withstand the abuse the engine is expected to undergo.
Now the Beauty of RnD Team comes into the picture as they have to achieve all this: Select the materials to create the engine in such a manner that the engine can withstand the use age at the RPM they want.
Higher and lighter the quality of materials used, higher RPM the engine can run at.
Higher the RPM the engine runs at, higher the Power that can be produced from the engine.
Higher the RnD and materials quality, higher becomes the overall manufacturing cost involved.
Ergo, brands trying to mass produce at lower cost do the cost cutting at keeping the RPMs low so that materials needn't be of highest standards and special entry bikes like Yamaha R15 cost more for 150cc as their engines and supporting components are made for such usage; hence the higher engine life can be expected out of them if used with care.
As a consumer, it is our job to identify a balance of quality and where the cost cutting can be accepted for our motorcycles.
Stay tuned for an article on a controversial topic of which is more important; torque vs power; aka engine characteristics by clicking on subscribe as shown below!.
And do share to show some love :)!
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