Why aren't there more turbo bikes?

[MASHBY]

Japan did try Turbos in the 80's but they made less power than N/A litre bike so they program was dropped.But if you realy want one you have a few choose from:

HONDA CX650 TURBO


KAWASAKI Z750 TURBO


SUZUKI XN85 TURBO


YAMAHA 650 SECA TURBO



Thats about most of the main stream ones.You can find out more on
Turbo Motorcycle International Owners Association Website

[ZooTech]

I believe a supercharger would be more practical.

[MASHBY]

Superchargers are more reliable out they take so much out of the engine before they give back.The think with bikes is they are so light so the power to weight ratio is always in our favour.However I think with todays tech a turboed or supercharged bike would be pretty awesome.Imagine bolting a supercharger to a Rocket III.Stock 132bhp supercharged around 165bhp.

[iluvcycles]

I believe a supercharger would be more practical.

Yeah me too.

[DivideOverflow]

I believe a supercharger would be more practical.

I kinda disagree... a supercharger generally takes up even more space, and it has to be belt-driven (not too many bikes have exposed pullies that you can easilly hook into).
I think this is one of the coolest supercharged bikes:
http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/tech/d ... _valkyrie/


As for the turbo, what makes it nice is that is uses exhaust to spool, so it doesn't cause parasitic loss on the engine. All you need to do is find a place in-line with the exhaust to fab up a mounting point. Then, of course, piping to the intake and tuning for boost. With fuel injected bikes, adding a turbocharger should be much easier than carbed bikes.
There are actually some turbo kits available for bikes (I know of kits for BMWs).

The biggest issue is the cost vs benefit, which is the part that makes it not practical. But if you really want your particular bike to be that much faster, then it is worth it to some people.

[flynrider]

Japan did try Turbos in the 80's but they made less power than N/A litre bike so they program was dropped.But if you realy want one you have a few choose from:

There was also the Kawasaki Z1R-T, a turbo literbike. It kicked off the turbo craze in 1979. It was basically a Z1R with an aftermarket turbo installed at the factory. It didn't sell well and suffered from heat related problems, but it did show better than 170 hp at the rear wheel. Scary bike!

The idea behind most factory turbos was to get liter bike power on a middleweight bike. Kawasaki's 750 turbo was one of the more successful attempts. I rode the 750 turbo at the track in '84 and '85 and it was truly impressive. For the few years that Kaw made the turbo, it was the fastest production motorcycle. It topped out at around 150 mph.

[ZooTech]

I kinda disagree... a supercharger generally takes up even more space, and it has to be belt-driven (not too many bikes have exposed pullies that you can easilly hook into).

BMW managed to design a supercharger for the Mini Cooper S that is very compact. If it were part of the design from the beginning, integrating a SC into a bike's engine would be relatively easy and it could probably be gear driven.

As for the turbo, what makes it nice is that is uses exhaust to spool, so it doesn't cause parasitic loss on the engine. All you need to do is find a place in-line with the exhaust to fab up a mounting point. Then, of course, piping to the intake and tuning for boost. With fuel injected bikes, adding a turbocharger should be much easier than carbed bikes.

Yes, but they run hot as hell and can cause catastrophic engine damage if not properly cared for.

There are actually some turbo kits available for bikes (I know of kits for BMWs).

They even make an intercooled turbo for my bike.

The biggest issue is the cost vs benefit, which is the part that makes it not practical. But if you really want your particular bike to be that much faster, then it is worth it to some people.

I'll just put the $4500 down on an FJR1300!

[CNF2002]

Just throw in a hemi.

[jmillheiser]

you forgot the CX500T, 100hp out of 500cc. The 650 was good for 120hp.

CX turbos are highly sought after because they were one of the few reliable turbo bikes. They are quite hard to find because they did not sell in huge numbers.

turbo bikes have massive midrange power that most sportbikes lack.

I have seen a turboed V-Rod that the guy was actually riding.

[skinnyjoint]

turbo charge a bike, dude im on a 600 and i dont even want to go faster lol. i can count the times ive gone about 8k on both hands. like someone said before how fast do you really need to go