Are Motorcycle Engines Just Better Than Car Engines? Depends On Your Meaning

Ever wonder why and how motorcycle manufacturers are able to wring so much power out of such small packages as compared to cars? Let's find out.

By: Janaki Jitchotvisut

Dec 3, 2025 at 9:33am ET

Add RideApart as a preferred source in Google

Comment

If you're a curious person, then chances are excellent that you don't need me to expound upon the virtues of #EngineeringYouTube to you. That goes double if you're the type of person who really appreciates good STEAM communicators, particularly those who are able to break down complex topics in their areas of expertise in ways that we enthusiasts (who may not necessarily be experts) can wrap our brains around and enjoy.

Take, for example, this excellent explainer breaking down why and whether motorcycle engines are better than car engines, generally speaking. It's from engineer and multi-vehicle type enthusiast SuperFastMatt, and the combination of his engineering expertise, his sense of humor, and his concise explanations really make it shine.

For the TL;DR and grossly oversimplified version, motorcycle engines are able to make a ridiculous amount of power for their size, primarily because they're engineered to do so. As Matt puts it, you can make power either by introducing more displacement, or by engaging in clever engineering solutions such as bending materials science to your will with lightweight components and advanced coatings or maybe building finger followers into your valvetrain.

What do you think?

View

Comments

But it's not entirely that simple, either, as motorcycles and cars must meet different emissions and longevity standards, and are built accordingly. Plus, there's the whole matter of physics and having to move a much smaller, differently-shaped vehicle (a motorcycle) through the air down the road, versus a much larger, differently-shaped vehicle (a car or truck) through the air down the road.

Cars and trucks, particularly those built to modern safety standards, are also much heavier than even the weightiest big-boy motorcycles (yes, even you, Triumph Rocket III). By virtue of all their many differences, their respective engines (at least, as far as manufacturers are concerned) must also be built completely differently. These are things that enthusiasts don't necessarily have to contend with if they're doing their own builds in their garages, but they're absolutely the types of things that manufacturers have to consider at all times.