Engine enlargement kits.
Discussion
In years gone by, the big-bore kit was one of the first things people looked to for more power.
From Hondas and Kawasakis to Triumphs, 2 strokes and 4, a bigger engine was often the way to go.
Now, i barely ever hear of anyone making their engine bigger!
Thinking out loud here, but rather than have people spend a fortune on a titanium full exhaust sysytem, air intake mods and Power Commander, often as much as £1,500 on a mega bike for a very modest power hike, why not make, say, 1,130cc kits for the R1 or Gixxer thou?
Or maybe a 710cc kit for the CBR600RR or R6?
From Hondas and Kawasakis to Triumphs, 2 strokes and 4, a bigger engine was often the way to go.
Now, i barely ever hear of anyone making their engine bigger!
Thinking out loud here, but rather than have people spend a fortune on a titanium full exhaust sysytem, air intake mods and Power Commander, often as much as £1,500 on a mega bike for a very modest power hike, why not make, say, 1,130cc kits for the R1 or Gixxer thou?
Or maybe a 710cc kit for the CBR600RR or R6?
On a Gixxer thou, you don't need more performance. Having a shiny exhaust is good for the car park. How often do people use 100% throttle? Maybe 0.5 seconds down a sliproad?
Having said that, I am considering Big-Boring my DRZ - On that sort of bike you are at 100% throttle more often than not so I think you would see the benefit.
But, again, What is the point? Why spend money big boring the drz when I could upgrade to a KTM/Husky which will be lighter and more powerful anyway? What works out cheaper in the long run?
The only benefit of big boring the DRZ (Rather than switching bikes) is the sleeper affect for when I encounter a faster bike on the road.
Having said that, I am considering Big-Boring my DRZ - On that sort of bike you are at 100% throttle more often than not so I think you would see the benefit.
But, again, What is the point? Why spend money big boring the drz when I could upgrade to a KTM/Husky which will be lighter and more powerful anyway? What works out cheaper in the long run?
The only benefit of big boring the DRZ (Rather than switching bikes) is the sleeper affect for when I encounter a faster bike on the road.
I 'big bored' my very first 50 moped. The difference in power was very noticeable indeed. It went from a maximum speed of 42mph to around 49mph!!!!maybe even 53mph on a good day 
Since passing my full bike test - if I want a more powerful bike, I'll just buy a more powerful bike...I can't see the point in modding for more power, especially as most common insurance companies won't want to know you if you drive a modified vehicle (such things didn't bother me at 16!).
Since passing my full bike test - if I want a more powerful bike, I'll just buy a more powerful bike...I can't see the point in modding for more power, especially as most common insurance companies won't want to know you if you drive a modified vehicle (such things didn't bother me at 16!).
Edited by Hyperion on Friday 16th January 12:32
With the new engine technology there just isnt the meat within the block there used to be to allow a worthwhile size overage now.
..and a couple of decades back turbo installs where for the well heeled and who could fit/maintain themselves, now those who want a lot of extra power for their £££ after fitting said exhaust system etc have the turbo route to go down, lots places to get them from, at a reasonable price and so much more reliable than the old carb fed jobbies.
I know TTS do BB kits for Busas but apart from that I dont know of any others.
..and a couple of decades back turbo installs where for the well heeled and who could fit/maintain themselves, now those who want a lot of extra power for their £££ after fitting said exhaust system etc have the turbo route to go down, lots places to get them from, at a reasonable price and so much more reliable than the old carb fed jobbies.
I know TTS do BB kits for Busas but apart from that I dont know of any others.
I accidently gave a good example there, whilst you can bore out the "MK1" Busa, the newer model you cant and its reportedly much harder to tune beyond an exhaust etc than the older model..and looking at TTS's list, its mainly older models that BB kits are available for..
http://www.tts-performance.co.uk/tts.shtml
http://www.tts-performance.co.uk/tts.shtml
Due to the interchangibility of parts, there are 'big-bore' (and stroke) kits for many Ducatis, the most common being an 853 (748 with 916 cylinders & pistons) however the (new) cost of such kits is very high (possibly £3-£5k) so in reality not many people do them (unless they get the parts cheap and DIY the labour) as there are more economical ways of getting more power - the most efficient being a trade-in for a bigger model.
My MV is now an F4800 not 750! I've had it from new and have no intention of ever selling. I'd have liked a 1000, but the cost of replacing is enormous over here. The extra 50cc (plus exhaust, gearing, etc.) gives that bit more, especially torque, making it quicker off the throttle and slightly less thrashy.
Gethyn said:
My MV is now an F4800 not 750! I've had it from new and have no intention of ever selling. I'd have liked a 1000, but the cost of replacing is enormous over here. The extra 50cc (plus exhaust, gearing, etc.) gives that bit more, especially torque, making it quicker off the throttle and slightly less thrashy.
The other extra 4000cc must help a bit too? 
I'd guess the move to alloy engine blocks with liner inserts might make it trickier. Dunno about other makes but some of the Yams have ceramic bores so inceasing the bore size of them could get expensive. I fitted new piston rings a few years abck and I wish I'd known at the time that the later version of my engine has a slightly different profile on the pistons, had I fitted them to my bike I'd have upped the compression ratio a noticable chunk which should gause a bit of a power increase
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