Does Engine Revving Hurt My Motorcycle?

A lot has been said about revving an engine although the concept is hardly known to many. Trust me, the topic drives me up the wall when we go about it with my crew. It never gets old, no matter how many times you say it. Revving is, sort of, a safety limit for most engines – even to the extremes of redlining it. Nonetheless, I’m dead set on closing the discussion this time around. So let’s begin with the basics.

What Is Revving a Motorcycle Engine?

Revving is basically increasing the speed of revolution of the engine by pulling the throttle when the clutch is disengaged. As one who’s made revving a tradition, it is vital to know what happens when you rev your engine.

Revving increases the vacuum pressure in the cylinder which correspondingly leads to more air and fuel being sucked in. This speeds up combustion, pushing the pistons faster and spinning the crankshaft faster as well. The loud noise is a result of the heightened combustion sequence which pushes more air out through the exhaust valve to the exhaust pipe so essentially revving is not harmful.

Some bikers even modify the exhaust to amplify the beasty noise. It only speeds up the engine’s operation. However, when done for a long period – more than just a few seconds – it eventually damages your motorcycle parts such as the cylinder walls and pistons due to overheating. It is therefore advisable to keep it down to a single rev with high RPM at a time.

But When Should You Rev Your Engine?

It is the pride of every biker to announce their presence by revving their engine. As satisfying as it can be to rev your engine whenever you please, it can earn you a ticket when the sound decibels exceed a specific limit.

Other than that, if you just bought your brand new ‘soulmate’ and are getting ready to hit the road, breaking-in the engine is mandatory to give your engine better mileage and longevity. Alternatively, a repaired old engine might also require revving. I have never seen a biker throw out a damaged engine. Most people prefer taking the engine apart and replacing worn out parts with new ones and assembling it back. This way, your brandy parts – though on an old bike – will require a break-in period.

The winter season has also forced most of us to rev the engines for a warm-up.