I used to too. Sometimes. Off science, where art thou?

Now, remember your daily life. You read newspapers. You check blogs. Read weird info from a variety of sites. You come across many new terms and words. What do you do?

Simple answer: You search for the term in Google or Wikipedia. Once you find it, it is all written in a form that looks like scientific jargon, once you stare at the words, not able to follow, lose interest and move on to something entertaining.

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What if we tell you, we make jargon interesting, with this particular series of blogs?

We discuss some awesome motorbiking terms that no one wants to, in a fun and quirky way,

Let’s start this quirky series with one such term, You must have heard this while discussing motorbiking with your friends, family, etc.

Motorcycle enthusiasts don’t hide. Let’s Talk Bhp

Usually, when you read content on international motorcycling websites, you come across a lot of familiar terms. One such term that appears, again and again, is “Bhp”? Few sites modify it as “Hp” while some mention it as “Bhp”. few sites even use PS or WHP.

So many acronyms to define one term, Confusing. Right?

This provides us an opportunity to launch our series with a perfect weird term.

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Let’s begin with a simple full form of the abbreviated word — “Bhp” – “Brake horsepower”.

Bhp is the most common term used to define the pure engine performance power of a machine. When we talk about the power of any engine then it’s measured here in Bhp. According to Wikipedia: –

Brake horsepower (bhp) is the measure of an engine’s horsepower before the loss in power is caused by the gearbox, alternator, differential, water pump, and other auxiliary components such as the power steering pump, muffled exhaust system, etc.

In our case, it’s motorcycles, in very simple terms: – Bhp is the unit of the amt. of power generated on the wheel of the motorcycle before its loss. Hence, when ‘n’ amount of work is done by an engine, measured with Bhp.

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How did this term come into existence? Let’s rewind to the days of the British Enlightenment.

History of Measuring Power – hp

It all started with a bumbling Britisher named Mr. James Watt wanting to measure the power of the early steam engines. Mr. James Watt was quite an observing person. Once he saw his granny’s pot boiling to a point where its lid started floating. Reason? The steam itself.

The power of the steam revealed its true face and Watt capitalized on it and wanted to measure it.

Decided to compare the power of a horse with that of a steam engine, During his analysis, he calculated the amount of movement a horse makes to pull 100 pounds of strapped weight and came up with a conclusion.

It was further calculated; a horse would be able to lift the weight at the rate of 330 feet per minute.

Going by the formula: Work Performed = Force(Power) + displacement of the body(Mass).

He calculated the work performed by a horse as 1Hp (Horse Power) =33000lbs (pound mass) per minute.

In his honor, the unit of power became “Watt”.

This experiment led to the “Hp” becoming the standard unit widely adopted to measure the output of piston engines, electric motors, and turbines.

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Let’s move along further, lets’ dive further into why and what is the “B” of BHP?

Well let me explain; to understand the “B”, you need to undertsand two things.

the first is the,

Use of Brakes

If you question your psyche, you realize that people outside the US, especially India, are obsessed with brakes. If you’re riding a motorbike, and suddenly you see some mishap on road, your reflex action is to… BRAKE. Initially, horsepower was calculated by using a horse as an indication of power, later on, we started using a simple brake unit connected to the engine. This process was done so that we could measure the exact output of power produced by an engine.

A device called Brake Dynamometer:

The manufacturers decided to measure the engine’s power using a brake as the unit. This was done with help of BRAKE DYNAMOMETER (DYNO in simple terms). The Brake Dynamometer is not exactly an accurate device, it gives an estimated power output at the engine’s crankshaft, though it helps engine manufacturers to create efficient engines.

Hmm, so,

Two simple factors led to the existence of the term Brake Horse Power. Our obsession with the brakes and due to the first Name of a Measuring Device.

Considering this, the Official definition now would be: “Brake horsepower” (BHP) is power (in imperial units) calculated by measuring the torque of a loaded engine (the brake part) such as during a dyno run. It is often abbreviated to horsepower or “hp”.

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Other Terms Used to Measure Power:

PS ( pferdestarke) – A German term, same as bhp.

Who (Wheel horsepower) – power measured at wheel instead of a crankshaft.

A general understanding of Bhp is the key to mapping the efficiency of an engine since brake horsepower is calculated as a capacity of an engine to derive maximum power output at the crankshaft in an efficient way, where it can provide enough output power to run the motor as well as other components.

After going through the article, you must have understood the concept behind ‘Bhp’. You see, channelizing your inner motopsychcle is our aim, and making motorcycling simple is our motto. We will keep bringing more write up in this section. Ride safe, ride head held high, and stay tuned for more moto.

One more thing,

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