Parts of a Motorbike Engine

• There's more to motorbike engines than chrome. Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images

  Motorcycle engines are pared-down versions of the internal combustion engine under the hood of any car. Folks eager to begin riding on two wheels will take interest in a motorbike engine's parts. DIY riding veterans will find knowing the parts of a motorbike engine invaluable. Knowing these parts will allow you to know what to look for in a working bike, as well as what to look and listen for when you think your motorbike isn't running in top condition.

Pistons

• Motorbikes generally have one or two pistons. The piston's action in the combustion chamber creates the energy that powers the bike. It does this through a two- or four-stroke combustion system. Two-stroke motorbike engines have a simpler mechanism and must have oil and gasoline mixed together to both lubricate and power the engine. Four-stroke motorbikes have two cycles -- an intake cycle and an exhaust cycle. Four-stroke oil is kept separate from the gasoline. There is less wear on a four-stroke engine, so they tend to last longer.

Camshaft

• The camshaft does two jobs that are indispensable for the running of your motorbike: The first is moving the piston through its two- or four-stroke journey. The other is making sure that the valves open at the proper times.

Valves

• Valves work with both the piston and the camshaft to provide your motorbike engine with fuel. The valves are the conduit between the gas tank and the parts of the engine requiring gasoline. As such, maintaining a tight seal around your valves is important. Without a proper seal your engine will lose compression, which translates into lost power on the open road.

Cylinder(s)

• The cylinder is less a part of a motorbike than it is an absence of a part. "Cylinder" refers to the area through which your motorbike's piston moves. This is where the propulsion action, combustion, in a bike's engine takes place: In the cylinder, on half of all piston revolutions, there is a tiny explosion inside your bike's engine.The pistons move rapidly up and down in the cylinder, sometimes at several thousand revolutions per minute.

Carburetor

• The carburetor mixes air with gasoline before the fuel goes into the bike's cylinder. Ensuring the proper mixture of gasoline and air is important for the running of a motorbike's engine. Too much of either means that the bike will not run properly, leading to sputtering and low power.