There has been much technological advancement in the design of motorcycle engines. Larger motorcycle manufactures such as Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha have spent a fortune on research and development to produce the best performing engines for motorcycles.

Almost all car manufacturers will tell you that the leading edge of engine innovation is with motorcycles instead of cars or airplanes. Many times the developments of the motorcycle engine winds up inside of cars. Better combustion is the key to all engine development. One new strategy is to use more than four valves for each cylinder to produce a greater flow area.

The movement of the motorcycle engine from the two valve models to four valve models was all about getting better combustion.

When Honda first introduced the four valve engine back in the 1960s it allowed for narrow valve angles and shallow combustion chambers which was able to provide good combustion when paired with a spark plug.

As early as the 1980s Yamaha was looking beyond the four valve engine for ways to get better combustion using new head and valve configurations. At one point they even experimented with a seven valve per cylinder design. This design featured four intake valves and three exhaust valves.

Using five valves per cylinder allowed them to achieve the level of performance they desired. This design makes use of one extra intake valve which gives improved air flow with low to medium valve lifts.

This is where engines will usually spend most of their operating time. One of the largest and most innovative producers of motorcycle engines in North America these days is Honda.

They have recently built a technologically advanced plant which cranks out more than half a million engines each year. At this new plant they are able to combine the most advanced techniques in manufacturing with state of the art engine design.