Blame the editors. As for accounts, virtually every horsepower figure is lower than the factory claims so that kind of puts that out of the picture. Plus it just registered with me why those graphics are the way they are.

It is easy to export or copy and paste the data into an MS Excel spreadsheet, then create the charts with colors, headers, axis titles, data captions, background, etc. It also allows multiple curve comparison on one chart. Odds are the dyno computer software probably can export the data in an Excel file. I know our grading software can.

Which is what I'm betting is done there. Excel makes pretty graphics easy to read and that's the priority for the magazines. Plus the ability to export the graphics in a variety of file forms - png or jpg - to import into digital print and add other pretty graphics as desired. The data is still very much the original data, so it is very real. They usually don't print out the table, just the chart, which is adequate for their purpose.

In the 70s and 80s dyno chart images were run. Pictures. Boring looking pictures. Now they can make the images look better than that print out from most dynos. Good looks sell, they put the data they get into good looking charts, multi-curve, multi-color.

I actually use that method for graphs verifying value added in my pre and post testing of students in my classes. I get the data, export it into excel, then overlay the graphs, make good looking easily understood charts. Given the dyno data in an Excel file I could make that same graphic, axis titles and all.


If any magazine ever did what you are saying, it would shoot around the sport world so fast and they'd lose so much credibility they'd turn into the National Enquirer or FOX News political division in believability. Besides considering what some of them have done in the past, like Motorcyclist's helmet expose, none would bother trying to mask any horsepower number. Plus none of the magazines or e-magazines own dynos and none of the private businesses that did the dyno work for them would ever take the risk to their reputation by fudging any numbers. They'd tell them to take a hike.

 

Calculate HP For Speed


Using your vehicle Speed of 92.5 MPH takes 18.91 HP to overcome air drag.
Rolling resistance is 1.60
For a total of 20.51 HP to run 92.5 MPH


I just hit 97 indicated this morning. I would say 19-21 HP is reasonable for our little bikes.

 

Did you calculate your coefficient ? You're pretty close.. On a Dyno, I think you'll be at 21.75-22hp ..

 

I used Cd=1.0 from the Wallace site and frontal area of 3.5 ft^2 from Wiki.
92.5mph from indicated 97 and 5% error from my Garmin.
Had to back off due to traffic. Might hit 100 with no cars. Might try 2.5N on the needle and see.

 

LOL.. Hey buddy, the needle is long gone from the "equation" @ 90+ MPH.. It's hiding in the corner after about 6-6.5K @ WOT... You're getting that speed off the 140 and no lid... Biggy power that doesn't taper off until well over 9k RPM.. BTW, that is exactly the same experience I get when configured same as your bike..

Now add a biggy header ( if the X3 will fit it correctly .) , re-setup the carb, and you'll certainly see your "guage" go to 100+..