I took a lot of physics in college but I must have slept through that lecture!

 

+2 Not the engineer definition, but the PERFECT real world one.

The old NASCAR adage was torque overcomes inertia and HP overcomes drag.

BTW, the average passenger car needs only 15 or so HP to maintain 65 MPH. I don't race my bike - I just like a nice hard kick getting it up to speed and passing. Torque is a more important value for both. It's also cheaper to make a lot more useful torque, for those who don't race anyway. An SE or 555 adds quite a bit in the rev area most of us use. Almost nothing cheap adds a lot of of HP below 4000, imo

 

Torque makes your *** pucker. Horsepower makes your ***** bigger.

 

That makes sense to me.
E=MC2 is all I remember from physics. It's the formula for making ice cubes.

 

horse power = the ability to lift 1 pound one foot
that said it become a equation of RPM and the amount of torque available
very little torque it takes many RPMS to do this
lots of torque this can be done with very few RPMS
side not torque and horsepower always cross on a dyno chart at 5200 RPMS are there about
So torque gets you up and going and horsepower takes over and lets you haul the mail
torque takes over again when horsepower is fading from load as the mail must go through

 

LMAO! Exactly!

 

torque=a big twin harley or a john deere tractor. horsepower=a hyabusa or gsxr. the guys are right about stating that torque is what puts your bike into motion, or the acceleration factor, and horsepower is what keeps your bike going 70 mph while climbing a steep hill or going against a strong headwind.

 

Torque is when a co-worker pisses you off

Horsepower is the ability to get him fired