Motorcycle riders often brag about the CC of their bikes. If you are a biker or a bike enthusiast, you would have heard the term CC. Every bike is compared in terms of the CC it has. Adrenaline-loving riders prefer a high CC bike, while a normal commuter goes for a lower one to get more mileage. But what is this CC? We have compiled a detailed explanation of the term “CC.”

What does CC mean?

The CC in a bike means the cubic centimeters or the volumes of the engine. It is also known as cubic capacity. It is used to measure the engine’s power output or the displacement of the bike’s engine.

In reality, it is much more than just showing the engine’s power. The cubic capacity of an engine refers to the volume or displacement that the engine’s chamber has. The power produced by the engine is directly proportional to the engine’s cubic capacity. The larger capacity would be the quantity of fuel and air mixture compressed to produce power. That is why the higher the CC, the higher the power generated by that bike.

So what is displacement? 

The engine works on the piston’s movement. When the pistons take one stroke in the engine, the amount of space is known as displacement. It is a method to measure the volumes of cylinders of bikes or motorcycles. The bike with more displacement burns more fuel, produces more power, and thus is more powerful. The negative side to this is that they use more fuel and are less economical.

How is CC calculated in a motorcycle? 

The dimensions of the cylinders help us calculate the CC for the motorcycle. So to measure the displacement, we must first know the stroke and bore of the motorcycle. After knowing these two measures, we can determine the exact CC of any bike using the formula mentioned below.

(Stroke) x (Bore) x (Bore) x 3.1416 (Pi) = CC.

For example, you want to find the CC of Kawasaki Ninja 1000.

• Motor cycle= Kawasaki Ninja 1000Bore = 7.7
• Stroke = 5.6 

Then (7.7) x (5.6) x (3.1416) = 1043 CC. Through this formula, you can know the CC of any motorcycle accurately.

Where can we find the CC of our bike? 

There are many ways to find out about the CC of your bike; these are:

• Stickers: On almost every bike, there are stickers displaying the cc of the bike. If you look close enough, you can easily see the CC written for your bike.
• Name: The name of the bike 99% of the time mentions the engine displacement like BMW K 1600 GTL has a 1649 CC engine.
• Online search: In this age of Google dominance, you can always search for the CC of your bike model online.
• Engraved on the engine: The CC of a bike is often engraved on the engine, typically at the right side.
• Official Documents: the displacement of the engine or CC is always mentioned on the official document of the motorcycle like registration certificate, owner’s manual, insurance papers, bill of sale, and even on your POC certificate.
• Calculating through the formula: You can always get the accurate displacement of your motor cycle’s through the formula mentioned above in this blog that is (Stroke) x (Bore) x (Bore) x 3.1416 (Pi) = CC.

Motorcycles divided into categories by CC? 

The engine’s displacement is the benchmark through which motorcycles worldwide are divided into three different categories.

• Lightweight
• Middleweight
• Heavyweight

All the motorcycles more or less fall in this category only. Here is a chart showing the category of motorcycles according to their CCs.

Motorcycles (category)	CC (displacement)
Lightweight	25
Lightweight	100
Lightweight	125
Lightweight	150
Lightweight	200
Lightweight	250
Lightweight	300
Lightweight	350
Middleweight	400
Middleweight	450
Middleweight	500
Middleweight	600
Middleweight	700
Middleweight	800
Middleweight	900
Heavyweight	1000
Heavyweight	1100
Heavyweight	1200
Heavyweight	1300
Heavyweight	1400
Heavyweight	1500
Super Heavy Weight	1600-6500

Does the CC of your bike affect your insurance premium? 

Well, the answer is yes; it does affect the insurance premium. Many factors come into play when you purchase insurance for your bike. CC or cubic capacity of your bike is one among them. That is why you would find people paying different insurance premiums for different bikes.

The bike insurance can be dissected into two parts. The first is comprehensive insurance, and the second is third-party insurance. The comprehensive insurance policy covers self-damages and third-party damages, so the premium is based on many factors other than the bike’s cubic capacity. Whereas in third party insurance, only damages to the third party are involved. There is only a minimum requirement for this, and it is cheaper.

The Indian insurance regulatory body IRDAI (India’s insurance regulatory and development authority) has determined the insurance slab rates according to the bikes’ cubic capacity (CC).

Below stated is the table which explains it.

Cubic capacity of the bike	Two-wheeler third party insurance cost
Bikes up to 75 CC	₹ 482
More than 75 CC and up to 150 CC	₹ 752
More than 150 CC up to 350 CC	₹ 1193
More than 350 CC	₹ 2323

The premium of higher cubic capacity or CC bikes is more as these bikes are costlier, and also the repair cost of these is also high.

Can we increase the CC of the bikes? 

Yes, we can increase the CC of the bikes. You either have to install new cylinders with larger displacement, or you have to bore the cylinders. The rings and the pistons must also be replaced with bigger ones. This whole setup of increasing the CC or cubic capacity of the motorcycle is a major engine modification, and in the motor world, it is known as “big bore kits.”

Conclusion

So now we know that the CC in the motorcycle stands for a cubic centimeter or even cubic capacity. It is used to measure the engine’s power output or the displacement of the bike’s engine. It determines the power of the motorcycle and, in some places, also determines the bike’s insurance premium.