So you can imagine how I felt when I got a call inviting me to try out this wonderful stuff that would bring a new lease of life to my tired old engine. I mean, apart from the fact that there was actually nothing wrong with my bike’s performance anyway, what was being offered seemed too good to be true. This company, Impala, offer a range of cleaning additives under the MMP (Motorcycle Maintenance Products) brand that they claim will restore the lost vim of an older engine. And they also claim that this will happen without wrecking the engine or taking it to pieces.

Yeah, right.

Still, they’d sent me some of the stuff to try and as my trusty GSX-R 750 now had 15,500 miles on the clock it seemed like an ideal opportunity to write my first really scathing product review.

So off we went to the Dyno.

A first run, with nothing done to the bike at all, showed a peak power of 116bhp at the rear wheel. That’s quite respectable for a 3 year old 750 but was a little lower than I had hoped. Suzuki claimed 134bhp at the crank, so I was either losing 18bhp in the transmission or the bike was down on power, even allowing for a certain flexibility in the accuracy of the power claims.

The two products on test are MMP’s Engine Oil Flush and Fuel System Cleaner. The latter is added to the tank so obviously takes a few miles to have any effect, but the oil flush should work straight away. Following the instructions to the letter we drained 125cc of oil, added the flush, ran it for 15 minutes (until it was really warm) then drained it again, changed the oil filter, refilled with fresh oil and strapped it back on the dyno. Actually the last bit isn’t in the instructions – dyno testing is not required to use the product.

A few minutes and one dyno run later I was delighted to see no change whatsoever in the shape of the power curves. So much for wonder cures – I was just glad I didn’t have to pay for it. Then the skilled eye of the dyno operator spotted something I had failed to see. Peak power was up to just a smidgen under 120bhp.

That rather blew my plans for an incredibly negative review. In fact, in itself it was quite impressive.

24 hours later, having converted a tank of unleaded, laced with fuel system cleaner, into noise, heat and big grins, we were back for another run. This time the operator’s experience told him that the nicer power curves would translate to a crisper response and a generally smoother feeling engine throughout the rev range while I, not being one to make the same mistake twice, immediately picked up on the increase in peak power to 124bhp. What makes that number particularly galling is that it is exactly the same as the nearly new GSX-R that was dynoed on the same rig a few days earlier.

In hindsight, of course, I should have known better. The stuff came in very small cans. Very small cans with tightly sealed lids. Metal lids and metal seals. And lots of health warnings on the labels. Important safety tip. Don’t drink the stuff and if you really have to smoke, don’t do it anywhere near one of these cans when it’s open. In fact, everything about MMP cleaners, from the very minimalist packaging to the rather businesslike smells emanating from opened tins, says that they are serious products to be used by people who expect to get rather more than I expected.

I admit it. I was wrong on this occasion. MMP engine oil flush and fuel system cleaner really do perform exactly as claimed. And at just £13.90 plus P&P for the pair I can see no cheaper way of regaining 8 lost ponies. That’s a better than 5% power increase, which is nothing to be sneezed at in anyone’s book. There's a 2-stroke version for all you stinkwheelers as well. We've not tested it because of the propensity for 2 strokes to blow up when you put them on the dyno. But I suspect that it works just as well as the 4-stroke one. That's the trouble with companies like this - if one of the products works, the chances are the rest do as well.

You can order MMP engine cleaner online from their site - www.impala-products.com. It's funny in a way but because the stuff is so volatile it has to be delivered by courier as Mr Postie won't touch it. That makes delivery the same price as a tin, but if you order more than one it doesn't go up so get together with your mates and share the charges...

STOP PRESS... We've managed to negotiate a deal for MotorbikesToday readers. Both 4 stroke fuel cleaner and engine flush plus a pair of very handy Pressure Guard valve caps delivered to your door for just £25. That's saving you nearly £4 on list price and making you safer, cleaner and greener while giving you more power as well. In case you're wondering what Pressure Guard caps are, they change colour if your tyre pressure is low. How cool is that?

Find the deal at www.impala-products.com...