Do we really improve on the makers offering much or is it all about having something different ?.
I have grafted on a zxr usd front end to my zephyr 1100 and along with the z900 paint job, hagon shocks, braced swinging arm,shortened race can and pod filters with main jets drilled out from 90 to 150 she looks like a slut and rides like one but to be honest…
At low revs she is less managable and with a lower front end is harder to crank it in and out of bends smoothly.
But i can’t stop doing it , a zxr rear wheel is next on the list among lots of other ideas ,May even put a tuned B1200 motor in as she has eaten second gear.
I could’ve just saved my money and bought something that would probably do the job better, after all hundreds of thousands of pounds of
manufacturers R and D must count for something .
My view is that these days bikes are so good stock the only thing that will make you credibly faster is skill. Investing in california superbike school, track day tuition, doing a few track days or simply riding your bike a lot will make you much faster than a new exhaust or a remap.
Also if you look at the numbers a full exhaust and remap may give you 5extra bhp which on my bike is a power gain of 4.2%.
As for weight savings usually the largest weight on your bike is you. Get down the gym and save some extra kilos rather than investing in carbon fiber.
I think the only thing wrong with stock bikes is the large bit of plastic that holds the number plate and reflector past the rear wheel.
A worthwhile improvement on any bike is braided lines (even the clutch if its hydraulic). The rest is taste above anything. If it makes you happy its worth doing.
Modern stock bikes are as good as they get but if you have a twenty yr old bike or older you can canibalise newer bikes to get that modern retro look and hopefully improvements in performance.
Personally i think that its mostly about makin your bike a bit different which is not as simple as just buying the obvouse add -ons like everyone else does .
I also really want to put a sidecar on my girlfriends w650 so i can take our dog out on runs… re-mapping/weight saving/more BHP…no there is much more to modifying than that .
