10 no-buck-to-low-buck tricks to help cheapskates get more miles andsmiles out of your motorcycles. Making your bike perform better doesn't have to cost a ton of money. In fact, there areways you can improve you motorcycle that don't cost a penny. Here are ten goodtweaks that aren't wallet-busters...plus a free bonus freebie.
Tweak #1: Adjust your bike's suspension settings to your weight and riding styleCost: Zero (OK, maybe a beer for the friend who helps you do this)Benefit: Improved ride quality and road-holding abilityAlthough many of us wish we weighed 150 pounds (thegeneric weight most manufacturers use to set stocksuspensions), most of us fall to one side of that magicnumber, requiring a suspension adjustment to ensurethat our bike handles properly. Bikes offer varyingamounts of adjustability, but most at least have preloadadjustment for setting laden sag (the amount thesuspension compresses under rider weight) to keep thesuspension in the sweet spot during normal riding. Theprocedure goes like this: Take a measurement with the bike's suspension at fullextension (topped out), and then another measurement with you aboard in full regalia.At the front, measure along a fork leg, and at the rear measure between the axle andsome convenient bit of bodywork directly above the axle line. The difference in distancefrom topped-out to laden (by the rider) is the sag. You're shooting for 25mm to35mmless for sportier handling, more for increased comfort. Sophisticated bikes alsooffer adjustments for rebound and/or compression damping. Check your owner'smanual for how to make the changes and what the baseline settings should be. Makeone change at a time and stop fiddling when the bike feels good to you.
Tweak #2: Fork upgrades such as Cartridge Emulators from Race Tech, stifferspringsCost: $100-$180Benefit: Optimized suspension performance calibrated specifically to your riding styleThe biggest performance handicap on a budget bike? Probably the bargain-basementdamper-rod forks, such as those fitted to the 599, FZ6 and SV650 and most other lowtomidpriced motorcycles. Because of compromises, they can be harsh over smallbumps yet too soft when confronted with big hits. There is cheap help, though; scratchtogether 150-odd buckaroos for a set of Race Tech's Gold Valve Cartridge Emulators,tunable valves that make a damper-rod fork act like a shim-equipped cartridge fork.Installing emulators calls for complete fork disassemblyyou must enlarge the oldcompression-damping holes (negating their effect) and may have to cut new preloadspacers. While you're in there, consider different springs for a firmer ride; many budgetbikes are quite undersprung in anticipation of light riders and modest scratchin'. RaceTech has a nice online calculator to help you find the proper spring rates.
Tweak #3: Upgraded brake pads and linesCost: $30-$50 (pads, per pair), $80-$100 (lines)Benefit: Improved brake feel, less fade, shorter stoppingdistancesEach year more new bikes arrive from the factory withHH-rated pads and braided stainless steel "hard" brakelines for optimum braking performance. Braidedstainless steel or Kevlar-sheathed Teflon lines resistdeformation under system pressure for quicker brakingresponse and firm, mush-free lever feel. If your bike isn'talready equipped with these, make the upgrade. Qualityaftermarket pads use specially formulated compoundsto better bite rotors and hold on longer with less fade. Ifless than 2mm of your existing pad material remains orthe pads are worn past the groove in the face, chuck'em and get good ones. And don't forget to flush andreplace the fluid while you're at it. You'll be amazed atthe improvement.
Tweak #4: Wash and wax your bikeCost: NadaBenefit: Looks better, lasts longer, helps you identify problems early before theybecome expensive nightmaresOK, so you have to pay for some soap and water, but you'd be surprised how far aregular wash and wax goes toward protecting your ride. Suds chase dirt andcontaminants offprotecting paint from scratches and chrome and aluminum fromdiscoloration and damageand flush abrasive agents away from such sensitivesurfaces as fork legs and swingarm pivots. A good wash and wax also lets you inspectyour bike up close to catch any emergent mechanical maladies before they developinto serious problems. Things to keep an eye on while scrubbing: tire-tread wear, tirepressure, chain slack, sprocket wear, oil level, brake-pad thickness, brake mountingbolts, axle adjusters and brake and shift linkages. Don't forget to give your chain a goodshot of lube when you're done.
Tweak #5: Replace your tiresCost: $200-$300 Cheaper with fastbikesBenefit: Better traction, improved handling, safetyNothing brings back that new-bike feeling like new tires.Uneven wear (front-tire cupping, squaring off at the rear)means your tires can be junk well before you hit thewear bars. Even when you're not riding your bike, UVlight can substantially reduce tire life, so you shouldreplace your rubber every few years regardless of miles.Tire technology has made some radical advances inrecent years; if you haven't had new skins since the1990s you'll be amazed how much a new set willimprove your bike's performance. Even sport-touringtires are sticky enough for aggressive street riders.
Tweak #6: Frame slidersCost: $50-$100Benefit: Protect your plastic in the event of a tip-overConventional wisdom says sportbikes are so expensiveto insure because they are so gawd-awful fast. Thisstatement is partially true, but outrageous premiums aremore often related to the fact that sportbikes are soeasily damaged. Even dropping your bike in the garagecan easily result in thousands of dollars of busted plasticand scratched paintand a big insurance claim. Thebest insurance against this is bolting on a set of framesliders: small plastic or metal bumpers that bolt to themotorcycle frame and save expensive fairing bitsand levers, pegs, turn signals,mirrors, anything else that sticks outfrom being fouled in a tip-over or crash. Plenty ofcolors, shapes and sizes are available (even some that light up!), and every last one ischeaper than even one piece of OEM plastic.
Tweak #7: Regear your motorcycleCost: $20-$100Benefit: A cheap way to quicker accelerationExplained in detail in our June 2003 issue ("Torque IsCheap"), shortening your bike's overall gearing can bean easy and inexpensive path to quicker acceleration.This change will come at the expense of a bit of topspeed, but what's more routinetrying to outrun anSUV bumbling into your lane or trying to nudge theneedle over 170 mph? (We thought so.) A slightchangedown one tooth on the countershaft sprocketor up three on the rear sprocketcan often be madewithout lengthening or replacing the chain, but considerspringing for a new chain anyway; a worn chain cangreatly accelerate wear on your nice new sprocket. Thismod does come with some hidden costs: Your engine will spin faster in any given gear,which can increase vibration, and if your bike's speedo pickup is on the transmission orcountershaft sprocket, accuracy will be affected. But if you're looking for the cheapestand easiest path to faster acceleration, regearing is hard to beat.
Tweak #8: Read a bookCost: $20-$40 (less if you're nice to the librarian)Benefit: Become a better rider, wrench, or bothWe're always extolling the virtues of attending advancedriding schools, such as the California Superbike Schoolor CLASS, but let's face itwith entry fees of severalhundred dollars, these are hardly low-buck ventures.Although it's no replacement for real-time, one-on-oneinstruction from acknowledged experts, reading a goodriding-skills handbook like Nick Ienatsch's Sport RidingTechniques ($24.95 from David Bull Publishing, 800/831-1758) can teach you an awful lot of valuable ridingtechniques you can practice on your own each time youride. Similarly, a good maintenance manual to guide youthrough simple maintenance procedures (replacing forkseals, adjusting steering-head bearings, etc.) candeliver you from $70-per-hour dealer labor rates. On this front, Mark Zimmerman'sexcellent, 255-page, full-color The Essential Guide to Motorcycle Maintenance ($29.95,Whitehorse Press), is the best one we've seen yet.
Tweak #9: Replace your helmetCost: $150-$500Benefit: Cooler, quieter, more comfortand cranium protection, tooHelmet manufacturers recommend replacing your helmet at least every four yearsregardless of appearance the integrity of the protective polystyrene inner lining, itseems, degrades with exposure to the atmosphere and UV rays. Helmets also startfitting funkily as the inner resilient liner compresses with use, not to mention a differentsort of funk from the hours of close contact with your sweaty scalp. Do yourself a favorand upgrade your headgear to a more modern piece. Like tires, helmets have madestartling advances in the past few years, with space-age shell materials making themlighter than ever. With improved ventilation and sound deadening, even today's budgetlids send yesterday's top-line buckets to the wastebasket. There is no piece ofmotorcycle gear you are more intimate with, and none more directly related to yoursafety and comfort. A good helmet is money well spent.
Tweak #10: Antifog for pennies a dayCost: Zip-$24Benefit: No more vision-robbing vaporSteal a trick from our scuba-diving friends: Once you get that new helmet, pull off thevisor and spit all over the inside of it. Wipe the saliva off with a clean, soft rag and voila,instant antifog coating! Don't like the spit smell? Shaving cream or toothpaste rubbedon the visor and wiped off has a similar no-buck antifog effect. If you absolutely have tospend money, a variety of inexpensive antifog solutions are available at most decentbike shopsour favorite is the oddly named but highly effective Cat Crap for a measly$3.99. Big spenders should check out Fog City Pro Shield's antifog shield inserts, which sell for $17 (tinted) or $30 (photosensitive). All arecheap, effective and loads safer than stuffing your fingers up behind the chin bar towipe the shield on the road.
BONUS Tweak: Ride your bikeCost: Nothin' but fuel Benefit: Keeps your bike working well, improves your 'tudeJust like the human body, your motorcycle respondsfavorably to regular exercise to keep the carbs fromclogging, the tires from calcifying, the battery fromprematurely discharging, the cylinder walls fromcorroding, and any other myriad minor maladies fromafflicting seldom-used streetbikes. Do yourself and yourbike a huge favor and go ride the wheels off it.
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