-
You’ve had your motorcycle for some time and it feels somewhat humdrum.
-
Or you just want to add a dash of style to show who you are.
-
Here are 5 essential upgrades you may want to consider for your bike.
You’ve had your bike for a year now from when it was new. You feel that you’ve known its ins and outs by now and it may start to grow a little “routine.” How about spicing things up with these 5 Essential Upgrades for Your Bike?
*NOTE: We’re leaving out the performance bits as road safety is of the utmost importance. Besides that, upgrading or modifying certain hard parts of the motorcycle may void its warranty. Please keep your upgrades street legal.
1. Tyres
Changing the tyres is the easiest way to upgrade your bike’s handling.
The stock tyres may make your bike turn slower, so it’s now time to look for a pair that has a pointy profile. Or if you want more comfort for long distance touring – you fit a set that has softer carcass and/or sidewalls.
However, it’s safest to match the type of tyres to the type of your bike, for example, sport tyres for your sport bike, sport-touring tyres for you sport-tourer and so forth.
2. Exhaust
While some riders may agree to do so or otherwise, replacing your exhaust system uncorks the bike’s exhaust symphony. Most motorcycles these days are Euro 4 compliant and sound more like household appliances than glorious mechanized engineering.
An added bonus may also result in “loud pipes save lives,” although we don’t recommend non-street legal pipes.
3. Luggage
Unless you ride a maxi scooter, it goes without saying that there’s absolutely no useable space in the bike for carrying even a rain suit.
Sport-tourers and adventure-tourers are obviously the easiest types of bikes to install luggage, including a pair of panniers, a top case, tank bag, fairing bags. Mounting choice is limited for sportbikes, generally, but one could always fit a tankbag. Cruisers (non-baggers) look good with leather saddlebags.
Having a good luggage system lets you ride comfortably as you don’t have to lug your stuff on your back despite amounting to only a few items, compared to how much you could actually bring along in your luggage system.
4. Suspension
Even the best suspension on road bikes is compromised to suit different riders, in terms of weight, riding style, riding environment, comfort vs. performance, etc.
Why not unlock your bike’s handling capabilities by getting the suspension worked on? You don’t have to replace the forks and shock to Öhlins, as you have their internals recalibrated/upgraded with cartridge kits to suit your taste and feel like a star rider.
5. Bling
Accessorize, that’s what!
Add on bits and pieces of CNC jewelry to your ride to set it apart from the crowd. There are endless possibilities here, from the large parts such as handlebars and windshields, to rearsets, lighting systems, seats, to the little stuff such as turn signals, GPS holders, bolt and nut accents, you name it!
Motorcycle manufacturers are now producing and promoting “official” or “factory” accessories these days, pictured in mouthwatering detail in beautiful catalogues. They’re typically pricier than third-party accessories, but they had usually been tested extensively on the manufacturer’s own bikes before being sold to the general public.
