In Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, the author explains that both life and motorcycles can be perceived from either a classic or a romantic perspective. The classic perspective focuses on how life or the motorcycle works, whereas the romantic perspective explores how they feel.
Whether intentionally or subconsciously, riders often fall into one of these two camps when they choose ways to modify their motorcycles. When you are looking for great ways to trick out your motorcycle, first decide whether your focus is how it works or how it feels, then consider some of these options:
Improving Your Motorcycle’s Performance
In addition to maintaining your bike regularly and keeping it in tune, you can make a few modifications that will alter its performance to make it work better.
- Install a mushroom head to increase air intake. A good aftermarket mushroom head will boost your bike’s power and reduce air turbulence with a sleeker design. Make sure you tune the bike to accommodate different airflow.
- Change the bike’s pipes. Many riders install aftermarket exhaust pipes to alter the feel of the ride, but new exhaust systems made with lighter materials can also improve the motorcycle’s performance by allowing quicker acceleration and better harnessing of the engine’s power.
- Switch from stock brake pads to organic or composite pads. Better brake pads will also give you better control over stopping distances and reduced brake fading.
- Shorten the bike’s gearing. Changing the bike’s front and rear sprockets can give you quicker acceleration, albeit with a reduction in the bike’s top speed.
Enhance Your Motorcycle’s Look and Feel
The feel of your motorcycle is connected to both its appearance and the ride that it gives you.
- Vinyl wrap your bike’s stock fairings. You can change the vinyl wrap on your bike every three months to give it a fresh look with no damage to its fuel tank or fairings.
- Add frame sliders to safeguard the engine in a crash. If you need to lay down your bike, frame sliders will disperse the crash impact through the bike’s frame and will protect your engine from serious damage.
- Install smaller taillights with integrated signals, and LED lights and accents. LED underglow lights have gained in popularity, but be careful not to overdo it with this option. Too much lighting can make your bike look tacky.
- Use custom hand grips and with finger warmers. Better hand grips will increase your comfort on longer rides, and finger warmers will prevent your hands from stiffening up in cooler weather.
Hurt on the Road? Call KGG Motorcycle Accident Lawyers in NY & NJ
The Bergen County, New Jersey motorcycle accident attorneys at Kantrowitz, Goldhamer & Graifman appreciate that you take great pride in your motorcycle. We also understand the motorcycle riding culture and the risks that riders take when they are on the road with careless motorists. When an accident happens, we will take on the negligent drivers and their insurance companies to get you the compensation you deserve, to help you recover from any injuries, and to repair any damage that your motorcycle suffered.
If you want to get back on your tricked out ride as soon as is possible after an accident, please contact the KGG motorcycle accident lawyers in New Jersey and New York today.
Additional Resources:
- Rediff.com: 4 Awesome Ways to Improve Your Bike’s Performance. http://www.rediff.com/getahead/report/biking-and-motoring-4-awesome-ways-to-improve-your-bikes-performance/20150607.htm
- Revzilla.com: Sliders: Everything You Wanted to Know and Some Stuff You Didn’t. https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/sliders-everything-you-wanted-to-know-and-some-stuff-you-didnt
- Bikegearup.com: Best Motorcycle hand Grip. http://www.bikegearup.com/best-motorcycle-hand-grip/