The Top 5 Mods to Make to Your Bike

© Ken Bingenheimer / RumBum.com

Resolving to have a cooler, safer, bike in 2010? Here are the top 5 modifications you can make to your bike to make it truly your own. Modifications can make the bike more comfortable, more functional, showier, and even safer. The following are among the most beneficial upgrades you might consider.

Risers

Nothing will make your bike more uncomfortable than a riding position that puts strain on your back. Particularly with sport bikes, those small, nimble, crotch-rocket machines, a lean forward to the grips is de rigueur. That’s fine if you’re going for a run and then will be sitting around with your friends. It’s not so fine if you plan to spend some real time on the bike.

That’s where risers come in. Manufacturers such as Heli Modified, Inc. offer a variety of risers for a wide range of bikes that look good on the bike and bring the grips up and back toward the rider. A 3-inch rise can make an incredible difference in comfort. Prices run from as low as $50 up to $300.

Hard Bags

There’s never enough storage space on a motorcycle, but a good pair of lockable hard saddle bags handle a lot more than the basics. Plus, with the bags mounted securely you can take things you might need—like a rainsuit—without worrying that it won’t be there when you return to the bike. The bags also help protect the bike from damage if you go down. Saddle bags can run as little as $150 but top quality choices can run as much as $400 or $500 per bag.

Steel-braided Brake Lines

Do your brakes feel squishy when you squeeze the lever? Squishy brakes require more force for the same stopping power, and that’s not good in an emergency. The squish comes from the flexible brake line material bulging out under the hydraulic pressure. Wrap that thing with braided steel and the line can’t bulge. All your braking power goes to the brakes. Plus, they look good. Braided brake lines can be had for $25 to $60, but it will cost you to have them installed if you’re not up to the task yourself.

Windshield

Some bikers will never opt for a windshield. For them it’s a matter of the bike looking the way they want it, preferring the blast of the wind, or both. For everyone else, it’s a very different matter.

Windshields block the wind, reducing the strain and fatigue on a long ride. In cold weather they block some of the cold by effectively reducing the wind chill. In summer they also minimize the number of bugs that splatter themselves on you, and you can duck down behind them if you’re caught in a rain shower. At speed, rain drops are like needles stabbing you repeatedly. Let them hit the windshield. Most any windshield can be had for under $200, often a lot less.

Custom Seat

It’s as if some motorcycle manufacturers don’t really expect anyone to actually sit on the seat they supply. Non-existent padding can make a seat feel like sitting on a wooden board, while others splay your legs out so far it’s hard to plant your feet flat on the ground. Cut away some foam where it’s not wanted, add some where it is wanted, and suddenly your bike fits you and you have more control. And control equates to safety.

Plus, you can opt for an almost endless range of materials and designs that make your saddle one of the showiest parts of the bike. All you need for that is deep pockets. Even sticking to the basics, however, a custom saddle is not cheap. An online scan of prices showed that even reworking just the rider’s seat, and not the passenger’s, for a Honda GoldWing will run $500 to $800. Add in the passenger, a new leather cover, and a back rest for the passenger and you’re talking $2,000. 

However, a comparable two-up rebuild for a Harley Ultra Classic can be had for only $1,200, and for a Honda ST1300 the price is $1,000. A custom seat is not cheap, but the comfort and safety you gain is sufficient to persuade a lot of people to open their wallets

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