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which new mod???

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OK...my birthday is coming up and I think I can convice my wife that I "need" an accessory or upgrade for the bike. The biggest thing I've done is put on a zero gravity double bubble screen. I was thinking of either a top box (Givi??) or a new slip on (save some pounds and make a little noise).

I'm really only a week end rider so I'm not interested in riding suits, auotmatic chain oilers (I'm a WD40 Fan -- that's a topic for another thread) or anything that you long distance guys would require.

So what do you think...if you had a couple hundred and could get something for your bike, what would it be. I'd be interested in what you guys think or if there is something that I haven't considered.

Bill
 
Don't you already have the hard side bags for the ST? If so I would not worry about the top box, especially if you dont do a lot of long rides. I would go for a new Slip-on pipe. I think Roger (max955) has a Two Brothers pipe and it sounds great.

Just a thought
 
One word... Suspension! Forget the pipe unless you just have to have the sound and poser points. Good suspension will transform your bike like nothing else. You can do the Race Tech treatment on the front end for several hundred dollars. The rear will cost a little more ;-) The bike will handle much better than if you just shed a few pounds. You will have more confidence in the handling of the bike because you will be getting better feedback from the bike and what it is doing on the road. But hey, what do I know? I put a full TwoBro system on our 98 before anything else hehe.... I wish now I had done the suspension! :|
 
I don't have any hard bags for the bike. I use a set of Cortech saddlebags when I do carry a couple of things (love them by the way). I hadn't really considered suspension very seriously, but that does make more sense than a slip on. The bike does tend to dive a little when I brake. Besides, if I really wanted to make the bike lighter, I could just drop some pounds myself, but who am I kidding :-)

I appreciate the feedback....keep it coming. I still have a couple weeks before I put out any cash.

Bill
 
hillcountry said:
So what do you think...if you had a couple hundred and could get something for your bike, what would it be. I'd be interested in what you guys think or if there is something that I haven't considered.

Bill

For the 2001 Sprint, a popular mod is an 19tooth (IIRC, the 2000+ comes with a 20 tooth) front sprocket. Cheap, don't need a new chain, and it will give you much more pull.

For $100 you can get racetech springs, which will give your bike a more planted feel and less dive under braking.

For $25, get a sigma bc800 bike computer. It gives you another tripmeter, avg speed, max speed, time travelled, etc.

For $10, a throttlerocker is about the best bang for the buck out there. You say you don't tour much, so maybe you wouldn't need this, but it's nice even to use going to and from the "good roads".

Skyking has a good set of framesliders for the sprint. Having seen both brands in action, I recommend them over the Moku's.
 
Howdy,

:tab You might also consider a K&N air filter. On both of my VFR 800's this simple addition made the throttle response noticeably crisper and more immediate. Also, they are guaranteed for 1 million miles. They are about the same price as stock for our bikes. Even if there were no performance benefit, there is still the cost savings of only having to buy a filter once. I clean mine about every 10K miles and stick it back in.

:tab If you want hard luggage, the OEM side bags look really good. However, they cost and arm and a leg!! I run the fugly GIVI and love them. My whole three bag setup, including extra mounts and keys cost about $650. I love it. If you don't like to look at it on a daily basis, the whole thing comes off in about five minutes and goes back on just as quick, at least for the VFR800's.

:tab I don't know if you like the stock seat or not, but a Sargent seat is really comfy for my hiney. Seats are like helmets though, there are stock butts, Sargent butts, Corbin butts, etc,... You should expect to spend around $300-400 depending on what you select. This transformed my VFR from a twenty minutes to a butt burn ride to a ride all day with no trouble ride. Looks better too!

:tab If you don't like the weight bias on your wrists when riding, you might consider some risers for the clip ons. I'm pretty sure that Genmar makes risers for the Sprint. They run about $100 or so. There are also Helibars, replacement clipons that are higher. This is what I have on both of my VFR800's. They run about $240. They are higher than the Genmars and have more adjustability.

:tab Last but not least, get you a Riderwarehouse catalog!! These are the guys that sell Aerostich suits. The catalog is loaded with all kinds of great stuff :-P
 
The TBR pipe and performance tune really do a number on the Sprint. The difference in low-end torque is just incredible. I frown on the hard bags for the Sprint because they're just too darn expensive. For my needs, anyway, soft bags are ideal: easy on, easy off, relatively inexpensive, no futzing with the pipe position, and still look good.

I have a Zero-Gravity double-bubble screen on mine, and it's great. The difference between it and the factory screen is more than merely "noticable." :)
 
If all you have is $200 I'd go for the frame sliders and add the Throttle Rocker. You'd even have change left.

If you have a little extra, can you buy me the babe in the white bikini on the SkyKing webpage? I'll be your buddy for life! :hail
 
I'm trying to take it easy on the mods this year. My son turns 5 in July and pretty soon he'll "need" one of the new 50cc bikes out there (they've come a long way since my SL-70). Of course I'll need something to ride along side of him so that I can keep an eye on him. I've been "working" on her for about 6 months now, I figure that I'll have her worn down by Christmas. So now if I can just convince Santa to leave a couple of Yamahas under the tree :wink:
 
****! My parents wouldn't let me get near anything with a motor unless it cut grass, hehe. I met the GMD Computrack guy from Mansfield at TWS a while back. While we were talking his little boy came running up to bug Dad. A few seconds later his little girl rides up and wants to know where the gas can can be found? He then explains that as soon as they can show him that they can ride their regular bikes without the training wheels, he buys them their first motorbike!! Some kids get all the luck ;-)
 
hillcountry said:
So what do you think...if you had a couple hundred and could get something for your bike, what would it be. I'd be interested in what you guys think or if there is something that I haven't considered.

Bill

A Radar Detector!
 
OK...the birthday has come and gone and the "couple hundred" turned into about a $400 suspension upgrade. I ordered new springs, fork emulators, and fork oil from RaceTech. Lone Star Triumph BMW installed everything when they did my 12K service. To be honest, I thought (at first) that it was wasted money. I don't know if I'm an experienced enough to appreciate the difference, but I finally got a chance to get up into hill country for a short (but lively) ride last weekend and I can really feel the difference. The front end feels much more solid and planted. I live about a mile from 1604 and Bandera and after about noon on the weekends you have to be very careful around there. Two SUVs thought that they were sportcars and cut me off trying to get to the exit. :evil: Normally after grabbing that much front brake, the front end would dive and I would get the rocking horse effect...not anymore :P

Now...what to ask for next year :-D
 
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