Cheap Mods

Modifying your motorcycle is a fun, worthwhile experience.  Not only do you get the benefits of improvement, but you get to know your bike and how it works on a much more intimate level.  However, there are downsides to modifying.

One, the mods don't always improve your bike.  Welding on a hardtail is a mod but does it really improve your bike?  No, it doesn't.

Two, modifying can get expensive.  Oh, sure, the parts are cheap (sometimes) but who's going to put them on if you can't?  The costs can quickly escalate.

Don't get put-ff, though, because there are ways to mod your machine on the cheap.

Back when I bought new exhausts for my Triumph Bonneville, I removed the snorkel from the airbox.  It was a cheap, simple and quick way to get more air into the box.  Wanting more, I removed the restrictor from the airbox. 

The previous two mods cost me nothing.  I even had extra silicone sealer laying around that I used to reseal the box when I removed the restrictor.  Those two mods worked well.  With the airbox and exhaust changes, the bike felt like it wanted to rev more and wasn't so choked up.  I imagine a few horses were added, too, but it's hard to tell without a dyno.

Still wanting more without spending more, I decided today to open up the inlet to the air filter. 

It was a simple job that took maybe five minutes total.  A few months ago, I purchased a used airbox off EBay and hacked the inlet from that one up in case I messed up or didn't like the results.  You see?  That's called thinking ahead.

Anyway, I cut away the bit that wasn't holding the air filter in place and ended up with this:



The old inlet is on the left and the new modified inlet is on the right.  As you can see, there's quite a difference.  Total removal of the old inlet and installation of the new inlet took about three seconds. 


With the job done, it was time to see if I wasted a whole 303 seconds of my life.

I rode around a bit to get the bike warmed up and then headed to a nearby stop sign that leads to a long bit of straight road.  I gave it as much as I dared off the line and the result was amazing.

Maybe I was wishful thinking but the bike felt much more aggressive on acceleration, especially as it got closer to the redline.  It felt a bit sluggish before, but now it feels like it wants to rev to the top much quicker.  And the increased intake roar adds much coolness to the experience. 

In all, I'm quite pleased with my cheap mod.  It's not often that something good comes from such a simple investment.  Plus, this will keep me satisfied until I eventually gut the airbox completely, which is why I bought the spare box in the first place.

This, then, brings me to the third downside to modding your bike: You'll never stop.