Modifying Bikes - ever worth it?

[P-Jay]

I fancy a Winter Project. Yeah I'm a big girls blouse; I hate riding in bad weather.

This is my CBR600 (F4i)



So far, so boring but it's been a great "my first sports bike", after passing my test in June. But I want more. It's completely standard apart from the welders mask bubble screen and the centre stand's been removed to save some Kgs.

I fancy:

Twin Seat rear faring from the CBR F Sport, I'm winning one on fleabay at the mo, it's scraped and needs some body shop action.

Some kind of sporty end can and OEM downpipe (mine's crusty). I don't think my bike has a Cat so I'm prepared to forget about a full system.

K&N Filter (and a bloody good service).

Powercommander and dyno tune.

My bike's got a few scrapes where it fell over parked (before I had it) and to make the 'new' rear match I'm thinking have the whole thing sprayed black with a big Monster decal on the side (I'm not known for my good taste) and have the wheels refurbed as they're a bit crusty and been repainted badly already and some green rim tape to match the Monster decal .

I know financially it would make FAR more sense to just punt it on and get the CBR600RR I really want, or even a Blade (insurance permitting), but there's two issues with that.

1) I'm going to try to do it Ghetto, sourcing most of the bits from fleabay and doing the non-bodyshop / non-dyno stuff myself.
2) After a nasty MTB crash earlier this year I've got an elbow made out of crumbs of bone and titanium and a wrist to match so I can't have a bike that's got too much of a racing seating position (can't load my arms too much) and my CBR is the least racy sportsbike I could find in that respect.

Anyone else done the same sort of thing? Do think I'll notice the performance difference? The looks of it are just for fun really. Anything else worth doing? I'd love to drop a load of cash on some trick brakes or carbon wheels but the finance industry isn't paying well enough at the mo for such fripperies.

Edited by P-Jay on Monday 12th October 21:08

[Not now Kato]

I have blown more cash modifying bikes than I care to remember, you never get it back but its great fun.
I think my R1 owed me over 20k quid and I sold it for 7k!
I have just got back on 2 wheels after a 5 year break, things dont change though - the Ducati accessory book is permanently open on my desk.

[sjg]

If you're getting something you want that will improve it over the long term, absolutely.

What I don't understand are the people who seem to spend all their time modding things only to sell at a massive loss at the end. Presumably they get carried away with buying and fitting shiny things and don't know when to stop - then the credit card bill looms (or their partner forces them to get rid) so they sell up.

[Momentofmadness]

Save the cash, it's all about the rider if you really want to go faster!

Get some training / trackdays, you won't believe what your bike is capable of as it is - skills you can take to your next bike, tarty bits you can't!

[Hooli]

^^^ this is true

however, if you want to mod your bike do it. its yours, you have fun how you want to with it.

[P-Jay]

Cool, I think I'm going into it with the right intentions. I don't expect to change the value of the bike by doing it, not upwards anyway ha ha.

I should add a Renthal rear cog with a few more teeth on it and a goldie lookin' chain (tart) are on my shopping list too.

Late entry. I'm planning to do the Cali Superbike School thing too and a few track days. I've got two MTB mates who race at a reasonably high 'club' level and I'm going to blag them for some training too ha ha. They just don't know it yet.

Edited by P-Jay on Monday 12th October 21:25

Edited by P-Jay on Monday 12th October 21:26

[Momentofmadness]

Don't forget to keep all the standard bits, so you can put her back to standard when you decide to sell...

E.g. Things like putting the seat unit of the sport model on will make people think you've chucked it down the road.

Keep us updated and lots of pics please, I've a soft spot for CBR600s!

[greggy50]

Spent £650 modifying my old Aprilia SR125 with various parts 172 kit, gear-up, 28mm carb, crank, clutch etc... only made £300 more than standard price I paid when I sold it about 9 months later but was worth it as that bike was such a laugh it did proper power wheelies and surprised so many boy racers of the line and would go along top end at a fair lick would go just off the clock and that went up to 100mph not bad for a scooter.
Now brought a NRG 50 as a run-around to save money and for when my car breaks down. Well that was the plan now sports a race crank, gear-up, runner 180 carb, open filter, race Variator and clutch, race exhaust and a 70cc sport pro kit. Waiting to pass my driving test and will fit my polini evo 3 kit and flow the cases slightly with the pipe will give me 22/23bhp all from 70cc of engine. Probably never heard of these but acceleration is unreal can keep a 600 in check up to about 60mph if you keep the front wheel down.
Again this has cost me about £400 parts wise using stuff I already had and getting stuff cheap of mates. The evo 3 kit is another £200 on top but again is certainly worth it just for the look on boy racers faces when they get beaten off the lights by what looks like a 50cc scooter.

[Shay HTFC]

sjg said:

If you're getting something you want that will improve it over the long term, absolutely.

What I don't understand are the people who seem to spend all their time modding things only to sell at a massive loss at the end. Presumably they get carried away with buying and fitting shiny things and don't know when to stop - then the credit card bill looms (or their partner forces them to get rid) so they sell up.

Some people don't mod their bikes with the intention of making money. They mod them because they enjoy to do it and not everything must match up on the balance sheet in their head.

Personally, I just bodge my modifications and keep them as cheap as chips... but then again, my bike looks ste!

[RizzoTheRat]

Momentofmadness said:

E.g. Things like putting the seat unit of the sport model on will make people think you've chucked it down the road.

Repainting it will also make them think that anyway.

P-Jay said:

I'm thinking have the whole thing sprayed black with a big Monster decal on the side

Advertising bods must laugh thier tits off when they see people advertising thier product for free


As you're aware it's not going to add to the value of the bike, and as pointed out some things might detract from the value, go for it. As others have said if you keep the old bits you'll probably get more money when you come to sell if you refit the old bits and sell the trick stuff seperatly.

Dunno what they're like handling wise but on most bikes a few years old one of the biggest performace upgrades you can do is the suspension and brakes.

[P-Jay]

Interesting point about the suspension.

My MTB stuff gets serviced every 6 months, but does take a hell of a pounding. Do people service motorbike stuff or just replace? I see lots of ads for replacement shocks, but nothing for forks really.

The brakes work fine, the rotors are new. I may just change the fluid and fit some uprated pads.

[redtwin]

Forks and rear shocks can be serviced, rebuilt and upgraded with different springs and shims/valving etc.

[RizzoTheRat]

Guess it depends how good they were to start with, a lot of companies will refurb shocks, getting them back to the condition when new. If you're looking at replacements then Hagon are about the cheapest of the decent ones at around £250. I got a cheap second hand one for the TDM and paid Hagon £100 to refurbish it.

[Robert060379]

BEWARE!!!!!!!!! of the Section 59 Reich.

Modification=individualism

Individualism=freedom

Not in this country.

(Sold my GSXR now before you bring it up)

[P-Jay]

Randomly I was watching 'Under Cover Brother' last night. Cruelly overlooked at the Oscars!

Anyway featured two F4's in black with twin seat rears - looked 'the bomb'!

I should 'win' the seat thing in a day or two then it's a case of finding the right bodyshop.

Don't know what section 59 is, but it sounds scary!

Edited by P-Jay on Wednesday 14th October 17:40

[untruth]

Robert060379 said:

BEWARE!!!!!!!!! of the Section 59 Reich.

Modification=individualism

Individualism=freedom

Not in this country.

(Sold my GSXR now before you bring it up)

Also, beware of idiots on forums.

[Pothole]

untruth said:

Robert060379 said:

BEWARE!!!!!!!!! of the Section 59 Reich.

Modification=individualism

Individualism=freedom

Not in this country.

(Sold my GSXR now before you bring it up)

Also, beware of idiots on forums.

59 Vehicles used in manner causing alarm, distress or annoyance

(1) Where a constable in uniform has reasonable grounds for believing that a motor vehicle is being used on any occasion in a manner which-

(a) contravenes section 3 or 34 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (c. 52) (careless and inconsiderate driving and prohibition of off-road driving), and
(b) is causing, or is likely to cause, alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public,
he shall have the powers set out in subsection (3).

(2) A constable in uniform shall also have the powers set out in subsection (3) where he has reasonable grounds for believing that a motor vehicle has been used on any occasion in a manner falling within subsection (1).

(3) Those powers are-

(a) power, if the motor vehicle is moving, to order the person driving it to stop the vehicle;
(b) power to seize and remove the motor vehicle;
(c) power, for the purposes of exercising a power falling within paragraph (a) or (b), to enter any premises on which he has reasonable grounds for believing the motor vehicle to be;
(d) power to use reasonable force, if necessary, in the exercise of any power conferred by any of paragraphs to (a) to (c).
(4) A constable shall not seize a motor vehicle in the exercise of the powers conferred on him by this section unless-

(a) he has warned the person appearing to him to be the person whose use falls within subsection (1) that he will seize it, if that use continues or is repeated; and
(b) it appears to him that the use has continued or been repeated after the the warning.
(5) Subsection (4) does not require a warning to be given by a constable on any occasion on which he would otherwise have the power to seize a motor vehicle under this section if-

(a) the circumstances make it impracticable for him to give the warning;
(b) the constable has already on that occasion given a warning under that subsection in respect of any use of that motor vehicle or of another motor vehicle by that person or any other person;
(c) the constable has reasonable grounds for believing that such a warning has been given on that occasion otherwise than by him; or
(d) the constable has reasonable grounds for believing that the person whose use of that motor vehicle on that occasion would justify the seizure is a person to whom a warning under that subsection has been given (whether or not by that constable or in respect the same vehicle or the same or a similar use) on a previous occasion in the previous twelve months.
(6) A person who fails to comply with an order under subsection (3)(a) is guilty of an offence and shall be liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

(7) Subsection (3)(c) does not authorise entry into a private dwelling house.

(8) The powers conferred on a constable by this section shall be exercisable only at a time when regulations under section 60 are in force.

(9) In this section-

"driving" has the same meaning as in the Road Traffic Act 1988 (c. 52);
"motor vehicle" means any mechanically propelled vehicle, whether or not it is intended or adapted for use on roads; and
"private dwelling house" does not include any garage or other structure occupied with the dwelling house, or any land appurtenant to the dwelling house.