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New bike? This is what you should modify first!
You just got yourself a shiny new motorcycle and now you’re on the internet looking at all of the awesome parts available for it. What should you get first!? Depending on what bike you have, the aftermarket support can be utterly overwhelming, but don’t worry – I’m here to break it down for you and help you sort out what is most important.
You may be surprised, as someone who works for an aftermarket parts company, that I don’t have a formula or sequence of parts that you should get upgraded in a particular order. That’s due to two different things – every bike is different, and everybody’s tastes are different. What I mean by that is every motorcycle has its flaws, either in design, performance, or engineering, and since everybody likes different things, those flaws will vary from rider to rider.
If I hop on a new Honda CBR600RR right out of the dealership, the first thing I’m going to notice is the lack of grip my knees have on the tank, but toss me on a new Honda Grom and my biggest gripe will be with the levers and stock fender setup, which is egregiously oversized. However, toss one of my coworkers on the same two bikes and they may be more annoyed by other things, such as the CBR600RR’s windscreen or the Grom’s exhaust. Every bike has things that just won’t mesh with you personally, and those are what you should go after first.
Unfortunately, this article hasn’t been much help yet, but what this subject boils down to is relatively simple; do what makes you happy. That’s it. Motorcycling is supposed to be fun and enjoyable, and if an integrated tail light has caught your eye because it improves the look of your bike, that’s the right choice. Or, maybe you just want to add some tank grips so you can ride for longer? Only you know what you want out of your motorcycle, so that’s what you should be thinking about.
To help you get to that first modification, ask yourself this; what do you enjoy most about your bike? Do you like riding it on long trips? Perhaps some mods that help you sit in the seat longer and maintain proper body positioning are what you should do first? Something like a taller windscreen to help prevent body fatigue or tank grips to help keep weight off your wrists would be a great place to start.
Or, do you want to improve the way our bike looks? Then maybe an integrated tail light and fender eliminator are the first things you should do so that every time you park your bike and walk away, the grin on your face is even wider when you look back at it.
Perhaps you need better performance from your bike because just a little more oomph from the throttle would make it perfect. Maybe something like a new sprocket, velocity stacks, or exhaust is something you should do first, that way every time your crack the throttle you’re getting the performance you need.
The point is that motorcycles are fun, so do something that you like doing to your bike. It doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks…hell it doesn’t matter what I think. When I started riding almost 15 years ago, I got a lot of flack from other riders because I didn’t automatically start throwing mods at my bike. It was even said to my face that I “wasn’t a real rider” because I still had the stock fender on my bike. Let me tell you, as someone with a vested interest in selling fender eliminators, that is a ridiculous notion. Does my bike look a million times better without the stock fender? Sure! But what your fender situation is doesn’t dictate anything about your passion for motorcycles. It’s the same reason why I can’t write an article about what YOU should do to YOUR motorcycle.
Regardless of what your first modification is, know that it probably won’t be your last. The thrill of enhancing your ride with better parts and learning the ins and outs of your machine is a true addiction. I even wrote a whole article not that long ago about why we enjoy modifying motorcycles. It’s not just fun, it’s rewarding with real benefits that help make a fun hobby even better.
As a company that makes aftermarket parts, I truly hope that we get to be a part of your build, but I’m not going to pass along the dumb ideology that I experienced 15 years ago and suggest that if you don’t have a tail tidy you’re not a real rider. Anybody that throws a leg over two wheels is a real rider in our books! I just hope that our parts inspire you enough that we are included in your project and that you find the same passion as we do for modifying and improving these beautiful machines.
So if anybody tries to tell you what you should modify on your bike first, don’t listen to them. Follow what makes you happy, because that’s what riding on two wheels is all about.
