Mods that didn't work out

[fallenarch]

I thought it would be cool to start a thread where people discuss mods they made to thier bikes that didn't quite work out. So here are some of mine:

Air Horn: I installed an Stebil Airhorn and seperated the compressor from the horn. I mounted the horn in the stock location and ran an air line to the hump and put the compressor there. First of all the horn is plastic and my mount has broken 3 times now. I wired the horn up so I didn't loose it but no matter where I attach to the plastic it seems to eventually break. Second is the hose coming loose. I have had the horn fail several time because the hose came loose from the compressor even with a hose clamp on it. I think this is a combination of the hose getting tugged on by the movement of the bike and the twisting of the compressor from the torque reaction when it blows. While this isn't a bad solution, it's not right either and needs some re-engineering.

55 series Rear Tire: Some people will like this mod, especially the twisters. But I felt the feel was better with the 1" riser and the stock 50 profile tire. This is subjective of course, but I recommend the 1" riser and then the 50 profile tire for a solid, somewhat neutral feel to the bike.

Screwing in the Windsheild: I have a Puig DB windscreen and the fit issues are well documented here. So I decided to screw the screen in with a bolt and nut to pull things together all snug and tight. Worked great until the windscreen started cracking! This joint (fairing and windscreen) is supposed to move around a bit. So I had to get another Puig (love it BTW) go back to the slightly sloppy stock rubber bushings.

 

[Rainbow7]

I thought it would be cool to start a thread where people discuss mods they made to thier bikes that didn't quite work out. So here are some of mine:

Air Horn: I installed an Stebil Airhorn and seperated the compressor from the horn. I mounted the horn in the stock location and ran an air line to the hump and put the compressor there. First of all the horn is plastic and my mount has broken 3 times now. I wired the horn up so I didn't loose it but no matter where I attach to the plastic it seems to eventually break.

You are either tightening the bolt/s too much or you are mounting it in a place where it is getting bumped around a lot. If you mount the horn here, you won't have that problem, nor will you need to separate the compressor.

 

[chrisjp]

see...this one time....at the bash.....lol

 

[sixpack577]

Speedohealer. Mine is junk...brand new.

 

[raydog]

Cool and unusual thread topic! My biggest waste of $ was the one time I went for bling over function to see what it was like. I'm talking about roaring toyz rearview mirrors. Thay have maroon fading into black ones (same as my Busas colors). After installed they cut about 60% from my field of vision to the rear, the optics were inferior, they kept coming loose and after loctite lost their ability for adjustment, on and on. I now run gsxr 1000 mirrors with 1" extenders and love them (thanks Pashnit). I learned and once again am entrenched in the belief that if bling occurs WITH a performance part, that's frosting on the cake. If you fit something just for the sake of bling and hope it works (or are willing to compromise function) that's a big mistake....at least for my motorcycle standards. Doyle

 

[Lamb busa]

Chatterbox=garbage!

Riding with a helmet that doesn't prevent fogging.

The Back-off tail light modulator. All Lamb ever hears is "It sucks".

 

[delbert]

I fitted some 1" risers , didnt like the look of them but thought i would give it a go , rode 30 miles then took them off
didnt like the feel of them either seemed to take that sporty feeling away .
may be go with heli bars !!!

 

[VFRcanada]

1) Fairing bolts from Pro-Bolt. The heads are smaller than stock and they send rubber tubes for spacers instead of the shoulders that are on the stock bolts. The aluminum bolts strip after removing and installing a few times. Complete garbage.
2) New Image Seat. I just couldn't get comfortable on it with the little step in the back.
3) Blacked out tail lights from Shamrock . They looked great but they were too dark. My riding buddies couldn't see the turn signals or brake lights.
4) Double Bubble windshield. It caused too much head shake. The stock shape windshield is better for my height and Corbin seat.
5) Switchback turn signals. Can't really remember what didn't work. I think they were too blue with my smoked lenses.

 

[1ibandit]

Not really a mod for my bike, but....

I got a powder coating machine and wanted to powder coat some rims. I measured the stove and had 23 inches to play with. So being a crappy backyard welder I went out got some medal and set out making a stand to put the wheels on. Worked great to powder coat the wheels, but when I went to put it in the oven I found out it was only 18 inches deep.... Arg...


1ibandit
88 ZL1000, 07 KaBusa
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Rainbow7]

LED turn signals from Clear Alternatives - crap, right out of the packaging

LED tail/brake light from Clear Alternatives - also crap, right out of the box

LED tail/brake light from two eBay vendors - failed within a few weeks

HID headlight assembly from Pashnit - it looks great but the low beam HID is a weird size (smaller than a standard HID bulb) and is so dim that I now have to ride everywhere with my high beam on. I am going to switch back to the stock headlight assembly because, frankly, this thing is dangerous. I literally cannot see the road at night.

 

[riccoh]

Gas... dont last that long...

GPS - NUVI 265WT, great for knowing when traffic is bad.. the mod is not really the problem, jsut the time spend wiring to GPS and the location were I live,,, Hawaii. is a circle..who needs GPS on a bike??

 

[ssg_petty_210]

Aftermarket valve stem caps. Here is the problem with these, if they have weight to them, they will cause the stem to tear out and cause a flat tire front or back, and can end up killing someone. This happened to me, luckily I didnt drop the bike. So for those of you who have aftermarket valve stem caps, take them off and use the stock black caps. It could really save your life.

 

[kitchener rider]

kanji engraved bar ends.. the dia. was smaller than the grip dia.. looked like absolute crap....

 

[mabupa]

Spent $150 on an 09 gsxr 1000 front master cylinder and a chazzo lever and couldn't install it because it hits my dash panel >:|!!!!

 

[GMbusa]

Mine was the stage1 turbo. What a freakin headache that was. A bigbore engine is much better. (I've owned both)

That and when I installed some frame sliders.

 

[Trash_Panda_44]

Gas... dont last that long...

I have the same problem-lol!

 

[MikeSomething]

55w HIDs - Too much voltage, killed my battery. Switched to 35w and a toggle switch for starting it up.

Yana Shiki RSeries Windscreen - Dark smoke comes tinted purple, looked horrible on my bike.

 

[Hayabusa4life]

Gas... dont last that long...

 

[VFRcanada]

6) Headlight cover from Pyramid Plastics Looked more purple than smoked.
7) Collett Communicators Didn't work at all.

 

[Mr Droo]

55w HIDs - Too much voltage, killed my battery. Switched to 35w and a toggle switch for starting it up.

Yana Shiki RSeries Windscreen - Dark smoke comes tinted purple, looked horrible on my bike.

A relay for the HID's would have saved your battery.