[Bike] Modification Chapter 4

Nothing too exciting this time. But when I removed the "WEST COAST HONDA" sticker from the rear fender, it left a nasty glue residue. I'm not really a fan of West Coast Honda -- in fact I advise against buying from them -- but that's a story for another day.

It's time to use our friends over at Tyga to fix this unsightly mess:

A few seconds later:

Beautiful! Now everybody can see that my bike has been modified using genuine Tyga Performance parts.

Special thanks to my good friends at Tyga for sending different sized stickers with my order of $130-odd dollars. It's nice touches like that, which make me want to buy from them again.

-Gray

[Bike] Modification Chapter 3

This time I want to show you how to make a significant change to your bike's handling, by tweaking the suspension. Some people believe that actually getting down and dirty with the front suspension can significantly alter a bike's ability to corner -- I disagree.

The main problem with the front forks is that the caps aren't up to scratch. Observe:

Yes they're nice and shiny, but are they really doing their job? The answer is no. So I immediately unscrewed them.

I didn't expect a strange hollow bar to pop out though:

After struggling to fit the new cap, I eventually gave up and decided the bike was a write-off and would never run again.

After a short break and a cup of tea, I returned, and somehow managed to screw in the replacement "high performance" caps from, you guessed it -- Tyga Performance:

Increased responsiveness, stiffer cornering, and a cockpit view that would make Rossi jealous.

Front fork end cap replacements -- just do it.

[Bike] Modification Chapter 2

Hello fellow road-racers!
This episode, I'll be showing you how to complete a fairly simple mod, but an important one nevertheless ...

What's wrong with this picture? Yes, that's right -- the little black oil cap. Boring design, poor aerodynamics, and probably letting my precious oil evaporate! Time to fix that little problem with the help of our friends at Tyga ...

After just a few seconds using my bare hands and spanner or "socket wrench" as the American's call it .... BEHOLD!

A quick test-ride confirmed my expectations -- improved air flow around the bike and increased handling. Cornering feels sharper and acceleration slightly brisker. And all for less than the cost of a trip to Sizzler.

A shiny red cap with "CBR" stamped on it -- what's not to like?

[Bike] Modification Chapter 1

Well it's time to increase the speed, handling, and sex-appeal of my CBR250. I will present each modification in a bite-sized chunk which you can enjoy reading while you munch on some cereal or such-like.

I'm not a master mechanic by any means, but as you will see as you follow along, some mechanical aptitude is required. These are not going to be the kind of modifications that your little sister can do!

Chapter 1 - Brake Fluid Reservoir Cover

Now there is nothing wrong with the factory item, but it just doesn't scream "I'm a highly-tuned race bike" the way I would like it to:

Ho-hum. Keeping the fluid in, but not much else ...

So it's time to get a little help from my friends over at Tyga Performance in Thailand. Since their name contains the word "performance", that literally guarantees that all their products will increase the real-world performance of your machine.

Here is a little something I had shipped earlier:

Sweet little bag of performance.

I unscrewed the factory cover using a "phillips-head screwdriver" (that's the cross type, not the flat type -- ask at your local hardware store if you're confused) and tried to replace it with the new one. The new one didn't need a screwdriver, it needed an "alan key".

Fortunately, I had a few knocking about in the shed. Unfortunately, none of them fit. Fortunately, I used a combination of Blu Tac and tissue paper to make a smaller key fit! ... Unfortunately, it didn't work. So I zipped off to say hello to my friends at Super Cheap Auto, and purchased a lovely set of alan keys. I tightened the bolts or whatever they are, and VOILA!

GOODBYE BLAND, HELLO RACE-STYLE!

I'm sure you'll agree, this little item looks very sweet and sexy! And this simple mod took me no longer than 30 minutes! (travel time excluded).

So, avoid nasty brake fluid accidents, and replace your own factory cover with one of these fantastic after-market performance parts!

-Gray