[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

[Bike] Finally got some respect

Parked in Manning last night, I come out of IGA to see some neat older gentleman checking out my bike.

He said, "Just having a look at your bike ..."
I said, "Yeah, she's a beauty allright."

He said, "Looks kind of small ..."
I said, "It's a 250 mate."

He said, "Yeah I was just surprised how small the--"
I said, "She's small, but she's sprightly."

He said, "Uhh yes ... I meant the wheelbase is quite short for a--"
I said, "More maneuverable."

He said, "Well it looks great anyway. I'm on a 1200 Yamaha something-or-other."
I screwed up my face and said, "Ohhh ... Bit sluggish in the traffic, hey ... OK all the best mate, cheers, take care."
(*)

Anyway it's nice to finally get some acknowledgement. This is part of the reason I got into biking in the first place -- the chicks want to be with me, the men want to be me. So far I've only attracted a middle-aged man but it's something. It's a start.

Getting lots more nods too since I switched over to the CBR. And that's what it's all about, in the end.

-Gray


(*) Conversation may have been edited at editors discretion.

[Bike] Upgrade complete

Got a beautiful CBR250R, what a stunner. I mentioned to some of the guys on the group ride how it's lighter and probably turns better than their full size bikes. I don't think they bought it.

Sweet like chocolate! ... Sweet like candy, baby!! (singing)

Anyway, it's really nice to have EFI and just hit the start button and she's running, even from cold. And filtering to the front and not having to actually worry about getting off the line fast enough.

Oh, and being able to select Neutral first time, every time -- what a luxury!

-Gray

[Bike] Upgrade time, test ride CBR250

So the Ninja has at least 2 weeks waiting list, probably 2 months for a black one. Bah! If they're selling bikes that fast, build them faster. It's basic economics. They've just lost a sale because I'm not patient enough to wait.

So on to Plan B, check out the cheap and badly-built Hyosung GT250R! In some lucky twist of fate, the dealer didn't have any in stock. But they did have plenty of CBR250's. I didn't really want one of these because they're a single cylinder, just like my current bike, and they look a bit skinny and feminine. Fortunately, I look a bit skinny and feminine, so I took one for a spin.

I hopped on and I said, "I'll be back in 20 minutes." The guy goes, "Err, you don't need that long do you?"
I said, "Fifteen then."

He says, "You'll know 5 minutes down the road whether you like it or not." Oh OK so it's unreasonable for me to want to give the bike a proper run before I drop $6k on it? Am I suppposed to guess what it feels like on the freeway? Or how the seating position feels after a proper half-hour ride? Pathetic. Does he want to sell a bike to me, or not? So I came back 15 minutes later, thinking I could always ride it again for longer another time.

I've had a couple of bad experiences with vehicle salesmen, and this guy isn't helping the stereotype so far.

Anyway the bike was fine, a definite improvement over my commuter. I always wanted to be on a sports bike. Positioning feels much better, sounds better, goes better.

On a dual carriageway, no other cars around me, a lady pulled right out across the road to turn right and I locked the front wheel for a moment before letting up and swerving to avoid her rear. It was that close. Stupid little tart. The worst part is, she had stopped to look for traffic, looked right through me, and accelerated right across my path. Now just imagine if I'd have hit or clipped her, I would be up for the cost of the entire bike since I signed the form before riding off! Crazy times.

So maybe I'll get a CBR250, maybe I'll wait around and check out a Hyosung or something.

CBR250 Pro's:
  - It's a Honda, and that's worth something in my book.
  - It's available right now, and in black. Brilliant.
  - Cheaper to buy, more economical, and more torque at lower RPM than a Ninja (don't need to wring it's neck so much)

CBR250 Con's:
  - 0-100 of nearly 9 seconds. That's pathetic! I've read the Ninja does it in about 6?
  - Top speed of 150kph. Not quite as fast as I was hoping for.

Here are the two other paint schemes I saw in the shop. Which one is the best? I can't decide:

[Pictures removed from this entry because they didn't belong to me]

-Gray

[Bike] Detailed the car

Got down and dirty with the Barina yesterday, scrubbing the bumpers with Jiff to remove the bugs, hell I even polished the number plates to a shine! Fixed the rear wiper, fixed the CD player, re-installed the rearview mirror, washed the red paint off the ceiling light ....

Should be ready for selling in the next week or two. I haven't decided what to ask for it yet. Honda's 2011 CBR250 looks pretty decent when it comes out. Cheaper than a Ninja? Somebody hit me with some knowledge in the comment section (one of you 2 people that actually read this blog...)

Cheers cheers!