The Entire guide to...upgrading your motorcycle

So many motorcyclists pride themselves on being individuals, and nothing says individual better than some suitable upgrades to really get the best out of your bike.

There are almost an infinite number of modifications you can make to your bike, some massive and some small. We’ve put them into five categories: Practical, Performance, Cosmetic, Chassis and Braking to bring you our Entire Guide to upgrading your motorcycle.

Practical upgrades

Practical upgrades enhance the usability of your motorcycle and are usually bolt on bits you can fit at home.

Typical modifications include alternative windscreens, with different heights to suit individual riders and the types of riding they do. Usually these can be changed by simply unbolting the old one and replacing it. Some aftermarket flyscreens, windshields and even fairings can be fitted to naked bikes, transforming the touring ability of your bike.

Luggage is another popular upgrade. Panniers and top boxes usually need a rack to be fitted, which the luggage clips into, and although fiddly is usually a fairly simple job for the everyday enthusiast.

Electrical accessories, like adding USB charging ports and heated grips, can be a bit trickier but still do-able for the amateur. Some modern bikes allow for plug and play installation of ‘official’ accessories but, if not, you’ll have to splice them into the bike’s wiring to connect to the battery – which can be a bit intimidating to some. Thankfully instruction manuals and YouTube usually provide the answers, making them a DIY job.

Performance upgrades

Think about modifications and you usually think about increasing power, but tuning a bike is only a small part of upgrading your bike and, to most, not something they look too much into due to the costs and complications involved.

Fitting a sports exhaust is the most common performance modification. This will usually unleash a few horsepower, and save some weight, but the reason many people carry this out is often as much for the look and the sound.

Exhausts can be changed either as a full system, or just as the end can (or silencer, as it is also known) and these are usually more compact than the one your bike leaves the factory with. It’s important to tell your insurance company when changing the exhaust, as you’re potentially modifying the performance, value and desirability of your bike and this may have an impact on the premium.

Fitting a performance air filter to increase oxygen flow into the engine is another cheap and simple mod, which works well in conjunction with a replacement exhaust and ECU remap to improve not only peak power, but also throttle response and drivability.

Full tuning, including flowing cylinder heads, changing camshafts and even adding turbo chargers isn’t something we’ll go into here. Those are extreme and expensive modifications that require a major mechanical overhaul that’s usually beyond what a home mechanic can carry out.

Cosmetic upgrades

A bit of optical tuning can be a great way to make a bike your own. Sticker kits and custom paint jobs are popular with some, but they can also cover a multitude of sins on crashed bikes and might make it more difficult to sell on in the future. The same can be true of anodised bolt kits and tinted windscreens but, it’s your bike and if you like ‘em who are we to stand in your way?

Probably the most popular cosmetic modification is a tail tidy, which gets rid of the bulky original rear mudguard and replaces it with a more minimal hanger to carry the number plate and rear indicators. We’d also add crash protectors in this category (although many would argue it’s not really a styling thing….).

These crash bungs and engine guards are sacrificial parts designed to take most of the damage in case your bike slides down the road. They’re usually very easy to fit and can prove invaluable in protecting your bike if the worst does happen. You could also argue crash protection is a chassis modification, which brings us on to…

Chassis upgrades

Many experts reckon that a well sorted chassis is worth more than a highly tuned engine on a race track, and there are a lot of simple upgrades you can usually make to your road bike too.

Tyres are one of the easiest way to improve the grip of your bike. Manufacturers often supply the bike on cheaper tyres with all-round abilities. If you want a bit more grip and feel, at the expense of durability, a pair of sporty tyres can be one of the easiest upgrades you can make. It’s a consumable part, so next time you need some tyres why not consider fitting something different to the rubber your bike rolled out of the factory on?

Just check with the manufacturer that they are a proper match for your motorcycle.

Suspension upgrades are another good way to improve the handling of your bike. Even if you don’t want to go to the expense of changing your rear shock absorber or the fork internals, taking your bike to a suspension specialist to set the bike up for your size, weight and riding style.

Lowering the motorcycle is also a popular modification with shorter riders, who want to be able to get their feet down more confidently. This can be done by modifying the forks and rear shock, and/or fitting rear lowering ‘dogs’. This is something best left to professionals though, as lowering the bike can change the geometry of the bike – which may have a negative impact on ground clearance and handling.

Braking upgrades

Improving the brakes on your motorcycle doesn’t always just increase the stopping power, it can have a positive impact on braking feel too – helping you to be more precise in your riding.

Manufacturers can sometimes save some costs by choosing cheaper brake components when building a new bike, so replacing these OE (original equipment) parts with higher performance aftermarket replacements can be a way to easily upgrade your motorbike.

Brake pads are consumable items, so fitting race compound pads can improve braking power, give greater feel and reduce brake fade under extreme riding. Replacing rubber brake lines with braided steel items will also give a better and more consistent feeling, while basic servicing and replacing brake fluid regularly with a high quality product can also contribute to improved performance.

Brake discs are another consumable which can be upgraded, while you can change the whole braking system – including calipers and master cylinder – if budget allows, although for most bikes this is a difficult and expensive job which is usually unnecessary.

Modifying your motorcycle may invalidate your warranty or insurance and can, in some cases, affect its roadworthiness. If in doubt, contact a professional for advice.