Top three go-faster tips that won't actually make your bike go quicker
Right. So you have spent all the money you wanted, made all the modifications you deemed necessary, and are now at the very maximum of your motorcycle's performance spectrum. Well then, this piece isn't really for you. This is more for those who aren't so concerned about going any faster but want to feel that they are. Or better still; it's for those who would want their mates to believe that they actually have managed to get the bike to go faster. A word of caution though - make sure bikes in the vicinity when your friends test ride your bike after these modifications are lesser powered. Or else, have your excuses ready. So, here are my top three cheat codes.
Clutch adjustmentFirst up, get rid of all the play you might have in the clutch. That way, every time you let out the clutch, you'd jump off the line as if you were riding something a lot torquier. This, of course, isn't going to improve your quarter mile times, but it sure would feel like it.
Get a free flow air filterThe jury is out on this one about whether a free flow air filter actually boosts a bike's performance, and by how much. In theory it should, no question. But without associated changes - freer flowing exhaust and a tuned carb - the difference might not be so telling against a clock. What a free flow air filter most certainly does, is give u a louder, racier intake noise.
And believe me; the noise is good enough to give you the feeling of accelerating a lot quicker than you actually are.
Get a smaller front wheelThis is my favourite. As you would know the wheel mount unit turns the cable in relation to the wheel speed which in turn moves the speedometer needle. In short, speed indication is simply related to the revolutions of the front wheel. Now, if you were to go down a size for the front wheel, say move to a 17in wheel from 18in, the number of revolutions of the front wheel for the same real world speed will be higher on the 17in wheel. This automatically will give you higher speed output on the speedo. So, even though your bike might still be topping out at 110kmph as before, the speedo will now read 115kmph. It certainly is a simpler solution of increasing top speed than reworking the gearing, simply when it comes to impressing your mates.