Aftermarket upgrades that are actual upgrades.

Every time I get on eBay I see a thousand aftermarket universal motorcycle parts marketed as being compatible with my bike. I might be a n00b, but I’m no sucker, and I can tell that the vast majority of these parts are garbage. 

My bike is nearly stock, and so far the only “mods” I’ve done to it were returning a few crappy aftermarket parts back to genuine OEM parts. And going forward that continues to be my plan: only OEM because OEM is always best. 

But what about when it’s not the best? What about when there actually is an aftermarket part that is better? Does such a thing even exist? 

These questions just kind of popped into my head, and I wanted to see if you all here had any thoughts on it. Maybe there’s general “every bike can benefit from changing out the stock X for some aftermarket Y made by brand A” sort of things but maybe also some very specific “the 1982 Kawasaki KZxxx has a weak squeedlyspooch and only this guy in Nevada makes a replacement that makes it bulletproof” sort of mods. 

So here’s a place to share your fact or opinion, general or specific aftermarket bike mods that actually work. I wanna hear ‘em! 

You dont show a bike model in your signature,  But a  mod from stock all seem to agree on is  going to All Balls  tapered roller bearings in the steering  head   vs the balls in races design from 
Kawasaki. This helps remove play and shake in the  front end  ( Stabilizes the  frame and  front forks )

Hard to say without knowing what bike you have but shocks, fork springs and the right tires are a good start.
plenty of good options and all better than stock.... 

wrote:

You dont show a bike model in your signature,  But a  mod from stock all seem to agree on is  going to All Balls  tapered roller bearings in the steering  head   vs the balls in races design from 
Kawasaki. This helps remove play and shake in the  front end  ( Stabilizes the  frame and  front forks )

This right here.

I'm also a big fan of switching to aftermarket incandescent turn signals and headlights. Electrics in general were not great when these bikes were new and the stock devices are pretty dim compared to their modern counterparts. I've swapped out a couple bikes (and preparing to do one more) to H4 headlights and K&S turn signals.

They are MUCH brighter than stock, providing more visibility for you, and as mentioned they're incandescent so no futzing around with resistors or new flasher units.

They won't fly with the pristine-restoration crowd, of course, but for a daily rider I think they're a sensible upgrade.

Anything that helps your bike fit you better.
Adjustable levers, adjustable foot pegs, a better seat position, better handle bar position.
Make your bike as ergonomic as you can.

The All Balls tapered steering head bearings is fun debate.
I tried them and went back to OEM Kawasaki loose ball bearings.
Setting preload on the All Balls tapered bearings was not as easy.
It was either too loose or too tight.
Alot of people prefer the All Balls.
Funny, there is a million dollar Aprilla motogp bike that uses caged ball bearings instead of tapered bearings on youtube.

 



4:48

 

wrote:

... and I can tell that the vast majority of these parts are garbage. ! 
 

You got that right.

Good stuff guys!

I didn’t mention my bike (Zephyr 550) because I wasn’t necessarily looking for advice specific to what I have. More so general advice that could be applicable to all bikes. I just have this impression that for the most part OEM is always best, but I wanted to hear examples of when it’s not. Give a little credit where credit is due, so to speak. 

Lots of upgrades occur after as a result of failures during initial bike runs.  Heads were prone to leaking oil on Z1's with single gasket.  Later models had a two piece gasket and an O ring.  Kawasaki eventually went to needle bearings in the swingarm but I bet a lot of people converted their bikes long before the factory did.  O ring chains are an other improvement over the old oil systems.

Some others off the top of my head...sealed batteries vs open cell, wheel balance weights glued to the rim vs lead weight on the spokes, etc.

Ignition coils.  Dyna S ignition if a stock component fails. maybe some other electronic ignition?

Fork springs or cartridge emulators.  Rear shocks.

I have a 1977 KZ650-C1.  I replaced the ball bearings and races in the steering stem with All-Ball units - huge improvement!  Also, I installed Hagon shocks - another huge improvement over the worn out stock units.  Ed

 

wrote:

Anything that helps your bike fit you better.
Adjustable levers, adjustable foot pegs, a better seat position, better handle bar position.
Make your bike as ergonomic as you can.

The All Balls tapered steering head bearings is fun debate.
I tried them and went back to OEM Kawasaki loose ball bearings.
Setting preload on the All Balls tapered bearings was not as easy.
It was either too loose or too tight.
Alot of people prefer the All Balls.
Funny, there is a million dollar Aprilla motogp bike that uses caged ball bearings instead of tapered bearings on youtube.

 

4:48

Well maybe that's why that Aprilla hasn't won anything. Maybe they should use the All Balls setup.

 

F64 wrote: "The All Balls tapered steering head bearings is fun debate.I tried them and went back to OEM Kawasaki loose ball bearings.Setting preload on the All Balls tapered bearings was not as easy.It was either too loose or too tight."

I modified an adapter and calculated the torque for the length of that adapter plus the wrench before making the change.  I had zero problems, but I guess some folks used a different approach and had big problems.  Ed