Mods that make you Like your bike...

[Kevin]

I've never had a stock bike for long, I always had to change something on it and I think most people on psb do too.

I also think we change a few things or a lot of things, because we want the bike to be better to ride and to make it our own.

So when this blue Mazda hit my K6 GSXR 1000 I had to find a bike to keep riding while i rebuilt it, with a few upgrades for it in the process as well.

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So, enter one nearly dead stock 2003 Hayabusa....( i reckon the K5-K6 gixxer & the gen1 'Busa are arguably Suzuki's best bikes they have produced)

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Trouble was, as I rode it away from the dealer in Bunbury for the ride back to Perth I realised it didn't STOP or STEER anywhere near like my Gixxer, actually it was just bloody awful.

To like this 'Busa, I thought I gotta change this, so.....here goes....

[HAGG!S]

Subscribed. Should be interesting

[Kevin]

Put your brake mods in to Andy, i liked them.

[Kevin]

The stock tyres where the worst things i can remember riding on, Bridgestone BT023 & BT56 (front). The front end had no feel and would drop mid corner sometimes and the rear could power slide out of my favourite round about on plus 30 degree days.
Turned out, they where 3 years old & had gone hard.

So i got these Pirelli Rosso Corsa tyres from Tyres for Bikes and i thought I would try the 55 profile on the rear this time (190/55)

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These alone transformed the 'Busa immediately, it steered just so good! Gone was the handle bars falling in as you ride around suburban streets at legalish speeds, which was one of my hates of the old tyres.

[HAGG!S]

I wasn't to keen on the bt023's on my gsxr.

S20's that I've got now seem not too bad.

Are you gonna stick with pirellis then?

[Kevin]

Next for the Handling is the suspension setup.

I think the sky's the limit or how long is a piece of string when it comes to this subject because what you think is good, i might not. And who is to say? Is handling just a feeling of you having control of the the bike at a speed?

So with this in mind i thought i would start with the basics, measure the Rider Sag.

Front forks.
Extended....................125mm
With me on board..........78mm

A Sag of......................47mm Which is way too soft, I want something like 30 to 35mm sag.

Adjusting up the preload I got the sag down to 40mm, but i will buy new springs to get the figure closer to 30-35mm soon. As adjusting the preload does not change the spring rate, just the ride height, in my understanding of it.

[Kevin]

I wasn't to keen on the bt023's on my gsxr.

S20's that I've got now seem not too bad.

Are you gonna stick with pirellis then?

I've been running Michelin Pilot Power 3 on the gixxer but wanted to try the Pirelli's after reading a comparo in my favourite mag, Performance Bikes.

[Captain Starfish]

Mods I had on my busa which I loved:

- cruise control (customised Command AP60 car unit), easy best thing I ever put on it.
- HID headlights - country riding at night? No. Where I was, it was always daytime.
- Shoo Roos - people poo poo them but I've seen them stop working, cleaned out the bugs, seen them working.
- Decent air horn.
- Remote control start and alarm. Just because
- Triple clamp cradle for phone with charge lead for longer trips.

[Angryjock]

Nice one. Looking forward to this. I'd suggest caliper strip and clean, braided lines and most importantly a Brembo RCS master cylinder. Possibly new pads given how old the tyres were. You will now have proper brakes. The only issue is that the discs tend to warp. I had about four sets on my SRAD750!! Galfer discs are good and worth the money. Or if you feel flush PFM cast iron discs, made in the Isle of Man.
Gutted to see your K6 on it's side like that :-(

[Sheikh Yerbouti]

Mods I had on my busa which I loved:

- cruise control (customised Command AP60 car unit), easy best thing I ever put on it.
- HID headlights - country riding at night? No. Where I was, it was always daytime.
- Shoo Roos - people poo poo them but I've seen them stop working, cleaned out the bugs, seen them working.
- Decent air horn.
- Remote control start and alarm. Just because
- Triple clamp cradle for phone with charge lead for longer trips.

You seem knowledgable in bike elektrickery, would you know if theres a kit for a transponder/push button start for bikes? (Like ive seen on prados) deciding what to do with the key set up on my new bonnie, thinking i should do away with the key and do a transponder set up

[SPman]

( i reckon the K5-K6 gixxer are arguably Suzuki's best bikes they have produced)

Yep!

[Captain Starfish]

Dunno about a kit, but most bikes now already have the transponder built into the key/keyring.

Look at what that combination does, and what you'd have to replace:

1. Identifies an authorised operator in proximity.
2. Mechanically disengages the steering lock.
3. Switch selects park lights, no power, power to ignition.

A separate pushbutton starts (unlike on a car which wants the key turned).

So you'd have to sort all of this with a steering lock solenoid including a switch to confirm that it's unlocked, another switch to activate ignition power and begin the interrogation of the RFID tag in the key, and then the start button. All conveniently tied up in a key at the moment, I reckon anything else is going to be messier and more prone to issues.

[Kevin]

I know this bike is ten years old, and the stuff you can get for the 'Busa is just amazing and everybody has their own take on how to mod them, BUT when it comes to exhausts, bloody hell, Yoshimura still rocks!

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[Nero Diablo]

The stock tyres where the worst things i can remember riding on, Bridgestone BT023 & BT56 (front). The front end had no feel and would drop mid corner sometimes and the rear could power slide out of my favourite round about on plus 30 degree days.
Turned out, they where 3 years old & had gone hard.

which was one of my hates of the old tyres.

A BT56 is a hell of a lot older than three years, I don't think I've actually seen one for ten years. Trying to remember if it was the sports compound or the sport touring compound the BT58ss was the super sticky way back when.

[Kevin]

[QUOTE=Captain Starfish;2981409]Mods I had on my busa which I loved:

- HID headlights - country riding at night? No. Where I was, it was always daytime.

On the last Bridgetown run I had a go on [MENTION=17562]Spook[/MENTION] 's 'Busa (his bike has HID lights) but anyway, I was in front on his bike, then Spook on mine, then behind him was [MENTION=34131]Andyw86[/MENTION] on his GSXR 750 which is also fitted with HID lights. Well, looking back thru the mirrors the HID lights of the GSXR750 were brilliant white compared to my bikes std lights which looked almost yellow. Might be a good idea to help blue Mazda's to see me