Help me spend $1000 this winter!

[joegeis]

Had the bike a couple of months now and like all of you, I'm absolutely in love with it!  I want to invest into performance mods this winter, in order to show the bike some love and get it ready for an awesome riding season next year, as well as giving me the opportunity to learn more about bike mechanics and giving me something to do since I won't be riding in the Illinois winters! Luckily I have a heated garage.

How can I best spend $1,000 on performance parts?  I nearly 100% ride backroads (albeit 'spiritedly'), I'm a beginner rider and I weight 190lbs.

The only performance related mod the bike has right now is this super cheap exhaust the previous owner installed.

I'm all about value for the dollar, given this is an entry level bike.  

Give me your suggestions and I'll make it happen!

[Triple Jim]

I'd spend the money on some decent bags so you can carry things and maybe do some longer trips with camping.  If there's any money left over you can use it for gasoline, oil changes, and other maintenance.

The bike is pretty well set up from the factory, especially for someone new to riding, and you're not going to gain a lot of HP with mods. 

[cornerslider]

SUSPENSION....... Front and rear. You can pick up a decent entry-level aftermarket shock for about $500.  I personally run K-Tech on all my bikes. Up front- at a minimum, get some "straight rate "springs for your body weight (about $110- $140). I went to the next level and did a Traxxion Dynamics AR-25 kit for $379 (which includes springs). You most like won't realize how bad the OEM/stock suspension is until you upgrade it. 

[klx678]

Suspension.  Ohlins does a shock for $695 and the fork kits will run around $300-500 (not cartridges, but damper change and springs).  If you look around you may find a lightly used shock for less than $400.  There was one for sale recently either in the XSR forum or here.  Maybe the shock for a 900 is the same, I don't know.   

 

The exhaust is more for looks and noise than any appreciable gain.   Plus you end up spending a bundle on remapping ECUs if doing intake and exhaust modifications.   You can burn through $1000 real fast and possibly not gain near as much noticeable performance gain in your riding as you would with a decent shock and fork kit would give you for the riding you mention.   Plus the comfort from the better suspension too.

Edited November 14, 2021 by klx678

[Weeksy]

2 days at Laguna Seca.

[Triple Jim]

46 minutes ago, klx678 said:

Suspension.  Ohlins does a shock for $695 and the fork kits will run around $300-500 (not cartridges, but damper change and springs).  If you look around you may find a lightly used shock for less than $400.  There was one for sale recently either in the XSR forum or here.  Maybe the shock for a 900 is the same, I don't know.   

This is a new rider.  I think the track time would be much more important to his future riding fun and safety than expensive suspension parts.

[klx678]

That is a good recommendation, depending  a bit on if he is a completely new rider or a new as a street rider with off road experience.   I came in as a new street rider with around 5 years off road including a bit of trials, short track, and hare scrambles experience.   The riding on the street wasn't a big deal, the possibilities with traffic was what was new and a big deal.    Learning to be observant over more than just the road/track.  On coming traffic and cross traffic front of me, but keeping in mind what's behind too.  Minimizing my chances of screwing up.  

I'd say the Basic Rider Course would be most important then an Advanced Rider Course before track classes.   Street is, after all, a different animal when you come right down to it.  Corners must consider hidden obstacles/surfaces and the fact that traffic also is traveling the opposite way.  Many of the obstacles are moving left to right and right to left or on coming.   

But it is winter in Illinois and he has the money to play during the winter.  Save up some more in the spring to school one's self.  Not sure where the classes are offered in Illinois.   

Edited November 14, 2021 by klx678

[ScooterFunk]

My vote is to spend your money on upgrading the front and rear suspension. This is the only place that needs improving imho.

[joegeis]

I am a true new rider - only 1,000 miles under my belt. 

I've heard that remapping the ECU is the best "bang for your buck" mod you can do.  I hear that it will smooth out the power delivery and reduce the engine breaking (which I have found very jarring!).  Since my exhaust is a full exhaust without the cat or db killer, I assumed a flash would be even more important than with stock.

Would doing a 2WDW mail-in flash and adding a rear shock be the two mods to go for first?  Should be within $1000. Maybe enough leftover to do something with the front?  I've read through the suspension forum, and I have to say I'm even more confused.  What would be the "middle ground" front end replacement (better than just cutting down the spacers, but not a cartridge kit)?

Edited November 14, 2021 by joegeis

[M. Hausknecht]

For the front end, straight rate fork springs suitable for your weight and riding style, and Gold Valve Emulators (https://racetech.com/page/title/Emulators). The improvement is substantial.

[joegeis]

Just now, M. Hausknecht said:

For the front end, straight rate fork springs suitable for your weight and riding style, and Gold Valve Emulators (https://racetech.com/page/title/Emulators). The improvement is substantial.

Are GVE and DDC basically the same?  Or slightly different approaches for the same result?  Prices seem hard to locate, but ~$150-200?

[FZ not MT]

9 hours ago, joegeis said:

How can I best spend $1,000 on performance parts? 

This almost exactly $1000 in parts, and every one of them are needed IMHO. As you have a $1000 cap and want to get the best bang for the buck, I left out high end suspension and tires. The bolded ones you really need as they relate to safety of you and the bike. The unbolded ones are for an inexpensive way to get better performance out of your bike.

 

2WDW Flash

MWR air filter

R6 throttle tube

EBC HH front brake pads

Spiegler SS front brake lines

Sonic Fork Springs/heavier oil

Vortex 520 sprockets 16/44

Chain

Evotech radiator guard (it sorta looks like you have a guard, but not sure)

Mirror extenders

Blindspot mirrors

Osram Night Racer light bulb

Denali Soundbomb Mini Horn

 

Edited November 15, 2021 by FZ not MT

[Weeksy]

3 hours ago, FZ not MT said:

This almost exactly $1000 in parts, and every one of them are needed IMHO. As you have a $1000 cap and want to get the best bang for the buck, I left out high end suspension and tires. The bolded ones you really need as they relate to safety of you and the bike. The unbolded ones are for an inexpensive way to get better performance out of your bike.

 

2WDW Flash

MWR air filter

R6 throttle tube

EBC HH front brake pads

Spiegler SS front brake lines

Sonic Fork Springs/heavier oil

Vortex 520 sprockets 16/44

Chain

Evotech radiator guard (it sorta looks like you have a guard, but not sure)

Mirror extenders

Blindspot mirrors

Osram Night Racer light bulb

Denali Soundbomb Mini Horn

 

Say what now.

The brakes on this bike are not dangerous.... not even a little bit.  How does a flash add safety ? 

[FZ not MT]

5 hours ago, Weeksy said:

The brakes on this bike are not dangerous.... not even a little bit.  How does a flash add safety ? 

I have a 2016 FZ-07, and the brakes weren't great to say the least. For me switching to EBC brake pads front and back plus the Spiegler lines up front made a big difference. It was $200 well spent IMHO.

The early FZ-07 had hellacious compression braking, and with it extreme nose diving, to the point that if you didn't rev-match going into corners, you could have a really dangerous situation especially if you are a new rider, which I am not. The flash essentially corrected that problem.

I will say that I have no clue whether or not Yamaha corrected these problems. The 2016 was the 3rd year of this bike as a 2014 model was available in EU.

BTW, I bought my bike new.

 

[Triple Jim]

My 2020 has very good stock brakes.  It's commonly known that in 2018 Yamaha stiffened the suspension front and rear.  I assume this was done worldwide.  I don't get excessive front end dive.

My stock MT's average MPG is in the low 60s.  Remapping will almost certainly drop that noticeably.  Some don't care, but I'm sure others like me enjoy the 200 mile range that provides.  I do get more engine braking than other bikes I own, but I adapted to that quickly.

For street riding I'm very happy with its stock configuration and I love that the stock exhaust is so quiet that over about 50 mph I mainly hear wind.  Hearing a prominent exhaust sound can get tiring on long rides.

I would recommend to any  new rider to ride for a year or two before modifying an MT-07.  (2018-on)

@joegeis what model year is yours?  It looks like it's an MT and not an FZ.

Edited November 15, 2021 by Triple Jim

[M. Hausknecht]

13 hours ago, joegeis said:

Are GVE and DDC basically the same?  Or slightly different approaches for the same result?  Prices seem hard to locate, but ~$150-200?

I'm not familiar with the DDC stuff but my quick web search suggests they are similar in function to the GVE but different in their details. Perhaps others can provide comparative insight. I note there are some YouTube videos comparing the two.

[joegeis]

1 hour ago, Triple Jim said:

My 2020 has very good stock brakes.  It's commonly known that in 2018 Yamaha stiffened the suspension front and rear.  I assume this was done worldwide.  I don't get excessive front end dive.

My stock MT's average MPG is in the low 60s.  Remapping will almost certainly drop that noticeably.  Some don't care, but I'm sure other like me enjoy the 200 mile range that provides.  I do get more engine braking than other bikes I own, but I adapted to that quickly.

For street riding I'm very happy with its stock configuration and I love that the stock exhaust is so quiet that over about 50 mph I mainly hear wind.  Hearing a prominent exhaust sound can get tiring on long rides.

I would recommend to any  new rider to ride for a year or two before modifying an MT-07.  (2018-on)

@joegeis what model year is yours?  It looks like it's an MT and not an FZ.

It's a 2018. 

[joegeis]

Got a call back from Racetech - they quoted me $203 for the DDC valves and $39 for the 5W oil they recommend with it.

Currently looking at the following:

1. 2WDW flash  ($240)
2. DDC valves & oil ($245)
3. K-Tech RCU Razor-R Lite ($500)

That would eat up all of the budget.  I considered doing the steel braided brake lines, but I don't think it's necessary.  My existing break lines still feel fine, and the pads have plenty of life left.  I will change the brake fluid and properly clean the calipers and bleed the lines though.  

Thoughts?  Any likelihood of sales this time of year typically?

[stickshift]

2 hours ago, joegeis said:

Currently looking at the following:

1. 2WDW flash  ($240)
2. DDC valves & oil ($245)
3. K-Tech RCU Razor-R Lite ($500)

Good combo.

[nozeitgeist1800]

9 hours ago, joegeis said:

Got a call back from Racetech - they quoted me $203 for the DDC valves and $39 for the 5W oil they recommend with it.

Currently looking at the following:

1. 2WDW flash  ($240)
2. DDC valves & oil ($245)
3. K-Tech RCU Razor-R Lite ($500)

That would eat up all of the budget.  I considered doing the steel braided brake lines, but I don't think it's necessary.  My existing break lines still feel fine, and the pads have plenty of life left.  I will change the brake fluid and properly clean the calipers and bleed the lines though.  

Thoughts?  Any likelihood of sales this time of year typically?

no clue about racetech specifically, but from what i hear 2wdw typically do great black friday deals. also just black friday/cyber monday in general, i'd be very surprised if revzilla/cycle gear/any major store doesnt have something going on. im waiting to see if any venders will have any deals on the k-tech razor-r lite myself, i desperately want to grab one soon but not really at the $500 mark.

[joegeis]

7 hours ago, nozeitgeist1800 said:

no clue about racetech specifically, but from what i hear 2wdw typically do great black friday deals. also just black friday/cyber monday in general, i'd be very surprised if revzilla/cycle gear/any major store doesnt have something going on. im waiting to see if any venders will have any deals on the k-tech razor-r lite myself, i desperately want to grab one soon but not really at the $500 mark.

awesome, if I can get a deal on the tune and the ktech, I can probably stretch the budget a bit to also include an air filter upgrade.  The guy from Racetech told me on the phone that they are most likely not having any sales, so that price will stay firm.

[seven]

Just now, joegeis said:

awesome, if I can get a deal on the tune and the ktech, I can probably stretch the budget a bit to also include an air filter upgrade.  The guy from Racetech told me on the phone that they are most likely not having any sales, so that price will stay firm.

From what I have read here and what 2WDW told me, apart from removing the snorkel on the stock air box, there really isn't anything major to gain from going with a different filter until you do something like the Hordpower intake or something similar (can't remember the other company) that removes the stock airbox.

As for the tune, I am one of the few that did not feel a massive world changing difference in the rideability in the bike after the tune. Yes less engine braking but still plenty there that I could pretty much ride the bike without brakes for most of city driving. On/off throttle was a touch better maybe. I am also on a 2019 so maybe there was more of a difference for the previous generation before the 2018's.

I did the EBC HH pads and the Spiegler lines. I think it was a good upgrade. For sure the pads are better but I can't definitively say that I can feel the difference from changing out the stock lines for the Spiegler lines. My bike was brand new when I did it so maybe that played a part in it (i.e. the stock lines were not worn out and needing replacement) and I am new to riding so perhaps some of my perception is that I just have not developed the knowledge base of being able to determine fine grained changed...if that makes sense.

[joegeis]

Just now, seven said:

From what I have read here and what 2WDW told me, apart from removing the snorkel on the stock air box, there really isn't anything major to gain from going with a different filter until you do something like the Hordpower intake or something similar (can't remember the other company) that removes the stock airbox.

As for the tune, I am one of the few that did not feel a massive world changing difference in the rideability in the bike after the tune. Yes less engine braking but still plenty there that I could pretty much ride the bike without brakes for most of city driving. On/off throttle was a touch better maybe. I am also on a 2019 so maybe there was more of a difference for the previous generation before the 2018's.

I did the EBC HH pads and the Spiegler lines. I think it was a good upgrade. For sure the pads are better but I can't definitively say that I can feel the difference from changing out the stock lines for the Spiegler lines. My bike was brand new when I did it so maybe that played a part in it (i.e. the stock lines were not worn out and needing replacement) and I am new to riding so perhaps some of my perception is that I just have not developed the knowledge base of being able to determine fine grained changed...if that makes sense.

Thanks for your feedback! You are the first person that I've seen say they were underwhelmed with the tune!  And thanks for the tip on just removing the snorkel.  Hordpower isn't much more expensive than the DNA filter and frame, so I thought about that, but I don't think I'm that hardcore, lol.  Depending on sales/budget, I may just remove my snorkel and leave the stock filter for now.  TBH, I haven't been disappointed in the breaks as they are.  I think changing/bleeding the fluid and cleaning the calipers will be plenty for me.  I'll eventually go to steel lines, but I don't think it's necessary yet.

[Triple Jim]

1 hour ago, seven said:

For sure the pads are better but I can't definitively say that I can feel the difference from changing out the stock lines for the Spiegler lines.

Yeah, stock lines have a lot of cord woven into them for reinforcement, so they really don't expand as much as the term "rubber hose" would make you think.  I've replaced stock lines with braided stainless on other motorcycles, and like you, I didn't think the difference was particularly noticeable.  It certainly can't change the lever force required, since that's determined by the piston ratios and pads.  If I found my brakes spongy I would consider steel braided lines, but I don't. 

On the other hand EBC HH pads are very good, and I believe they could made a noticeable difference.

[Weeksy]

57 minutes ago, Triple Jim said:

Yeah, stock lines have a lot of cord woven into them for reinforcement, so they really don't expand as much as the term "rubber hose" would make you think.  I've replaced stock lines with braided stainless on other motorcycles, and like you, I didn't think the difference was particularly noticeable.  It certainly can't change the lever force required, since that's determined by the piston ratios and pads.  If I found my brakes spongy I would consider steel braided lines, but I don't. 

On the other hand EBC HH pads are very good, and I believe they could made a noticeable difference.

I generally go for SBS Street excel. I used to love Brembo SA but they can be very very strong, too much so at times