Bike mods that make a difference

[Startmeup]

Getting my Honda ADV 160 this week. What modifications have you guys done on your bike that has had a positive benefit compared to factory spec?

Im thinking I will get a phone holder for using maps while driving. Maybe a tinted front screen.
Ive seen some bikes at night with extra spot lights, sometimes yellow and I could see them being helpful for night driving.
Curious about the benefits of getting one of those almost looks like a half cages that I see on the lower front end of some bikes?

[Hummin]

The best phone holder is Quad Lock

Honda Big Wing and many other  provide crash bars for your bike, and surprised they didnt offer you a package price. Depending of where you buy your bike off course. Depending also where you are in Thailand, there is many local shops who will help you out, or you google/facebook/youtube search Honda adv pages. Should be a dusin or two with alot of people who know your bike, what your choices is, and where to order. 

 

Night riding good luck

 

 

[Startmeup]

1 minute ago, Hummin said:

The best phone holder is Quad Lock

Honda Big Wing and many other  provide crash bars for your bike, and surprised they didnt offer you a package price. Depending of where you buy your bike off course. Depending also where you are in Thailand, there is many local shops who will help you out, or you google/facebook/youtube search Honda adv pages. Should be a dusin or two with alot of people who know your bike, what your choices is, and where to order. 

 

Night riding good luck

 

 

What makes Quad lock the best?
Do you find your phone getting red hot in the Thai sun using these holders? 

[NoDisplayName]

Lights. 

 

Get some white halogen daytime running lights to be visible.

 

Maybe a red flashing LED bar wired into the brakes mounted on the rear fender.

[Hummin]

14 minutes ago, Startmeup said:

What makes Quad lock the best?
Do you find your phone getting red hot in the Thai sun using these holders? 

They have the best solution both for vibration damper and the strong mount itself, and it have a few different set ups. Phone heating is very much up to caseholders and the phone itself, the program running, charging, position on the bike, airflow and how much you expose it to the sun sitting when sitting still. When driving never a problem.

 

There are hips of great phoneholders, cheaper ones to, but all depending on your riding style and size of phone to of course. I had heating problem with iphones before, now samsung and not a problem.

[MangoKorat]

Best and most simple mod on my ER6N was to swap the standard bars for the wider Versys bars.  This was actually carried out by the previous owner - I changed it back and very quickly changed back to the Versys bars again.

 

The Versys bars give a much more comfortable riding position - they also give more leverage which is very useful on poor road surfaces.  Luckily, the standard ER6 cables are long enough so no further mods are needed.

 

I also think it looks much better.

 

 

[Agusts]

I haven't experienced any phone heating problem, as long as I'm on the move - the wind cools it off, but if in long traffic, like Bangkok, not sure...!

 

The best mod I think are good mirrors, if can't see well behind, could be in real danger in these parts..., there are those small wide angle ones can be attached in the corner of current mirrors too, see what suit best ... 

[Startmeup]

5 hours ago, Agusts said:

I haven't experienced any phone heating problem, as long as I'm on the move - the wind cools it off, but if in long traffic, like Bangkok, not sure...!

 

The best mod I think are good mirrors, if can't see well behind, could be in real danger in these parts..., there are those small wide angle ones can be attached in the corner of current mirrors too, see what suit best ... 

 

The mirrors on my girls Scoopy are terrible. I expect they will be a lot better on the ADV with the drawback that sitting through traffic won’t be as seamless 

[Rampant Rabbit]

changing the  dunlop sportmax  tyres from new   for Pirellis, used to get wheelspin a  lot with the dunlops.

[Startmeup]

15 minutes ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

changing the  dunlop sportmax  tyres from new   for Pirellis, used to get wheelspin a  lot with the dunlops.

I was looking at tyres last night online. I didn’t see much about the Pirellis but many mentions of Michelin City Grip 2 tyres for scooters. Are Pirellis better, which Pirellis? 

[Rampant Rabbit]

Just now, Startmeup said:

I was looking at tyres last night online. I didn’t see much about the Pirellis but many mentions of Michelin City Grip 2 tyres for scooters. Are Pirellis better, which Pirellis? 

Mine was for a Honda cbr650 so I dont know if appropriate for a scooter. They were Pirellis  Diablo 2's although I do see they make the same one for scooters.

[MangoKorat]

I agree that Pirelli's are often a good choice for big bikes - I use Pirelli Angel GT2's but is changing the tyre brand really a mod? Damned expensive mind!

[Jake72]

For me adding storage space was a game changer. I added a medium sized delivery driver box on the back, about 50 liters capacity. I used to wear a backpack, but having a dedicated box on the back is much nicer. Now I often take the bike to go shopping instead of the car. However it must be mounted correctly by adding a strong cargo rack on the back, then you can easily carry a box of beer plus various other items at the same time.

[Startmeup]

32 minutes ago, Jake72 said:

For me adding storage space was a game changer. I added a medium sized delivery driver box on the back, about 50 liters capacity. I used to wear a backpack, but having a dedicated box on the back is much nicer. Now I often take the bike to go shopping instead of the car. However it must be mounted correctly by adding a strong cargo rack on the back, then you can easily carry a box of beer plus various other items at the same time.

 

This was something I thought about too you just reminded me. 

How do you find a load such as a box of beer sitting that high up on the bike affects the driving? 

Did you choose a particular brand? 

[VocalNeal]

3 minutes ago, Startmeup said:

How do you find a load such as a box of beer sitting that high up on the bike affects the driving? 

 

Maybe if racing with a guy who put his beer in a different location but I doubt it makes much of a difference riding home from Makro. 

Might make it a bit more top-heavy while being manhandled in the parking lot. 

[Fab5BKK]

Mods that can make a difference?

 

I'd suggest 2:

1. Get your Front / Rear suspensions fine tuned (taking into account your weight, your riding style, etc.),

2. Change your exhaust system for a better one (lighter and more efficient)

[Hummin]

17 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

changing the  dunlop sportmax  tyres from new   for Pirellis, used to get wheelspin a  lot with the dunlops.

Stock dunlop is horrible on all hondas, but they last forever du to the hard rubber composition 

[Hummin]

2 hours ago, Fab5BKK said:

Mods that can make a difference?

 

I'd suggest 2:

1. Get your Front / Rear suspensions fine tuned (taking into account your weight, your riding style, etc.),

2. Change your exhaust system for a better one (lighter and more efficient)

If you need more efficient bike, you buy a bigger bike 🤓

 

If you going to improve efficiency and not more noisy, it will cost more tan it taste. Thosd cheap <deleted> ones, stay away

 

Rear suspension is ok to change if you are more than 85kg and up + riding with pillion.

[Hummin]

12 hours ago, Jake72 said:

For me adding storage space was a game changer. I added a medium sized delivery driver box on the back, about 50 liters capacity. I used to wear a backpack, but having a dedicated box on the back is much nicer. Now I often take the bike to go shopping instead of the car. However it must be mounted correctly by adding a strong cargo rack on the back, then you can easily carry a box of beer plus various other items at the same time.

50L isn't that overkill? I had 45L on my versys 1000 🤔

 

Even volume is big, there is weight limits how much you should load your bike. 

 

35L is ok for a 160, and you get saddle bags to, or boxes.

[papa al]

Mesh ventilated sear cover.

[quake]

I'm all for upcycling.

 

 

[Jake72]

On 3/4/2024 at 3:41 PM, Startmeup said:

 

This was something I thought about too you just reminded me. 

How do you find a load such as a box of beer sitting that high up on the bike affects the driving? 

Did you choose a particular brand? 

 

Once you start rolling you don't feel it at all, it's less noticeable than riding with a passenger on the back. Of course if you add a heavy load you have to make sure your bike doesn't tip over while on the stand. When I installed mine I tested it with 30kg of cat sand (it was the best inexpensive load I had on hand) then drove it around for a some time to make sure it was strong enough, no problem. 

 

These are similar to what I have installed: 

 

 

 

Some links:

 

https://shopee.co.th/Honda-ADV160-แท้ศูนย์-(สินค้าแท้)-H2C-ชุดแร็คท้ายเบาะ-KIT-REAR-RACK-(BLACK)-ชุดแร็คท้ายเบาะ-สีดำ-i.161590177.18071770029

 

https://shopee.co.th/กระเป๋าเดริเวรี่-Delivery-ตะแกรงมอเตอร์ไซค์-ตะแกรงรองกระเป๋าส่งอาหาร-ตะแกรงรองกล่องส่งอาหาร-i.802214265.19876425816

 

https://shopee.co.th/กล่องส่งอาหาร-กระเป๋าส่งอาหาร-i.166684801.6226011392

 

[London Lowf]

On 3/4/2024 at 12:01 AM, NoDisplayName said:

Lights. 

 

Get some white halogen daytime running lights to be visible.

 

Maybe a red flashing LED bar wired into the brakes mounted on the rear fender.

 

Have you ever ridden an ADV160 at night, or had one coming in the opposite direction? Lights are absolutely fantastic.

 

[London Lowf]

On 3/4/2024 at 8:22 AM, MangoKorat said:

I agree that Pirelli's are often a good choice for big bikes - I use Pirelli Angel GT2's but is changing the tyre brand really a mod? Damned expensive mind!

 

I'm currently pimping my ADV cosmetically but really my first spend should have been on tyres - I've done two hard stops (not quite emergency) in the last couple of days and the lack of grip was a real eye-opener. Also, I am now on 8,000km plus and there is absolutely no sign of wear, i.e. rock hard, i.e. limited grip.

 

I always swore by Pirelli Diablos in my sports bike days and so am tempted by their Angels. I really mustn't procrastinate for too long!

 

[London Lowf]

On 3/4/2024 at 1:48 AM, Agusts said:

The best mod I think are good mirrors, if can't see well behind, could be in real danger in these parts..., there are those small wide angle ones can be attached in the corner of current mirrors too, see what suit best ... 

 

Mirrors on the ADV are fine - any wider and you will not be able to filter (just like an Xmax/Tmax!).

 

[London Lowf]

11 minutes ago, London Lowf said:

 

Have you ever ridden an ADV160 at night, or had one coming in the opposite direction? Lights are absolutely fantastic.

 

 ....and of course, they are on during the day.

[London Lowf]

On 3/3/2024 at 11:20 PM, Startmeup said:

Maybe a tinted front screen.

 

This was the first thing I bought for mine - black tinted and smaller than the standard monstrosity!

 

Ban for the buck, the best mod that I've made.

 

Wheel rim stickers are a quick and cheap tart-up if you have the skill and patience to fit them properly. A bit naff, but that's me all over!

 

[London Lowf]

You can buy a complete set of the essential body panels on Shopee for less than B9,000 unpainted - I've just got mine and prepping/spraying them will now become my hobby as it's getting too hot to go to the beach every day.

 

 

[richard_smith237]

 

In our cars we all (most of us) have dash-cams...  primarily to protect us from false clams if we are involved in an incident here. 

 

But, when motorcycling - the options seem limited to a 'Go Pro' on the helmet, which has limitations, forgetting to turn it on, battery life etc...  

 

So... best mod for the bike - Innov Dash-Cam (FWD and Rear Facing for Motorcycles)...

 

Of all mods on bikes... Bigger footpegs (easier to stand) handle bar risers, carry packs, tanklock bags etc, Quad Phone Mounts, handlebar bags, sump-guard, adjustable clutch / brake levers etc etc...  the primary mod I always do first before anything else and the one I think most important.... 

... Install the FWD and Rear Facing Innov K2 dash-cam system.... 

 

https://innovv.com/k6-motorcycle-dashcam/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[papa al]

On 3/4/2024 at 3:41 PM, Startmeup said:

 

This was something I thought about too you just reminded me. 

How do you find a load such as a box of beer sitting that high up on the bike affects the driving? 

Did you choose a particular brand? 

Bud light.