Dial in your ride

Simple and effective modifications to get you started down the road to sportbike nirvana




Once upon a time, motorcycle manufacturers produced just one type of bike: the Universal Japanese Motorcycle (UJM). Each proud new owner started with what was effectively a generic bike, then set it up with the special parts that defined what type of riding that person preferred. If you wanted a sportbike, you bolted on some low bars and rearset footpegs and voila, you had a sportbike. Then the '80s happened, and superbike racing drove the manufacturers to begin specializing their production bikes. Thus was born the production superbike and the arrival of the amazing GSX-Rs and CBRs that we fawn over today. While a modern sportbike is often awe-inspiring in stock form, a few simple modifications can make these already supremely competent motorcycles even better. The tips and tweaks presented on the following pages range in price from free to thousands of dollars, but each one will provide a notice-able difference in performance and will take you one step closer to sportbike nirvana.•