Last updated on – Mar 30, 2016

It automatically starts revving the pulse when one hears about the modifications of a bike. Modifications are meant for better performance and looks. These can be carried out over the complete bike or one can modify their vehicle on some excerpts. It depends upon the user’s personal choice, but it requires a lot of knowledge and “machine sense” to carry out the same over the bike’s mechanical and electrical organs. How one can modify their bike? What kind of basic knowledge and expertise one should bear while doing so? Such heavy question will walk lightly by the climax of this article.

Silencer or Exhaust Modifications

Have you ever felt the roar of a sports bike? No! Then you should visit a Sports-bike showroom at least once and get one test driven. This would either push you to think of buying one or you might look forward to modify your existing bike. The engine sound depends upon the silencer or exhaust of the bike. Usually, people get their bike’s silencer modified from a local dealer or mechanic without bringing some sort of intelligence to what they are doing.

Bike with modified exhaust

“Scavenging”, this is the process which takes place inside an engine to input the fresh air and exhaust the burnt smoke. It also handles the pace at which smoke gets out of it, as after the internal combustion, the pressure inside the engine becomes more than the atmospheric pressure and hence, it gets flown out of the silencer. The length of the exhaust depends upon the bike’s engine and is set by the manufacturer accordingly.

The silencer of the bike is mostly modified by either raising or lowering the height of the same. This means that the length is getting raised which requires more effort to push the smoke off the engine. The back pressure in this condition gets increased with a rise in the height and disturbance in angle. This creates a scene of suffocation inside the engine and most of the smoke didn’t get escaped. It circulates within the valves and cylinder with repeated processing. So it is advised to not to make any modifications with the bike’s silencer as it harms the engine. However, some brands offer such products with similar specification of the original one along with required sound.

Full Fibre Fairing on Air Cooled Engines

The fairing has been often noticed on some modified bikes which look either good or a complete disaster, being more precise, it looks disastrous. But it’s a personal choice which could vary person to person. Fairing of a bike resists air to contact the engine. This could be normal for oil and liquid cooled engines, but air cooled engines feels like choking the throat.

air cooled engine with full fairing

Air cooled engines are designed so as to maintain the temperature by the stream of air, which is grabbed via the air filter of the bike. Fairing is constructed around the engine and the headlight. Covering engine could make it feel thirsty and lowers the performance. It also increases the vehicle’s gross weight, which is nothing but a burden.

Still, if you want to add the same to your bike, then you can attach one which won’t be covering the engine completely and have a good number of gaps for air inlet.

Alloy Wheels and Broad Tyres

Alloy wheels have become a compulsory accessory in each bike as it increases the demand, sporty look, upmarket feel and lightens the body weight as well. On the other side, some bikes are there which doesn’t get the same. There are a good number of companies which deals in after market alloy wheels for all kinds of vehicles. People can get their bike modified with the one, suitable for their bike.

After market alloy wheels should meet manufacturer's specification

This must be carried out very cautiously. Buying unfit or non branded alloys may affect your bike’s performance abruptly. There were many cases seen when crash situations occurred due to cracked or imbalanced  alloys. After market alloy wheels can be purchased from branded stores which will provide you guarantee for the same. It must be noted that the alloy wheels are employed in pair. Buying alloys of different brands and design may affect the stability.

Broad tyres increase road grip

The bike’s equipped with narrow tyres usually doesn’t have that good grip over the roads which a bike with broad tyres do. For this, replacing bike’s tyres with broader ones is not at all a big deal as it increases grip over the roads, but it will definitely affect the pickup, the mileage and the road manners. One can switch them with slightly or just more than “slightly” broader tyres but they should not be overbroad. Over broad tyres will highly affect the stability.

over broad tyres may suit some bikes but not all

The information above will definitely help you while modifying your bike. There’s a lot more to come within this, so stay connected.

Inscribed by Rishi Jain


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