My first goal was to shed some pounds, and the easy way to start was with the muffler. I installed an Akrapovic (pronounced A-crop-a-vich) slip-on with a quiet tip inserted. It reads 94 decibels and gives more snap off the bottom, but it does not make the bike faster. Weight loss was 3.3 pounds high and back! And you feel it.
Then there were no other easy ways to shed pounds; plus, I wanted to add protection to the frame rails and radiators, meaning adding weight. Works Connection has sano parts for this, especially a tight-fitting skid plate that protects better than the stock plastic pieces do. That is especially good for the engine oil filter, which upon inspection had been hit by a rock and was cracking. The downside of any aluminum plate is the increased noise, but it will prevent broken cases. I replaced the filter with a Ready Racing stainless steel filter that came with an anodized cover. The chain guide was bent and heavily worn. The best solution was a TM Designworks guide that can stand up to rock hits and won't deform. Add to my bent-parts list both of the disc rotors. I chose EBC's beefier-than-stock rotors and the MX sintered compound pads. Out back, I sampled the red pads for brake draggers (Dirt Rider Tested soon!). A Scotts billet shark fin/caliper carrier replaced the stocker and its missing plastic shield.
My battery problem was traced to a loose connection near the voltage regulator we'd installed for our 24-Hour. Since the battery didn't like to hold a strong charge, I replaced it. Probably the biggest question is, How are the valves holding up? Well, at 57 hours, they were all within spec, and the intakes actually got just a hair looser since the last check at 26 hours-most likely because I had been very good about keeping the air filter clean and the oil fresh even though the bike had been run hard.
Running Tally
Hours on the bike: 57 (17 hours since last update)
Modification cost total: $1303.60
Akrapovic slip-on: $489.95
Works Connection skid plate: $195.00
Works Connection radiator
guards: $59.95
Ready Racing Comp Flow oil filter and cover: $59.95
Powersport Grafx Gripz graphics: shrouds, $99.95; airbox, $39.95; preprinted number backgrounds, $49.95
Repair cost total: $508.06
TM Designworks chain guide: $67.95
EBC brake rotors: front, $99.00; Contour rear, $115.00
Scotts shark fin: $129.95
Battery from Honda: $96.16
Maintenance and consumable parts: $118.58* EBC brake pads: front, $32.00; rear, $32.00
Honda HP4 Moly: $7.69
Honda HP4: $7.19
1 set of Dunlop D756 tires:
front, $90.69; rear, $95.34
(not including tires)