What was your motivation?

[Micdalen]

After a short chat today, got to thinking. What was motivation for modding your bike? How about a little input and insight.

For some I would lean towards faster better handling bike, others it would be to make it unique to their personal tastes.


For myself, I have always been into to improving what the factory started with. Wanting to push the limits of what was there, and to make it unique to myself. Never wanted to park somewhere and take 30 minutes trying to figure out which car or bike was mine if someone parked next to me identical.

[bcsean]

yes, yes and yes. Plus I started with a beater, so it was a great excuse. I could never own a vehicle of any kind and just leave it alone.

[D3r3k]

i like it to be my own, somone comes up and says "Ive never seen anything like that before!!" is my motivation

[starspan]

+1 To wanting it to be my own. I have never kept anything that I own factory stock. The factory designs it to be cost effective. I design it to be rider effective.

[The CyberPoet]

Functionality for the riding that I actually do was the initial motivator. Hard luggage, better seat were the first changes, because those let me use the bike for both long-range riding and as a car-replacement for virtually anything (such as grocery shopping).

From there, it went on with more of the same (better tires with a full comparo test of six pairs, better horn for safety, better bulbs for visibility/safety, etc., etc. ).

I didn't install a purely "bling" item until my 4th year of ownership, and that was just the GSXF emblems because they did look so sweet...

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Anonymous]

becuase im a cronic tinkerer i have to take things apart jsut to see how they work and if i cant ti drives me nutz maybe some ocd in there too

[mystahagy]

chicks ... and I enjoy tinkering and doing something new to it.

[md86]

Mainly to keep it running and make it more "multi-purpose" . Luggage rack for trips to the store , along with bags . Corbin so I can ride LONGER (in theory ) , watch so I know what time it is . I DID paint a few things , but nothing major . I just didn't like how they looked . But one day ......

[bigbike-r]

I JUST LOVE TAKING THEM TO BITS!
BUT IT HAS TOLOOK GOOD TOO
MY TROUBLE IS WHY DO I ALWAYS HAVE SPARE NUTS AND BOLTS WHEN I PUT IT ALL BACK TOGETHER AGAIN.....LOL

[katana bob]

improved looks and performance for me. and making it my own. I haven't really done alot, some stuff was already done (shovel chop, flushmount rear signals, center stand removed) I added a wileyco slip on and a tinted windscreen and hopefully soon a gel seat for comfort. the next thing I would like to do is improve the suspension.

[TheKlic]

Mainly to keep it running ......

Yeah, basically

[slayergsxf1]

Bordem. and...lots of beer!!!

[naskie18]

I could never own a vehicle of any kind and just leave it alone.

Same here.

[DooD]

I had a few reasons for doing mine....One was that I was sick of having a stock, boring, plain ol' factory bike. Two, I REALLY wanted to take it apart, just for the hell of it. Three, I was sick of everyone I knew making fun of the Kat. Four, I saw Waltari's Kat, and figured that since he could screw with his, I could screw with mine. (Damn you!....errrrr...... Thank you!) Five, I wanted to assess the majority of the complaints that just about everybody has with the Kats, and correct it. Power? Plenty. Brakes? yip! Suspension....the best! Looks? Well...dunno about that, but I think I did pretty good. :P

Since completion, there hasn't been but a day that I don't hear either "what kind of bike is that? It's wicked!" from the non-riders, or "What in the world is a GSXF?" from various riders.

Last weekend, I had a guy ask me if it was a TLR...A few weeks before that, a young guy made it out as a Hayabusa....

Plus, now I can make comments about all the 'tiny little litrebikes' at the local hangouts, and when the squids scoff at my Katana, I just smile.

[mx916]

Functionality first. I fabbed higher bars for my aching wrists, Corbin seat for my back and butt, gel grips for tingling hands, soft throw-over bags for weekend trips, backrest for rare trip wife takes. A few carbon look accents sprinkled about with non-stock decals in place and I am good to go. Motor is all stock but well maintained and never abused. I believe the longevity of these motors comes from the stock design.