What would your first upgrade be?
 

I will be picking up a 2004 VTR that is bone stock with 3900 miles on it in early June. I will use this mainly for canyon runs and fun rides with the wife on the back. I was thinking about gutting the Exhaust or going with an aftermarket company and then a re-jet in the carbs. I have riden alot in the past but the last two years I have not ridden so I figure that while im getting acustom to my new love that it would be a good time to make a list and build the savings. I would call my riding skill at a level 3 out of 5, well atleast I was :rolleyes:. This is my first V-twin and im excited to get home and ride it. :)

Suspension.....

Race Tech re-valve with gold valves or do you recommend another company? also should I replace the shock or re build?

front brake. I can handle the loose suspension(but I'm about 175-180 with gear) but I can't stand the lousy brakes

If you're going to do 2-up canyon rides, I'd say suspension, front and rear, is a must.

At 5'10" and 150 pounds the stock suspension works well for me during spirited canyon runs. I learned quickly to weight the front in corners. But my wife rides her own bike, an SV650S. If I was doing a lot of 2-up, I would have the suspension reworked. A couple of members do top quality suspension work, Greg Nemish=forks, and Jamie Daugherty=rear shocks.

I have read about people using cbr900rr master cylinder and calipers, wasnt sure if it was really that bad, and would ss brake lines help that? also what about steering stabizer? needed or just a want to have item?

VTRsurfer, The canyon runs will be run with just myself on the bike... I dont dare put her thru that, I cant stand the screaming or the hitting on the back of the head. The only two-up I will be doing is the around town and for a nice cruise out on the town and maybe dinner. I am 5'10'' and right at 160. Sounds like I should do it either way.

Depending on how long you ride in one sitting, I'd say either suspension or a Sargent seat.

Negative on a steering damper. If the suspension is properly set up then it is not required.

Jamie can do both. I'm deploying for 7 months very soon....unless you want to wait a while.

Hawkrider, well the issue is that I am deployed right now from Whidbey Island and I will be returning late May. I need to fly down to Southern California to pick the bike up. When are you headding out of country?

Soon. If I told you I'd have to kill you.... :)

Enough time to get a little bit of riding in, wash, wax, and winterize the bikes and car. Maybe some good food, some sex, and a couple of beers.

I hear all of that. Pre and Post are the best things about deployment. I figure I will have the suspension done before summers over. maybe with in the next 3 months since it seems like its what everyone is talking about. what company has the best kits and materials... anyone?

A big +1 on the Sargent seat, especially for 2-up. You won't get pushed up on the tank as much. I rode on the stock seat for 2 1/2 years and wished I'd replaced it sooner.

Right on, I'll order the seat soon.

For a stock VTR: CCT & R/R

Cans

Screen

Suspension

You don't have to do anythingbut ride it honestly. But if it were me starting again and doing what you describe: seat. Penske shock. New springs. HH pads and braided lines. Those are by the biggest margin best bang for buck. Everything else is twice the work and 10% of the
gains.

I understand... After i have enough money to buy another bike for the wife I will thow a 2 bros exhaust and re-jet it so it can breath sound the way it was made to sound. MEAN! I just dont want to drown her out with the exhaust note... yet.

Keep in mind that just about any aftermarket exhaust is a huge weight savings. IIRC, the stock slip ons are 22 lbs. She's a little on the porky side when stock. Do what you can to trim weight as you go through the mods. It pays dividends in handling and power to weight ratio. Bike alone, 1 hp = 4 lbs.

Damn! Thats alright though. I like to put bikes on diets, plus in the winter time it tends to rain a bit in WA so it gives me time to pull everything out and start fromt the inside out... But those are big plans. I just want to ride. I also just purchased a sargent seat. Pretty excited.

Aftermarket goodies
 

Going +2 in the rear will be a huge improvement over stock puts the bike in the power band.

What RPM would that put me in 6th gear @ 75-80mph? I dont want to beat up on it for the freeway rides to and from the canyons.

Rpm
 

About 700 more then you have now without touching the front sprocket. This helps the clutch when taking off from a light during riding 2 up. Good amount of guys have changed both sprockets to -1/+2 and with this setup will add 1k. The bike loves speeds ranging around 50-70. The other day i raced a BMW bike in 6th on the expressway and forgot to downshift and still had enough power to keep up. At 80 you can downshift 2 gears. This setup has power right up to the rev limiter in 6 gear (170ish vibration made it difficult to look). I would not suggest any deeper then that, or gas mpg will be effected. I get about 110 miles before RLOD but I'm deep into the throttle at times and love the rumble and pop while downshifting. No other mod will make your bike preform like this under 100 bucks.

Do nothing to your bike. it's compitent and reliable the way it is. Ride/enjoy for a while and then decide for yourself what is important.

you do NOT need more power from this bike. The torque will serve you well for two up riding.
Brakes are fine on the bike unless you are really using them hard. I have never run into braking problems except on the track.
Exhaust is not necessary unless you just want to sound cool.
Suspension is not great, but adequate for street riding. If you feel the need, focus on the front before the rear.
Seat is a personal rear end choice. I've owned a number of various types of bikes and never upgraded from stock and have been perfectly comfortable. Check yours out on some long rides first before spending the cash.
I'm not a CCT replacement advocate. Mine are fine at 20,000+ and I don't have to manually adjust/check.
Gearing is also not needed.

If you plan to take it to a track, then many of the upgrades mentioned here can be positives.

Old Yeller, Thanks for the tips. I agree with what you are saying. I have never ridden the bike yet and wont be hitting it hard until I get comfortable on it. I would guess that I would have atleast 3K in the saddle before I get comfortable. The track may be in the future, depends if the wife will let me have 5 bikes in the garage. Im thinking not.

Oh and what is the "CCT"? Cam Chain Tensioner?

+1 to Old Yeller
The bike has been ridden very little and, while it may look good, it's been neglected. After reading the owner's manual and assuming that the carbs don't need cleaning, I'd do regular maintenance including changing the brake and clutch fluid, fork oil, coolant and oil, checking wheel alignment and adjusting and lubing the chain and put new tires on it. I'd adjust the clutch, brake and gear change levers so the bike fits me and set the sag front and rear. Then I'd ride it and have fun.
I'd make lists of things I feel need changing and use that to guide my purchase of upgrades. Investing in a track day or advanced rider training may be the best upgrade of all. Sermon over.

I guess I'm feeling nastalgic. Many of us, myself included, feel the need to alter or modify the bike for a variety of reasons. However, as these bikes age more and become more of a rarity, it'd be really cool to have an unmolested version for people to oggle over. I wish I still had my old V45 sabre. :(

my 1st upgrade should have been to leave it the hell alone,see my project modding madness.

on a serious note,brakes and suspension is all it needs.

:iagree:

Maintainance... Then ride...

However one thing doesn't age gracefully on the VTR (or most other bikes) and that is the electrical system, and specifically the Rectifier/Regulator or R/R...

I would add going over the electrical system with an ohmmeter to your list, cleaning as neccessary and lubing/protecting with plain white vaseline... It will never fix a failed R/R, but it keeps them from failing unneccesary... And perhaps put a swap to a more modern R/R on the list of future upgrades for reliability...

Oh, sidenote... Keep anything related to WD40, or 5-56 or whatever the name, away from electronics... That never, ever helps...

Mods
 

Not modding is the hardest mod not to do. Sure there are a lot of guys saying don't do it. But it's like being 16 in high school and hearing everyone say just wait. Yes you have a virgin bike and it would be cool to keep it like that, however.... Once you start changing things it become a domino effect.
Play it safe, keep your original parts, don't change something that can't be changed back and enjoy your ride.

Btw when was the last time a 100% stocker made ride of the month? (I am being serious here)

I have to agree with all this.

Now if you really want a return on mod'ing something...... Go do a track day or two. In other words mod. the rider. That is the best investment you can make. ;)