Whether you are riding long-distance or to a nearby diner, the beauty of riding a motorcycle is effortlessly gliding against the wind as you focus on the road to come. As your bike hugs the curves of the roads and you discover a long paved road that dissolves into the distance, your only wish is to accelerate faster to feel the power of your engine. While drastically improving your motorcycle’s factory claimed top speed is nearly impossible without rebuilding your motor, you can help your bike accelerate to this top speed with a few tweaks and add-ons. There are various tested methods that can help you achieve a faster motorcycle, as long as you are willing to put in the time, effort and money.
Changing Your Exhaust
One way to make your motorcycle faster is by upgrading your exhaust system. Your current exhaust may be a bit heavy, holding down your bike and preventing it from reaching its full speed potential. Trading your exhaust for a lighter, after-market exhaust system and adding a power commander can reduce this gravity substantially. This will also add power, torque and a quicker throttle response to your bike. Your new exhaust will help the engine expel the exhaust gas much quicker and efficiently than before, allowing your motorcycle to perform better. It will also sound like you are going faster- like music to your ears.
Find Lighter Alternatives
As mentioned above, an integral part to improving performance and speed is by reducing the weight of your motorcycle. This means switching to lighter alternatives and reducing the weight of everything below the suspension’s springs. This includes your hubs, fork legs, swingarm, rims, brake calibers and tires. Wheels are un-sprung weight that can be changed at a cheap price. A set of light aftermarket wheels can do the trick and get your riding faster in no time.
Replacing Your Tires
In addition to new wheels, you will need new tires that grip the road on extreme lean turns without needing to slow down. Worn down tires are not only dangerous but hinder the performance of your motorcycle greatly. Before purchasing any set of tires, it is important to do your research and make sure that the tires you get are best suited for your bike. You can research opinions of other bikers on forums or find reviews and ratings online.
Suspension Adjustments
Making your motorcycle faster also means improving the way it handles. If you do not already have a high quality adjustable suspension, adding one to your bike will allow it to respond to your weight and to every movement you make. Adjusting the compression and dampening settings to your weight will not add any more miles per hour to your speed but ensure that your bike accelerates and responds quickly to your commands. This may only save you a few seconds of time. However, every second counts when riding a motorcycle.
Set Up Your Suspension Professionally
Bringing your suspension into line and setting up a new suspension can be complicated tasks to take on. While there are several videos and informational guides you can follow online, chances are you will not be able to get springs into shape as good as a suspension specialist would. Having your suspension set up by a professional is a worthy investment you will not regret. You can obtain referrals from fellow bikers or employees at your mechanic or local motorcycle dealer. Keep in mind you will need a recommendation that fits your bike’s specific brand.
Adjusting Your Gearing
A highly effective way to improve your motorcycle’s speed and acceleration is by playing around with gear ratios. There are several combinations you can find on the internet that bikers have tested on their very own motorcycles. You will notice that different combinations work better for others and those with certain bike models. The process of adjusting your gear generally involves removing and adding teeth to your either of your two sprockets.
Replacing Your Brakes
Going fast also means being able to make fast and sudden stops when needed. You will need to have brakes you can trust so that you can comfortably push your motorcycle to faster speeds. This will require replacing your current brakes with new after-market brakes. Not only does this entail adding new brake pads and steel-braided brake lines, but you will need advanced disc brakes as well. Keep in mind that the larger and lighter your brakes are the better.
Rebuild Your Engine
If you still are not satisfied with your motorcycle’s power, you can looking into a built motor. Keep in mind that this option is generally expensive. However, this is the only true way to build up your motorcycle’s maximum speed.
Buy a Designated Speed Bike
No matter how many measures you take to make your bike faster, chances are you are not going to risk damaging your bike to fulfill that extra need for speed. Even with your new lightweight parts and adjusting gearing, your bike may not ever feel you accelerate those additional 10 miles per hour. Especially after all the time and money you have invested into it, your motorcycle is probably one of your most prized possessions and you would hate to see anything happen to it. Instead, you can purchase a cheaper dedicated track bike that you can practice your technique on and ride as fast as you want.
Sign up for Track School
Do not rely on your motorcycle to do all of the work. You can become a faster rider on any type of bike, moped or dirt bike, as long as you have the right skills and technique. There are dedicated track schools that are focused on training drivers how to race. They will teach you how to position your body appropriately, control the throttle and how to enter and exit a corner properly. Many of these schools offer their own bikes, allowing you to test your skills on a variety of models. If you want to ride as fast as a professional racer, this is the best and safest way to do it.
