You turn on the ignition switch; a beckoning green light tells you that the beast has awakened.
The heart beats, blood gushing through the vein like a devastating flood breaks through the weakened dam.
You slowly push the starter— the motor wheel spins the crankshaft and guided by the timing chain, an ignition plug keeps throwing sparks at 20000 volts, creating a mess inside the cylinder where air and fuel mixture is constantly compressed by the piston and later it pushes the burnt material through the exhaust, creating the melody your ear craves for. As the roar overpowers the surrounding with you rev it hard, you are now ready to race against the wind leaving everything behind— sometimes your life as well. But hey, don’t leave your life behind just now, at least not on a stock engine.
Stock doesn’t add many thrills, not what’s available around here. So, if you want to push the engine forward, why don’t you tune it today— in the most inexpensive ways!
it's a beast, he said & I agreed!But where to begin— if you are asking me, I’d always start with the maintenance. Regular maintenance.
What’s with the Maintenance?
Maintenance is simple; just give what your bike deserves. To be precise, regularly check the tyres, lube moving parts, change engine oil after recommended miles, and of course, double-check safety issues unless you want to take it to heaven with you.
I used to lube every external moving part, including the clutch and brake lever, connecting points of throttle & clutch cable, foot paddles, and wherever it deemed necessary. And it was my every weekend plan for the first hour of the day.
Also, allow sufficient time to circulate engine oil inside the engine to get to the parts before you roll on the road. It prevents excessive friction and increases longevity. All of these works may seem to add nothing to the speed tuning; trust me, they keep the machine speed-ready when you need it.
A good set of tyres also fall into this category. At the same time, they are directly connected to safety and top speed. Worn-out tyres don’t give you a good grip on the road, meaning poor performance. So, always use top-notch tyres that are in fairly usable condition for high speed. Maintain recommended air pressure to avoid more fuel consumption and discomfort during the ride.
Aftermarket Air Filter
Air filter is cheap— no doubt. You can simply gain more speed by changing your stock air filter as it is too congested, strangling air when entering the combustion chamber. The more you allow air to enter the engine, the bigger the explosion will be. So, more power and, as a result, more speed.
But you need to get rid of this burnt gas ASAP to invite a new batch of the air-fuel mixture. Otherwise, it won’t add more power to your motorcycle.
To be honest, air intake, exhaust, and carb/ECU tuning go hand in hand. Do all of them, or no significant change will be observed— it’s that simple.
Carb Tuning/ECU Remapping
The air-fuel mixture has to be monitored/regulated by something to make it efficient. It can either be economical, meaning better mileage, or better performance, meaning more power and speed. Tune your carburetor for the latter one, as you are after speed, not the mileage, as you have MONI— a lot of it. Ask your mechanic to do it properly.
Here’s another thing— modern bikes have an EFI system, an automated air-fuel mixture regulation system that delivers the combination at the level your engine asks for. That is, if you are riding solo and casually, the electronic signal will ask it to utilise less fuel. But if you are pushing it hard or the terrain demands so (i.e. climbing sloppy mountains), the system will automatically adjust the air-fuel ratio to deliver more power. To mess with this, I mean to ask it to deliver performance constantly; you need to work on the ECU. And trust me, you don’t want an average mechanic to work on the ECU.
One more thing, you need an effective spark to burn that mixture. Hence, a better ignition plug is necessary— Iridium/Platinum will do the job. Don’t forget the spark cable; upgrade it too.
Performance Exhaust
Most brands launching motorcycles on our part go for the economy. Can’t complain, though. So, the whole package comes with fuel-efficient parts, including exhaust.
To release the gas faster, install a performance exhaust— preferably a racing one. The aftermarket exhaust system is lightweight, mostly made with Titanium or Carbon-fibre. They look good and sound good too. But watch out for cops around.
Chain Sprocket
The most effective bike mod to get more speed. It’s affordable and causes no harm to the engine as long as you keep the combination right.
Wheels move when the chain sprocket pulls it. So, if you find a way to complete one circulation of the sprocket quicker than before, it will move faster— simple physics.
But, there’s something you should be aware of.
Changing sprocket size (in terms of teeth) either increase acceleration or the top speed. Install a smaller sprocket (fewer teeth) on the front, and it will increase the acceleration, which is good for the drag race. Install a bigger sprocket at the rear, and you will get more top speed.
So, do you want to get more top or a quick boost at the beginning? Choose your sprockets accordingly.
Lighter kits
Get rid of unnecessary kits that may resist swift airflow. It’s a common practice that we see among young bikers. They install various kits to decorate the bike and then complain about the poor performance on the road.
Personally, I don’t think the designers have left any stones unturned to balance between performance and its look. So, any addition without proper lab testing has negative effects on it. I can’t prove it, but my guts say so.
Although it’s an expensive modification, replacing heavy parts with lighter ones will add more top speed. This can be aftermarket exhaust, rims, swing arms, and even handlebars. The more you lose weight, the faster it gets within the power capacity.
I know I have missed many things. Some crucial and more technical factors that increase top speed are also skipped to keep it simple and more budget-friendly. Feel free to add them in the comments.
See you at over 130 :p