Best no or low cost improvements for the S?

[villinski]

Wise Ones,

I recently came into possession of one of my "dream bikes," a 2000 R11S. Silver, ABS, TBR exhaust, SJ Powerfilter, Techlusion, Corbin, heated grips, accy outlet, 27K miles, to which I have added system cases and Marsee tankbag. So far, so good (although mileage is not so good around town, even as I lean-out the Techlusion)....

Anyway, seems to me there are always a handful of tweaks possible for any vehicle that improve it slightly or significantly; some cost nothing, and some just a few dollars. Will you, Wise Ones, deign to share with us newbies your favorite inexpensive fixes/mods/tweaks? TIA.

cheers,
Paul

[John Lyon]

Precut "Tankslapper" plastic sheeting for the knee area on the tank. Stops the paint from getting worn and costs next to nothing.

[gigantic]

Best no cost? check your tire pressure. best low cost? tires and HH brake pads.
L

[SandCityFlyer]

Welcome to Pelican, Paul

You'll get a lot of good advice here. I hope you'll enjoy your S as much as I do. I recommend changing over to stainless steel hardware as the painted bits start looking shabby. I spend a lot of time, and just a bit of money, polishing previously aluminum painted parts with Simichrome. Everything else is expensive! Hope to see you again if you get out west, and bring your glider! This is still the best riding and flying on the West Coast.

Cheers,

Jerry Miller
Monterey

[Bart_dood]

Originally posted by John Lyon
Precut "Tankslapper" plastic sheeting for the knee area on the tank. Stops the paint from getting worn and costs next to nothing.

I presume you mean clear plastic film that you cut to shape and stick on the fairing? Where do you get this stuff, I might be interested in some myself.

[John Lyon]

http://thetankslapper.com/

I got the non-adhesive type, and it comes precut for the R1100S. Its been on for about 3 years with no problems. I only put the side pieces on (I used a different type of protector for the top of the tank in front of the seat).

[markjenn]

You certainly want to have good tires on the bike. Not skimping on tires or trying to get the last few miles out of a set is probably the best low-cost improvement I can think of.

Next is careful suspension sorting, perhaps with a re-spring or a new damper. I know, replacing the shocks doesn't constitute low-cost, but if the shocks are poorly set up or sacked, you can't get the bike to handle properly.

A lot of people swear by the shorter paralever arm from the GS (or one of the fancy aftermarket ones). I personally prefer the stock one, but I'm in the minority.

Experimenting with different windshields can make huge differences in the bike's comfort and aesthetics.

Sounds like you have a good bike, so go ride. Welcome.

- Mark

[Chris Canning]

Without doubt if your only going to do one thing change the paralever either fit a GS if it's a model that hasn't got one on,or better still a Verholen ajustable arm,the S standard or B/C any version, steers like a wheel barrow in stock trim you can transform it.

[Steve Carlton]

Welcome, Paul. If you can, post a pic of your bike here:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads6/My_bike21129692653.jpg

You might see some mods you like, or we might see something to suggest, such as removing or relocating your fuel vapor cannister (if it isn't done already). On mine you can see the relocated cannister, cylinder head guards, and clear turn signal lenses. The shorter paralever arm from the GS is very popular, and considered the most bang for the buck. There's some trade-offs, so study up on that first. Consider a rear hugger, too. First I'd make sure all your servicing is up to date. Replace your battery if it's the original one.

[jweicht]

A hair OT, but even after owning my S for some time I see a simple profile pic like Steve's and I say "Damn, that's a good looking bike!". Subjective, I know, but the GS I owned previously just never brought out comments like that. One of the reasons I traded it on the S and never looked back!

[rob_wijhenke]

Use only original stork grease for all bearings;

Install an afterburner exhaust tip. This will add at least 12hp to the astonishing stock 98 hp. See below:

[bradzdotcom]

the most significant improvement per dollar spent on your bike would be:

putting money into YOU.

take lessons. do a track day.
when you ride safer/better, the bike goes quicker/faster.
plus, there's very little wrenching involved, no sitting on the porch waiting for the UPS guy to deliver something, and what you learn at your first track day will easily bump performance more than any bolt-on, weld-on, grind-off procedure i've ever seen.

[jduke]

For less than $80, I'll second the GS torque arm. I would have voted for Rob's stork grease, but the import tax puts it more than the torque arm....

[maxer900]

Ok I would like to know more about this GS Torque arm / paralever mod.
I did a search and found nothing specific. Is this as simple as replacing the torque arm for the shaft drive with the GS unit? Or is it replacing the entire shaft drive unit with the GS unit?
How does it improve the bike specifically.
Can someone help a newbie out?

thanks

[jduke]

It's a very simple switch. Put the bike up on the center stand. Support the rear drive, and remove the old arm. Replace with the new arm.
Two things to watch out for: 1 - when you remove the old arm, the rear end will turn downward, make sure it's supported. 2 - you need to put, I believe 184 pounds of weight on the seat, when you torque the bolts.
You'll need a second pair of hands.

[tbsstunta]

Bear in mind that putting on the other torque arm will raise the seat height. That's the reason for doing it as it emulates dropping the front end on traditional forks to speed up handling. If you are tipsy-toed at the moment then it might not be the way to go.

Best free mod is to learn how to do the valves yourself. Going to the dealer every 6k miles gets real expensive in a hurry. And its super simple to do; search around as someone posted an idiots guide.

[jduke]

Right! I forgot about that. Before I was flatfooted, but after the switch, I'm still flatfooted, but my knees are straighter.

[markjenn]

Another tradeoff with the shorter paralever arm is that you may need to put a strip of wood under the centerstand to get it to work properly. The sidestand lean angle will also increase. Some folks address this through welding on shims to the feet of the centerstand. I believe you can also use a longer sidestand from the BCR models.

- Mark

[Rapid Dog]

I vote for ergonomics...of course or new member of the tribe (welcome villinski!) is talking about cheap tweeks (verholan arm indeed!).
It looks like you've got all the good performance stuff.
Shocks are not cheap but a big change in feel and rideability when you buck-up for that.
If the bike feels god just as it is the ergos are moot.
If not, then the best adjustments are placement of your handlebars (hint hint) Suburban Machinery Peg Lowering kit for some leg room if needed, then your windscreen height...assuming your good with the seat and it's position inthe first place.
My2Sense

[Rapid Dog]

Here's another little fixit that I haven't done yet...replacing the cam tensioner so yo don't get that rattling noise on start up.
Pretty cheap to do.