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Kempz44
23rd June 2013, 18:45
basically, i need your guys help with modifying my bike! Im an 18 year old boy with a 2000 Honda CB400 SF (hyper vtec one) - terrible combination of age and bike haha.

I was just wondering what easy, simple and cheap mods there are that i can do to make by bike look better? Just small things like changing the colour of certain bolts and the like?


Cheers.

Moooools
23rd June 2013, 19:44
Cutting spokes out of the wheel is a really easy thing to do and makes the bike look great. Gives it that really modern look. Just use a hacksaw to remove the ones you aren't using.

You can mask up the whole bike apart from the bolt heads and then spray them all purple or something. Gives it that retro look.

Monter Energy stickers can be gotten for really cheap and are quite a nice modern addition that is popular nowadays.

Change all of your speedo numbers to MPH rather than KM/H. Gives the bike a real classic British look.

Paint the inside of your fuel tank chrome. It brings that little bit of happiness every time you open the gas cap. Don't worry about removing the gas first as it actually helps the paint set.

Performance wise if you put thicker fuel lines on you can usually squeeze out another 5hp or so.

Cross drilling the exhaust is something that seems to have been forgotten these days but can have huge gains (up to 50%) over stock. Really cool old school trick that gives the bike a nice Moto GP note.

If you can be bothered taking the head of then you can get a hole saw and stick it down the bore. This will give you some extra capacity without having to buy a new piston as the rings will just expand into the gaps.

Putting fatter tyres on gives way more grip. That is an easy one to do when your tyres wear out. It essentially doesn't cost you anything as you need to replace them anyway.

A front end off a Harley should bold straight in. These have much more travel and so are much nicer on our NZ roads. The americans have been building bikes forever and know how to make suspension just right.

That just about covers everything I know works. I have a few more things that I want to try out myself before I go telling other people that it will work.

DrunkenMistake
23rd June 2013, 19:56
Cutting spokes out of the wheel is a really easy thing to do and makes the bike look great. Gives it that really modern look. Just use a hacksaw to remove the ones you aren't using.

You can mask up the whole bike apart from the bolt heads and then spray them all purple or something. Gives it that retro look.

Monter Energy stickers can be gotten for really cheap and are quite a nice modern addition that is popular nowadays.

Change all of your speedo numbers to MPH rather than KM/H. Gives the bike a real classic British look.

Paint the inside of your fuel tank chrome. It brings that little bit of happiness every time you open the gas cap. Don't worry about removing the gas first as it actually helps the paint set.

Performance wise if you put thicker fuel lines on you can usually squeeze out another 5hp or so.

Cross drilling the exhaust is something that seems to have been forgotten these days but can have huge gains (up to 50%) over stock. Really cool old school trick that gives the bike a nice Moto GP note.

If you can be bothered taking the head of then you can get a hole saw and stick it down the bore. This will give you some extra capacity without having to buy a new piston as the rings will just expand into the gaps.

Putting fatter tyres on gives way more grip. That is an easy one to do when your tyres wear out. It essentially doesn't cost you anything as you need to replace them anyway.

A front end off a Harley should bold straight in. These have much more travel and so are much nicer on our NZ roads. The americans have been building bikes forever and know how to make suspension just right.

That just about covers everything I know works. I have a few more things that I want to try out myself before I go telling other people that it will work.

http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/272/490/711.png

AllanB
23rd June 2013, 19:56
The post above forgot to mention changing the turn signal oil ........

Best mods for a bike are often not cosmetic - have you changed the brake fluid? If not it may be years old - a change can make a big difference.
likelise front fork oil and suspension set up.

Tyres - how old, what condition etc if old throw them away and replace with something decent that will stick in all conditions.

Coloured bolts and the like can be purchased off the net as can a pile of cosmetic bling.

What do YOU want to do to it is the real question.

EJK
23rd June 2013, 19:59
Here are some pro tips:

Cut holes on your bike frame to save weight. Heres how Shervin RRR did.

http://www.zx-10r.net/forum/showthread.php?t=89168


Here is another dude whos done some significant amount of work to his 250 exhaust.
http://www.ninja250forum.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=3395.0

ducatilover
23rd June 2013, 20:03
First thing to do to one of those is throw the pogo stick rear shocks out and get something aftermarket, you can buy all sorts of sexy bits for them overseas, they're popular in the UK and in lots of Asian countries
:2thumbsup

AllanB
23rd June 2013, 20:04
Awwww guys, leave him alone. Next you'll be telling him rim stripes at horsepower (actually I have some spare ones for sale!!!!!).

A big, erect penis painted on the top of the tank can also help attract women folk...........

The Reibz
23rd June 2013, 20:33
http://www.ninja250forum.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=3395.0

That is honestly the coolest shit I have ever seen. What a glorious shitstorm...

New tires, brake pads, fluids and plugs. Best mods you will ever do.
Take your air filter out too, will fuck the bike but sounds mean and you will go fucken hard!

nzspokes
23rd June 2013, 20:35
Fit a gold powerband.

Coyote
23rd June 2013, 20:45
Serious answer:

ducatilover is right about the shocks. Simple enough job but not cheap (at least good shocks won't be cheap).

A thorough groom will help. A bucket of non-corrosive degreaser and various size paint brushes to get in around the engine and where chain grime flings too. Have a good go at the brake dust, but that may need stronger cleaners to shift. Take covers off for better access. The great thing about Hondas is generally the paint stays on them, on a Suzuki you'll discolour paint or strip it with many good cleaners.

Stronger brake dust cleaners require care/patience/experience. They can harm/discolour paint and alloys hate the stuff (they go cloudy, a bitch to polish back). Test an inconspicuous spot of what you want to clean before doing the lot. Stay away from alloy wheels or swingarms. Use with caution.

Autosol will be your best friend if you like keeping metals clean. Depends on how much chrome and exposed alloy you have. A proper Chrome cleaner will help remove smudges left behind by Autosol to make chrome absolutely spotless.

Coloured bolts aren't great. The anodised finish fades quickly. The red gas cap bolts on my Aprilia are a dull pinkish-silver. Stainless bolts are much nicer. Just don't use them on load bearing components (brake caliper bolts) and use a anti-crossive thread sealant so they don't crust up inside their threads (though I'm pretty bad at not doing this). My $400 scooter has $100 spent on it just in stainless nuts and bolts.

Use mild-medium cutting compounds for paintwork to get the majority of scratches out. Only use polishes that are safe for clear coat paint (anything harsher is designed for older paint than what your bike will have, they'll cause more damage than they'll fix).

Sandblasting and Powercoating is pretty cheap. If your painted wheels are very stone chipped or abused by clumsy mechanics switching tyres over, getting someone else to sort them out for you is not much more expensive than spending hours sanding and using spray cans at home. Still looking at a couple hundred bucks, but it'll be worth it.

Alloy fork legs can be sanded down to remove stone chips.

Switching the handlebars over can be cheap, depending on the bars you buy. Various colours and bends available. A very satisfying mod I reckon.

There's heaps more I can say. Post some photos of the bike and we can point out things that can be done.

Coyote
23rd June 2013, 20:50
New tires, brake pads, fluids and plugs. Best mods you will ever do.
Take your air filter out too, will fuck the bike but sounds mean and you will go fucken hard!
New tyres and brake pads are cheaper than new bars, mufflers, footpegs, levers, pants, boots, helmet, etc.

New fluids are cheaper than new piston rings too.

Kempz44
23rd June 2013, 21:05
284258

Thats my bike, i was thinking of changing the wheels over to a gold wheel which looks really good, but it would be costly
Also, i have already changed both sets of indicators and cut off the bottom of the plastic number plate holder thing

DrunkenMistake
23rd June 2013, 21:16
Thats my bike, i was thinking of changing the wheels over to a gold wheel which looks really good, but it would be costly
Also, i have already changed both sets of indicators and cut off the bottom of the plastic number plate holder thing


You are probably looking at around $100 to sand blast and powder coat your rims,
Its alot cheaper than buying new rims

Akzle
23rd June 2013, 21:16
Here are some pro tips:

Cut holes on your bike frame to save weight. Heres how Shervin RRR did.

http://www.zx-10r.net/forum/showthread.php?t=89168


Here is another dude whos done some significant amount of work to his 250 exhaust.
http://www.ninja250forum.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=3395.0

fucking hilarious. But should probably be in the sickest jokes thread!

Coyote
23rd June 2013, 21:21
284258

Thats my bike, i was thinking of changing the wheels over to a gold wheel which looks really good, but it would be costly
Also, i have already changed both sets of indicators and cut off the bottom of the plastic number plate holder thing
It would be very difficult to get a gold set of wheels. It'd be cheaper/quicker/easier to have them blasted and powdercoated.

Tidying up the tail sounds like a good idea. Just make sure you've got another red reflector or you could fail it's next warrant.

Already looks like a pretty tidy bike. I'm thinking some bar end mirrors would look cool on it. You might be able to find a little headlight cowl (or something a bit bigger) (http://boldor1300.cocolog-nifty.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/12/29/photo_3.jpg) to customise the front. A bellypan would be cool too. But that's starting to get expensive.

Getting the pipes HPC coated would be cool. Not sure on price, their site appears to be down. Colour is up to you. Black to blend in (match frame and motor), chrome or silver to stand out (match front end and swingarm).

That's most of the easy stuff I can think of. Everything from there starts getting pricier or more difficult. They're a cool bike regardless of what you do to it. First things first, service and groom it if you haven't done so already. Get the basics sorted first.

Coyote
23rd June 2013, 21:24
You are probably looking at around $100 to sand blast and powder coat your rims,
Its alot cheaper than buying new rims
Add in the cost of getting tyres taken off (if you don't wanna try it yourself) and putting them back on (get a pro to do it when you're dealing with fresh paint). Best get new tyres while you're at it.

AllanB
23rd June 2013, 21:53
Don't powercoat them.

Remove the wheels, have the tyres removed and sand and clean the stit out of the existing paint or pay to have them sandblasted.

You can get proper car paint put in a pan, any colour you like and a good etching primer from the same supplier. Sit the cleaned wheels in the sun so their temp is at least 10 degrees and prime then carefully top coat - numerous light coats are better than heavy ones.

Allow to dry for several days.

If you do it well it will last as long as factory paint.

There are a couple of places in CHCH that put paint into a can, bound to be some your way.

The Reibz
23rd June 2013, 22:07
Don't powercoat them.

Remove the wheels, have the tyres removed and sand and clean the stit out of the existing paint or pay to have them sandblasted.

You can get proper car paint put in a pan, any colour you like and a good etching primer from the same supplier. Sit the cleaned wheels in the sun so their temp is at least 10 degrees and prime then carefully top coat - numerous light coats are better than heavy ones.

Allow to dry for several days.

If you do it well it will last as long as factory paint.

There are a couple of places in CHCH that put paint into a can, bound to be some your way.

+1

I have painted my own rims this way and it really does work. My old powder coat came off with paint stripper. Used progressive grades of sand paper on the dish

Coyote
23rd June 2013, 22:18
+1

I have painted my own rims this way and it really does work. My old powder coat came off with paint stripper. Used progressive grades of sand paper on the dish
That looks mint!

I'm all for powdercoating since it's easier. Depends on the project.

Coyote
23rd June 2013, 22:19
Here's some inspiration! http://www.jokers-web.com/

98tls
23rd June 2013, 22:34
Here's some inspiration! http://www.jokers-web.com/

:killingmeWTF.

98tls
23rd June 2013, 22:48
+1

I have painted my own rims this way and it really does work. My old powder coat came off with paint stripper. Used progressive grades of sand paper on the dish

Anyone that does that to a set of rims:wacko:understandable that you bought a Busa.

ducatilover
23rd June 2013, 23:05
Polish the headers on your one too, they look real nice when you do
Buy HH brake pads for it, and as everyone said do the fluids.


My CB had Hagon shocks on it and it rode far, far better than standard.
I also did a hori de-baffle and rejetted the carbs to suit

The Reibz
23rd June 2013, 23:13
Anyone that does that to a set of rims:wacko:understandable that you bought a Busa.

Lol, the rims I painted were for my FZR project. I reckon they suit the bike quite well.

Coyote
24th June 2013, 22:50
:killingmeWTF.
Japan.

That's enough of an explanation really, but some more info: the style is called Bosozoku. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C5%8Ds%C5%8Dzoku) Here's a bike! (http://www.drifting.com/forums/attachments/general-chat-drifting-discussion-news-and-site-updates/2053d1078889106-the-bike-scene-in-japan-bike3.jpg) And here's a car! (http://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/news/your-guide-to-the-japanese-car-culture-54990_1.jpg)

There are some genuinely awesome machines (http://rthirtytwotaka.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/gtr-hakosuka.jpg) in the scene. but outlandish stuff is encouraged.

And if you found that funny, do a google image search on "Dekotora" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dekotora).

the oldstuff
9th August 2013, 18:46
basically, i need your guys help with modifying my bike! Im an 18 year old boy with a 2000 Honda CB400 SF (hyper vtec one) - terrible combination of age and bike haha.

I was just wondering what easy, simple and cheap mods there are that i can do to make by bike look better? Just small things like changing the colour of certain bolts and the like?


Cheers.

throw a blanket over it

or get your girlfriend to sit on it naked

Slorider
4th May 2014, 00:16
http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/272/490/711.png

lol-nice one!