So, I know there's a whole section on mods you can make to your C-10 more user friendly. This thread is so that people can share their favorite ones. This thead is intended to enlighten some of our newer owners around here, as the 'veteran' Connie owners have probably already done some/most/all of these.
I've had my bike for over 50K miles now, and there are two inexpensive farkles that I have added to my bike early on that I thank myself for having them every time I'm doing some sort of maintenance on the bike. Murphs carries both of these btw.
The first is thumbscrews for the side panels (
This kind, not the
torture ones...). The left panel accesses to the fuse box, the right panel accesses the rear shock adjuster. I find myself pulling the right panel fairly often (to check the air pressure in the shock), so having thumbscrews (or side cover knobs as Murphs refers to them as) saves a lot of time. The ones Murphskits has are ideal, reasonably inexpensive and complement the bike nicely!
http://www.murphskits.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_95&products_id=90the second is having quick release fuel tank pins. Essentially this replaces the screws that secure the tank with posts that accomodate hairpins. I don't pull my tank that often, but when I do, again these save me a bit of time (i.e. not having to fiddle with a screwdriver). Also, it saves a little effort by not having to put the screws back in when your done if the tank isn't sitting perfectly and you need to shift it. With this kit, the tank slips over the posts, voila! Yeah, you still have to keep track of the hairpins, but I usually just put them back in the posts once the tank is off, so that I don't lose them.
http://www.murphskits.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_95&products_id=101Some other thoughts:
I also recommend having a vent in your windscreen (in whichever windscreen you end up with, FYI I have a Cee Bailey). That extra bit of fresh air coming through the windscreen vent on summer days is kinda nice. And you can always block/tape it off in cooler weather if the cold air becomes bothersome.
I also like the
accessory fuse block which I added, but that isn't necessarily something every Connie rider will need (i.e. you'll probably want this once you begin adding electrical accessories)
Other mods (handlebars vs bar risers, seat mods, etc.) often have multiple solutions, and each rider has their own preferences on these, but the two I mentioned at the beginning of this thread (thumbscrews, tank pin kit) are simply just nice to have, and are well worth their inexpensive price.
I find lowered pegs/kneesavers as a nice addition, but these aren't 'essential' mods, and they are a bit pricey (for those of us on a budget). If you happen to break a peg, though, this provides an excellent excuse to get these. And btw these are a lot more comfortable than the bolt that I was using as a temporary peg, and I like them better than the stock pegs although I seem to keep hooking my boots on them when I am getting underway - they are just a little wider than the stock pegs. I need to mentally adjust my feet to come up just a bit more 'wide' when lifting them off of the ground, as my 'muscle memory' is tuned to the stock pegs, hot the kneesavers. I much prefer the kneesavers though! They fold up much more easily than the stock pegs, which is an issue in a tipover (my bike hasn't kissed the pavement since I added them though, knock on wood).
BTW, on the peg thing, if your stock driver's pegs can only fold up 45 degrees (i.e. aren't modified), you should consider grinding off the 'tab' that is preventing them from folding up farther, so that they can fold up more fully. This becomes an issue in a spillover, as they can break, leaving you without a peg (note: see pot aluminum comment further below). You may want to put a long bolt of the appropriate thread size in one of your glove boxes, under your seat, or in your trunk if you have one, so that you have a temporary peg option handy should this ever occur.
Bafflectomies (i.e. punching a hole through the baffle in the stock muffler) will make your Connie sound meaner (throatier, and maybe just a fraction louder, not much louder though), and may add a tiny fraction in performance, should you have the stock pipes, assuming they haven't been bafflectomized already. You'll need a piece of rebar and a hammer, or a 1 1/8" (maximum size) hole drill bit with an extension bit...
Finally, this isn't really a farkle, but if for some reason you are still running the 'OEM spec' Dunlops, I highly recommend that you find another option. The stock tires are holding your bike back, and there are several options which will give you better handling and performance, and in some cases more miles between replacements. Plus that centerline groove isn't much fun should you be going across a milled or other road surface with grooves running parallel-ish to your own course... THAT is an unsettling feeling. I would hope that at this point NO ONE has those anymore, but there may be a couple of you out there that are still running the 'Stock Dunlops', and maybe actually like them for some reason. My bike is a much better animal without them.
Steve In Sunny Florida's mods are very nice (don't have these yet), but aren't necessarily essential (except for the overflow tubes, hydrolock is no joke!). Although once you get them, you may feel differently... I have a piece of foam in my airbox still, though (it adds a bit of low end torque/makes my bike better mannered at idle/takeoff)! I really need to get the jets that go along with it... my plan is to do all of Steve's mods at once (finally, been drooling for years now), maybe later this year. Lessee, that'd be the new cam, carb mods, and of course '7th' gear... drool drool!!!
Things I wish we had:
The one thing that annoys me is Kawasaki's decision to use pot aluminum in several of our bike components. I've had to do multiple welds/repairs to my luggage antlers, and I recently had to replace a peg
and a peg bracket which had also broken (and I still need to replace/fix my broken passenger peg bracket too). If some enterprising aftermarket person made some more durable options for those components that keep breaking due to tipovers/spills, I'm sure a few of us would buy them as needed, but that's a pretty small aftermarket so I don't expect this to happen.
On that antler thing, my most recent repair is somewhat interesting. I have two strips of aluminum bar (about 1/8" or 3/16"? by 1", cut down slightly on width to fit between the 'I-beam' ends of the antler construction, sandwiching the antler between the two strips, with four bolts securing these two strips to the antler (two bolts on either side of my break), having drilled holes through the bars and antlers. I've welded this antler twice before, but the latest weld didn't 'take' - pot aluminum welds are dicey to begin with. So far, it has held up nicely (been about a year now, not bad for a <$10 repair). I'm sure I'll need to replace this antler if it breaks again, and thankfully, these are still available.
If I had a pot aluminum welder, I might consider experimenting by welding the two aforementioned strips to the antler permanently, but I'm not sure how well the materials would mix (the aluminum strip I bought at home depot, and I don't think it's the same pot aluminum). If this would work, this might be an excellent way to reinforce the lower leg of the antlers, to better withstand tipovers.
And on that note...
Get tip over bars. I wish the newer efforts from MC Enterprises didn't have the luggage lock blocking issue on the rears, but the fronts look nicer than the other option from Murphs. My bike is looking pretty sad right now thanks to being tipped over a few times (stupid drunk people, and a nasty spill that one time...). The ones offered through Murphs will also help, and don't have the issue with the rear luggage lock if I understand correctly. Dunno if the MC Enterprises ones are still available, but I've pondered mixing and matching the MC fronts with the Murphs rears. I'll probably be grabbing me some bars soon, along with some new plastics, assuming I can find appropriate 2006 fairing pieces, as I love the 2006 color scheme - the nocturne blue is purdy, and the grey complemements the blue nicely - there is still some humorous debate if the sonic blue connies are faster than the nocturne blue connies... our nocturne blue bikes are also stealthier!
Enough rambling for now. does anyone else have any 'essential mods' or other farkle related comments/thoughts that they'd love to share with the Connie Collective?
