I didn't see a board dedicated to these small bikes so decided to post here.
Is there any performance upgrades for these?
I know about the 900 kit from RevPerf.. but what about cams and head work and throttle bodies?
My sister has a 500 and would like to upgrade. She is new to riding and likes the lightness of the bike but the performance is lacking.
Sorry if I posted in the wrong spot, just didn't know where to post.
RevZilla has some stuff and I am sure there are others, but is it really worth it? I mean your sister is a new rider and some folks would consider a 500cc bike plenty for a starter bike. My first bike was a Honda 305 and back then anything in the 500-650 range was considered fairly big. If she is disappointed with its performance I would consider trading for something bigger rather than trying to upgrade this. Just my opinion.
:agree:
By the time you put some money into hop up parts you would be better off selling it and getting something with more performance. How much money do you want to dump into a motorcycle with questionable resale value? Seems like throwing more good money after the bad.
But if she likes it, and wants to keep it, that's how the world gets hopped up, customized bikes. Does it make sense? Of course not. And everyone here is guilty of the same thing.
Quote from: PoorUB on December 03, 2019, 05:54:35 PM
:agree:
By the time you put some money into hop up parts you would be better off selling it and getting something with more performance. How much money do you want to dump into a motorcycle with questionable resale value? Seems like throwing more good money after the bad.
Same could be said of the full size Harley :hyst:
And besides, she doesn't want to be faster than everybody, just faster than her friends...
That phrase has made a lot of $ change hands...
The Street falls in the same class as the Sportster and Vrod not many people do custom and hop ups like the big twins. I always say if that's what you want to do do it. There's being some nice hop up and customs Sportsters and Vrods, Why not Streets.
She could probably trade it in on a street 750 for the same price as a hop up.
Quote from: calif phil on December 04, 2019, 06:43:41 AM
She could probably trade it in on a street 750 for the same price as a hop up.
Or a used Sporty, if she's willing
Depending on how tall she is, I'd recommend a Deluxe or Heritage if she wants bigger.
XLs typically feel top heavy for the vertically challenged.
A Slim would be a good choice also.
How much does a Slim weigh compared to a Street? I'm sure it's at least 100 to 150 pounds. That weight starts to matter. I've ridden Sportsters, in general they are top heavy, and when lowered to help that, the suspension sucks. If she is comfortable with the Street, but can get it to run better, I say go for it. It's time to start hopping those things up and make them cool like the rest of the brand.
I just looked up the weight difference, it's 200 pounds! I don't care if it is a lower center of gravity, that's a lot of added weight to try and manage!
Quote from: Hossamania on December 04, 2019, 12:49:12 PM
How much does a Slim weigh compared to a Street? I'm sure it's at least 100 to 150 pounds. That weight starts to matter. I've ridden Sportsters, in general they are top heavy, and when lowered to help that, the suspension sucks. If she is comfortable with the Street, but can get it to run better, I say go for it. It's time to start hopping those things up and make them cool like the rest of the brand.
Might as well get her used to owning a Harley :hyst: :pop:
Quote from: SixShooter14 on December 04, 2019, 12:53:10 PM
Quote from: Hossamania on December 04, 2019, 12:49:12 PM
How much does a Slim weigh compared to a Street? I'm sure it's at least 100 to 150 pounds. That weight starts to matter. I've ridden Sportsters, in general they are top heavy, and when lowered to help that, the suspension sucks. If she is comfortable with the Street, but can get it to run better, I say go for it. It's time to start hopping those things up and make them cool like the rest of the brand.
Might as well get her used to owning a Harley :hyst: :pop:
Exactly! They are never perfect until we make them that way!
In the op, it is stated that she is new to riding and likes the lightness of the bike, so the softails would not really fit the bill at this point.
She might be surprised if she rode a Softail. I know 3-4 women that learned on Sporties then went to Softails and they all said the Softail was much easier to ride. I wouldn't recommend a Sportster for a first bike.
Some people are giving them some love.
https://www.smokedgarage.com.au/project/the-darkness/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/608478599627712816/
Quote from: PoorUB on December 04, 2019, 02:37:49 PM
She might be surprised if she rode a Softail. I know 3-4 women that learned on Sporties then went to Softails and they all said the Softail was much easier to ride. I wouldn't recommend a Sportster for a first bike.
I know at least a few women that have said that. The Sporties are high and take both upper body strength and longish legs. The softies have a low center of gravity that makes it feel lighter than it really is.
Buddies wife has a mid TC soft tail, slammed, drag pipes, beach bars. The thing sounds and looks awesome. She rides well but from what I can see the bike rides like "Potty mouth".
She has plenty of leg. I keep asking her to let me put it back up where it belongs. No dice.
Quote from: 76shuvlinoff on December 04, 2019, 06:45:26 PM
Buddies wife has a mid TC soft tail, slammed, drag pipes, beach bars. The thing sounds and looks awesome. She rides well but from what I can see the bike rides like "Potty mouth".
She has plenty of leg. I keep asking her to let me put it back up where it belongs. No dice.
Yep, my '92 Softy was lowered 1.5". Bottomed out going over pea-gravels. But it looked badass, and actually cornered decently though it did wallow a bit on long sweepers. PITA to load on a trailer though, the frame was only a couple inches off the ground. Had to have long arched ramps and a good run up to skid over the ramp break point.
One last opinion and I'm out of here. The looks of a motorcycle are very important to me and IMO the street series bikes look very good, especially in all black. I never liked the look of the v-rod and I hate the look of the live wire. I noticed the 500 has 29.5 ft-lb torque and the 750 has 43.5 but both weigh the same. Trading up should give her a huge performance increase while maintaining what she likes about her current bike. Good luck whatever you and her decide.
Quote from: smoserx1 on December 05, 2019, 05:13:34 AM
One last opinion and I'm out of here. The looks of a motorcycle are very important to me and IMO the street series bikes look very good, especially in all black. I never liked the look of the v-rod and I hate the look of the live wire. I noticed the 500 has 29.5 ft-lb torque and the 750 has 43.5 but both weigh the same. Trading up should give her a huge performance increase while maintaining what she likes about her current bike. Good luck whatever you and her decide.
Wow. Never heard anyone make that statement.
Ron
What I find interesting is that the fuel tanks on some of the Softail models, StreetBob, Breakout, seem to be similar design element as the Streets.
I also agree that stepping up to the 750 might be better money spent.