Useless Pursuits of Reinventing the Wheel

[James Howlett]

In reading old threads, there seems to be some mods that are tried and true, and others that aren't worth the effort or are beyond the scope/skills of the DIYer.

The Gen1 chain conversion seems to be at the top of this list of non-starters.

So my question to the veteran members here is this: what other projects/efforts are in vain?

 

[Itgoes]

I'll start with a few products and parts/mods:

Nology spark plug wires
Any VBoost controller
Flatslide carbs
HEAVY 18" rear wheels
E3, Splitfire.....etc. spark plugs
Cobra exhaust

So some of those are just "gimmicky" type products that will not give you any performance gain.

Flatslide carbs can give a decent power increase but as far as a bang for the buck they are a poor value. There are other intake mods that can get you there for much less money.

With the wheels there are some 18" rear wheels out there that weigh much more than the stock wheels. Although they will allow you to run radial tires which everyone agrees is a great improvement, the added weight robs power and works against good handling due to the additional unsprung weight.

The Cobra exhaust sounds and looks cool, but makes less HP than stock.

 

[gentsvmax]

I say go for what you know and how it make's you feel! You like E3's run'em! Chain drive?
Go for it! Fuel Injection,waaay out there!! Go for it! I just got an old block and frame and
want to"slowly"start a chain drive big bore bike.
I talked with a guy out cruising his hard tail low rider. Words I will never forget from him"its not how you feel,its how ya look" he laughed and said "maybe its the other way around" His point was well taken. The Mod Monkey know's no constraint, scope, rules or restrictions except for the pocket book
LOL...Build On DIYer's!!!!

 

[sdt354]

Early gen 1's, brake upgrades are high on the bang for the buck list. Later models with better calipers still can use an upgrade. A better seat? well worth the $$. Suspension upgrades are never regrettable. And braking is helped when suspension is upgraded. Wheels for radials are a nice upgrade. Ignatech ignition along with a COP's upgrade give you better reliability and more functions than the OEM electrics. A rev. limiter to start with.The list is vast. Wasted money, T-boost.

 

[James Howlett]

I say go for what you know and how it make's you feel! You like E3's run'em! Chain drive?
Go for it! Fuel Injection,waaay out there!! Go for it! I just got an old block and frame and
want to"slowly"start a chain drive big bore bike.
I talked with a guy out cruising his hard tail low rider. Words I will never forget from him"its not how you feel,its how ya look" he laughed and said "maybe its the other way around" His point was well taken. The Mod Monkey know's no constraint, scope, rules or restrictions except for the pocket book
LOL...Build On DIYer's!!!!

While I appreciate this perspective, I'm also bitten by past experience with an old car I was hot rodding. I got all the trick bits for the suspension, did some other mods that were cool and had a big fat supercharger awaiting it's time, but all thru the process, my car was undrivable and then.....life happened. Fast forward a decade later and everything sat idle till one day I realized I wasn't going to finish it. Two weeks later I sold it and the only regret that I have is that I could've had a driveable car if I had been more reasonable throughout the build process.

This is what I want to avoid with my V-Max bc it's truly a bucket list bike for me and I want to enjoy it without too much downtime. Sure, mods are awesome, but I don't want to chase something too far out and miss the ride!

Thanks for your input, tho. I'm grateful for the time you took to reply.

 

[gentsvmax]

Yup, its true, a guy can be buried with his dream's.I notice some guy's will talk to a million people about their project and never lift a wrench!! I am known by my friends as a get-er-done
yesterday kind of guy. If something has to go to the machine shop or parts have to be ordered
is one thing, but if something can be done and its up to me and my effort, I will lock-up in
my garage and bang it out! I make a plan, stick to it, don't speculate or second guess it.

My neighbor was"waiting" to get to removing a beetle body off the pan but was pissed because
this summer's going by so fast. We showed up, me and two buddies, jacked the little bug up and
started the process without as much talk as breaking loose the pan bolts, along with a few other disconnects we were raising the bug off its pan by noon,BAM!!!
He, Craig is his name, said"this should have been done" and "don't know what I was waiting on"

That morning we got-er-done,life happened, and Craig's bug build is back in progress.
At the end of the day it feels damn good to know what could have been done got done
and what didn't was due to forces beyond my control .

 

[James Howlett]

Yup, its true, a guy can be buried with his dream's.I notice some guy's will talk to a million people about their project and never lift a wrench!! I am known by my friends as a get-er-done
yesterday kind of guy. If something has to go to the machine shop or parts have to be ordered
is one thing, but if something can be done and its up to me and my effort, I will lock-up in
my garage and bang it out! I make a plan, stick to it, don't speculate or second guess it.

My neighbor was "waiting" to get to removing a beetle body off the pan but was pissed because
this summer's going by so fast. We showed up, me and two buddies, jacked the little bug up and
started the process without as much talk as breaking loose the pan bolts, along with a few other disconnects we were raising the bug off its pan by noon,BAM!!!
He, Craig is his name, said"this should have been done" and "don't know what I was waiting on"

That morning we got-er-done,life happened, and Craig's bug build is back in progress.
At the end of the day it feels damn good to know what could have been done got done
and what didn't was due to forces beyond my control .

Please won't you be my neighbor?

 

[Fire-medic]

Yup, its true, a guy can be buried with his dream's.I notice some guy's will talk to a million people about their project and never lift a wrench!! I am known by my friends as a get-er-done
yesterday kind of guy. If something has to go to the machine shop or parts have to be ordered
is one thing, but if something can be done and its up to me and my effort, I will lock-up in
my garage and bang it out! I make a plan, stick to it, don't speculate or second guess it.

My neighbor was"waiting" to get to removing a beetle body off the pan but was pissed because
this summer's going by so fast. We showed up, me and two buddies, jacked the little bug up and
started the process without as much talk as breaking loose the pan bolts, along with a few other disconnects we were raising the bug off its pan by noon,BAM!!!
He, Craig is his name, said"this should have been done" and "don't know what I was waiting on"

That morning we got-er-done,life happened, and Craig's bug build is back in progress.
At the end of the day it feels damn good to know what could have been done got done
and what didn't was due to forces beyond my control .

Must be that air in The Mile-High City.