Is more always the best? As with any other family member, a motorcycle is subject of love and appreciation. We treat it with respect, talk to her, even treat it with tenderness, and as such, we want the best to keep it up with the best perks we can find. But, is this always worth it? How many times a nice fender, head lights, extra beams, and more honky tonkies had to be replaced after a fall? Maybe one of them is broken and yet we must buy the pair again? How about performance parts? Sure, most of them get more juice out of an engine, but rarely increase reliability. When the time comes to modify your beloved motorcycle, you can categorize it into different motorcycle accessories.
Performance
As mentioned before, these parts aim to maximize your motorcycle engine’s performance in a controlled manner rather than extending its life expectancy. A new Engine Control Unit for fuel mapping for instance and specialized air filters for better performance in your final engine’s output.Other pieces, such as complete titanium pipes, reduce weight while also designed to minimize pressure loss at the exhaust, creating a cleaner path for the fumes to exit.
Considering lighter components as you plan to learn new bike skills and anticipate the possibility of falling is important, as they typically come at a higher cost.
Steering and dynamic aids
Regardless the bike you have, there is always room for improvement. The dynamics and geometry of the motorcycle works to provide you stability, specially when it comes to corners. As your motorcycle leans, the forks and shocks adjust to its angle, affecting their efficiency compared to vertical riding. The chassis and its components absorb road imperfections and vibrations, dissipating excess energy throughout the bike’s body.
Here is the importance of having a theme or a specific use for the motorcycle. Tires, rims, steering dampeners, and frame need configuration for road type and riding style to avoid unnecessary stress.
Electronics
These are a very important motorcycle accessory that needs some thought and consideration. Most big models, like KTM790, HONDA AFRICA TWIN or KTM 1290 SUPER ADVENTURE R to mention few examples, have already their own power station, usually with an output around 10 -12 A @ 12 volts. If multiple connections are required simultaneously, ensure that their total Watts do not exceed the alternator’s capacity.
You can find this information in the owner’s manual of the motorcycle. Additionally, the consumption for accessories that consume the most, like heaters, is also specified. Now, just not to go too much in math, you would have to add the total consumption of your perks and make sure your motorcycle can cope with it. A valid point to take in consideration, specially if you will be riding in cold places.
Luggage and mounting
As we’ve discussed regarding motorcycle dynamics, ensuring that the specific motorcycle brand approves luggage mountings is crucial. This ensures they won’t interfere with the motorcycle’s ability to absorb energy. Securing mountings in non-designed spots like foot pegs can dramatically alter the motorcycle’s stiffness. This, in turn, affects its ability to absorb energy and vibrations.
Every hard case or luggage has their own capacity that has to match the specifics of the motorcycle in those ports. For instance, if the bike’s ports are only rated for 8kg, purchasing hard cases capable of carrying 12kg becomes pointless. This also can be checked in the owner’s manual. Additionally, each luggage system has a maximum speed rating for withstanding air drag. It’s wise to maintain a safety margin.
Extra headlights
This is based on how much you will be riding at low-light conditions. Considering your electronic accessories and the motorcycle’s maximum electric output, choose wisely among available options based on your preferences. For instance, Halogen do not consume the same as LED options.
Protective accessories
To us, as a motorcycle rental company this is a must. Considering our customers, and in the effort to minimize the damage of the motorcycle in the event of a crash, we have implemented in every motorcycle in our fleet crash bars, hand guards, skid plates, and thick vinyl to protect it. In dynamics, not every port intends for attaching accessories. Altering motorcycle design and stability isn’t ideal. Although they must be tough to sustain falls, there’s also a compromise on the weight of materials used.
Anything more than 1.5 mm of thickness in tubes used would substantially add weight to your ride. It all sums up to having one theme and purpose for our motorcycle and working towards it. However, it might seem obvious to think that way, but then you see 4WD vehicles on the street with modified off-road suspensions and low-profile tires.Here is where the all goes down to budget and objectives.
Our experience
As a motorcycle rental company, we have realized that less is more and took a more minimalistic approach to things. Based on our experiences, especially on off-road trails where everything shakes, we noticed that as more motorcycle accessories are built in, more bolts and screws will come loose over time, and stuff will start to fall off. Not a nice thing when you are riding in a group of people. Additionally, when riding long distances, a louder exhaust system can be enjoyable… for the first hour, at least.
After that, your ear drums will thank you every time you turn the engine off. Our clients when they go on self-guided tour, they count with GPS mountings and USB charging ports for their phones and cameras, which we think is a must. With the goal of minimizing damages on the bikes, we prioritize protective accessories. These include crash bars, skid plates, and hand guards. We’d love and we had returning customers thanks to a non-aggressive damage control policy in our units.
Come join us and experience one of our tours on the model that suits you best. Ecuador offers numerous wonders, and our latest models from specialized adventure brands like KTM, BMW, Honda, Suzuki, and Royal Enfield won’t disappoint.
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