Steven Hunt

Top 10 Mod's and the psychology of Why we do it. Riders upgrade their bikes for many reasons: more power, better handling, greater comfort or style. The “top 10” list below mixes performance mods (exhaust, intake, tuning), suspension/braking improvements, and practical upgrades (seat, windscreen, guards). Each upgrade is ranked by impact or popularity, with rough cost, dyno’d power changes, and tradeoffs. We cover both high-end aftermarket parts (e.g. Yoshimura, Akrapovič, Dynojet) and...

examination of actual motorcycle odometer records in Hawaii, North Carolina, and Virginia found mean annual mileage near 2,000 miles but median mileage below 1,000 miles in every state studied. The mileage distribution was sharply skewed because large numbers of motorcycles were ridden very little. So the guy who does 900 miles a year but never misses bike night is not some statistical unicorn. There are a lot of him. The archetype you described for yourself the rider who is rarely seen at...

There are easier ways to get somewhere. There are warmer ways. Safer ways. Quieter ways. You can sit in a climate-controlled box, turn on some music, set the cruise control and barely remember the drive when you get there. That isn't why we ride. I ride because when I throw a leg over the bike, something changes. The bullshit gets quieter. The phone isn't in my hand. Work isn't asking me for anything. Bills aren't sitting on the passenger seat. Yesterday doesn't matter much, and neither does...