Automotive Addicts

Whether to customize your motorcycle fundamentally or as involved as building a whole motorcycle from the ground up,customization dates back in an era when American soldiers came back from World War ll. They remembered the lighter and stylish European motorcycles that they had ridden in Europe. These riders that served overseas thought of incorporating the style of the motorcycles in Europe and blended it with and improved the bikes that were made locally.

So they began to get together and started removing or shortening the fenders or any motorcycle parts they felt was unnecessary. They chopped off or added detachable windshields, front fenders, crash bars, seats,headlights or anything that they can think of. Large footrests were replaced with forward-mounted foot pegs.

To allow for an increase in the wheelbase, the angle of the fork to the ground was decreased by raking the front end of their motorcycles. They also raised the handlebars and thus the ape hangers were born. The rear tire was made fatter and front tire made smaller. Each rider created the bike as an extension of his personality. If the rider loves speed, then he may want to consider getting the engine rebuilt for added horsepower.

Maybe he is the type who likes to cruise along the major thoroughfares at boulevard speed. He may want to enjoy the asphalt all to himself, soaking in the moving sights, sounds and smells of the scenery, yet at the same time want to look good on his cruiser and does not feel the need to try hard. Then he may want to accessorize his motorcycle with studded leather saddlebags and backrest or add chrome.

The rage of chopping and adding motorcycle parts to the bikes to make it look more personalized, caught on. Soon enterprising individuals started designing and creating custom bikes to sell to other riders ( so they did not have to do the dirty jobs themselves) for a price. Until now motorcycle customization is still a big business.

Motorcycle customization is a subject that covers a lot of ground. It could mean something as simple as repainting the gas tank or something complicated as substantial motorcycle modifications or replacement of the wheel, swing arm, frame and other components before squeezing something into the chassis.

The main purposes of customizing a motorcycle are for fit, function and style. If you like your bike to fit you better, you can swap your stock saddle for a Harley Davidson seat for example, that is covered with sheepskin for added comfort. You might want to adjust your suspension so your feet rest more comfortably on the ground.

For functionality, you can add electronic accessories like GPS systems, sound system and intercom. So you can arrive at your destination without hassle and on time.

The best reason by far for customizing is for style. As much as possible you want your bike to stand out from the rest of the fleet. Customizing a motorcycle are principally about style, not mere function.

There are numerous ways you can use parts to customize your motorcycle for style statement like adding chrome to almost all of your ride’s components including oil filter cap, air cleaner cover, mirrors and fenders. Selecting from various designs, colors and finishes, you can have your fenders and gas tank custom painted. Or you can replace your wheels with spoked, alloy or solid kinds. Aside from adding sissy bar bags and backrest which can be convenient if you like to take long tours on two wheels. You can accessorize it with heated grips, decorative gas caps, timer covers, license plate frames, medallions, fuel gauges, floorboards and footpegs. The choices are endless.

Sprint booster is a simple but effective customized hardware that works by modifying the signal between the accelerator, pedal module and the electronic throttle body. In simple words it is a device which alters the throttle curve and helps in improving the performance of the car thus making it feel more powerful. The basic function that a sprint booster performs for a vehicle is that it makes the car easy to drive as its stock system provides fuel economy along with smoothness.

Popularly known as one of the best performance products the latest version of the Sprint Booster won the ‘SEMA BEST NEW PERFORMANCE-STREET PRODUCT 2010′. Its advantages and simple processing unit makes a car responsive and thus makes driving fun. It works by modifying signal forces of the throttle body to open ‘more’ than the stock signal at a given pedal position. In effect, the idle-to-full-throttle pedal travel is reduced. This makes a car ‘feel’ more powerful because a given pedal input produces greater throttle opening. Sprint Booster simply modifies the throttle signal between the accelerator pedal and the throttle body. Most of the time it is mistaken that Sprint booster adds horsepower, but the fact is that it simply makes the throttle more sensitive and makes the car ‘feel’ faster.

Another thing that needs attention is that sprint booster is not everyone. For instance if you have a track car where you spend most of your time near redline, then this product is not for you. On the other hand it is for all those who have a Sport Mode, ECU software, or ‘Chip’ on your car. The fact that modern day cars operate on drive-by-wire technique wherein its throttle is electronically operated rather than being operated through a cable, it induces an adverse side effect in the form of slow responsiveness and weak offline performance. Sprint Booster helps to overcome this drawback.

Sprint Booster works independently of other modifications by simply making the throttle more sensitive, making the car feel faster. Its benefits can be felt in the low to mid pedal travel and is most effective in the low to mid rpm range, which is where most ‘street’ cars are driven on a daily basis. It has also to be taken care that you may need to adjust your driving style after installing sprint booster. Though it is only a matter of time that you make take to adjust to the new hardware but none of us can renounce the advantages and the fun that it will get back into your daily drive. In addition it can be installed in minutes, is economical and removed easily.

A lot of guys that don’t know much about gasoline engines, let alone modifying them, know that the more air you can get in and back out of the motor, the more horsepower it will make. Common sense tells you that this process can happen quicker if the air is able to pass through easier. Pertaining to automobiles, replacing the air filter is one of the things you do to regularly maintain the life of the engine.

Most auto manufacturers recommend you replace the air filter ever 10,000 miles or so to keep the air flowing freely, thus keeping your engine running smoothly. In fact, if you don’t replace your air filter regularly you will probably notice a decrease in both power and gas mileage. Continue reading ‘Should I Get a Cold Air Intake’ »