Best mods to upgrade comfort?

Hi all,

Been riding my '99 less and less these days, and actually went looking at some cruisers.. just not that comfortable on her.. she's stock except for a Zero Gravity screen and 2 Bros exhaust. After a suggestion from my wife, I am looking to upgrade my VFR to make a more comfortable ride.. these are the mods I am thinking of:

- DMR fork kit
- DMR 929 replacement shock
- Sergeant seat
- Helibars
- Lowered foot pegs

Bike has 80,000KM.. do you guys think there's enough life left in her to make these mods worth while? She runs great. Tires, Battery, brake pads, hand and sprocket were replaced last year. If it matters, I'm 5'10", 175 lbs.. most of my riding is solo, I'll call it spirited touring

Thanks in advance for any advice

 

Given that every rider is different and our wants and needs are different it can be hard to say if changing specific parts of your bike will make you want it THAT much more. I might however, offer up the following.

There are numerous members both here and on VFRD that have bikes with well over 100,000 km's and a few over 200,000 km's so I don't think the mileage on your bike would be cause for much concern, at least not as far as reliability is concerned.

Being of nearly identical height and weight I have done a few of the mods you are considering. Not long after I purchased my bike I added a DMr CBR929 rear shock and the difference in handling was amazing. The bike just felt more planted and it inspired more confidence in both the bikes capabilities and my own. This alone made the bike more enjoyable to ride and I started taking longer trips. This brought me to my next upgrade and that was the seat. After about 300 km's on the stock I found that I was uncomfortable to say the least so I searched around for a different seat. I found a used Sargent seat for the bike on eBay and my first ride with the new seat was over 400 km's, due in part to a detour because of road construction, and found that the usual seat issues were no longer there, if you know what I mean. I've since done a number of rides in exces of 500 km's in one day and a couple 750 km days with none of the so-called butt burn discomfort.

If I were to choose an upgrade to do first, I might consider changing the seat. This would likely be the quickest and easiest upgrade in terms of comfort, though not necessarily the least expensive. I was able to find a great deal on a used Sargent seat on eBay and got it for considerably less than new. If the seat makes a great improvement then maybe a few more upgrades may be in order. At best you'll want to ride the bike more and more, and really want to upgrade the bike further. At worst, you may decide that it is still not quite the bike for your future. Since the Sargent seat is a fairly common and sought after upgrade, you should be able to sell the seat if it doesn't work for you and recoup some if not all the cost.

Good luck with the decision and hope everything works out.

 

Well said by ZZ. I was in the same position as you. I bought the '00 when I was 35, but as I got closer to 50 it felt like it was trying to kill me and I ended up riding the '81 RD350LC more because it didn't hurt. I would recommend the Helibars. For me the difference was a big plus. No more sore elbows, wrists and hands. And when you are not hurting it is much more fun enjoying this fantastic machine. I got the Vibranators too, and the install was a breeze. Good luck... Laker

 

I purchased a '99 almost exactly three years ago that already had RaceTech front springs and a Corbin seat. Since then I have made all of the other upgrades mentioned on your list, including the Sargent seat. I'm older, taller and heavier than you, so I can relate to not wanting to be cramped up.

For me the Corbin wasn't that comfortable (hard as a rock) and I slid around a lot on it. Granted, from the look of it, it was probably put on the bike shortly after the original purchase. I found the Sargent much more comfortable (shape and foam), and the material isn't as slick so I don't slide around unless I do it on purpose. Long rides aren't an issue.

At the time I had a bad shoulder and picked up some used Helibars. Was comparing Genmar risers and Helibars and felt the risers just wouldn't make enough of a difference. The Helibars did help quite a bit. I think if I was doing it again I would look into Convertibars though. They have more adjustment options, but you likely have to replace some of the stock lines (brake, maybe clutch). If you are planning on SS lines anyway, it would be possible to do them both at once. For the Helibars, I didn't have to do anything other than remove the stock clip-ons and put the Helibars on. The higher bar height is nice, but bringing it back towards your body is where the real benefit is, and creates a more upright position.

When I bought the Helibars the seller also had peg lowering blocks. I didn't set out to buy them, but the price was really good so I thought I'd give them a try. I didn't get around to putting them on the bike until a few months after the Helibars and I was shocked by how much of a difference they made. Lowering the pegs allows you to get your legs underneath you more and when you are more upright (as a result of the Helibars), this is a very good thing.

I put a JDM 929 rear shock on last spring. As zoom-zoom said, it makes the bike feel more stable and gives you more confidence in it. Best performance mod that doubles as a comfort mod.

As for the mileage, I don't think you need to worry about it. If making the mods makes the bike what you want, it was worthwhile. Even if the bike were to die at 100,000 km, you could pickup another used one and swap all the mods over to it in a weekend.

I find the bike now fits me perfectly and I take it whenever I get the chance, which unfortunately isn't often enough. Although now that my daughter has her own gear and loves going for rides, I will be able to get out more and more.

Good luck with your decision.

 

Thanks for the advice guys!

I have a Sargeant seat and DMR 929 rear shock on order... if all goes well with those upgrades, I'll re-do my forks and add Heli-Bars later this year.

EDIT: Also bought some farkles.. LED headlights and clear turn and tail lights!