$200...what's your first mod(s)

[300wby]

I pick up my new '06 wr450f tomorrow and I'm curious what you guys would mod first?

Say you have $200.00 to throw down...what do you get?

Handguards?

[simon@vic]

forget first.

you need to do all the below before you even ride it!!!

-tapered bars with risers

-hand guards

-bash plate

-rad guards and supports

-"free mods" and JD jet kit

you might need more then $200

[black_n_blue_thumper]

rad guards....Unabikers.

[300wby]

forget first.

you need to do all the below before you even ride it!!!

-tapered bars with risers

-hand guards

-bash plate

-rad guards and supports

-"free mods" and JD jet kit

you might need more then $200

You're a total buzz kill man! :prof:

OK lets say you had to pick 1 mod as the 1st mod.....what would that be?

[kc55555]

Why would you do any mods before you even break it in? Break in the bike in stock form, then worry about your mods.

[300wby]

Why would you do any mods before you even break it in? Break in the bike in stock form, then worry about your mods.

I'm not worried man. I'm excited. Part of the fun of new toys is the mods...just ask my F150....

[kc55555]

Break in time is nice and short. Then mod it out and have a blast like meeeeee!!!

[dbailey223]

Do the free mods. Then, get the JD or similar jetting kit. Then, uncork the pipe or buy an insert. With the extra $75-100, h mmmmm????

[300wby]

Do the free mods. Then, get the JD or similar jetting kit. Then, uncork the pipe or buy an insert. With the extra $75-100, h mmmmm????

Please help me out with the 'free mods'! Can you link a thread? I'm not sure what I'd be looking for.....

Thanks

[BIGchiefKODIAK]

https://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=314522

[Matty05]

I pick up my new '06 wr450f tomorrow and I'm curious what you guys would mod first?

Say you have $200.00 to throw down...what do you get?

Handguards?

Hmmmmm. $200?

That's a hard one.

From all my previous experiences, I would get the suspension done straight away before I even rode the thing. The only problem is this costs more than $200.

The second thing I would do is take the stock muffler and throw it out. It is no good. The next problem is how do you get another muffler for $200? You could find a '05 YZ450F muffler on here or ebay, they are a good boost in power.

As for hand guards, we get them stock in our spares kit over here in Australia, do you guy's miss out???

Now back to that $200. I would spend it on a brand new set of dunlop 952's before I even rode the bike. Stock tyres are really crap, maybe you can sell them or swap them or something?

With the rest of the money, get a set of fatbars and clamps. Don't forget 2 spare twin air airfilters.

Have you had a bike before? If not, you need to buy some tools. I love my T-bars. Because your bike is new, you need to start stripping it down and greasing up all the bearings. Trust me, they will be dry. I lube mine up every 6 months.

[ARin]

THE VERY FIRST THING i ever spend money on is PROTECTION for the bike and yourself...skid plate, hand guards, etc...if you helmet sucks, get a new helmet...etc.

after that is squared away...spend the money learning to jet and tune in your bike. because if you dont know those basics, then you can end up ruining your bike with other mods.

spend some garage time sorting out the free mods, remove the AIS, go over your carb with a JD jet kit...get the jetting DIALED just with the free mods, and opening the airbox/muffler.

at that point, you should have a SHITLOAD Of power to play with, that will keep you VERY happy for quite a while. after that, when you crave more, you already have the basic skills needed to rejet and tune when you open up the bike more with things like a pipe.

also, never overlook the little things. a magnetic drain plug, an adjustable fuel screw...they are all little things, but they add up...and i would never personally own a bike without them.

have fun!!!

[BIGMatt]

I agree with ARin,

PROTECTION is FIRST!!! Not for you, but for your bike. Bones will heal. Parts cost money.

At minimum, get a good, full size, aluminum skid plate and 'bark buster' type hand guards. The stock case guards are full of holes, or made of plastic! One rock to the oil sump will buy you a new motor!

Then do all the other 'mods'. Exhaust, jetting, more guard plates for radiators and frame guards, fat bars, suspension, stainless steel oil filter, tires, steering damper, free mods, XXL gas tank, etc... etc... etc...

[Dan_Lorenze]

I'm with AR...

[CharlesFP]

forget first.

you need to do all the below before you even ride it!!!

-tapered bars with risers

-hand guards

-bash plate

-rad guards and supports

-"free mods" and JD jet kit

you might need more then $200

I couldn't disagree more. Absolutely, positively, the FIRST mod you need to do is SUSPENSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can have your bike revalved and resprung by a proffesional suspension tuner for less than the cost of a fancy exhaust system that will just make your bike louder. I did supsension last on my 05 and that was a huge mistake. I weigh around 220 with all my gear on, which made the bike handle dangerously bad. I thought it was my riding skills that were slowing me down. The stock WR suspension settings are only correct for 150 lb. agressive riders. If you have the time, you may want to add more grease to the all of the linkage bearings, or pay your suspension tuner to do it. Suspension is the best investment. It could save your life.

It amazes me how few people recommend doing suspension mods. Maybe everyone weighs 150 lbs on these forums. Last I checked, the average american male weighs 190 pounds.

Next, adjust the jetting for your riding environment. The JD jet kit, I think, is overkill, and it doesn't include an assortment of pilot jets for some reason. Just get the right pilot jet, main jet, YZ throttle stop and YZ needle with the right clip position, and one of those Pro Moto Billet or GYTR baffles and you're good to go. All those parts will cost you around 100 bucks or less. (If you're in Cali, get the GYTR AIS removal kit [40 bucks] it includes an adjustable needle and pilot jet... Make sure you zip tye that vacuum plug, however. It will fall off!!! NOT GOOD)

Then, get a skid plate, and other frame bolt-ons if you need them.

A steering damper is always a good thing to have, but the WR is very stable, so you could almost do without it.

IMHO, the last thing you should spend your hard earned money on is an exhaust system. Most aftermarket systems make far more db's than are allowable on public lands anyway. I seriously doubt that any of the quiet systems out there make substantially more power than an uncorked stock WR system.

Of course protective gear like boots, helmets, knee pads and body armor comes first, but I assume you have that stuff already.

[Numskull]

1st I would go with handling. Tires and suspension and steering. you can do the free mods to get the performance up at no cost. The bike will be fast, but you want to dial in the handling characteristics in my opinion.

[odonnks]

forget first.

you need to do all the below before you even ride it!!!

-tapered bars with risers

-hand guards

-bash plate

-rad guards and supports

-"free mods" and JD jet kit

you might need more then $200

What he said...Minus the tapered bars and risers.

After the free mods you'll need the JD kit

[tony1970]

THE VERY FIRST THING i ever spend money on is PROTECTION for the bike and yourself...skid plate, hand guards, etc...if you helmet sucks, get a new helmet...etc.

after that is squared away...spend the money learning to jet and tune in your bike. because if you dont know those basics, then you can end up ruining your bike with other mods.

spend some garage time sorting out the free mods, remove the AIS, go over your carb with a JD jet kit...get the jetting DIALED just with the free mods, and opening the airbox/muffler.

at that point, you should have a SHITLOAD Of power to play with, that will keep you VERY happy for quite a while. after that, when you crave more, you already have the basic skills needed to rejet and tune when you open up the bike more with things like a pipe.

also, never overlook the little things. a magnetic drain plug, an adjustable fuel screw...they are all little things, but they add up...and i would never personally own a bike without them.

have fun!!!

Agree 100%. Exactly what I did.

[Matty05]

looks like someone needs a lot more than $200!

[300wby]

Well I got my bike yesterday and I have to say.... I SUCK!!

I felt like I was learning to ride again. It's amazing what you forget in 6 years....

Anyways now I know I don’t have any business doing performance upgrades yet so I'm going to go the direction of ARin's advice and buy protection; namely a quality skid plate and hand guards for the bike and a new pair of boots for me and maybe radiator guards. That will easily put me over my $200 but I was never good with a budget anyways.

I'm going to start searching out threads on skid plates and hand guards now....anyone have a particular recommendations?

Thanks for all your input on this topic!!