Modifying Pros and Cons

As some of you probably know, I ride a ZX-10R, and she is my baby! We met in the spring of 05. She was mine the very next day. Over the years I've bought a few odds and ends to help her appearance, but now I'm about to get serious. Phase II is all about performance:

Racefit Exhaust $800
Power Commander $350
BMC Race Filter $90
Velocity Stacks $250
Brisk Plugs $80
Pro Flo Reusable Oil Filter with Coder $100
Heat Tape for Header $80
New Chain $170
Front Sprocket $40
Rear Sprocket $80
Bragging rights along with a well-stroked ego $Priceless!

Upon completion, my kitten will purr at idle. She'll have an ominous growl at 6000 RPM, and well she'll flat out scream anywhere above 8... Another advantage is the deep loud exhaust note and the consistent notification to other motorists of my whereabouts. Loud pipes save lives, right?

In the words of Ed Bargy at my son's race school..."All a complete waste of money."

The funny thing is that I agree with him, albeit for different reasons. See, Ed elaborated that modern day sportbikes are an absolute marvel in speed and control, and that some upgrades to the suspension would further enable the pilot to exploit the power, balance, and control that comes stock on these awesome bikes. I think Ed Bargy has spent most of his life involved in racing at some level or another...so he would know.

Unfortunately, Ed and I are on a different page. Maybe like a different book! As a matter of fact, as I wrote that part about exploiting the power that comes stock on modern motorcycles, I could hear a certain ZX-10R that was sitting quietly across the store from me start to snicker...Usually she is sweet but sometimes she's just plain mean...

One thing I have learned over multiple visits to the track is that my skill, confidence and ability to control panic and knee-jerk reactions grows exponentially with every trackday. This helps both in avoiding crashes on the street and being faster on the track.

So, for the $2040 I'm going to spend on the outright performance on a bike that already out-performs me by tenfold, I could have an additional 15 full trackdays. Now, the skills that I would build through 15 extra days at the track would most likely not be enough to exploit a 163 HP machine, but the stress-relief and enjoyment would be immeasurable...Back to loud pipes save lives. I know this to be true. However, they also alert police officers to your whereabouts and what you are up to.

Now, if I could just take my own advice...