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Motorcycle Accessory & Parts Reviews


Part 2: A Versys Mid-Term Report Breaking in a new motorcycle can be a frustrating experience. Example: The Versys 650 owner’s manual calls for a 4,000 RPM limit for the first 500 miles, then a 6,000 RPM limit from 500 to 1,000 miles. That 4,000 RPM translates to about 52 MPH in 6th gear. But …

Ducati GT1000 Centre Stand Before I get into the fitting of the stand I’d like to pass on a few things that I’ve discovered. There were two centre stand kits available for the Ducati SportClassic range when I purchased mine. One kit is designed to fit the Sport 1000 (bike info) and the Paul Smart 1000 (bike info). …

Ducati Slipper Clutch – STM Slipper Clutch Diagram of an STM Slipper Clutch for a Ducati – More info can be found on the STM site; STM slipper clutches can be purchased (if you have a big wallet!) from Hard Racing. (Thank you Chris Edwards and the Mid-Atlantic Ducati club for these diagrams!) STM says : “It’s the only slipper …

It took me just about one year to get this hugger installed on my Multistrada 620.   Hopefully you can do it in about 1/52 of that time. The story starts on March 15 of 2008, when I ordered the “official” Ducati carbon fiber hugger for the Multistrada 620 from the local dealer.  They charged my …

Tight tolerances make this job more difficult than it should be.  The bags can interfere with the frame and the saddle.  And watch out for soft aluminum threads, which strip all to easily! I bought the GT1000 back in August of 2006, ordering a set of Ducati saddlebags and windscreen on delivery day. But I’ve …

Ducati Case Guard – Chain Guard The old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is a rather appropriate description of this small item.  However the word “pound” should be replaced with “a couple hundred pounds and a fistful of cash”!!!  This little item can literally save you that much. What …

Ducati Substitute Oil Filters and a Multistrada 620 Oil and Filter Change Editor’s Note:  Most of the information you’ll need to change the oil and filter on a Ducati Multistrada can be found in my Ducati Oil and Filter Change article. After a year or so of ownership, I had changed the oil and filter on the …

GT1000 ECU Replacement To make a long story even longer, my GT 1000 has been popping and backfiring on the overrun since it was brand new. But lately it’s been stalling when I come to a quick stop, especially when the engine temperature is under 180 degrees F. I thought the popping sounded cool and …

Multistrada Chain Adjustment Adjusting a motorcycle chain isn’t much fun, no matter how you slice it. But adjusting the chain on a Multistrada (the 620 anyway) is about as simple as it gets. We’ve covered motorcycle chain adjustments before, with articles on replacing sprockets and a chain.  Also adjusting a chain on the Triumph Tiger and adjusting the chain …

Ducati GT 1000 Throttle Cable Adjustment I’ve been noodling on the possible reasons for the GT1000’s super-sensitive throttle.  It could be anything from a too-light flywheel to fuel injection and probably is amplified by the abundance of torque from the 1000DS engine at low RPMs. But something Chris told me about similar problems with the …

Ducati Sport Classics Parts & Accessories We’re starting to collect lots of information on parts and accessories for the GT1000 and the Ducati Sport Classics, so we’ll list them all here. If you’d like to add something or if you’d like to write an article about installing an accessory or a repair or maintenance task …

Desmosedici V-4 Racing Replica Street Bike: Another Ducati Dream Comes True Ducati gives the go-ahead for the MotoGP replica bike. The announcement was made at WDW2004 in front of thousands of Ducati fans. Misano Adriatico (RN) 22 May 2004 – In the magical atmosphere of the WDW (World Ducati Week, the giant bi-annual meeting of …

Ducati SportClassics Technical Features Chassis The SportClassic models all take advantage of the signature Ducati ALS 450 steel tubular trellis frame, specifically engineered to give the bikes precise and confident handling. The frame’s high torsional rigidity ensures gratifying, sure-footed road manners even when pushed to the limit. This trellis frame is used on all Ducati …

BMW Windscreen Buffeting Solution Solution for buffeting on a BMW K75 or K100 motorcycle with the original equipment windscreen. See Also: ▪ BMW Windscreen Spacer Installation Instructions ▪ BMW K75 “S” Windscreen Adjustment Do you own a BMW K100 or K75 motorcycle with the standard windscreen (BMW part number 46 63 2 303 245)? Then you know …

Posi-Tap Connector Review Posi-Tap and Posi-Lock connectors are an absolute must for electrical work on motorcycles! The Posi-Lock and the new Posi-Tap connectors make life so much easier.They’re waterproof, vibration proof and can be reused. Keep a selection in your bike’s tool kit for emergency connections! Posi-Products (Division of Swenco) has done it again!  Here’s …

World Exclusive!  The webBikeWorld Live Report From the 2009 Powersports Dealer Expo Indianapolis, Indiana – February 13-16, 2009 It’s that time again!  2009 Powersports Dealer Expo time, that is! This is our 6th year at the Dealer Expo — the place where motorcycle dealers in North America meet with motorcycle products and accessories manufacturers and distributors to see …

World Exclusive!  The webBikeWorld Live Report From the 2009 Powersports Dealer Expo Indianapolis, Indiana – February 13-16, 2009 Page 1:  Friday, February 13, 2009 Indy Live! Port-A-Chopper Folding Trailer Ceramic Bearings Speedway Shelters Heidenau Tires EZ-Cruz Cruise Control Road Warrior Paint Protection Forcefield Sub-Pro 4 Page 2:  Saturday, February 14, 2009 AM Wacky Wheels Teiz One-Piece Suit …

World Exclusive!  The webBikeWorld Live Report From the 2009 Powersports Dealer Expo Indianapolis, Indiana – February 13-16, 2009   Page 1:  Friday, February 13, 2009 Indy Live! Port-A-Chopper Folding Trailer Ceramic Bearings Speedway Shelters Heidenau Tires EZ-Cruz Cruise Control Road Warrior Paint Protection Forcefield Sub-Pro 4 Page 2:  Saturday, February 14, 2009 AM Wacky Wheels Teiz One-Piece …

World Exclusive!  The webBikeWorld Live Report From the 2009 Powersports Dealer Expo Indianapolis, Indiana – February 13-16, 2009 Page 1:  Friday, February 13, 2009 Indy Live! Port-A-Chopper Folding Trailer Ceramic Bearings Speedway Shelters Heidenau Tires EZ-Cruz Cruise Control Road Warrior Paint Protection Forcefield Sub-Pro 4 Page 2 (This Page):  Saturday, February 14, 2009 Wacky Wheels Teiz One-Piece …

Connecting a Two-Way Radio to a Motorcycle Intercom System A case study in connecting a two-way radio to a motorcycle intercom system. Many motorcycle intercom owners would like to use their system to communicate with their friends, who may be using a different brand. Unfortunately, motorcycle Bluetooth intercom systems are not compatible. For example, there’s …

Cruiser and sport bike owners have been known to spend big money on all sorts of custom bits for their bikes. A large chunk of that cash can go for wheels; custom wheels can easily run into the thousands of dollars.  But all wheels have to be balanced, and who wants a crummy old hunk o’ …

A motorcycle’s front brake provides the vast majority of stopping force.  In the past, motorcyclists avoided using using the front brake, fearing that they would be thrown over the handlebars. This is now laughable, considering the awful brakes and conservative geometries that were available until recently.  In fact, many motorcycles didn’t even have front brakes back …

The decision to upgrade to aftermarket wheels for your motorcycle is usually made for one of two reasons: appearance or performance enhancement. In this case, I was searching for both but with an emphasis on performance.  My motorcycle  is a 1996 Ducati 916SPA.  This model was a limited production run of homologation bikes built by …

The classic bar end mirror for motorcycles! I wanted to install a set of Napoleon bar end mirrors on my Triumph Thunderbird Sport (blog), but I just couldn’t figure out how to do it until I found Gary’s instructions. The problem? Triumph, in their infinite wisdom, placed a threaded insert inside of the stock handlebar ends …

Wraptor Motorcycle Cover Howdy webBikeWorlders – I’ve been helping out around the garage and with some of the technical evaluations for a while, and I figured I’d take a turn at writing instead of wrenching. My full-time job requires a commute from the ‘Burbs to downtown Washington, D.C. every day on the infamous Metro.  I’ve …

Several visitors have written to us over the last few months asking for recommendations on a motorcycle cover for their BMW motorcycles. The majority of the emails inquired about a basic motorcycle cover for use in the garage during long-term storage.  The cover did not necessarily have to be waterproof, and it didn’t even have …

The Throttlemeister Cruise Control This is another article in an ongoing series to make my new 2006 Yamaha FJR 1300 the “Ultimate Sport Tourer”. Having been spoiled by my ’99 BMW K1200LT with such luxuries as heated grips, heated seats, six-disc CD changer and fully electronic cruise control, I decided I was going to need …

Motorcycle paint is like a magnet for bugs, road grime and dirt.  That noxious mixture is bad enough, but factor in harsh Cordura or leather clothing, tank bags, bungee cords and motorcycle boots and it’s surprising that the paint lasts more than a single season. This problem is exacerbated on adventure-touring bikes, because they frequently see …

Motorcycle Sculpture webBikeWorld was created to share information about unique and interesting motorcycle-related products and accessories with our visitors.  This little gem definitely meets both criteria.  It’s a brand-new design entitled “The Paddock”, and it was cast at the Amu Sculptures studio in East Carlton, Leicestershire, England. Amu Sculptures is owned by Paul and Muriel Sims.  …

Back in the old days (uh-oh, here he goes again!), accessory windscreens for motorcycles were offered by a handful of companies who had never put the words “customer” and “service” in the same sentence. Anyone under the age of 40 or so probably doesn’t realize that prior to 1976 there was basically no such thing …

Motorcycle Stickers and Decals Back in the old days, decals were fragile things that were soaked in warm water and carefully removed from their paper backing. If you were really, really lucky and if all the stars were aligned, the decal would slide off the paper and on to the surface of the model car or …

Looking to add a little excitement to your night riding?  Tire Flares may be the answer! These LED wheel lights screw on to the valve stem of a motorcycle (or bicycle, car, etc.) and automatically activate at night.  The tiny LED light in each Tire Flare automatically activates on while the tire is rotating and shuts …

Roadgear Jumper Cable Review The Roadgear Deluxe Jumper Cables are sized to work with petite motorcycle batteries and their Lilliputian terminals. If there’s one thing that defines life in the 21st Century, it’s the number of choices we have and the decisions to be made. That goes double for motorcycle gear. Take something as simple …

Optimize Your Battery With OptiMate The OptiMate 3 is a small and compact motorcycle battery charger. It is claimed to have the ability to de-sulfate batteries in addition to its normal battery maintenance charging duties. UPDATE: See our Optimate 4 Review I can’t think of a reason why a motorcycle owner wouldn’t want to keep their bike …

Continuing our live report from the 2005 Powersports Dealer Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana – February 19-21, 2005. More:  2005 Dealer Expo Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  2006 Dealer Expo Feb. 19, 2005 – 19:12:  Here’s another page with more goodies.  I’ll probably call it quits for today after this and get some dinner and …

More from from the 2005 Powersports Dealer Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana – February 19-21, 2005. More:  2005 Dealer Expo Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  2006 Dealer Expo Feb. 20, 2005 – 06:15:  Tons more stuff to see.  I could go nuts with posting photos, so I’ll try to show only the accessories I think …

Handlebar Riser and GPS Holder Combo for the Versys 650 This is a “Quick Look” at the Motowerx GPS Mount and Handlebar Riser Combo. This one is for the 2015 Kawasaki Versys 650 LT Project Bike (Blog). It’s part number V650LT KV650LT-UMNT-RSR-COMBO. Motowerk also makes handlebar risers for the 650 cc and 1000 cc Versys …

HAVE A BALL ON YOUR BIKE There is no shortage of gizmos that riders mount on their motorcycles. We mount smartphones, GPSs, action cameras, toll transponders and that old standby, the cup holder. My “go-to” systems for mounting such devices are generally built using RAM products. So I’d now like to introduce these components to …

The AirTool Pro vs. The Motorcycles The Specialized AirTool Pro floor air pump is built like a brick, uh, outhouse. It’s also expensive as all get-out. But this is the floor pump used by “Pro” level bicyclists. Or so I’m told… Only problem? The head or chuck that fits on the Schrader valve is nearly …

Live Report Home  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5 Sunday, Feb. 18 – Monday, Feb. 19, 2007 – Indianapolis, Indiana:  This is Page 3 of our live coverage of the 2007 Powersports Dealer Expo, held each year during President’s Day weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana. On This Page: Öhlins MotoGP Forks and Rear Shock …