Hi ..thanks for your reply to my question re: disconnecting carby heaters. .there are so many questions i have as iv recently sold the R1 and become hooked on these Bonneville s as soon as my father bought an 07 bonney . I thought they would not be much fun to ride and be slow..but i was blind ..they are excellent. Smooth nimble, tourqey, and most of all they look great..Looking forward to spending some time and money on gaining some extra horse power..i see some triumph performance stores advertising new carbies claiming 25% power increase. .also replacement cams and port polished heads..just wondering if you have any experience with performance mods and any advice on where i should be starting. .cheers Dan
865 best performance mods
- Thread starter Dan91
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I'll tell you the same thing I tell anybody who asked that question. Ride your bike for a few thousand miles and see what YOU want to change, not what other people say should be. Bonnie's are a lot of fun, especially when its built for you. Ride safe and enjoy your new toy....
Dan, I've seen this question many times from new Bonneville owners and riders. And, I asked it myself in 2008 after purchasing my own Bonneville. Based on everything I've learned over the last 11 years, here is my prioritized list as to prioritized things that will give you the most bang for your buck.
- Remove the Air Injection System (AIS). You can get kits to plug these holes for around $20.
- Debaffle the airbox and install a low restriction air filter (K&N or Uni).
- Replace the exhaust silencers with lower restriction aftermarket ones selected for your personal taste of looks, sound, and performance. Dime City Cycles sells options made by Cone Engineering, the manufacturer of many of the other, more expensive branded products.
- If you do either of the above 2 bullet points, you will need to re-jet the carbs, or reprogram (re-map) the ECU (EFI models). This changes the air-fuel mixture to make optimum use of the increased air-flow through the engine. It increases your HP and torque.
- On carb models, you can also replace the CDI with one by Procom, which allows for finer tuning of the timing/performance.
- An upgraded oil cooler can reduce weight, and improve engine cooling. Bonneville Performance has a really nice kit.
- After these basic things are done, everything else gets much more expensive and involved with decreasing bang for your buck, but with significant performance increases.
- Install high performance, flat slide carburetors, and intake manifolds with larger intake size such as the Mikuni HSR42 kit from Bonneville Performance.
- Install high-performance cams like those from Bonneville Performance
- Have the entire head reworked, ported and polished with oversize valves, cams, and components... Bonneville Performance does this.
- Install 2-into1 exhaust system for optimum airflow through the engine.
- Install high-performance clutch plates and springs by Barnett
- Have the entire engine rebuilt by Bonneville Performance to any number of larger displacement sizes: 904cc, 995cc, 1100cc, 1200cc. I have the 1100cc version on my 2008 Bonneville... over 100 HP.
- Anything else you can do to decrease the weight of your Bonneville will help:
- Replace steel components with billet aluminum ones. This includes:
- Wheel hubs and rims
- Fenders
- Footpegs
- Lighting
- handlebars and controls
- Brackets
- Brakes
- Replace steel components with billet aluminum ones. This includes:
- As you increase the power and performance of the engine, you will need to address suspension and brakes.
- Upgrade front solid rotor to a floating rotor
- Replace OEM double piston front caliper with 4-piston or 6-piston Beringer calipers, with an upgraded master cylinder
- Change rear OEM brake pads to EBC high-performance ones, and reposition it above the swing arm.
- Replace stock swingarm bushings with tighter tolerance billet versions
- Replace stock rear shocks with aftermarket ones designed for your weight and riding style
- Replace front stock springs with higher performance progressive ones, or the most optimum internal double action cartridges.