Some people (like myself) love the style and charm that older motorcycles have. I always find myself looking at older bikes or new bikes that are designed to look old. These older motorcycles seem to have a personality of their own and no two are the same. However; using technology that is 20, 30, or 40 years out of date does have some drawbacks. The brakes are maybe not as good as they should be, random leaks, rough suspension, or the lack of fuel injection. You get the idea, you want to ride around a an old bike, but still want to have those modern features.
Below I have listed out some upgrades I have done to my motorcycle. These are in no particular order and one does not need to do all of them. You will also notice some of these could be considered general maintenance stuff, but I’m referring to replacing older style parts for new style parts.
Ridingwithoutreason.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
New Tires
Replacing the old new tires with new ones is really a no brainier. You should be replacing your tires every two years at least. If you ride frequently, you will have to change them more often.
What I really want to bring up with this is the design of the tires. I am a huge sucker for white walled tires and I think they look good on most classic motorcycles. The nice thing is, we can buy modern tires with better materials and tread patterns, but the tire looks like it came from the 70’s. After I put white walled tires on my Nighthawk, I got a lot of complements and even my one friend, who made fun of me for getting those types of tires, eventually confessed they looked really good on the bike.
Since it is something you have to do anyways, It just makes sense to get the best looking tires for your motorcycle.
New Brakes
This one also falls under the category of safety. Braking, in my experience, is one area that really falls short in modern motorcycle safety. My friend has a 1974 CB360 with drum brakes on the front and rear. Lets just say, I was grabbing those brake handles as hard as I could and I was not stopping as fast as I would of liked. It is so bad in fact, that he has plans to switch the front brake to a disk brake. There was a different model of 360 that had a disk brake and he plans just to switch the front fork assembly.
My 84 Nighthawk has a disk brake in the front and drum in the rear, so my braking ability isn’t to bad. I just put new pads in the front and rear. I also adjusted them so they will work as soon as I grab the handle. Doing this will allow you to get the best braking possible out of your motorcycle.
Phone Mount
This is definitely a comfort feature and not something you have to do if you don’t want to. I installed one of these on my handlebars because I found out my speedometer was not accurate. So I ended up using a GPS speedometer app on my phone to know my speed. I tried a few different mounts, but I ended up like the RAM X-Grip. It was simple, clean, and it’s interchangeable with other accessories. So, if I need to mount a camera or cup holder, I can.
I also use my phones GPS feature to get directions to places I have not been, or to help me find my way home if I get lost. Being able to mount my phone or GPS to my handle bars has just made using newer technology easier.
LED Lighting
Replacing the big and bulky turn signals with slimmer LED lights will help steam line the look and add longer lasting lights to the motorcycle. Finding LED turn signals that look a lot like the old ones, but smaller, will keep the same feel of the bike. Now if you are the type of person that is trying to restore it back to 100% factory, you could get away with using the old housings, but replacing the bulbs themselves with LEDs.
For information, you can check out this guide on Installing LED Blinkers that goes over all the basics.
On my motorcycle I found some front blinkers that looked a lot like the old ones, but they were 1/3 the size. Since they look like a older style, they do not look out of place on my motorcycle. For the rear I got very small (almost flush mounted) blinks that were in chrome to blend in with the motorcycle. I wanted to de-cluttered the rear, but still have look like they were designed to be there.
To get LED blinkers to flash the correct speed, you will need to add resistors to your blinker wires. It is also possible to get a new relay all together that is designed with LEDs in mind.
USB Power
After I had my phone mounted to my handlebars I eventually noticed that I had no way of charging my phone when I was on the bike. This is a simple upgrade that allows you to connect a USB cable to your motorcycle’s battery. I used a Battery Tenders USB adapter to plug into my Battery Tenders adapter cable. That way I could plug the USB cable into the battery when it was not on the charger.
I then routed a six foot heavy duty USB able under my tank and up to my handle bars. I left enough slack in the cable to allow my handlebars to turn in each direction without pulling the cable to tight. Doing it this way, You do not notice the cable and you then have the ability to charge your device right from the motorcycle.
Gel or Lithium Battery
After adding multiple electronic devices or chargers to your motorcycle, that will put more demand on your motorcycle’s battery and the lead acid battery that is probably in your bike will struggle. I would replace it with a gel or lithium battery, because they are usually lighter and easier to take care of.
It should be noted that these types of batteries will cost more than just a standard lead acid battery. But I feel like it is worth the price since they are more forgiving than a lead acid battery. Gel and lithium battery can hold there charge longer and are more forgiving in tougher situations, like cold weather.
At this point I would also install a Battery Tender adapter cable to your battery as well. This will allow you easier access to your battery to charge it and plug in accessories. It’s much easier to just plug your Battery Tender into its adapter than to pull out the whole battery to charge it.
New Seals
Replacing the seals on your bike will keep the motorcycle looking nicer and keep the ground beneath it clean. Its not very nice looking if oil or hydraulic fluid is all over the place. Most bikes will probably leak a small amount, depending on how well they were maintained, but replacing seals is a fairly easy thing to do. Plus seal will break down over time and if the motorcycle is 20+ years old, its time to replace them anyways.
Improved Head / Wheel Bearings
Back in the day, motorcycles used ball bearings for moving parts and in most cases your head bearings are still using the old style ball bearings. It should be possible to replace your motorcycle’s head bearings with a newer spindle style bearing. These newer style bearings last longer and need less maintenance. I noticed a night and day difference when I switched them out. Before I started to get a small wobble in the handlebars going down the highway. With the new style bearings, I can let the bars go at highway speed and there is no wobble or anything. It just works better than it did before.
Rebuild Carburetors
This is just another possible small performance upgrade you can do to help the motorcycle run smoother. The carburetors are a very picky piece of machinery that effects how well your motorcycle runs. You can get carburetor rebuild kits that come with new seals, jets, springs, etc. Cleaning out and replacing these small parts will allow the carburetors to work as best as possible. This will help the bike start and run better.
In some more rare cases, it might be possible to get a fuel injection adapter for your motorcycle. This is a very involved process which is out of the scope for this article. Just know that it might be possible and is something you could look into.
Spark Plugs and Wires
Changing out your spark plug and wires is also another simple way of updating your older motorcycle to today’s standards. Wires will break down over time and since these wires are exposed to the elements, that statement is even more true.
When you change your spark plugs, the spark plugs themselves will let you know how the engine is performing. You can find a spark plug chart in most motorcycle manuals that will tell you what is wrong, depending on how the spark plug looks. For example, if the plug has oil on it, you know that your piston rings are worn and you are burning oil. Replace your old spark plug with new ones that are designed for your motorcycle to get the best spark possible.
Garage Door Opener
Now I saved the last for best. I installed a garage door opener to my handlebar near my grip. This allows me to open my garage door without having to get off the motorcycle or letting go of the bike at all. This is really nice for when you get home, you can just pull right into the garage, then get off the bike. This is especially nice when it is raining outside.
For more information about this opener, check out my Guide I wrote on how I made it.
I took a universal handle bar switch and soldered on cables to the circuit board of the garage door opener. I first had to figure out which two leads activated the door and when I did, I connected the switch and opener with a quick disconnect. I then placed the opener inside my head light housing and ran the cable along with the cables already on the bike to the handlebar. And lastly I attached the switch to my handle bars in a place where I could easily reach it.
If you are interested in what Motorcycle and gear I own, you can check it all out on the Bike and Gear page!