Three cheap and simple motorcycle mods to make your life much easier – including £3 gadget to save you breaking down
A BIKER has revealed three cheap and simple motorcycle mods that can make life much easier, including a breakdown-saving £3 gadget.
Eric Barros, who goes by Yammie Noob on YouTube, urged riders to pick up some easily-installed extras which could save them trouble down the line.
The trio of items can give your bike extra functions like phone charging and cruise control without having to pay a premium.
You can also improve storage and comfort within minutes, turning anything on two-wheels into the perfect commuter ride.
And all of them can be picked up for under £20 a piece.
Tail Bag
One of the most common problems bikers come up against is a lack of storage space, especially on long trips.
Even the keenest of road trippers can usually get what they need but it generally means shelling out thousands for hulking tourer models.
And even then it’s still a bit of a squeeze.
Thankfully, if you favour a slimmer bike or simply don’t have the money for a larger one, there are options available.
For example, even the skinniest of sportbikes can likely fit a tail bag onto the pillion seat when it’s not being used.
Many come with strong anchor straps which can be tightened around the frame without even needing to take the seat off.
While top of the range version can cost over £150, basic versions are available for as little as £15.
Other great options include tank bags (basically the same but on the fuel tank) and saddle bags which hang down at the side of the bike.
Twin those with a backpack and you should have more than enough space to fit in everything you need for a commute, or even an overnight stop.
SAE Lead
This little £3 wonder cable is a multipurpose gadget that can connect to all manner of handy appliances.
Hopping on your bike after a few days (or weeks) without riding is a gamble for any biker as you often don’t know whether it will start well – or at all.
Flat batteries are a leading cause of breakdowns for riders as the smaller capacity and the inability to use the motor in poor weather means they can run out quite quickly.
But with an SAE lead you don’t have to worry about that, as it can be connected to a battery tender, sometimes called a trickle charger, to keep the voltage ticking over while it sits in your garage.
All you need to do is connect one end to your battery then pass the lead through the subframe to keep everything nice and tidy.
It only takes about ten minutes and a screwdriver to do this.
And it often comes with handy adaptors, which can be used for things like phone charging and even to jump-start the bike.
Throttle Lock
Finally, Eric explained how you can give even the most basic bike a bit of a luxury touch with DIY cruise control
A throttle lock can be found online for as little as £5 and allows you to hold the throttle handle in place without painfully twisting your wrist for minutes on end.
It slots onto the handle easily and is tightened using a screwdriver.
All you have to do is bring your bike up to speed and then click the little button on the lock to engage a friction pad.
This will hold your bike at a constant speed but can easily be deactivated by clicking the button again or twisting the throttle forward.
