1st are the mods I loved the most, regardless of cost.
Reducing weight, especially rotating mass makes a huge difference on these bikes. So lighter wheels, lighter chain, lighter sprocket assembly, lighter rotors. Thysenkrupp CF wheels, OZ if you don’t like CF wheels but that’s just silly. Mag wheels will bend before good CF will break, and both are catastrophic events. Superlite 520 Sprockets and chain (Although V4Evo has a lighter setup) and by far the best mod I put on the bike period was the Sicom Rotors…they make the bike flick side to side like a race prepped 600cc bike. When I get the new bike other than upgrading the brake MC the only 1st mods I’ll do is lighten every rotating mass I can. Makes the bike feel more alive. These bikes respond really well to any weight reduction, but especially to rotating mass reduction.
An exhaust and a tune are big on these bikes too. I prefer the Sparks WSBK setup because they use Inconel headers that flow into titanium tubes, but any catless titanium system with a good tune serves these bikes well. Sheds a lot of weight, opens up mid-range power and torque. Duessen is the only tune I’d use for these bikes currently…Ze German takes a very German approach and knows his ...., in great detail, with no shortcuts in the tuning process.
Upgrade the Brake MC, USE A 17mm one not 19mm for the calipers on these bikes! I have a MotoGP level Brembo Brake MC but honestly any of the 17RCS Corsa Corta stuff is a great upgrade, more than that is over kill. And don’t bother upgrading the clutch MC.
For brake pads when not running the Sicom rotors and pads I prefer the Vesrah XX over the ubiquitous Z04 pads…the former has just as much stopping power as the Z04 but has a much more forgiving and progressive initial bite, easier to finesse.
Ohlins FKR Carts for the Forks, and the ubiquitous DU468 GP rear shock are the way to go…there are some Ktech DDS options that are phenomenal, but the average Joe needs a suspension tuner, which means it’s best to stay with Ohlins because there are good tuners for that stuff in almost every state with decent tracks to go to, not so much with Ktech and Bitubo etc, at least in the states.
And last of the best mods, get a thumb or index finger brake, and learn how to use it. I’ve had both the IMA stuff and the Discatiatti stuff…I go back and forth between thumb and index finger brakes but index finger is easier or what I’m more use too. The IMA stuff is higher quality than the Discatiatti stuff, but the latter costs less and has better ergo placement (which is critical for a rear brake mounted to the left clip on) so I use the Discatiatti stuff. Whatever you use, get the 16mm piston not the 14mm piston for these bikes, it provides enough pressure to shift the bikes weight but without locking up the rear, the 14mm requires too much effort to brake hard enough to shift the bikes weight, so it’s actually harder to finesse, requires too hard of a lever pull.
For clipons Woodcraft is the way to go, they have two sets of bolts on the collar that goes around forks so you can change them without removing the triple clamp…huge time saver when you need to change them. They have endless ergo options, and they are engineered REALLY well, for a very fair price, which is importsnt because if you lay your bike down the 1st thing you are replacing is your clipons…so a well engineer setup that doesn’t cost an arm and leg and has endless adjustability?…no brainer…Woodcraft
For rearsets: Attack Performance, solid, well made, with the most adjustability on the market. Especially best if you are tall. And they have the best foot peg design, huge spikes, your foot isn’t slipping off of them EVER.
2nd are the ‘no budget’ mods that are good but not really needed. Pierobon extended swingarm. Great upgrade, not needed unless you are very fast chasing 10ths. IMA triple clamps same things.
Titanium bolts and fasteners…replace the BIG bolts, don’t bother with all the little ones EXCEPT the ones you use alot like fairing screws, and for your brake and clutch MC etc…the big bolts like the brake calipers, the brake rotors bolts and sprocket bolts and nuts (rotating mass) swingarm pinch bolts, engine mount bolts etc are where you get pretty decent weight savings, all the smaller fasteners not so much, but change to titanium on the smaller screws you turn a lot because the OEM are made of clay.
Quick turn throttle, cool upgrade, worth doing, decent bang for the buck mod, not a ‘must do’ mod…go with JetPrime if you get one, most reliable version out there with the smallest footprint on the bar.
GP4-MS Calipers are great, I love em, but honestly the Stylema’s paired with better pads and an upgraded brake mc are very very good. So I’d classify the GP4-MS calipers as cool but not a huge difference maker for track days.
Don’t worry about ditching the ABS on later bikes, it actually works pretty well in the track setting and isn’t particularly intrusive.
Linear shock link is a must for a track only bike. But if you ride your bike on the street you won’t like it. Makes the rear the pump at the track and the rear end feels more stable, but for even moderate street use its harsh and will make you slower.
MotoCorse engine and shock mounts? Expensive, look cool, hard to get, makes zero difference when riding the bike…one of the mods I wish I had saved the money on lol
Upgrade clutch MC not useful either, just makes the clutch stiffer but no benefit to bike performance.
Titanium wheel nuts, decent reduction in rotating mass but it’s so close to the hub that it doesn’t make that much of a difference, but they are easy to get and not too expensive so I’m 50/50 on those.
For the rear subframe and seat MotoHolders with a RaceSeatIT seat and you save a lot of weight and improve ergos…Pierobon makes the best of the rear subframes though, but for the extra cheddar not that big of an improvement when actually riding the bike over a MotoHolders setup. Far and away the better rout to go is the RADE Garage Tank/Seat combo. Wider and longer seat, great tank hook in ergos…replace the rubber bushings with Delrin or it flexes too much though.
H20 Track Radiator WITH fan provision, is a very good mod for street or track on these bikes and will probably prolong your engine life. BUT not really needed. One of those more expensive mods you can live without, but if you have the budget worth doing…side note though, you can’t mount a side mounted steering damper with it.
Fitness, seat time, and coaching are always the best mods…but assuming you can walk and chew gum at the same time financially if you own a V4…Best overall mods to me were reducing overall weight especially rotating mass (grams everywhere add up but especially on all rotating parts), change the brake mc, cat less titanium exhaust with Deussen Tune. The rest do if you have the budget, otherwise save money for brake pads, tires, fluid changes, and track time/coaching and improve your fitness.
Will post more as I think of it.
