Motorcycle Modification vs Car Modification

[LanceK]

I have noticed that rarely ever does an owner keep his motorcycle stock, yet cars are often left stock. Nothing wrong with modifying things, I’m just making an observation. Ever met someone who just got a brand new car and the first thing they do is put aftermarket seats in it?

So are you the type that modifies your cars as well? For the most part I keep my cars stock, and I do light modifications to my motorcycle.

 

[Rabbit]

I think car mods are typically more difficult and there is less need to make it work

 

[the Ferret]

Modify cars? heaven's no.

I don't even modify my motorcycles much lol. Stock seat, stock bars, no risers, stock mirrors, stock exhaust, stock foot pegs, stock levers, no added electronics other than a battery tender jr pigtail, and only soft luggage. I even use OE oil filters, oil, air filters, spark plugs and brake pads lol.

I do use an after-market windshield in the winter to block more wind and have a helmet guardian helmet lock on the rear lic plate holder. I do replace OE tires with better ones when they are worn out.

 

[Itdoesn'taddup]

Within the first week of buying a new truck, I get the windows tinted - I gotta make it my own. All marketing comes off of it. (Around here, dealers like to advertise on your truck with tag surrounds and actual decals. One dealer puts an emblem on your car to advertise. ) Then the addition or removal of chrome to fit my taste. My latest truck got only the windows done. It's perfect otherwise. Past truck had the wheels painted black. Another got chrome door handles added.

 

[670cc]

Some of my mototorcycle modifications are for ergonomic improvements. The amount of ergonomic adjustment available on motorcycles is usually very minimal

Ergonomic adjustments often found in cars:
Driver seat can be quickly adjusted usually 4 ways, sometimes 7 ways or more.
Steering wheel can tilt and steering column can sometimes telescope in and out.
On some cars, the pedals can be moved towards and away from the driver.

Ergonomic adjustments found on the NC:
Can rotate the handlbars in the clamps over a short range.
Can position lever angles and pedal heights.
No adjustments on seat.
No adjustments on footpegs.

Another common area of modification to the motorcycle is the windscreen. On the motorcycle the owner has option for no windscreen, short, tall, adjustable windscreen. Automobile comes with a windshield that completely blocks all wind, thus no modification required or likely even possible.

Motorcycle seats are usually aesthetic styling exercises but rarely comfortable. Automotive seats are generally comfortable or adjustable for comfort, thus modification rarely needed In the automobile.

In summary, the motorcycle needs modification because they are simply built to attempt a one size fits all, underfeatured, and not as adjustable.

My car is only mildly modified. It has:
Trailer hitch and trailer light wiring
Mud flaps
SAE plug for battery charging
Floor mats
Dinghy towing front baseplate, dinghy towing wiring and diodes for motorhome to operate car lights.
Battery disconnect switch required for recreational towing.
Wiring for auxiliary electric braking system.
Interior color matched trim accents.
All dealer badging removed.

While not the topic of the discussion, RVs required modification far more than even motorcycles.

 

[Deleted member 1183]

I used to modify bikes for performance years ago, but nowadays my only mods are for comfort and convenience. I leave the car alone. Anyway its the Wife's. She did allow a towbar to be added for Ebike carriage given that She also cycles.

 

[Itdoesn'taddup]

"While not the topic of the discussion, RVs required modification far more than even motorcycles."

NOW you've done it. We bought our first RV new last month. I wanted new because I didn't want to have to discover and fixed the problems of a used one. FAIL.

My last two months have been shot working on all the problems this one came with. I could have saved tens of thousands of dollars on a used one to have the same problems to repair.

 

[orlando]

I have noticed that rarely ever does an owner keep his motorcycle stock, yet cars are often left stock. Nothing wrong with modifying things, I’m just making an observation. Ever met someone who just got a brand new car and the first thing they do is put aftermarket seats in it?

So are you the type that modifies your cars as well? For the most part I keep my cars stock, and I do light modifications to my motorcycle.

I grew up with people who worked on cars, so I frequently made changes. I almost never make modifications to my motorcycle, except occasionally removing all the plastic parts and running the bike "naked".

 

[670cc]

NOW you've done it. We bought our first RV new last month. I wanted new because I didn't want to have to discover and fixed the problems of a used one. FAIL.

My last two months have been shot working on all the problems this one came with. I could have saved tens of thousands of dollars on a used one to have the same problems to repair.

New RVs are basically sold as unfinished products. The dealer typically has to do a lot of work just to have a functional and clean unit to hand over to the customer. Then the owner will have more things to fix and modify over the first year or two. It’s not whether there will be warranty problems, but how many problems and how bad, and how much downtime will there be. A new RV is among the more poorly manufactured big ticket items you can buy, or possibly the worst.

If you buy used rather than new, you are sometimes better off if the original owner has worked through all the problems.

Because of the huge number of problems that come with a new RV, I don’t have any desire to buy another one. I’ll keep mine as long as I RV, then be done with the whole affair.

 

[Ricknc]

NOW you've done it. We bought our first RV new last month. I wanted new because I didn't want to have to discover and fixed the problems of a used one. FAIL.

My last two months have been shot working on all the problems this one came with. I could have saved tens of thousands of dollars on a used one to have the same problems to repair.

Every time we think about buying a new motorhome we just go to a RV forum and read everyone’s horror stories. We have a 1995 Winnebago 23’ that has never left us on the side of the road and I know how to fix every quirk it has. Put in new seats and did a complete interior makeover along with clear coating the outside 3 years ago.

 

[670cc]

Every time we think about buying a new motorhome we just go to a RV forum and read everyone’s horror stories. We have a 1995 Winnebago 23’ that has never left us on the side of the road and I know how to fix every quirk it has. Put in new seats and did a complete interior makeover along with clear coating the outside 3 years ago.

Yep. I had a 1995 Fleetwood that served me well. Then I decided to replace it. The new one is nice but in many ways the technology has hardly advanced at all, and the workmanship is no better, either
.

 

[MZ5]

RV build quality has dropped DRASTICALLY in the past 10+ years. A 90s-era RV is simply a demonstrably better machine than a new one, and it's not close. That's part of why prices of '90s and early '00s are so high on the used market.