Hi everyone,
just wanted to share the actual state of my modding list and sharing some pictures.
I know a lot of accessories I have on my Z (or I had and then sold) has been heavily discussed on the forum so after almost 50.000km with my Z900 I think I can give some interesting feedbacks or at least personal opinions. If anything in the list is interesting to someone I'll be happy to help.
Let's start form the bike:2017 Black Z900 Performance bought in 2020 with 2.000km on the clock.
I think I will do a separate topic on the bike itself and all the adventures I put her through as I think she deserve's it.
Let's talk about mods:Sprintfilter P037 (150) -> I bought it just because I read a lot of good things about Sprintfilter and wanted to try it. Also I was tired to replace the OEM one two times a year as I do ride a bit. I opted for the P037 (which is the mid level one in Sprintfilter catalogue) because I was interested in their "waterproof" technology (the base model does not have it) as i ride in cold and wet condition too. Does it make a big difference on a stock bike? No. But you can fell the bike is a little bit happier on full gas at high RPMs. I used to have a full exhaust and used the filter with it without mapping the bike and I could feel that the she was not unhappy about it but neither happy, especially on slow riding. If you have a full exhaust (even with an aftermarket cat) and plan to buy this filter, I suggest to have the bike mapped (the bike will not explode if you don't do it, but it will get less smooth in slow riding). In conclusion, I am very happy about the filter because of the easy maintenance and reusability.
Brembo radial master cilinder (40) -> I cheated a bit as I got it from a crashed Speed Triple RS 1050 of a friend, I just had to buy the lever and the brake switch. I have it just because of the occasion I got, it does work well but for me it is not far superior than the stock one if you still have the OEM brake lines (and I do). You gain a decent amount of feedback increase over the stock one but I think the OEM one is a bit more aggressive. Also I did a trackway at Grobnik circuit (in Croatia) with the stock pump and it didn't let me down a bit, so i suggest this mod if you go also with steel brake lines but not so much with OEM. I mean if you have the occasion like me go for it, but for a full price one i would not bother that much.
Rizoma bars and risers (240) -> To be precise i have the ZKW033B risers and MA009B handlebar both from Rizoma. Does this make a huge difference in riding position? Yes. Not so much with the handlebar as it is not that far from the OEM one in terms of measures (main difference is that it is a biconic 29mm instead of the 22mm and visually it is much much better in my opinion) but the real interesting pieces here are the risers. So they come with a separate unit for mounting the speedometer, the quality is as you expect from Rizoma and also for a product with that price tag, and the main difference with the standard ones is that they put the handlebar slightly forward than the holes in the triple tree while the OEM one put the handlebar a lot back than the holes. This translates in a more aggressive upper body position as the handlebar is now farther in reach and it enhance the feeling with the front tire on fast riding (although I do prefer the position also for relaxed riding as my arms take off some weight from my back). So this is something I'm very happy to have on the bike.
Black Widow headers (380) (Sold) -> my first attempt to make the Z sing like a bike and not like a washing-machine was with adding full headers on my Akrapovich slip-on. It didn't last very long, actually it was very short as I sold them like a week after trying them. I had mainly two reasons, first they were not CE homologated (yes I knew it before purchase, but in a moment of rebellion I bought them anyway) and here the Police does not go easy on that kind of thing, and second it was WAY too loud for my tastes.
Full IXrace exhaust (650) (sold) -> this was the second attempt at making the bike sound better. This exhaust is basically the same as the Ixill SX1 but with a different exit (Ixill owns IXrace from what I know), so we are talking about a full underbelly exhaust ECE certified (so with a cat in it). The is probably the most controversial mod I have done and I do not have a clear opinion yet for this reason: it is an exhaust made and meant to make some noise without having problems with the low. My take on it is simple, do you want to make some noise and hear some incredibly satisfying crackles from the exhaust? If this is all you want go for it. If like me you are expecting a little bit more as weight reduction and performances, leave it alone. I have the Akrapovich end can as I have the performance package on my bike and measuring with a scale the IXrace makes you shave approximately 4kg from stock headers and Akra slip-on (i think 6kg in total with stock muffler) which is not bad but also not incredibly light for a full exhaust. The main problem here (for me at least) is the sensible loss in power that is very minimal on relax riding but quite evident when approaching high RPMs. I saw an interesting video on YouTube of a guy trying stock vs IXrace on the same Dyno in the same day and he registered a loss of nearly 11 wheel horsepower. From my not very accurate butt Dyno I can tell you that the difference is between easily lifting the font wheel in second out of an hairpin to having the front planted on the ground full gas in the same corner with the same gear. But the fact that it is now worth for me doesn't mean that it is now for someone else, it all depends on expectations. So yeah, that's the reason why i sold it.
Translogic Quickshifter (470) -> I could end this chapter with "Yes, do it please". This is the most satisfying and enjoyable mod I have on my bike. It is one of the most expensive quickshiftrs on the market and I have not tried any other one on my bike, but boy I'm happy to have it. For me this complements perfectly the gearbox of the Z, it is silky smooth in any gear, RPM and throttle opening, as long as the bike is warm I use it every time (this is just going up the gears, not a blipper as my bike has cable throttle) and she is happy about it. It does come with a warning from my side tho, they say that it is perfect straight from the box and for me it is far from true. I spent a decent amount of time setting up the force needed to change gear and even more on the cutting times for various RPMs ranges. From factory it came with the majority of cutting times too small for my tastes resulting in harsh gear changes at fast pace, so I tuned it for my likings and now both me and my gearbox have never been so happy together. If you are willing to spend this amount on a quick shifter do it, you will not regret it.
Generic Rearset (90) -> I said generic as it is a non branded rearset kit bought from Cina after finding one with decent reviews. This for me was a mod driven from necessity rather than for fun. I live near the alps and not far from home i have plenty of Alpine passes to enjoy with silk like tarmac, so lean angles are the base line for riding that kind of street (for me at least). I started to scrape the pegs no long after finishing the OEM tires and fitting something less dangerous and more interesting, from there it started to become normal until i realised i was starting scraping heavily also the shift lever. Fearing mid turn random gear changes I decided to buy rearsets and I am very very happy about it. I also brought the Z on the track with still a lot of room for lean angles, so for the street (for me at least) is just impossible to have ground clearance issues after this mod. I just have two advice here, one I am lucky enough to have relatively small feet, so I don't have much problems on rubbing my heel against the right passenger peg but with longer feet it could be a problem (if you have passenger pegs). Second you have to be creative in order to fit the quick shifter with a rearset as it is meant to be mounted on standard pegs, nothing too complicate but keep in mind that the manual will not help you on this one.
Passenger seat foam (110) -> Since I ride quite a lot with the pillion it was mandatory to modify the rear seat and make it different from a piece of wood. I sent the seat to a local shop and they have done an incredible job in making it acceptable for the passenger. Is it beautiful? Absolutely not, but who cares when i have the single seat cover every time I'm alone. For reference (keep in mind that I have an hard core girlfriend) we reached 500km in one day of mountain riding and last summer we went in a road trip with the Z making 3500km in 11 days riding Italy from north to south and back. I asked the shop owner "I don't care of ahestetics, make it like a GS" at the end it came out prettier than I expected to be honest.
R&G Tail tidy (30) -> I found it used and for my tastes it is the most beautiful mod I have on the bike. I hated the stock one, I've tried the Lightech one but in the end this is by far my choice. Super high (as much as you can not only see the entire rear tire but it also expose some of the untertail), super light and legal to not worry about the police. I mean, it is just visual but for my tastes I love it.
Carbon parts (160) -> It's just the beginning.
Rizoma indicators (0) -> I had them on one of my previous bikes.
Heated grips (55) -> Ugly as hell but we reach temperatures like -5°C in winter.
Lightech frame sliders (75) -> Just in case.
GB Racing engine covers (95) -> Also just in case.
Radiator grill (35) -> Also just in case.
Tank pads (10) -> Not ugly and functional, so why not.
For the moment I think that's it. Obviously I didn't mention the consumables like chain and sproket, brake pads, spark plugs and stuff like that as they are all going to be replaced again once they are finished.
In anything of the mods above are interesting to you, if you have any question or curiosity I'm at full disposal and happy to help!
I'll leave here some random pics of my bike.
