Motorcycle Mods You May Not Realize are Useless

The list of mods that are foolish and lacking in common sense, some even break motorcycle rules and even endanger you.

In the motorcycling community, a squid is the type of rider most other riders mock. And those riders, alongside newbies, are the type who most frequently use these pointless mods. Which doesn’t help their reputation, especially alongside their style of riding.

The mods they add often lack common sense in basic motorcycle rules and make maintenance harder. These changes might also make the bike harder to ride, make it look uglier than when it came out of the factory, and can also appear dangerous for other road users. If you want a cool mod and your bike to look fantastic, use high-quality motorcycle paint for a new paint job!

So, without further ado, here is the list of mods squids don’t realize are completely useless.

Steering Dampers

Steering dampers can be a good idea on certain bikes, as they help with handling. But not all bikes need them, and they can worsen handling, because having them slows the steering down. Maybe they add them to already perfect balanced bikes under the “better safe than sorry” mentality. However, this “safety mode” can actually make the bike more unsafe because the slower handling makes it harder to turn when you need it the most.

Fur

Why would anyone cover their bike in fur? We don’t know, but this craze has caught on. Fur does not mix well with moisture and the slightest bit of water can soak through and damage the paint and body of the bike. Plus, it looks tacky and terrible. Just don’t do it.

Stretching Out

In some cases, a bike does need stretching out. It can help taller bikes have more space to move around, and it helps racers (especially drag racers) achieve higher speeds. However, some riders think that all bikes need this, so you might see a Honda Grom which has been stretched out beyond belief. Doing this to your bike greatly ruins the handling and the power, as well as not looking great either…

Automatic Flashing Headlights

Having a high-quality and reliable headlight is essential for a rider. Even if you don’t do much night riding, you need to seen in all weathers, and most importantly, be seen by other road users. Some riders think a constantly flashing headlight is a great idea. The reality is that it’s a distraction for other road users and causes more accidents. They are also less effective than a single solid head beam.

Carbon Fiber

Carbon fiber can help reduce the weight of a bike and thus make it faster. However, replacing everything on your ride for carbon fiber aftermarket parts offers such a low tradeoff that its rarely worth the effort and price. A full carbon fiber ride also doesn’t look good. Furthermore, the price of all carbon fiber bodywork is ridiculous, you are better off spending that money on some mods that actually help improve the bike.

Sportbike Top Box

We agree that having extra storage is a great idea, especially for longer rides. However, a big top box on a sleek sportbike not only looks out of place, but also messes with the handling and steering because of the raised pillion platform. It requires extra work for the box to fit and can easily break off in an accident. We are all up for extra storage, so use one of the better options, designed for sportbikes, which are lower on the machine.

Sidecars

Just why?

Adding a sidecar not only add a ton of extra weight to the bike and that will influence the speed and power delivery, but they also make it harder to handle and take simple curves. It also makes it harder to park and they look horrible. The bottom line is that sidecars have for more cons than pros, avoid them at all costs.

Get Back Whips

Get back whips are used to achieve a tougher look and are used in some motorcycle clubs. The reality however is quite different. They are illegal in several states, as police don’t like the idea of bikers being able to whip other road users or pedestrians. They also look ridiculous. If you want a fine for a pointless mod, adding get back whips is a sure way to achieve it.

Front Brake Delete

Nobody in their right mind messes with the front brake of their bike, and any experience rider will tell you that having quality front brakes is essential. They are a true-life saver. Yet some riders hear about other riders being thrown off during an emergency stop and somehow come up with a ‘logic’ that removing the front brake is the best idea to prevent this. Oh, and that the reduced weight adds speed.

So, I ask you, do you think it is safe to have a “faster” bike with no stopping capability? No, of course it isn’t. Plus, the idea that having no front brake makes the bike faster is ridiculous.

Ape Hangers

We are not saying that ALL ape hangers are useless. There are many examples of old school and classic Harley Davidson hogs looking fantastic with this style of handlebars. But the truth remains that they are purely to look good and can do if done right. The issue is that many don’t do them right. The mentality of “bigger is better” is what ruins this mods, with some riders having hangers way above their heads and almost out arms reach. This makes the bike harder to handle, and painful on the arms. Many states have regulations on the size of ape hangers because they can be dangerous if they are too large.

We hope you enjoyed this list! But there’s more. We found so many mods that are useless and yet, still, thousands of squids install them on their bikes that we had to make a second part. Watch this space for Useless Mods Part 2.