My first real mod

Last week, I did my first real mod to my bike. That is, I did something to the bike other than cosmetic bolt-ons. It's called the Caddman mod. A lot of people modify their big V-twin engines by changing out the stock exhaust, replacing the air intake, and installing some sort of electric modification to the bike's computer to adjust fuel curves. A guy named Caddman came up with a mod that is a lot less expensive than the traditional route and works pretty well. I decided to give it a try before our trip to Montana to see if I get a little more punch out of my bike.

The mod involves blocking off the air that's pulled in from the left side of the bike, installing different air cleaners, and soldering a resistor onto the air temp sensor to fool the bike into thinking it's colder than it is so it will pull in more fuel. The Vulcans are set at the factory to run really lean, and the only way to get around it is to install a computer system, like a Power Commander, or this simple resistor mod that isn't nearly as sophisticated but does a fairly good job of doing the same thing. A lot of people on my Kawasaki forum have done the mod and been happy with it, so I thought I'd try it.

It was pretty easy to do. I had to make a block-off plate for the snorkel on the left side. I also stuck a marble up into the intake hose for the reed valves (some people completely remove the reed valves but I didn't want to go that route). Did the resistor mod by soldering a 680 ohm 1/4 watt resistor inline with the air temp sensor. Replaced the stock filters with Spectre 9" x 2" round air cleaners. It took a couple of hours, and the only thing I had a problem with was the soldering. I'm used to soldering big old pieces of lead for stained glass, not teeny tiny wires.

Took the bike out for a ride the next day. I can tell a significant difference. The throttle is a lot more responsive. The guys on the forum tell me that it'll feel like I have another gear when I'm cruising at high speeds (I'll find out about that this week when we go to Montana). The bike has a deeper, richer sound. And there's a lot less backfiring from my aftermarket pipes. All in all, I'm pretty happy with the mod and proud that I did the whole thing by myself.

If I'd gone the traditional route, I would have paid over $300 for a Power Commander and a couple of hundred for an airkit. Instead, I spent $40 on the air cleaners and a buck for the resistor. Not bad, huh?

I like the way these Spectre air cleaners look, too.