My (Favorite) 401 Mods

[BISavage]

So, after doing mods like every other day to my 401 when I had it, figured it may be worthwhile to share some Infos.

Will start here-

Performance Favs.:
#1 Rear Shock
- Went with the Hyperpro, and it really made the bike feel like a bike that costs at least twice as much to buy.
#2 Chain & Sprockets
- Tested a bunch of different setups and liked a lighter MX style chain and an Alu rear sprocket. The teeth depends really on what the ride requires; off road, street, track, etc.. The right chain / sprockets saves weight and improves performance
#3 Brakes
- The biggest change in "feel" for me came from putting the Flame brakes on from Moto Master, which saved 500g up front and 250g in the rear. Huge difference.

 

[LinTux]

- The biggest change in "feel" for me came from putting the Flame brakes on from Moto Master, which saved 500g up front and 250g in the rear. Huge difference.

Hello!
Is this about the brake disk? did you also change the brake pads? Because I'm not really understand how the disk could change the "feeling" of brakes.
P.S. I'm ordered new master cylinder from Magura (15mm radial) and new caliper from Frando (F80A), maybe it makes sense to change the disk to.

 

[BISavage]

I mean the feeling of the bike.
Moto Master are good for brake performance, and after different tests, moto master pad are good, I went with EBC HH because they are less money and very similar brake performance.

Otherwise the stock brake is good braking performance, as it is a brembo disc with hh pads; especially when using fresh high quality brake fluid.

For feeling, more specifically with the reduced weight of the moto master discs vs. stock the bike felt much more active and playful. At 80 km/h it seem much more willing to dart around small stones on the road, or snap back and forth in switchbacks more intuitively and with less rider inputs on the handlebars.

 

[BISavage]

Next Up, the upgrades that I likes the most, but when asking whether or not they are really necessary, probably gonna be a no.

Favorite "Nice-to-Have":
#1 Grips
I put Domino dual material grips which may have more grippy and also may have had a slightly different diameter... who cares, man did they look cool, and "for sure" they made a big improvement. Needta make sure to get the right ones though, cause not all models will fit.
#2 Stainless Chain Guard
Flashy, shiney, safer... maybe... I had the KTM 390 Power Parts one on the 401 and it was... a chain guard. I gotta say, the ease of cleaning crud off of a stainless part vs. plastic part is reason enough for anybody likes to make it messy and then clean and then messy and then...
#3 Rekluse Clutch
I mean really, probably very few riders who actually really ever need a Rekluse clutch, no matter how much they claim it wins the race or whatever... I woulda dumped my bike at low speeds off roading like 20 times without it, but then again I was riding it like I had a Rekluse to save my paint, so... back to the topic, unless you need to use your clutch hand to throw gnarley dude surfer signals while pulling off the line at a stop, its probably only nice to have. The other part of me wants to say "go buy one now, because its awesome!"

 

[Vintage Veloce]

My favorite "mods"
- removing all the rear fender possum catcher license plate holder thing. (2.2 kg savings)
- swapping the battery for a light weight lithium one. (2.5 kg savings)
- removing all the unnecessary stickers from the bike.
- painting the yellow oval on the radiator end caps black
- single rate H&R shock spring
- swapping out the mirrors

 

[joeprez]

In terms of looks, swapping to bar end mirrors make the bike look 100% better.

In terms of functionality, a tie between the USB charger and the Husky rear rack (goes in place of the pilen seat). I hate carrying stuff in my pockets while riding so I attached a small Maxpedition bag and had house keys, hand sanitizer, extra mask (FU COVID), a knife and a rag in there.

In terms of fun, the Leo Vince slip on... BRAAP!

Another important one was the axle and frame crash savers, but that's a given for me... all bike should have them.

 

[bullet-man]

Next Up, the upgrades that I likes the most, but when asking whether or not they are really necessary, probably gonna be a no.

Favorite "Nice-to-Have":
#1 Grips
I put Domino dual material grips which may have more grippy and also may have had a slightly different diameter... who cares, man did they look cool, and "for sure" they made a big improvement. Needta make sure to get the right ones though, cause not all models will fit.
#2 Stainless Chain Guard
Flashy, shiney, safer... maybe... I had the KTM 390 Power Parts one on the 401 and it was... a chain guard. I gotta say, the ease of cleaning crud off of a stainless part vs. plastic part is reason enough for anybody likes to make it messy and then clean and then messy and then...
#3 Rekluse Clutch
I mean really, probably very few riders who actually really ever need a Rekluse clutch, no matter how much they claim it wins the race or whatever... I woulda dumped my bike at low speeds off roading like 20 times without it, but then again I was riding it like I had a Rekluse to save my paint, so... back to the topic, unless you need to use your clutch hand to throw gnarley dude surfer signals while pulling off the line at a stop, its probably only nice to have. The other part of me wants to say "go buy one now, because its awesome!"

Because the accelerator is electronic, I don’t know how to remove the grip on that side. I don’t wanna break it. Any info is helpful. Thanks.

 

[BISavage]

Apologize for any mental imagery in advance... but for lack of a better explanation, here goes...
To remove the clutch side you blow it with air underneath and it slides right off.
To remove the throttle side you start at the throttle side with the switches and kinda lift it up over the plastic tabs very near the throttle part with the switches and stuff.
Then once you lift it over the tabs, you need to "roll it down - like a condom" and it will come off without cutting it or breaking anything... it will just be "inside out" then.

To install new grips, those little tabs need to be filed down a small amount depending on the grips you want to put on... I did it in 20 seconds with a dremel.

Here you can see where the tabs are inside:

 

[BISavage]

To install new grips...

And I didnt use glue to put them, i just got the bar wet with an alchohol whipe and slid it on fast before the alchohol evaporates... then let is sit overnight.

For the whole time I used them they never slipped or turned, regardless of weather or temperature.

I have installed others with glue before though... but then its a b**** if you wanna change em again.

 

[nampus]

On my 701 the clutch side was glued on witb quite a large amount of very good black glue. So i had to cut that side off.
Throttle side as bisavage said above: roll it off like a condom

 

[pilenlover]

favorite mod so far....
Custom seat by local upholstery shop. So much more comfy!

 

[ichbinbier]

- Fresco exhaust
- licence plate holder replaced with a cheap but well built under seat plate holder
- sequential L.E.D. turn signals
- added the tank rack from a Svart to strap stuff to
- pulled off annoying silver stickers (restick them under the seat)
- rear foot peg removal
- bar end mirrors
- Husqvarna pillion seat cover
- rear chain guard removed
- @jimmygalactic yellow headlight lens
- rear tire mud guard removed (the one just behind the rear shock)
- custom licence plate

Things still to do:
- add USB power port

 

[BISavage]

Next up: do-overs / dont do-overs
For this one I want to review the things I liked so much I would definately do them over on my next bike (or already have) and those which I dont feel the need to do them again.

Do (did):
#1 Radiator Guard
I put a radiator guard from Ibex on my 401 and I did do it over as I also put one on my 701. They are stainless steel and seem to let plenty of air through. Now, I wasnt easy on the 401, I jumped it, mashed it, slid it, and basically everything short of actually thrashing it... in many of those situations I am quite confident that the rad guard kept me from steaming my way home (or to a stop somewhere south of Oildale).
#2 Lifepo4 Battery
I put a Shido in my 401 and I put a (bigger) Shido in my 701. As posted above, the Lithium batteries save a grip of weight, but for me that was more of the icing on the cake. I went the Lifepo4 route because I can let the bike sit for a month or two and it starts up instantly without worrying about who I let borrow my charger. Remember as a kid always having to mix acid and pull out extension cords... no way Jose, thats a thing of the past now.

Not gonna do it:
#1 Windshield
On the 401 I had the Puig windshield, and it definitely did shield me from the wind. It may also have helped me reach my sought after 200km/h top speed as it enabled me to really tuck in behind it. It seemed stable too; took a couple larger rocks, and a tree one time that fell on me in a storm. Unfortunately it was loud. The buffeting was sometimes so excessive I would ride in an uncomfortable position only to duck or dodge the noise. Cant speak for everyone as everyone has a different body shape and riding posture, for me though it lands on the not gonna do it list.
#2 Chain Oiler
I really liked my chain oiler, it was the Cobrra one which you can turn manually, and as one would expect it excelled at oiling the chain. Also great in the rains, just a quick turn and the chain is good to go. I was also pleased to get really long wear life out of non-sealed Motocross chains. There was a downside, that being the ridiculous mess that I often made. It may have been due to the biodegradable 90w oil I was using, or my lack of skill when it comes to turning that thing; but either way... not gonna do it.

Undecided:
#1 Animal Warning Whistles
Something some of you may know from cars and trucks or RVs, they are little black whistles which are attached to the front of a vehicle. On the road, as the vehicle moves the wind makes the whistle work to generate a sound heard only by animals in order to scare them away. After my first run in with a deer on my 401 I installed them cause I didnt like crashing up deer, and after my second run in I called down there and got my money back. I am still undecided on this one... they may work in some conditions... or maybe not.
#2 Shift Kit
I installed the factory pro shift kit because I missed alot of shifts on my 401. It really did help especially with the feel of the shifter. Unfortunately it didnt make it as "bullet proof" as I had hoped. That's why I am not so sure if its a day one must have. If the clutch is already out for work then why not install the shift kit while its all apart, otherwise it lands in the undecided list.

 

[BlackFlag]

Anyone with doubletake adventure mirrors? do they fit on the 2020 svartpilen?...

 

[MetroiD]

Favorite "Nice-to-Have":
#1 Grips

Need/want to replace the grips on mine too. Do you recall whether our grips are a combo of 7/8" on the clutch side and 1" on the throttle side?

Think I'll get a pair of Odi Vans but I want to be sure about sizing these things correctly. I do know I'd need to cut through the old grip on the throttle side to get it off - which is a bit of a shame since it's actually the clutch-side grip that's cut up in my instance :/

By the way, as is the case with the aftermarket Pilen bar end mirrors, Highsider also seem to make the original (albeit unbranded) grips for our bikes. Says there it's 20mm / 7/8" left and 23mm / 1" right too.

 

[GeoKrpan]

Need/want to replace the grips on mine too. Do you recall whether our grips are a combo of 7/8" on the clutch side and 1" on the throttle side?

Think I'll get a pair of Odi Vans but I want to be sure about sizing these things correctly. I do know I'd need to cut through the old grip on the throttle side to get it off - which is a bit of a shame since it's actually the clutch-side grip that's cut up in my instance :/

By the way, as is the case with the aftermarket Pilen bar end mirrors, Highsider also seem to make the original (albeit unbranded) grips for our bikes. Says there it's 20mm / 7/8" left and 23mm / 1" right too.

I had the ODI Vans grips on my previous bike. I thought they were too fat even for my big hands.

I love the stock grips on my '22 Vit.

If you buy 7/8" grips, the throttle side will be 1".

 

[Svart401]

Anyone with doubletake adventure mirrors? do they fit on the 2020 svartpilen?...

Yes, the doubletake adventure mirrors work with the 2020 Svartpilen. I just installed a set on mine yesterday. The kit comes with a mix of adapters that include reverse thread for the right side mount.

 

[olie]

Heres mine few little mods mainly aesthetic. It's such a great little machine. Had much bigger bikes of all types but this thing makes me smile every time I'm on it. Also great for nipping down the odd track when know one is looking

Tail tidy
Rear Bobbins
Headlight guard - off eBay a third of the price of the husky one
Risers
Bar end mirrors
New pro grips
Chamber delete and mid pipe
Only other thing I'm considering is a colour change and maybe a high front fender...