Few bikes have been praised as much as the GSX-R 1000. The style, the power and the status of the bike are instantly gratifying each time you swing your leg over the seat and prepare to rocket from 0-60 in under 3 seconds.

Few bikes can compare to the GSXR K series, and even fewer bikes are so easy to tune up and modify. This guide will not be going into turbo and nitrous and such things. This guide will stick to a small number of basic mods that can be greatly worth the small chunk on change, and can give the rider a lot more "Woah!" when they twist that throttle.

Basic mod #1: The tires.

  Something a lot of riders take advantage of is their tires. Check them often, check them carefully, and spend that extra lump on a good reliable set. It's no secret that the stock tires are not the best, and it is common knowledge that after market tires can range from 200 dollars for a set up to 300 dollars for one tire. Do yourself a favor and get a good set of rubbers. If at all possible, try to stick with a dual compound tire. This type of tire comes in a variety of speed ratings and has a hard and soft compound rubber. Long story short, the hard compound in the middle gives you a high mile tire, while the soft sticky compound on the sides gives you that "leaning" grip that you need.

Basic mod #2: The exhaust.

   You see them everywhere... Hundreds of different kinds of after market exhaust systems. The most basic of them is the slip on canister. While this will give you some top end power increase, it is minimal. If you are going to drop the $400 plus on a cannister, you are better off waiting and getting a full exhaust system. The new system will save you weight, help suck the gasses out of the motor better and sound/look a lot better. It will help your bike generate a few extra top end HP, but will subsequently rob you of some back pressure and in turn, lower your torque curve. I myself don't find this to be a problem at all though. The bike already has an insane amount of torque, so much in fact that pulling the throttle out too much usually means the rear end breaking loose which causes many new riders to eat it in the parking lots. So, either fabricate you own, or save the money for a couple of extra months and get a full exhaust system instead of the "all show, no go" cannister.

Basic mod #3: Fuel management.

   This is probably thee most over looked mod aside from tires. Almost everyone slaps a new exhaust of some kind as soon as they get their bike. The problem? You motorcycle is a very finely tuned instrument of power and speed. The stock exhaust is designed SPECIFICALLY to give you a good amount of HP and a generous amount of torque. And guess what? When you chop it off and put something else on there, the tune of things now has a kink. Usually what happens is the air fuel ratio is out of whack and the bike's ECU isn't happy. See that little red light and the letters "FI" blinking next to it? It means you have a fuel injection problem now. The most likely cause? Your bike is now running too lean. This means you are getting too much air, and not enough fuel in your cylinders before it sparks. Why is this a problem? Well to name just a few: Your motor could misfire, your valves could burn out, your piston can swiss cheese, your motor can seize, you could be running hot.... and so on. The solution? An after market fuel management system. (i.e.: power commander) When used correctly, this little baby will right the wrong and put things back into harmony again. It will generally boost your HP and your torque all the while making your motor run smooth and beautifully. When/If you do get a fuel management system, I highly HIGHLY recommend having it mapped out on a dyno. You can download your own maps off the internet, but a "pipe sniffer" on a dyno will give you the best possible result.

Basic mod #4: The intake.

   This is simple. If you are going to spends hundreds or even a thousand+ on an exhaust, hundreds on a fuel management system, and then hundreds to get it mapped out.... why wouldn't you drop the 50-80 on an after market filter?? Some of theese filters will send 20-30% more air into your motor giving you MUCH more to work with when you get the fuel management system mapped out. Do yourself a favor, even if you are not getting an exhaust or FM system, grab an after market filter and drop it in. Your bike will thank you and your gas mileage will thank you too.

A further mod here would be getting velocity stacks. However, at $240+ for a set of theese to only help you out maybe 2-5 HP, I don't recommend it. But hey, it's your money.

Basic mod #5: The chain.

   It amazes me how many people do all theese extravagant things to their bike to make it have so much more power and forget the life force of the bike. That chain on your bike stretches and weakens every mile, and if you're putting a lot more pull on it than it can handle (i.e.: racing/stunting) you're in for a bad deal. Get a decent after market chain and WATCH IT. Ideally, it (along with your tires and brakes) should be looked over after every ride. I know this is a rare thing, but try to do it once a week, once a month at the LEAST. Make sure it has the specified play, and be sure to grease it accordingly. Oh, and if you rider in the wet, pay close attention to the grease level on that chain!

Okay, so those were my basic mods for beginners. I'm not going into brakes and clutches, intake manifolds, cams and pistons, turbos, carbon rims and alluminum fuel tanks, lightweight fairings, custom rearsets and motor bore. This is for the average rider that just wants to throw a small amount into their bike. The average rider doesn't have thousands upon thousands of dollars to drop into their machine, so calm down.

Hope this guide helps a few people out there. Ride safe everybody... Wait, what am I saying,

HAVE FUN!