with sex,food,bikes,fishin etc..
the same old same old is boring!!!
ive done minor "mods" to my 06
dyna jet kit, k&n drop in,de snorkel,3" hardchrome slash cut,river road slant bags, sissybar rack and bag,engine guard,ED's forward controlls,leds,fly screen,handle bar set backs,more leds, driving lights,more leds,brake pedal pad...
bout 13k on the od     no problems

I think the OP, alcoa, has left the room.  Where'd he go?

Back to the original intent of the OP's rhetorical question as I read it- that mods don't improve the bike or else suzuki would have included it in their designs.  Hmmm... it is a great engine and the more I mess with it the more impressed I am with it.  But let's face it- suzuki didn't put the same amount of resources and energy into designing the LS650 as they did the B-King, regardless of how much you want to bless the LS650 R&D team.  This is a dang good bike but it's not an all out make-it-the-best-with-no-compromises bike.  Improving airflow in, fuel mixture delivered and exhaust out do indeed yield more power.  Some on here criticized my Kamikaze intake. No problem.  They said with the stock airbox the engine gets all the air it needs.  That itself shows me they are looking at it only in the aspect of air volume delivered.  That has only a little to do with why it works.  But not understanding how it works, or how any mod improves the bike for that matter, doesn't negate the fact that it does.  Similarly, not understanding how a 1 3/4" diameter exhaust pipe can improve exhaust flow at our normal riding rpms as compared to a 2 1/2" pipe doesn't negate the fact that it does.

It's awesome power especially when the carb is set up with #55 pilot, #155 main, no spacer and idle screw out 1 full turn.  That's at 900 ft above sea level with average humidity of 68%.  Gas mileage drops some partly because of the jetting but mostly because the throttle gets twisted a lot more.  Running the common setup of a #152.5 main and two washers is a little too lean for it.  One washer is probably a good medium if you want the grins and still get good mpg.  I'd love for someone else to make one, match the carb to it, ride and give feedback.  

Bobbert, can you give us the deets on the seat?  Model, more pics?  That's gotta be one of the best looking bobber solo seat installs I've seen on these bikes.  Do it in a separate thread in RSD so other can find it easier when they do a search for bobber and solo seats.

So we all agree, the mods are not a matter of need.
They are a matter of want.

Phelonius

bill67 wrote on 05/13/09 at 17:46:27:


The only negative thing I've heard about the S40 is the backfiring problem it apparently has. From the various threads I've read here, it isn't all that difficult to change this.

Do tell, what other things should a prospective S40 buyer such as myself be aware of before he/she plunks down his/her hard earned  money?