KIWI RIDER 04 2019 VOL.2 | Page 40

I’ve fitted a horn powered by a lithium battery, which sits in the air box – something that I like to call my “safety feature” MY UPGRADES We added a range of things to the bike to make it better for Cross Country racing – but didn’t touch anything inside the engine. It’s got a Motion Pro radiator fluid catch-tank which helps in the muddy races where the bike works harder and gets hotter. Also helping with the extra heat is a Kawasaki 1.8 radiator cap, which is a factory part. I like the Renthal 997 twin wall handlebar as it’s stronger and more comfortable than the stock ‘bar. Hand guards from Acerbis deal with roost and also offer some protection when clipping trees. I’ve fitted a horn powered by a lithium battery, which sits in the air box – something that I like to call my “safety feature”. Renthal Intellilevers have a better perch point than the stock levers and I prefer the feel of them. They provide a better level of security if I tip over too because they have 270 degrees of movement in any direction, so I don’t have to worry about bending or breaking a lever. 40 KIWI RIDER Talking about comfort, it’s got a Gripper seat cover From Dr Trim in Morrinsville, which provides great grip in the wet and helps keep my body where I want to be. There’s an oversized Acerbis fuel tank, which widens the cockpit a lot. It felt really weird to start with but I’m used to it now and find it comfortable – and it’s great not having to pit in my Junior races, which are one and half hours. For tyres I’m running a Pirelli Scorpion Mid- Soft32 in the front and a Scorpion MX Extra X in the rear which I think have better durability and more grip in most terrain than the original Dunlops the bike came with. We also added an aftermarket chain slider with walls integrated into the sides that helps keep the chain straight. To top it off we got a graphics kit from Workshop Graphics which has a camo’ theme that really brings the bike together from a cosmetic perspective.