Gear Reviews

There are several excellent reasons to bleed your motorcycle’s hydraulic brake and clutch lines. For perform-ance-minded riders, there are the always popular braided stainless-steel or Teflon hoses to install. You might also be in the midst of replacing some brake or clutch component. Others, concerned with reliability in addition to performance, could be flushing out old fluid and replacing it with new.

Motorcyclists mostly focus on acceleration—horsepower figures, power-to-weight, quarter-mile times, etc.—but potent deceleration is nearly as important when it comes to improving lap times, and even more crucial on the street. This month’s Gear spread is aimed at improving your 0-60 and 60-0 mph times.

Not long ago, avoiding the slide-snap-splat of a high-side crash was entirely up to the rider. Traction control came down to a sensitive backside, fast reflexes and a seriously smooth wrist. Today, many motorcycles come equipped with sophisticated electronic traction-control systems that make riding at the edge safer and more enjoyable. If your sportbike wasn’t blessed from the factory, Bazzaz Performance has you covered.

We love slip-on mufflers. They're less expensive and easier to install than full exhaust systems, yet offer significant weight savings and respectable power gains.