Choosing the next aftermarket part to install on your dirt bike can be a daunting task. Are we looking to add performance? Are we looking to add sex appeal? Or are we looking to be more comfortable? Sometimes the price tag of these parts determines the order and importance of when they get installed. I wanted to go the other direction. What small parts, and small price tags, could I install that would create big upgrades? Here is that journey.

ZRT Sherco Throttle Cam

When I originally got my Sherco 300 back in 2017, ODI didn’t make Lock-On Grips yet. The grips would fit, but the throttle cams are specific to each bike. Since ODI didn’t have a Sherco throttle cam yet, I had to wait until it was released. Little did I know though, that once it was released, that ODI modeled their Sherco cam profile off of the Enduro side, or the tamer side of the switchable Sherco throttle cam. After some chats with Mitch at Hard Enduro Outfitters, we realized I needed to install the ZRT Sherco throttle cam, which is profiled off of the Cross side of the switchable Sherco throttle cam. This $24 part has made a big difference in how the bike reacts. One place I noticed the most difference so far is when practicing pivot turns. The throttle is much more responsive. Small Part, Big Upgrade. 

Handlebar Switch Relocation Kit

Another feature on the Sherco that has been causing me issues for the past four years is the power button. It’s right there on the handlebars, where I can easily turn the bike off when you’re least wanting the bike to die. While on the same call with Mitch chatting about the throttle cam, I brought up possible ways to move the power button off of the handlebars. He immediately said “there’s a part for that”. I was blown away, but I also love the fact that other people have had the same problem and created a solution for it. He directed me to ebay, where Steve’s Custom Cycles has crafted the Sherco Enduro Custom Handlebar Switch Relocation Knob Kit (that’s a mouth full). This nifty $35 part fits snuggly in a hole in the frame, it doesn’t interfere with the bike’s steering radius, and it gets the power button and my light switch OFF OF MY HANDLEBARS! Small Part, Big Upgrade.

G-RIP Bar Ends

Smashing the boulder at the 2021 Shady Burro Enduro had me looking for more robust bar end options. I love running the Enduro Engineering Open Ended Debris Deflectors, but my ability to smash into the ground needs specific equipment (more on that later). This longing for more protection brought me to finding the G-Rip Bar Ends, recently brought to market by Rick Emerson. The concept is a bar end and some end of the handlebar grip. The problems arose for me when I realized I installed them wrong. I explain it much more in the video, but I rushed and didn’t double check with their installation video. If you’re ok bringing your controls in just enough to fit the ¼” or ½” bar ends (I call them bar cups), then I do believe these $17.95 small parts will be a big upgrade for protection and grip.

XC Gear MAKO 360

I have to start by saying yes, this is a small part, but it is not a cheap part. The XC Gear MAKO 360 is a way to mount your handlebars that dampens the forces of off-road riding. I originally reviewed a MAKO 360 back in 2017 when I was also reviewing a Sherco 450 Factory Edition. It was my recent fractured scaphoid injury that pushed me over the edge to get one on the bike again. You’ll have to watch the video to get the full story, but unfortunately some wrong parts were sent out and I could not get the MAKO 360 on the Sherco for the Shady Burro Enduro. The wrist is still pretty jacked from the Burro, and I know the MAKO 360 would have helped. Small Part, Big Price Tag, but what I believe would have been Big Upgrades on comfort and sustainability. More to come as we get the MAKO 360 installed now that we’re back from Colorado.

Wrapping Up

To start wrapping this up (and to give the haters their due), I have to state the obvious, my ability to ride technical, rocky terrain isn’t very good anymore. I will run full-wrap around handguards next time I come to Colorado. Life is full of ebbs and flows, and I have to take my own advice from the Handguards Video, run what makes you comfortable or at least what gets you back to the truck.

Of the four small parts, two of them truly made big upgrades for me on the bike. I screwed up installing the G-RIP Bar Ends, and we had a part snafu on the MAKO 360. The lesson to take away from this is how the mistakes were avoidable. When it comes to G-RIP, I should have watched the installation video and understood the product fully. For the MAKO 360, I should not have taken an unopened package across the country without double checking I had the right parts. The throttle cam and relocation kit took me 3.5 years too long to find out about. I’m glad I have them now, but I should have been stating those questions to others as soon as the issues arose. 

What small parts have you installed that created big upgrades for you and the bike? 

If we don’t get to see you on the trail, we’ll see you on the internet. Enjoy #GettingSeattime

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