12 Best Dirt Bike MODS For TRAIL Riding [+BONUS Tip]

Looking for the best dirt bike mods for trail riding, but not sure which ones are actually worth your money? There's a lot of "bling" you can buy, which is useless, in my opinion.

That's why I put together this article & video that will show you:

• The 12 best dirt bike upgrades for trail riding that will give you more comfort, confidence, and protection for your or your dirt bike
• Why each mod actually works
• Bonus tip that will build your confidence more than any of the previous 12 mods

Aftermarket parts (our Amazon affiliate links if you wish to support us - thank you!):

Exhaust Pipe Dents - Pipe Guard

If you ride on rocky terrain or you fall over often, it doesn’t take much to smash up your pipe, even a smaller 4 stroke head-pipe!

Adding a simple pipe guard will help prevent dents as well as severe damage to your headpipe/expansion chamber, depending on the type you get.

• 2-Stroke Armadillo Pipe Guard (Amazon)
• 2-Stroke Carbon Fiber Pipe Guard (Amazon)
• 2-Stroke Cage Pipe Guard (Amazon)
• 2-Stroke Skid Plate With Pipe Guard (Amazon)
• 4-Stroke Aluminum Pipe Guard (Amazon)
• 4-Stroke Universal Exhaust Heat Protector (Amazon) - doesn’t do much for rocks/roost, but protects your leg/boot

Don’t Run Out of Gas! - Auxiliary Fuel Tank

Whether you’re heavy on the throttle, have a small gas tank, or you put a lot of miles on, a dirt bike never feels heavier than when it runs out of gas…

You could fill up some used pop bottles of gas, but if you don’t want to carry them in a backpack, there are some options to bring an extra few ounces to another gallon or more!

Larger fuel tank (Amazon)

• Requires switching out OEM gas tank/petcock
• Most convenient
• 0.5 to 1.5 extra gallons of fuel (varies by model/tank)
• May interfere with aftermarket radiator guards/larger radiators
• Most expensive ($200-400)

Aux fuel bottle (Amazon)

• Can be mounted in different locations (fender/plate/rack)
• Least amount of extra fuel (11-30 oz. per bottle)
• Least expensive ($20-30 per bottle + mount)

Aux front number plate tank (Amazon)

• Replaces the stock front plate or headlight
• 0.8 Gallons
• Siphons directly to the stock tank (no stopping) and is used first
• May interfere with the steering stabilizer (some Honda’s)
• Moderately expensive ($100-150)

Aux handlebar tank (Amazon)

• Mounts on top of handlebars (most “top heavy” out of all options)
• 0.55 gallons
• Siphons directly to the stock tank (no stopping) and is used first
• Works with ⅞” & 1-⅛” bars
• Moderately expensive ($100-150)

Aux fender tank (Amazon)

• Typically mounted on rear fender (requires a strong fender or rack)
• 1.6 gallons (about 10 lbs when full of fuel)
• Siphons directly to the stock tank (no stopping) and is used first
• Moderately expensive ($100-150)

Catch Your Spewing Coolant - Coolant Tank

Leaking a little bit of coolant out the overflow isn’t a big issue, but if you’re constantly spewing coolant out because you ride tight and technical trails, slipping the clutch, and heating up the engine, it’s going to get hotter longer.

If your bike loses too much coolant, it will eventually overheat and damage and seize your engine!

Adding a simple coolant recovery tank (Amazon) is affordable and effective because all of the coolant that gets pushed out of the radiator is “caught” in this lightweight plastic tank. 

So, you save time by not having to keep refilling the radiators and money by not buying more coolant or building your expensive engine!

Stop Getting Flats - Tube Upgrade

A flat tire (tube) can ruin your day of riding, especially when you’re just 2 miles in and you didn’t bring a spare or tools to change it! Most “pinch flats” happen from hitting a sharp rock or object at high speed (or jumping), causing the tube to compress and “pinch” against the rim or tire, making a tiny hole or tear that leaks air.

A cheap way to prevent 90% of pinch flats is by going to thicker tube. Most stock tubes are 1.0-1.5mm thick, but a heavy duty tube can be 2-3mm or even thicker.

Here are 3mm heavy duty tubes for full-size dirt bikes:

• 80/100-21 (Amazon) - Front tube for full-size dirt bikes w/ 21” front wheel
• 110/100-18 (Amazon) - Rear tube for full-size enduro/trail bikes w/ 18” rear wheel
• 100/90-19 (Amazon) - Rear tube for full-size motocross bikes with 19” rear wheel

More Traction AND Less Stalling - Flywheel Weight

Does your bike have “snappy” power, where it wheelies or spins the rear tire easily, especially on wet or slippery terrain? One of the easiest ways to make your bike more controllable is by adding a flywheel weight (Amazon).

It doesn’t affect torque or horsepower, but rather, “slows down” the engine. That may sound like a bad modification, but think about it.

If your engine feels snappy because it revs up too quickly, or it stalls easily because it revs back down to idle too quickly, adding extra flywheel weight will slow down the acceleration and deceleration.

It won’t be a huge change, but enough to help the rear tire “hook up” for better traction and prevent unwanted wheelspin or excessive acceleration.

It will also help reduce stalling because it’s slower to rev back down. In most cases, it attaches to the stock flywheel and can be easily removed later if needed.

Better Power With LESS Annoyance - Exhaust For Trail Riding

Some stock exhaust systems are restrictive, but some are simply illegal for trail riding. For example, here in the U.S.A., a U.S.F.S. approved spark arrestor is required to ride on state trails to help prevent sparks from shooting out of the muffler and starting a fire.

If you have a race bike, installing an aftermarket muffler with a spark arrestor will usually help quiet it down (less likely to annoy others, leading to less noise complaints and shutting trails down). It may slightly reduce power, but that’s a sacrifice you’ll have to take.

If you have a 2 stroke, adding an aftermarket silencer with a spark arrestor, such as the FMF turbinecore (Amazon) is an easy way to reduce noise, while producing good power and riding legally.

Don’t DESTROY Your Frame & Engine Cases! - Skid Plate

If you ride in tight or technical terrain, you’re bound to smash into rocks or logs, which can break your bike. It only takes one tip over to dent your frame, or worse - crack your expensive engine case!

Adding a skid plate is an easy way to add insurance because it can prevent a lot of damage. There are quite a few options to choose from, so pick the one that makes the most sense to you.

For example, you can typically choose between plastic and aluminum, and then the amount of coverage each skid plate offers. Plastic is lighter and quieter, but not as durable.

If you plan on smashing into a lot of rocks, you might want to go with a stronger aluminum skid plate.

SEE Where You’re Going At Dusk! - Headlight

Have you ever been stuck out changing a tube when the sun is setting while you’re on top of a mountain peak and you have 10+ miles to ride to get back to camp?

Yeah, it’s kind of hard to see when the sun drops below the mountains and you have poor or no lighting. Also very scary riding mountainous terrain! Adding a cheap headlamp to your helmet or handlebars is an easy way to make it relatively safe.

Here are 3 practical options:

• Handlebar headlamp rechargeable (Amazon) - Cheap, mounts to bars
• Helmet light rechargeable (Amazon) - Comes with a strap or use industrial velcro
• Headlight LED (Amazon) - May requiring wiring/stator upgrade depending on your bike

Protect Those Digits From Trees & Branches! Hand Guards

If you’ve ever smashed your hand on a branch, let alone a solid tree, you know how much it hurts! Adding some hand guards is a great modification for trail riding, especially if you ride in the woods often, but there are a few options to choose from:

• Open MX “Flag” Type Plastic Mount (Amazon) - Cheap, easy to install, protects from roost and small branches, but bends easily
• Open-end Metal Mountplastic “  (Amazon) - Cheap, easy to install, protects from roost and small branches, slightly stronger than MX guards
• ⅞” Aluminum “wraparound” guards (Amazon) - Strongest, prevents broken levers, adds 1” width to bars, increases bar rigidity
• 1-⅛” Aluminum “wraparound” guards (Amazon) - Same as above but for 1-⅛” bars (fatbars)

Better Control From Better Traction - Tires

3 Common mistakes that KILL your traction, which lead to less confidence because you’re more likely to slide out:

1. Using 15+ PSI tire pressure (to prevent flats)
2. Riding on 5+ year old tires (even if the knobs are still long)
3. Using the wrong type of tire for your terrain

More than 15 lbs of pressure riding off-road is excessive and will reduce the amount of traction you have, causing your front and rear tires to slide out more easily (scary!).

Lowering the PSI down to 12-14 PSI with standard tubes will allow the tires to compress and flex more, giving you better traction because the “knobbies” will dig into and grab the terrain better.

Here are the 3 main types of dirt bike tires based on the terrain you ride:

• Soft Terrain = Sand, soft dirt, or mud
• Intermediate Terrain = mixture of soft and hard dirt/terrain
• Hard Terrain = Hardpack/clay/rocks

Here are 2 different sets of tires from Tusk:

• Soft/Intermediate terrain 21/18” tires (Amazon)
• Intermediate/Hard terrain 21/18” tires (Amazon)

Easy Starting & Smooth Throttle Response

Does your dirt bike take 5+ kicks to start cold and 3+ kicks to start when hot? It’s even harder when you’re on the side of a steep hill, and it’s hard to balance when you have to kick it over (this is when electric start comes in handy!).

In any case, hard starting and poor throttle response (bogging, sputtering, hesitating) are common signs that the carburetor needs to be tuned (or EFI system if it has fuel injection).

The easiest and best place to start is the air/fuel screw because it controls idle to roughly ¼-turn throttle response, and you don’t even have to remove the carb to make an adjustment. I have a free guide on how to do it in just a few minutes, whether you have a 2 or 4-stroke:

• 2 stroke - FREE air screw tuning guide
• 4 stroke - FREE fuel screw tuning guide