My 500 LB, or Dope, as i call it is three years old and has done close to 50K clicks, 20k of which has been on trips outside of Delhi. Since the beginning i knew that i wouldn't be running this bike in a stock condition, so over the years the following minor mods have been made on the bike:

• Installed the short bottle silencer - a throatier note. Heavy, yet not very loud
• NGK Iridium sparks - I had disconnected the e-starter as it broke down on me twice. The 500LB is not an easy bike to start but tghe NGK has made it slightly easier. Mind you, only slightly though
• Wider motorcross handlebars. I think it has added more balance to the riding posture. On the downside, on higher speeds, the wind-blast is a bit heavy on the chest. Extremely good over rough terrain.
• Installed the K&N air filter. Upjetted the carb in conjunction with that. The reasults were fantastic. There is a pronounced intake roar that is magic to the ears. There is a lag though, akin to a turbo lag. On lower revs, the bike feels normal, but rev it a bit higher, the intake spools and you are thurst forward. The fuel economy has gone down, but ever too slightly (around 2 kmpl).

So now the question is, what else can i do? I am not interested in any aesthetic modifications as i am more than happy with the way the bike looks. This fascination with the looks has also resulted in a quandry. I know that i can easily shed some weight by getting rid of the clunky front and rear mudfards. But i dont wannaplease:

This leads me to a few questions:

• Can i turn it into a twinspark? First of all, that would help with my starting woes and then if i am not mistaken, i can reach highers RPM's on a given gear, which should bode well for the bike. No?
• I have read somewhere that the cat-con can be removed. First of all... err.. where is the thing located? What the pros and cons of having the can-con removed?
• The carb of the Machismo has a compression ratio of 5.5:1 if i am not mistaken. What are the ways by which i can bump it up? Again, what are its pros and cons?

This what i can think of at the moment. Will kleep posting more queries as and when i think of them. Thanks a lot in advance quys. Looking forward to your insights