Controls With the exception of the switchgear, most of the bike seemed like it was set up for a tall lanky rider like me, which is a welcome change after riding Japanese bikes that made me feel like a gorilla on a mini bike. The second control modification was the installation of a set of Spider grips. The Renthal dual compound grips that came on the bike although highly regarded by some, were too thin and made me feel as if I was gripping the bare aluminum bar. Third, the stock mirrors had to go. While great for rearward visibility they made the bike look like Dumbo and would have been broken with an "off" or two. I ended up reusing the Dual Star bar mirrors that I had on my DRZ, which are well protected and work well enough to see red and blue flashing lights behind you.
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The bars were a still a little low for my taste, but were taller than the +2.5" setup I had used on the DRZ. Fortunately I was able to raise the bars about 1" when I added a Scott's under bar damper, so I smashed two pumpkins with one brick, so to speak. The Scott's damper was a welcome addition as the EXC had a combination of light weight, arm stretching power, and quick steering, all of which led to head shake under high speed riding.
As this bike lacked storage for tools and the like, my only other modification under this category was the addition of a tank bag, once again another DRZ hand-me-down. This Wolfman Expedition small tank bag, is well constructed, carries enough for day trips, detaches with three quick release buckles,and fits behind the filler cap-yet doesn't interfere with seating position/comfort. This PVC coated fabric bag is protected from the elements and uses a combination of quick release buckles and a drawstring to seal so you don't have to worry about breaking zippers. I liked it so much that I bought one for my 990 Adventure as well.