Ways to shed weight?
03-30-2009, 12:46 PM
#3
Senior Member
MotoGP
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Montreal
Posts: 5,631
Here is what I have done (so far):
- lightened flywheel
- magnesium wheels
- undertail
- 2-1 exhaust
- PAIR removal (not much...)
- lighter battery (YT12A-B I beleive, is 1.7 lbs lighter I think)
- passenger pegs removed
Would love to do more but the remaining significant stuff costs $$$$$$$
- lightened flywheel
- magnesium wheels
- undertail
- 2-1 exhaust
- PAIR removal (not much...)
- lighter battery (YT12A-B I beleive, is 1.7 lbs lighter I think)
- passenger pegs removed
Would love to do more but the remaining significant stuff costs $$$$$$$
03-30-2009, 12:46 PM
#4
Senior Member
SuperBike
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,033
Do what im doing. Lose everything unnecessary.
Aluminum subframe, aluminum fuel tank, no airbox, ytz10 battery, single radiator, lightened flywheel, lighter exhaust, minimalistic everything
stuff like that
Also helps that im 130 lbs
Aluminum subframe, aluminum fuel tank, no airbox, ytz10 battery, single radiator, lightened flywheel, lighter exhaust, minimalistic everything
stuff like that
Also helps that im 130 lbs
Last edited by Truckinduc; 03-30-2009 at 12:49 PM.
03-30-2009, 01:22 PM
#7
Senior Member
Superstock
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Brooklyn, CT
Posts: 287
Not sure if it really makes that big of a deal. Try this, run your tank down til the low fuel light comes on. That will give you what, about 1/2 gallon to a gallon of fuel? I think the fuel tank holds 4.5 gallons so say you are down 3 gallons of fuel near the low fuel light.
Gas weighs about 7.5 lbs/gal so you are down roughly 26 lbs of weight (that is high on the bike's center of gravity) from when you have a full tank.
Run it through some twisties with the low fuel, then fill it up and try it again. If you notice that much of a difference, I guess it's worth spending the hundreds of dollars to lose some pounds.
Gas weighs about 7.5 lbs/gal so you are down roughly 26 lbs of weight (that is high on the bike's center of gravity) from when you have a full tank.
Run it through some twisties with the low fuel, then fill it up and try it again. If you notice that much of a difference, I guess it's worth spending the hundreds of dollars to lose some pounds.
+1; although Oi'd say wheels taken to the extreme - like mag or CF would be first on the list...
03-30-2009, 07:18 PM
#11
Senior Member
MotoGP
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 3,132
03-30-2009, 07:19 PM
#12
Senior Member
Back Marker
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Corpus Christi, TX
Posts: 226
There isn't too much info on it out there. Its brand new. Companies just bought the patent to start putting it into production. I think it will be 2010 before we see them on the road. With that said it is what it looks like, its basically what you would see if a segway and and a bike made babies. Its an semi-electric one wheeled bike that was the science fair project of a current MIT freshman. He came in second in the science fair with this as his project. What was the reason he didn't win? He hadn't worked out the kinks and could keep the thing from exploding into an electronic ball of flames.
03-30-2009, 08:25 PM
#15
Senior Member
SuperBike
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,033
There isn't too much info on it out there. Its brand new. Companies just bought the patent to start putting it into production. I think it will be 2010 before we see them on the road. With that said it is what it looks like, its basically what you would see if a segway and and a bike made babies. Its an semi-electric one wheeled bike that was the science fair project of a current MIT freshman. He came in second in the science fair with this as his project. What was the reason he didn't win? He hadn't worked out the kinks and could keep the thing from exploding into an electronic ball of flames.
It will slightly help acceleration up to about 80, but it dramatically reduces top speed.
Carbon or mag wheels are as good as it gets. Any time you can remove rotating unsprung mass is the best. It will accelerate better, corner MUCH better, and brake better. If you wanna spend over 2 or 3k
03-30-2009, 08:32 PM
#16
Senior Member
MotoGP
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: altoona, pa
Posts: 2,934
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dam! that is totally awesome. this kid is definitely a genius.
I believe it has two wheels if i heard correctly?
Looks like if you have a head-on crash, your head's going to be literally up your ***, huh!
03-30-2009, 10:47 PM
#17
Senior Member
MotoGP
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 3,132
There isn't too much info on it out there. Its brand new. Companies just bought the patent to start putting it into production. I think it will be 2010 before we see them on the road. With that said it is what it looks like, its basically what you would see if a segway and and a bike made babies. Its an semi-electric one wheeled bike that was the science fair project of a current MIT freshman. He came in second in the science fair with this as his project. What was the reason he didn't win? He hadn't worked out the kinks and could keep the thing from exploding into an electronic ball of flames.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
dam! that is totally awesome. this kid is definitely a genius.
I believe it has two wheels if i heard correctly?
Looks like if you have a head-on crash, your head's going to be literally up your ***, huh!
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
dam! that is totally awesome. this kid is definitely a genius.
I believe it has two wheels if i heard correctly?
Looks like if you have a head-on crash, your head's going to be literally up your ***, huh!
03-30-2009, 11:54 PM
#18
Senior Member
Superstock
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Nebraska
Posts: 342
There is a lot of junk on a bike which you definitely don't need... silly stuff like a kickstand safety switch, clutch safety switch, etc. Sure it's there for a reason, and it helps, but it certainly isn't necessary. And it does NOT cost a lot of money to lose weight. It costs a lot of money for flashy replacement parts which are lighter than the stock piece you don't even need in the first place.
03-31-2009, 06:28 AM
#19
2nd mouse gets the cheese
SuperBike
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Beaverton, OR
Posts: 1,697
if you want to keep the bike looking mostly stock, or not like a street fighter, you could always have an aluminum rear sub frame made to replace the steel one. Also the steel gauge holder could be replaced with aluminum as well, that would probably shave 2-5 pounds. Does anyone still make a carbon fiber tank?
03-31-2009, 07:48 AM
#22
Senior Member
MotoGP
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: altoona, pa
Posts: 2,934
I had an 88 1000cc hurricane that I put the bigger wheels and Ohlins shock and it was great except for being too heavy for the country twisty roads I ride, so when I had a chance to buy a superhawk, I took it. From this point for me, it's difficult to reduce weight without spending a lot of greenbacks that are in short supply on this end. If I had the $$$$$$$, I would first reduce unsprung weight and buy light wheels, calipers, sprockets/chain, and tires. Unsprung weight provides the best bang for the buck in my estimation, then suspension upgrades front and rear, then lighter exhaust pipes and carb work to match.
The thing to remember is that the main ingredient is the rider. Indeed there are people riding much heavier, less capable bikes who can leave you scratching your head in wonderment when you think you are doing a respectable job on your favorite curvy road and you get your doors blown off. Don't ask me how I know.
03-31-2009, 10:53 AM
#25
Senior Member
SuperSport
Join Date: May 2005
Location: North Wales, PA
Posts: 809
the most effective way to drop weight is to swap out the pipes with titanium, or aluminium, or carbon. the stock cans weigh about 10lbs each. I don't have them anymore, but my hindle ti-highmounts weighed 3lbs each. you can feel it in every tip-in.
03-31-2009, 12:53 PM
#26
Senior Member
SuperBike
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,116
lets start bicycling to loose wt soon... my VTR will not be ready for another 3 wks or so.
03-31-2009, 04:35 PM
#27
Junior Member
Squid
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Maine
Posts: 12
These are all of the things we could think of before the beer did us in....
Tires & wheels
Removing 4 lbs of wheel and or tire is equivalent to removing 100 lbs of chassis weight in a racecar. We would intentionally pit 6 laps from the finish to swap in tires that were almost worn out because they were 6 lbs lighter than the ones on the car. You never noticed 24 lbs so much! Also, use a tire that is easy to balance "Avon’s & Michelins" to avoid excessive wheel weights.
Hybrid sprockets "aluminum / steel"
Replace front sprocket cover with vacuum formed replacement "not as hard to find as one might think"
Cheap flush mounts
CBR mirrors
Remove one seat safety hook
Use cheap oil filter
Remove passenger foot pegs + mounts & replace with a chunk of 3/16 AL plate shaped like a T
Use tiny battery
Remove fuel level senders guts and pack tank with fuel cell foam "cuts capacity by maybe .5 gallon"
Aftermarket aluminum pipes with coarse stainless steel packing. If they are slip on's, ditch the springs that hold the pipes to the cans and rivet them into place "2 rivets per side"
Replace faring bolts with nylon Allen cap bolts "McMaster Carr"
Cut off all metal wire retainers and replace with zip ties.
Replace all hose clamps with heat shrink hose bands "EXPENSIVE!"
Trim off unused cast mounting points "reflector mounting ears on front forks"
Remove starter & relay and install blanking plate over hole "push start it"
Or..... buy a faster bike... like an RC51...
Tires & wheels
Removing 4 lbs of wheel and or tire is equivalent to removing 100 lbs of chassis weight in a racecar. We would intentionally pit 6 laps from the finish to swap in tires that were almost worn out because they were 6 lbs lighter than the ones on the car. You never noticed 24 lbs so much! Also, use a tire that is easy to balance "Avon’s & Michelins" to avoid excessive wheel weights.
Hybrid sprockets "aluminum / steel"
Replace front sprocket cover with vacuum formed replacement "not as hard to find as one might think"
Cheap flush mounts
CBR mirrors
Remove one seat safety hook
Use cheap oil filter
Remove passenger foot pegs + mounts & replace with a chunk of 3/16 AL plate shaped like a T
Use tiny battery
Remove fuel level senders guts and pack tank with fuel cell foam "cuts capacity by maybe .5 gallon"
Aftermarket aluminum pipes with coarse stainless steel packing. If they are slip on's, ditch the springs that hold the pipes to the cans and rivet them into place "2 rivets per side"
Replace faring bolts with nylon Allen cap bolts "McMaster Carr"
Cut off all metal wire retainers and replace with zip ties.
Replace all hose clamps with heat shrink hose bands "EXPENSIVE!"
Trim off unused cast mounting points "reflector mounting ears on front forks"
Remove starter & relay and install blanking plate over hole "push start it"
Or..... buy a faster bike... like an RC51...
04-01-2009, 09:31 AM
#30
Senior Member
SuperSport
Join Date: May 2005
Location: North Wales, PA
Posts: 809
its funny you should suggest that because that's exactly what I'm doing. I tried to drag the wife into it with me but she was never much of a cyclist. but I need to lose the gut.
