Weight saving...

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dougie
Posts: 2540
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2010 6:19 pm
Location: Burlington Ontario, Canada

Weight saving...

Post by dougie »

So I have been riding my new to me Honda Hawk, but that is another story.
It nudged me into thinking about removing some weight from my R100.

Lithium battery would save 12 lbs.
Nippondenso starter would save 5 lbs.
Toolkit is 5 lbs. Don't need to carry everything around town all the time.

What do you think the centre stand and passenger pegs would weigh?
Oil cooler/hoses/thermostat? (Probably not much so worth keeping.)
S fairing? (Probably not much.)
Other ideas? (Keep in mind this is a "no money" project, i.e. no fancy wheels etc.)
I've spent most of my money on women, motorcycles, and beer.
The rest of it I just wasted.
chasbmw
Posts: 765
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 7:40 am
Location: Bath UK

Re: Weight saving...

Post by chasbmw »

Easier and cheaper to take the weight from the rider!

You could remove one of the front discs and caliper. There is not that much to loose, BMW snowflake wheels are very heavy, and all the weight removed is unsprung, double points
Charles
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Replica 1070 R90/S (based on 82 RT)
1975 R90/6
Major Softie
Posts: 8900
Joined: Tue Aug 03, 2010 1:46 pm

Re: Weight saving...

Post by Major Softie »

Drill baby, drill.

Center stand has to be close to 10 lbs., but weight lost in that location isn't felt as much as stuff out more near the perimeter.

In addition: tubeless tires take a few lbs off (again with the unsprung weight removal advantage), you might be able to find aluminum bars and lose a pound or two, lose the instrument cluster and use a bicycle speedometer, almost every after-market exhaust will drop significant weight - some can drop a LOT.


Of the things you've already considered, I don't think losing the toolkit is a wise choice. My Ducati was super light, but I put a BMW tookit in it because it had virtually nothing.

It's worth its weight in . . . tools.
MS - out
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dougie
Posts: 2540
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2010 6:19 pm
Location: Burlington Ontario, Canada

Re: Weight saving...

Post by dougie »

chasbmw wrote:Easier and cheaper to take the weight from the rider!

You could remove one of the front discs and caliper. There is not that much to loose, BMW snowflake wheels are very heavy, and all the weight removed is unsprung, double points
Mine is a Monolever - no snowflakes.
I've spent most of my money on women, motorcycles, and beer.
The rest of it I just wasted.
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dougie
Posts: 2540
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2010 6:19 pm
Location: Burlington Ontario, Canada

Re: Weight saving...

Post by dougie »

Major Softie wrote:Drill baby, drill.

Center stand has to be close to 10 lbs., but weight lost in that location isn't felt as much as stuff out more near the perimeter.

In addition: tubeless tires take a few lbs off (again with the unsprung weight removal advantage), you might be able to find aluminum bars and lose a pound or two, lose the instrument cluster and use a bicycle speedometer, almost every after-market exhaust will drop significant weight - some can drop a LOT.


Of the things you've already considered, I don't think losing the toolkit is a wise choice. My Ducati was super light, but I put a BMW tookit in it because it had virtually nothing.

It's worth its weight in . . . tools.
I have tubeless.
I have a complete Keihin SS exhaust.
I've spent most of my money on women, motorcycles, and beer.
The rest of it I just wasted.
Major Softie
Posts: 8900
Joined: Tue Aug 03, 2010 1:46 pm

Re: Weight saving...

Post by Major Softie »

Well, damn.

Sounds like all the easy stuff is already done. Chas is right, though: taking weight off the rider is the best thing, but I can't agree with him on it being the easiest.
MS - out
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dougie
Posts: 2540
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2010 6:19 pm
Location: Burlington Ontario, Canada

Re: Weight saving...

Post by dougie »

Major Softie wrote:Well, damn.

Sounds like all the easy stuff is already done. Chas is right, though: taking weight off the rider is the best thing, but I can't agree with him on it being the easiest.
I only weigh 160 lbs! Amputation? :lol:
I've spent most of my money on women, motorcycles, and beer.
The rest of it I just wasted.
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melville
Posts: 1822
Joined: Tue Aug 03, 2010 8:32 am

Re: Weight saving...

Post by melville »

dougie wrote:
Major Softie wrote:Well, damn.

Sounds like all the easy stuff is already done. Chas is right, though: taking weight off the rider is the best thing, but I can't agree with him on it being the easiest.
I only weigh 160 lbs! Amputation? :lol:
There's your difficulty! If you hit the weight room AND the buffet table, you could go from your current 3:1ish bike:rider ratio to 2:1! It's not the weight of the bike, it's your relative weight that's at issue.
Call me Mel. Some years ago- never mind how long precisely- having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me at home, I thought I would ride about a little and see the other parts of the world.
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