Topic: What is everyone stripping off to save weight?

[mrrch]

Hey don't forget that dude who drills holes in everything

[scottly]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is swapping on thinner disc brakes; the Yamaha discs I just mounted are about 2 pounds less, each, than stock Honda discs.

[754]

 The MAGnesium wheel I picked up lately,for the rear, should save about 16-20lbs on a 750 !!., That is HUGE.

 They may be heavy old pigs, but you can get LOTS of weight off, more than you could on new stuff.. unless you buy the REALLY EXPENSIVE newest stuff..

[Duke McDukiedook]

The thought that removing a fender or a center stand is really gonna make that much of a difference at all.

Center stand makes a lot of things on both my bikes that do have them a #$%*load easier than the bike that doesn't.
 

[seanbarney41]

It is simply a decision...are you going for total performance or total convenience.  You can make your own decision on each removable part...is the weight savings worth the loss of convenience.  Sure one part is not gonna make much difference but if you can find many parts you can live without, it can really add up to a significant weight loss...

[754]

 Bike diet aint for everyone..

 If c-stands were so uber-useful  ALL modern bikes would still have have  them..
like I outlined, other QUICKER methods exist to hold up your bike.

 There is something about  the possibility of increasing your bikes horespower by 50 90%, and cutting 25 % of the weight off, that should not need a lot of explaining.....

 Like a have said before, them small, seemingly minor gains, can sure add up.. if you do it 10 or 20 or 30 times on one  machine...

 But if you want a heavy bike, by all means..leave it stock...

[seanbarney41]

also, how else can you make performance gains(however small they may be...) by spending NO MONEY!?

[scottly]

Then you start playing with ounces.

Ciao

After you are done playing with ounces, you start playing with grams. By that time, you're an SOHC anorexic.... 

[Retro Rocket]

also, how else can you make performance gains(however small they may be...) by spending NO MONEY!?

The single biggest performance gain is in the ports, if you can clean up the ports a bit you will get some gains. Thats about it for free stuff though....

[Anti-Johnny]

I've thought about doing the kickstart only thing. Smaller battery, remove starter. After tipping over while turning around on a hill, I could see how losing 50 pounds would be desirable.

[excellrec]

This season I did a few things to lighten my bike-
   
      -removed tail lights and signals and bar, now a single integrated led taillight and turn signal light (reduce       pull on alternator too)
      -removed battery, battery box and everything on that panel, replaced with aluminum plate with integrated regulator rectifier and a small capacitor.
      -Alternator is now permanent magnet system from cycle-x which I believe is like 8lbs lighter?
      -stock muffler is gone, lightweight resonator replaced (that was a lot of weight!)
      -made new seat pan out of fiberglass (needed a new pan anyways so I just did it out of glass)
      -chainguard is gone, lighter 530? chain and new lighter sprockets added
      -many bolts and what not replaced with aluminum ones

Then I did things to make the bike subjectively feel lighter.

Replacing all bushing, bearings.
rebuild forks.
switched to tapered steering bearings.
Made seat profile as low as possible to frame to lower my center of gravity.
Switched to clubman bars to lower riding position and give steering tighter and lighter feel.

I think that's it... I don't know how big of an actual difference it made but if it hasnt made much I sure have convinced myself it did!

[333]

Okay, here's a guy (excellrec) who's done all this work, and, in his own words, can't really tell if he's really made a difference.  But seriously, if you want the power and handling of a modern bike, why wouldn't you just get one?  You can get a 5 or 6 year old bike that can run circles around a SOHC for about the same money as doing all that to an SOHC, and get a faster, better handling bike.

But it's really not weight that can make a difference, but more center of gravity.  The comparison of a CB750 and a GL1000 shows it quite well.  The GL is easily 100 lbs heavier than the CB, yet it easier to throw it into turns(except for the jugs) than any CB, no matter how much it's lightened.  Just picking it up off the side stand is dramatically different.

And the reason they stopped fitting things like center stands and kick starters was money.  The less they have to put on, the less money they have to spend.  And the more their service departments can make.  Back when I was young, and had good knees, I could go a whole year after the battery couldn't start the bike by using the kick starter.

[hesselfuzz]

I don't really want a modern bike but if I had one I'd want to make it faster, too. Some of us just can't leave well enough alone. It's the spirit of hot-rodding. If you ain't got, you just wouldn't understand.

You did touch on it, though, 333. Manufacturers have always had to make a compromise between performance and cost. Even with limited resources, someone with enough time can improve their ride. Those of us that do so, enjoy it. Don't rain on our parade.

[Duke McDukiedook]

Center stands and kickstarters are about $$$, agreed.

[excellrec]

Okay, here's a guy (excellrec) who's done all this work, and, in his own words, can't really tell if he's really made a difference. 

In all honesty I'm sure it's probably made some degree of difference but just the very nature of slowly making adjustments and changes over months that you think are supposed to make the bike lighter and handle better while the only gauge is how I think it feels, makes it difficult to say conclusively whats actually made a difference. I just hesitate to say anything conclusively unless I was running quarter mile or track times to give a more objective figure to my feelings.

However, I wholeheartedly agree with the other sentiments about it being a love of working on the bikes. Part of why I don't want a modern fast bike is because it would get me into too much trouble most likely! Even after I pour my heart and soul into making this thing faster I'm still not gonna want to take on a modern rocket :p. If you love an engineering challenge and tinkering with the bike please do make it as light as possible.

It seems many posts on this forum funnel into the "If you want a fast bike just buy a new one!" state of things. If possible let's just circumvent that by saying "We know, we don't care, we want to make these old things fast... it's just fun to do."

[vames]

However, I wholeheartedly agree with the other sentiments about it being a love of working on the bikes.

I also love working on my bike. Usually when it's on the center stand!

But I get it -- not everyone uses their bike the same way or values a center stand like I do.  That, and I'm a sucker for stock or stock-ish bikes.

[kajtek]

ive ridden heavy bikes, ive ridden light bikes, i know what i prefer! i ride a 400f and progressively losing weight is my main aim, along with suspension upgrades. these two things make a bike handle, fun to ride, easy to ride and faster.

so far/planning... no rear fender, planning a glass front fender with a brace,
small cafe seat that weights v.little,
single gauge (will be replaced by small digital),
removed c-stand, keep it in a bag in the garage and stick it on when i do the chain, adds maybe 15 seconds to the procedure,
small plastic indicators and small rear light fitting,
stock 400f headlamp mount etc removed and headlight ears fitted,
removed rear peg mounts,
smaller muffler, whole system to be replaced by mc again (when money allows!)
alloy rims planned, as rotating weight will affect how easily the bike accelerates, brakes, and drops in to a turn,
clip ons fitted, also plan to have lightweight plastic switches.
idiot lights removed and neutral bulb fitted in headlamp bowl,
plan to remove starter and ancillaries this winter (following a rebuild),
plans to use lighter smaller battery and alloy batt box etc.
520 chain conversion planned


following this things get expensive! but as mentioned, the brake disc is very heavy and overbuilt, unfortunately i dont think you can machine it thinner as the caliper is designed for it be that thick i imagine. mc again brake upgrade?

ashley
 

[FunJimmy]

Bike diet aint for everyone..

 If c-stands were so uber-useful  ALL modern bikes would still have have  them..
like I outlined, other QUICKER methods exist to hold up your bike.

 There is something about  the possibility of increasing your bikes horespower by 50 90%, and cutting 25 % of the weight off, that should not need a lot of explaining.....

 Like a have said before, them small, seemingly minor gains, can sure add up.. if you do it 10 or 20 or 30 times on one  machine...

 But if you want a heavy bike, by all means..leave it stock...

+1 to Frank's voice of reason.

[333]

Okay, say you can shed 50 to 70 lbs, and breath a 50% gain in power as well.  You are deluded if you think you can take on a modern bike.  It's one thing to build a race bike to go up against similar vintage bikes, or be able to say you have a vintage race bike in your stable.  They DO look cool.  But how will you feel when a 10 year old CBR600 blows by you like you're standing still?

[FunJimmy]

Okay, say you can shed 50 to 70 lbs, and breath a 50% gain in power as well.  You are deluded if you think you can take on a modern bike.  It's one thing to build a race bike to go up against similar vintage bikes, or be able to say you have a vintage race bike in your stable.  They DO look cool.  But how will you feel when a 10 year old CBR600 blows by you like you're standing still?

Regardless of how you feel about weight reduction, it is a fact that a lighter bike will feel more agile and accelerate quicker that a heavy one, and who in their right mind thinks a 35+ year old bike will hold it’s own to modern machinery?

[bwaller]

About as much as I enjoy the bike that was transformed, I enjoyed the project.

A basket case CB500 originally around 425lbs became 592cc and 385lbs. It's not a minimalist cafe but is very comfortable to ride with better suspension and brakes to boot.

I enjoy a good stocker too though.   

[Retro Rocket]

Its not about centre of gravity, it is all about reducing weight, especially unsprung weight.

Okay, say you can shed 50 to 70 lbs, and breath a 50% gain in power as well.  You are deluded if you think you can take on a modern bike.

You assume everyone riding more modern bikes can ride fast, i beg to differ. Every time i turn on the TV i see squids being peeled of cars, walls, trees and every other obstacle in their path, a well sorted Honda is still a quick bike and a competent pilot can make some much newer bikes and their pilots look silly....I won't rant here but a lighter bike is going to go better, stop better and handle better {when set up} , whats to knock about that..?

[333]

By your statement, you must think that the percentage of idiot riders is less for vintage bikes.  If you think about it, the idiot factor remains the same, regardless of the age of the bike.

And regardless of how much weight is shed, and how much power is injected, one of these old SOHC bikes will never be able to compete with a modern bike without putting on so many modern parts, that you could no longer call it vintage. 

These old bikes will only beat the modern bikes in one category.  Longevity. 

[Retro Rocket]

By your statement, you must think that the percentage of idiot riders is less for vintage bikes.  If you think about it, the idiot factor remains the same, regardless of the age of the bike.

Not at all but you just proved my point, it is more about ability than the bike. 

And regardless of how much weight is shed, and how much power is injected, one of these old SOHC bikes will never be able to compete with a modern bike without putting on so many modern parts, that you could no longer call it vintage. 

Maybe for most sports bikes but there are still plenty of modern bikes you could "blow off" on an old well set up Honda....

[paulages]

By your statement, you must think that the percentage of idiot riders is less for vintage bikes.  If you think about it, the idiot factor remains the same, regardless of the age of the bike.

And regardless of how much weight is shed, and how much power is injected, one of these old SOHC bikes will never be able to compete with a modern bike without putting on so many modern parts, that you could no longer call it vintage. 

These old bikes will only beat the modern bikes in one category.  Longevity.

I can't tell if you're being argumentative for the sake of it, or if you really follow your logic so closely. I mean, by your argument don't change ANYTHING on the bike. Hell, if it can't be a 'busa, why bother? I like stock bikes, quite a bit actually. Arguing that there's no reason to lighten one just seems silly to me. It's not as if the physics involved in motorcycle handling are unproven.

Just curious... is yours bone stock, and if not why did you change whatever you did?