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Weight Reduction Thread

31K views 51 replies 28 participants last post by  BSR-1  
#1 ·
What reduction methods everyone has used on their bikes to drop the most amount of weight possible? This would mainly be for track purposes. Obviously if you are a fatty that's the best way to drop overall weight. What has everyone done 'Just to the bike' to reduce weight? I feel like I am just scratching the surface but so far I have....

3/4 Exhaust removing the cat.
Removed toolkit
Purchasing a Shorai battery

I feel these have shed maybe 13-15 lbs. off the bike but I want to drop as much as possible.
 
#9 ·
Titanium everything. End of the thread.


Look up the threads from Flashgordon and the guy with the electric R1 (his name is eluding me at the moment but I'm sure someone will chime in). Marcaztls threads are good for weight reduction also...Just bring a flea collar if you visit them.
 
#10 ·
Titanium everything. End of the thread.
Look up the threads from Flashgordon and the guy with the electric R1 (his name is eluding me at the moment but I'm sure someone will chime in). Marcaztls threads are good for weight reduction also...Just bring a flea collar if you visit them.
Well if you take SAB's advice, take the bike apart and put everything in boxes. That saves a ton! :lol


Honestly, you are on the right track OP. To answer your question, no you can't remove the headlights without loosing the front part of your ram air system. The tubes utilize the headlight housing.

If you are focusing on track, then don't worry so much about weight loss and focus on setup. Get the suspension dialed in, good tires and a comfortable riding position. These things will make the biggest difference on the track. Check out this thread for some great info.

http://www.r1-forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=275529
 
#17 ·
Replace front fairing stay for carbon one. 150g against 700g
Remove mirrors-300g each
passenger footrests +seat=1kg
headlight=3kg(i have endurance style single projector-300g)
horn=300g
Good quality fiberglass race fairings-make it endurace style beeing street legal=ca. 4kg - that removes many trims that each is ca.100g and brackets for rear seat.
Screen made of 2mm plexiglass that fits those fairings saves me 250g over oem.
Anything You look at can be 100g lighter I you will to spend your time with it. Just the short loom for headlight is 200g.

Graves low mount is best for weigt savings I imagine. I have custom made GP style half exhaust that saves 6kg over oem.
 
#18 ·
Replace front fairing stay for carbon one. 150g against 700g
Remove mirrors-300g each
passenger footrests +seat=1kg
headlight=3kg(i have endurance style single projector-300g)
horn=300g
Good quality fiberglass race fairings-make it endurace style beeing street legal=ca. 4kg - that removes many trims that each is ca.100g and brackets for rear seat.
Screen made of 2mm plexiglass that fits those fairings saves me 250g over oem.
Anything You look at can be 100g lighter I you will to spend your time with it. Just the short loom for headlight is 200g.

Graves low mount is best for weigt savings I imagine. I have custom made GP style half exhaust that saves 6kg over oem.
 

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#20 · (Edited)
That looks like a Lightech fuel cap ,Motomummy has Evotech fuel caps as well as those .(they are sweet and very light) I got the 1/4 turn "locking" version w/black base & gold cap . Graves full Ti ex. weighs 11 lbs less than stock,Ti bolts are 40% lighter than steel and even lighter with Probolts machining processes. Ballistic Li-ion batteries are lighter and higher cranking amps than Shorai and are made here. 520 sprocket and chain shave a few lbs in a good spot, as well as Galfer or other aftermarket rotors.
 
#22 · (Edited)
I've got mine down to 184 KG wet in road trim, probably well under 180 in track fairing.

CF wheels
CF brake rotors
CF tail and lowers
CF replaced all black plastic
CF mirrors and indicators
Ti full exhaust
Ti axle nut, brake caliper and rotor fasteners, front and rear
Al fairing fasteners
Al fuel cap
Al rear sprocket
520 GXW chain
Li battery
Fibreglass airbox cover and front fender
Lightwieght rear brake rotor
Sato rearsets
Plastic horn

I removed everything that these parts replaced, and the passenger pegs, one headlight and any unnecessary brackets.

If it was going to be just track, I could easily strip another 5-8 kg just removing road gear, and swapping the fairing stay for a race one.
 
#29 ·
Stainless steel lines with alu banjos save around the 200g mark.

Front sprocket cover and associated bolts weigh in at 200 odd grams as well.. free to remove. :sneaky

OEM rear sprocket to a renthal alu saves 500g on the 5vy.

Save 275g removing OEM horn and bracket etc, replaced with plastic reversing beeper.

Smog gear for the 5vy including piping weighs in at 413g plus block off plates.

That's all the things most are likely to do or have done but often overlook the saved weight. :)
 
#33 ·
Well at the moment I have not been able to tell a huge difference at a loss of around 13 or so pounds but I know its there. I'm sure if i dropped 40-50 lbs in one day I would notice, overtime just getting better at the track and gradually dropping weight I won't notice it much but it will be justified in my mind.
 
#34 ·
It was pretty simple for me since I knew I was going track only...


... I got an R6.

But if I was to offer some real advice: While I would always say do your suspension first; if you know you are going to significantly change the weight of the bike (especially wheels) get your diet finished before you finalize your suspension. In addition to required spring rate changing (possibly substantially) the damping speeds will be off as well.
 
#36 ·
Track bike only?

-race glass (run a superbike tail with foam pad instead of stock seat)
-520 chain/sprox
-rear sets
-exhaust
-battery
-triple trees
-lightweight fairing stay
-wheels

All of that costs some money (some more than others) but if you wheel and deal and troll the classifieds here, you can find it on the cheap (ESP from ex-track bikes).

If you don't have the cash, and the bike is only ever going to be a track hack, then:
-remove headlights, tail lights, turn signals, horn, all B/S wiring and switchgear
-grind off unneccessary tabs
-if stock exhaust, remove EXUP
-cut down the exhaust cannister
-ditch the dash (you don't need it...and you can always replace with something like a Veypor)
 
#40 ·
when i talked about weigh reduction at the track with some friends i was told to loose some fawking weight :lol
i am 5'9" and was 212 lbs
now am 170 lbs
the next time i went to the track the fool that told me to loose weight didn't even recognize me. and i thought he was just too busy changing tires.
till he asked someone who i was. and came and apologized and said "damn dude didn't even recognize you" :lol
so all in all i lost 37lbs and saved money while doing it.
instead of spending it :crash
its something we all have to look at while in the weigh saving mode.
and all the suggestions the others have said help too.
oh yeah i bought a shorai battery too :lol
 
#48 ·
Whatchya doin' : sneaky



Measured bolts on my Sato rear sets tonight to order Ti and fitted up my synthetic heim joints to them also. :sneaky

Plans for tomorrow night are hacking/drilling holes in the little steel bracket that supports the heat shield (brake side rearset)... the little phuck weights a ton! .... I really should learn how to make simple things from carbon/fibreglass/anything that's lighter than steel. Lol
 
#49 ·
Low weight is usually better, but not the be all and end all. One of the fastest bike I have ridden was an MV. These are a bit lardy, but have excellent balance.

Less weight is an expensive game - so concentrate on doing things that spin.

Wheels are expensive.
520 chain, aluminium sprocket, lightweight rear disk less so.

Note; don't be surprised if you can't tell the difference in the bulk of the weight loss. I have put a lot of effort into making my bike lighter - I can tell the difference in the wheels (BST's, massive) light weight rear disk was very noticeable, as was the 520 conversion (almost a kilo off the back wheel/driveline). However despite saving quite a lot (its 190.5 kg brim full, 100% ready to ride at 10/10ths for 45 47 mins/1 tank, with logging gear - almost enough road kit) only the above was noticeable as a single step. It normally creeps down less than a 100 grams a time - sometimes, in fact often I have saved less than 10g. Cumulatively this is worth having. Alone its ridiculous. My distribution is 54% frontward (the Dunlop's seem to need this).

There is no single magic component. You have to just keep at it.