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JT mentioned in the Rx season preview that Chad struggled with the weight of the Yamaha last year. He said he was racing against the "new age KTM and Honda which are featherweight bikes". I thought that at the factory level, they were all at the minimum weight limit. Is this not the case?
The Shop
In fact, good luck getting the AMA to show you the list after they've been weighed. Some of the teams wouldn't be happy.
Don't penalize the companies who are willing to progress and inovate. Right now KTM has no reason or incentive to make there future models lighter.
I'd have rathered him on literally any other bike than this. He's always better on a better turning bike and now where's definitely a tick off all the time, fighting a bike is not going to help.
So some of the riders can be their own worst enemy.
Pit Row
Race car guys all understand the importance of controlling the costs of racing, yet a lot of motocross guys don't quite get it. Weight limits are one of the cornerstones of competitive motorsports, and the accuracy of those limits are absolutely imperative to fairness(costs) specifically in production based racing, where the threshold for diminishing returns is much lower,
Ummmm..........
Two Strokes, there, I said it.
When we're talking about stock versus racer: the racer has A LOT of additional "stuff" on it. Some bikes even have a pound or two of additional electronics. How about heavier suspension? Yup! Little things like adjustable/different levers and "additional controls"...etc. take a good look at what's bolted to the bars on some of those factory bikes...
As for Ti? There's different levels of Ti...as in how machining goes into the fasteners, the type of Ti, changes in fastener design...sometimes things are pretty complicated. Sometimes you use Al. fasteners in-place of steel. On rare occasion I've seen bikes with heavier and/or stiffer fasteners. Some of'em have extra battery capacity...and that's more weight.
Some bikes have lighter...and some bikes have heavier engine internals. Ever change out ALL the internal fasteners with Ti?
Wanna know how much YOU can save? Go take EVERY bolt, screw, washer, nut...every fastener OFF of your bike and weight it: subtract 50%. That's what we can take off with Ti and Al fasteners. Remember to pull that engine apart, too! Go weigh your shock spring, too. Don't forget your foot pegs. Carbon chain guide? Lightweight filter cage?
Ever hold a seat that's 1.5-2 pounds lighter? How light are some of the exhaust systems? Lighter hubs?
It's a lot of work to get the bike as light as possible AND make it feel right to the rider. But, you can take A LOT of weight off...it just takes time and money.
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