Trying to save weight on your bike?

burn1986
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8/13/2013 1:34pm Edited Date/Time 8/13/2013 1:38pm
I'm still trying to find the original article from Dirt Bike, but here is an article for a 167lb CR125 -
http://twostrokemotocross.com/forum/general-two-stroke-talk/167lb-cr125/

Here's another vital thread for loosing weight -
http://www.vitalmx.com/forums/Moto-Related,20/Losing-Weight,1212304?pag…
TeamGreen
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8/13/2013 1:40pm
I can take 9 pounds off of a bike & the rider will think it was 30. As Doc Swede pointed out...or his article...making the bike Feel & Handle "Light" is the object.

It's not just "how much"...it's "Where".

I've got a CRF250X that probably feels lighter than a lot of MX bikes that most folks ride.

BTW, our Ti Peg solution saves 1.7 POUNDS (Honda Rs) All of the Peg parts & hardware...our axles are a bit more than $900 & they save plenty of weight for the $, too. What type of Ti? What Design? How was it Fab'd? That's all important, too.

Our Carbon stuff speaks for itself...

NystmaC's points are still VERY VALID.

The HUGEST MISTAKES I've seen: Heavy POS wheels. Ugggh!
Sandberm
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8/13/2013 1:44pm
burn1986 wrote:
I'm still trying to find the original article from Dirt Bike, but here is an article for a 167lb CR125 - http://twostrokemotocross.com/forum/general-two-stroke-talk/167lb-cr125/ Here's another vital thread...
I'm still trying to find the original article from Dirt Bike, but here is an article for a 167lb CR125 -
http://twostrokemotocross.com/forum/general-two-stroke-talk/167lb-cr125/

Here's another vital thread for loosing weight -
http://www.vitalmx.com/forums/Moto-Related,20/Losing-Weight,1212304?pag…
Its weird but, the only thing I remember from that 167lb Dirtbike article is Roger DeCoster being worried about the carbon fiber fenders breaking into shards and stabbing someone.

And to address another post by someone else. The fattest guy I ever saw race was a guy about 45- 50 years old who had a tricked out On The Line racing bike with what I think was an aluminum frame. It looked like a Ty Davis clone of some sort. He must have been 5'8 and 300lbs. He had a box van too. Seemed like a descent dude.
TeamGreen
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8/13/2013 1:52pm
Btw, we ran RAD Mfg's "Made in Utah" wheels at the X-Games & in Ramp/SX Testing all week: Eagle "lightweight" hubs, S/S spokes, DID LTX rims...light...STRONG...stayed TRUE!

Nice stuff.

I've been running their stuff in Baja, too: BULLET-PROOF.

The Shop

DrSweden
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8/13/2013 2:46pm
TeamGreen wrote:
Btw, we ran RAD Mfg's "Made in Utah" wheels at the X-Games & in Ramp/SX Testing all week: Eagle "lightweight" hubs, S/S spokes, DID LTX rims...light...STRONG...stayed...
Btw, we ran RAD Mfg's "Made in Utah" wheels at the X-Games & in Ramp/SX Testing all week: Eagle "lightweight" hubs, S/S spokes, DID LTX rims...light...STRONG...stayed TRUE!

Nice stuff.

I've been running their stuff in Baja, too: BULLET-PROOF.
How much weight gain compared to OEM Honda? I measured those Honda CRF rims with my YZ OEMs, I think the YZ front wheel was about 0,7 lbs heavier, and as you say aftermarket! WTF? I build a par of talon hubs with Pro wheel rims, and talon spokes, and the rear wheel was 3 lbs heavier than stock Honda. I couldn't believe it... Spent hours to build and find the pieces only to end up abot 5 lbs heavier as a pair, put a thick tube in it as well, those weight up to two lbs. The bling look got a sour taste to say the least...
DrSweden
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8/13/2013 3:02pm
Funny thing, a CRF front wheel fits an YZ (I tested it), so you could go lighter easy. But I'm confused about if it's ok since the hub is more narrow on the CRF (one way to loose weight) and the center might be tilted to the left where it fits perfectly with the rotor, YZ spacer. I figured the whole wheel should sit closer to the left lug as a consequence, where the CRF caliper, bracket should prolly be tilted a bit further in to the center to compensate for the more narrow hub... Putting a YZ wheel in a CRF would end up in the opposite way, more tilted to the right.

Crazy thing, a lot of stuff fits between the brands, I put the CRF caliper on the YZ, and also tried a KXF caliper, and they are a fit, but then I put on a oversized rotor bracket from the KXF to the YZ caliper which fitted, but it was tilted in a forward motion and the 270 rotor hit the bracket on the edge...

Well...
mx5471
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8/13/2013 3:08pm
I can attest to what TeamGreen guy said about those RAD Mfg. wheels. After my son trashed the stock wheels on his RM, I talked to 2 very nice ladies at RAD. They built us a beautiful set of wheels, with anodized hubs, anodized Exxcel rims, heavy spokes and anodized nipples, for a very reasonable price. Strong and true,as he said. Clearly, the best wheels we ever had. I don't know why anyone would go anywhere else.
Skunk
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8/13/2013 3:17pm
newmann wrote:
First time I hopped on my 01 YZ250F all I could think was, damn this thing feels heavy compared to my 125. That's where it started...
First time I hopped on my 01 YZ250F all I could think was, damn this thing feels heavy compared to my 125. That's where it started. Of course, I was also weighing in around 165 pounds myself back then. Funny you mention Pro Taper bars, check! Stock levers, got rid of the compression release , stock plastic throttle tube, billet magnesium triples....yes mag, Factory R&D stem and nut and all ti hardware up top. Even has a ti front brake rotor attached to the GYT R magnesium hubs. Nothing added that weighed more than stock. Knocked over twenty pounds off of it and you could definitely tell it. Needs a cosmetic resto one day soon maybe.




How can 1 acquire a set of mag hubs I do like that
JW381
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8/13/2013 3:23pm
I just start mine and ride it Dry
Parris
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8/13/2013 3:50pm
weight x arm x moment It's all about center of gravity and G force. 5 pounds. at 2 times the force of gravity is 10 lbs ect. static weight vs.what it actually weighs while cornering is a big difference. Think about the nex time you crash with a camera mounted on top of your helmet.
newmann
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8/13/2013 4:15pm
newmann wrote:
First time I hopped on my 01 YZ250F all I could think was, damn this thing feels heavy compared to my 125. That's where it started...
First time I hopped on my 01 YZ250F all I could think was, damn this thing feels heavy compared to my 125. That's where it started. Of course, I was also weighing in around 165 pounds myself back then. Funny you mention Pro Taper bars, check! Stock levers, got rid of the compression release , stock plastic throttle tube, billet magnesium triples....yes mag, Factory R&D stem and nut and all ti hardware up top. Even has a ti front brake rotor attached to the GYT R magnesium hubs. Nothing added that weighed more than stock. Knocked over twenty pounds off of it and you could definitely tell it. Needs a cosmetic resto one day soon maybe.




Skunk wrote:
How can 1 acquire a set of mag hubs I do like that
No idea. These were located back around 2002 through a Yamaha dealer in the northeast. They had already been discontinued through the GYT-R program. All of the Ti bolt kits were GYT-R, all the carbon through DSP. Upper triple was GYT-R and the lower was Topar Racing out of Co. The DSP full ti pipe was a fragile piece....

There was a guy that had some mag bits made for the early CRF 450's....



http://www.triplexmotorsports.net/Race%20Accessories.htm
Moto_Geek
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8/13/2013 4:18pm
nytsmaC wrote:
I just bought a 25lb shipping scale to use for weighing parts and it's pretty interesting what you find if you check weights. It's obviously a...
I just bought a 25lb shipping scale to use for weighing parts and it's pretty interesting what you find if you check weights. It's obviously a waste of money to buy expensive products designed to save weight when you are adding it back on and then some by buying the wrong products on other parts of the bike.

How many guys buy titanium footpegs but run Renthal Twinwalls?

Pro Taper Countour KX-Hi's with bar pad are 5oz lighter than Renthal Twinwall RC-Hi's.

$200+ Titanium Raptor footpegs only weigh 1.5oz less than the stock steel ones.

A $9 stubby gas cap vent weights 1.5oz less than the stock long rubber hose that runs to the steering stem. Saves the same amount of weight about 2' higher up on the bike for 5% the cost.

The shitty plastic glide plate and mounting hardware from my husky weighs 1.5lbs without any mud stuck in it.

I've acquired a CR250 with mucho dinero spent on everything imaginable lightweight that you can buy for it, I should have it here soon. It will be interesting to see what saves how much weight as opposed to the cost. How many guys have spent $900 on titanium axles but have a set of billet triple clamps that are 1-2lb heavier than the stock cast units? Same with aftermarket wheel sets, billet covers and plugs, etc.
They do this for mountain bikes, I could see this as a cool comparison on mx.
DA498
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8/13/2013 4:24pm
Weight savings is cool, but wont make you faster. Although id like a 450 to weigh a lot less, I doubt if I would be able to ride it any faster. It maybe even harder. Unless your a fast pro, I don't see the benefit. I love the trickness though, so spend away!!
nytsmaC
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8/13/2013 4:59pm Edited Date/Time 8/13/2013 5:04pm
I'm not one to spend big $$$ to save weight on a bike, I need to lose 50lbs myself. However, when you buy a bike that the previous owner has spent $6k+ on titanium etc. to lighten it, I'm not going to screw it up by putting the wrong handlebars or tires on. Plus I can find things on the bike that were missed which can be swapped out to save weight such as ARC levers, the gas cap vent tube, seat foam, rear disc guard, caliper guards, hand guards, holeshot device, subtanks, Honda steering stabilizer, full decal kit, etc. Thanks for the lead on the Think! seat foam btw, I was trying to remember the name of them.

This CR250 weighs under 200lbs even with the above stuff attached and I want to keep it that way.. So I won't be bolting on a heavy set of Fastway pegs or putting my extra Twinwall bars on, etc.

I found a set of complete works Solva suspension for $500, which sells for close to $10k new. The fork legs weigh under 9lbs each and look tricker than a Showa A-kit setup. You can bet I'll be weighing the shock and fork leg assembles compared to stock to see what the savings truly are.

I'm determined to see if this CR can out-handle my Husky CR165, which is probably at least 10lbs heavier.
nytsmaC
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8/13/2013 5:09pm
02 Honda btw burn.
DocMarten
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8/13/2013 5:15pm Edited Date/Time 8/13/2013 5:21pm
nytsmaC wrote:
I'm not one to spend big $$$ to save weight on a bike, I need to lose 50lbs myself. However, when you buy a bike that...
I'm not one to spend big $$$ to save weight on a bike, I need to lose 50lbs myself. However, when you buy a bike that the previous owner has spent $6k+ on titanium etc. to lighten it, I'm not going to screw it up by putting the wrong handlebars or tires on. Plus I can find things on the bike that were missed which can be swapped out to save weight such as ARC levers, the gas cap vent tube, seat foam, rear disc guard, caliper guards, hand guards, holeshot device, subtanks, Honda steering stabilizer, full decal kit, etc. Thanks for the lead on the Think! seat foam btw, I was trying to remember the name of them.

This CR250 weighs under 200lbs even with the above stuff attached and I want to keep it that way.. So I won't be bolting on a heavy set of Fastway pegs or putting my extra Twinwall bars on, etc.

I found a set of complete works Solva suspension for $500, which sells for close to $10k new. The fork legs weigh under 9lbs each and look tricker than a Showa A-kit setup. You can bet I'll be weighing the shock and fork leg assembles compared to stock to see what the savings truly are.

I'm determined to see if this CR can out-handle my Husky CR165, which is probably at least 10lbs heavier.
Theres probably a reason those Solvas sold for $500

You should also look into runing nitrogen in your tires as well
nytsmaC
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8/13/2013 5:19pm
DocMarten wrote:
Theres probably a reason those Solvas sold for $500

You should also look into runing nitrogen in your tires as well
I'll be sure to let you know how shitty they are once I get them in my hands.
tydog
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8/13/2013 5:22pm
Great topic and post Cam! Any rider or mechanic, even with only bat shit for brains, would have interest in this topic.

Much truth in what Parris posted!!!!!

As always, well done Mr. Newmann!
burn1986
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8/13/2013 5:38pm Edited Date/Time 8/13/2013 5:40pm
nytsmaC wrote:
02 Honda btw burn.
Gotcha, awesome. Pics?

I actually think a lighter bike will make you a little faster, btw
al711
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8/13/2013 5:53pm
I think it's already been mentioned, but removing the rear rotor guard and caliper guard are the first things I do when I get a new to me bike. I also take the rear caliper bracket and cut off the tabs and grind it smooth, never fails to drop 4 to 8 oz depending on the bike. When MXA did the 200lb crf I was looking at the pictures and thinking there was a 1/4 to 1/2 pound reduction staring them in the face and it was free!

As I have got older(47) I find that I like doing things like this to all my bikes, I really like the engineering side of free weight reduction. I really appreciate someone who takes the time to go through the bike and reduce weight by machining and removal of parts first before spending money.
8/13/2013 6:06pm
DocMarten wrote:
Theres probably a reason those Solvas sold for $500

You should also look into runing nitrogen in your tires as well
Your taking the piss I hope mentioning Nitrogen in your tires in a weight savings thread. The reason for running nitrogen in your tires is because it's an inert gas (i.e. not affected by heat). which is why it's also used in your shock absorber. Please read below if your not.

A piece from popular mechanics below:

From the top: Air is 78 percent nitrogen, just under 21 percent oxygen, and the rest is water vapor, CO2 and small concentrations of noble gases such as neon and argon. We can ignore the other gases.

There are several compelling reasons to use pure nitrogen in tires.

First is that nitrogen is less likely to migrate through tire rubber than is oxygen, which means that your tire pressures will remain more stable over the long term. Racers figured out pretty quickly that tires filled with nitrogen rather than air also exhibit less pressure change with temperature swings. That means more consistent inflation pressures during a race as the tires heat up. And when you're tweaking a race car's handling with half-psi changes, that's important.

Passenger cars can also benefit from the more stable pressures. But there's more: Humidity (water) is a Bad Thing to have inside a tire. Water, present as a vapor or even as a liquid in a tire, causes more of a pressure change with temperature swings than dry air does. It also promotes corrosion of the steel or aluminum rim.

If I ever need to top off a tire when I'm out on the road, I'll always briefly depress the tire chuck's valve with my thumbnail and vent some air. If my thumb gets wet, there's water in the line. Some gas stations don't do a very good job of keeping the humidity out of their air system. I don't even like to use a water-based tire-mounting lubricant unless I can let the tire bake in the sun for a couple of hours before I air it up and seat the bead. I've dismounted tires (not mine) that had several quarts of water inside—probably from a compressed-air hose that collected water and was never purged properly.

How is water relevant to a nitrogen discussion? Any system that delivers pure nitrogen is also going to deliver dry nitrogen. Filling tires with nitrogen involves filling and purging several times in succession, serially diluting the concentration of oxygen in the tire. This will also remove any water.

It's certainly simple, although time-consuming, for a tire technician to fill and bleed tires. But most shops use a machine that not only generates almost pure nitrogen by straining the oxygen out of shop-compressed air, but will also automatically go through several purge cycles unattended. Some shops have been charging as much as $30 per tire for this service. I think that's too much. If you're buying a new tire, it should be far less. Still, the nitrogen generator, filling system and technician's time aren't free—the dealer is entitled to some return for that.

So, to answer your specific questions: With nitrogen, your tire pressures will remain more constant, saving you a small amount in fuel and tire-maintenance costs. There will be less moisture inside your tires, meaning less corrosion on your wheels. You will not be able to feel any difference in the ride or handling or braking, unless your tire pressures were seriously out of spec and changing to nitrogen brought them back to the proper numbers.

Read more: Nitrogen vs Air In Tires - Why Nitrogen in Tires - Popular Mechanics
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Visit us at PopularMechanics.com
nytsmaC
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8/13/2013 6:46pm
Yup that's the one. Thanks! It's a lot of money for an 11 year old bike but cheaper than buying a new stock 13 yz or KTM and I'd still pick this one for even money. The only bike that might trump this for me would be a TM 250 or 300MX.
TankSlapper
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8/13/2013 7:24pm Edited Date/Time 8/13/2013 7:26pm
Sorry for the thread hi-jack, but paying to have your passenger car tires (or dirt bike tire) filled with "pure" nitrogen is laughable.

I had a local tire shop wanting me to pay $10.00 per tire to fill my tires with nitrogen. With a straight face they told me how I would get better mileage, safety, etc. F'n thieves.

Popular Science should be ashamed for publishing that article.

"So, to answer your specific questions: With nitrogen, your tire pressures will remain more constant, saving you a small amount in fuel and tire-maintenance costs. (FALSE - THE DIFFERENCE IS TOTALLY INSIGNIFICANT) There will be less moisture inside your tires, meaning less corrosion on your wheels. (WHO CARES - NON PROBLEM) You will not be able to feel any difference in the ride or handling or braking (TRUTH)...

Read this....
8/13/2013 8:13pm
Sorry for the thread hi-jack, but paying to have your passenger car tires (or dirt bike tire) filled with "pure" nitrogen is laughable. I had a...
Sorry for the thread hi-jack, but paying to have your passenger car tires (or dirt bike tire) filled with "pure" nitrogen is laughable.

I had a local tire shop wanting me to pay $10.00 per tire to fill my tires with nitrogen. With a straight face they told me how I would get better mileage, safety, etc. F'n thieves.

Popular Science should be ashamed for publishing that article.

"So, to answer your specific questions: With nitrogen, your tire pressures will remain more constant, saving you a small amount in fuel and tire-maintenance costs. (FALSE - THE DIFFERENCE IS TOTALLY INSIGNIFICANT) There will be less moisture inside your tires, meaning less corrosion on your wheels. (WHO CARES - NON PROBLEM) You will not be able to feel any difference in the ride or handling or braking (TRUTH)...

Read this....
Take a pill Zeesus and go back to my post. Wasn't trying to sell you nitrogen for your tires. Just pointing out that the point wasn't valid if not a piss take.
BTW. check your tire pressures. Your probably out about 5 PSI. But who cares, it's insignificant right?
TankSlapper
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8/13/2013 9:18pm
Underground - no disrespect towards you was intended. Just a rant against the idea that I should drop $40.00 for a nitrogen fill on my van. Again sorry for the hi-jack, please carry on...
8/14/2013 3:27am
Probably easier and cheaper for most guys to lose 10lb from themselves then off their bikes
DrSweden
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8/14/2013 4:59am
For the fat ones here and elsewhere. I have been testing the 5:2 diet, actually altered it by eating less instead of not eating at all (those that are not familliar, its about not eating at all once or twice a week, whichs sounds crazy, and for those that can't handle lack of food at times are toasted). I have lost 14 lbs in 3 mos, the first 10 lbs went away in just 2 mos. I have the same weight today as I had 15 years ago. With weight loss comes so much more...

Basically I ride a CRF250 instead of a CRF450 these days without any $ spend, actually gain money since lunch is cheaper!
8/14/2013 5:13am Edited Date/Time 8/14/2013 5:21am
Bike a friend of mine built for a guy a while back. hubs, swing arm, and clamps were magnesium.tons of one off ti parts, and a carbon subframe/airbox. 207-208lbs


















newmann
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8/14/2013 7:12am
Bike a friend of mine built for a guy a while back. hubs, swing arm, and clamps were magnesium.tons of one off ti parts, and a...
Bike a friend of mine built for a guy a while back. hubs, swing arm, and clamps were magnesium.tons of one off ti parts, and a carbon subframe/airbox. 207-208lbs


















Sweet bike. What year model is it? Guessing all those parts came from the link I had up above? Any idea on the different bikes and year models those fit? And any clue as to the cost? I'm just all full of questions....Laughing

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