Losing Weight

Bandito121
Edited Date/Time 1/26/2012 11:54pm
What is the best ways to shave weight off a modern 4 stroke? Is it in an aftermarket exhaust, wheels, clamps, or something else. Where are the biggest gains? Has anyone tried the Dubach radiator lowering kit and does it help?
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Nerd
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Nerd 2/22/2011 5:07pm
2/22/2011 5:07pm
Bandito121 wrote:
What is the best ways to shave weight off a modern 4 stroke? Is it in an aftermarket exhaust, wheels, clamps, or something else. Where are...
What is the best ways to shave weight off a modern 4 stroke? Is it in an aftermarket exhaust, wheels, clamps, or something else. Where are the biggest gains? Has anyone tried the Dubach radiator lowering kit and does it help?
Take out half of the strokes.
3D
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3D 2/22/2011 5:08pm
2/22/2011 5:08pm
Nerd wrote:
Take out half of the strokes.
End of thread
zippy895
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zippy895 2/22/2011 5:19pm
2/22/2011 5:19pm
loose weight in wheels/driveline tires first!

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mattmatt300
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mattmatt300 2/22/2011 5:24pm
2/22/2011 5:24pm
xnationalwrench wrote:
Stop drinking beer and stay away from fried foods.
this^

most people could lose 10 pounds in a month. it would cost a chunk to take 10 lbs off a bike.
nytsmaC
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nytsmaC 2/22/2011 5:25pm
2/22/2011 5:25pm
Only run 1/3 the recommended oil and coolant, dont oil your air filter, lower your tire psi.
Bandito121 2/22/2011 5:41pm
2/22/2011 5:41pm
xnationalwrench wrote:
Stop drinking beer and stay away from fried foods.
mattmatt300 wrote:
this^

most people could lose 10 pounds in a month. it would cost a chunk to take 10 lbs off a bike.
At 140lbs I dont think losing 10lbs a month is an option. Anybody have any real suggestions. I know its not cheap, but willing to spend some money. So where do I start.? Dealing with a 2011 KX250F.
mattmatt300
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mattmatt300 2/22/2011 5:45pm
2/22/2011 5:45pm
tires and tubes would be an easy place to save some weight. i think i remember seeing that pirelli had the lightest mx tires.
GuyB
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GuyB 2/22/2011 5:51pm
2/22/2011 5:51pm
Nerd wrote:
Take out half of the strokes.
Ah, you're one of those guys now? Are those helicopters I see circling to the west?
Nerd
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Nerd 2/22/2011 5:59pm
2/22/2011 5:59pm
Nerd wrote:
Take out half of the strokes.
GuyB wrote:
Ah, you're one of those guys now? Are those helicopters I see circling to the west?
No, not at all. It's just that four-strokes are heavy, and that's just how it is, so if a principle concern is having a light motorcycle, that's probably the wrong kind of bike.
gaines1016
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gaines1016 2/22/2011 6:11pm
2/22/2011 6:11pm
i post this a lot but.

yamaha yz250 is 227lbs wet
yamaha yz250f is 224.8 lbs wet

now i realize that 2strokers love to argue cc for cc when it comes to hp but when you bring up things like this they want to compare 250f's to 125s.
Aussie_power_sports 2/22/2011 6:15pm
2/22/2011 6:15pm
xnationalwrench wrote:
Stop drinking beer and stay away from fried foods.
mattmatt300 wrote:
this^

most people could lose 10 pounds in a month. it would cost a chunk to take 10 lbs off a bike.
Bandito121 wrote:
At 140lbs I dont think losing 10lbs a month is an option. Anybody have any real suggestions. I know its not cheap, but willing to spend...
At 140lbs I dont think losing 10lbs a month is an option. Anybody have any real suggestions. I know its not cheap, but willing to spend some money. So where do I start.? Dealing with a 2011 KX250F.
why do you need it lighter? are you already riding it as fast as the PC guys??
mjskier
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mjskier 2/22/2011 6:17pm
2/22/2011 6:17pm
Titanium shock springs are noticeably lighter than steel. They'll set you back $400 or so retail though.
crnpwn
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crnpwn 2/23/2011 12:22am
2/23/2011 12:22am
don't get lighter, get stronger
SMITH201
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SMITH201 2/23/2011 5:15am
2/23/2011 5:15am
During an off season teardown of his bike, a buddy of mine replaced all nuts, bolts, screws with titanium. Not sure on the actual weight loss, but his CRF450 definitely weighed less than our CRF450s!
txmxer
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txmxer 2/23/2011 5:54am
2/23/2011 5:54am
gaines1016 wrote:
i post this a lot but. yamaha yz250 is 227lbs wet yamaha yz250f is 224.8 lbs wet now i realize that 2strokers love to argue cc...
i post this a lot but.

yamaha yz250 is 227lbs wet
yamaha yz250f is 224.8 lbs wet

now i realize that 2strokers love to argue cc for cc when it comes to hp but when you bring up things like this they want to compare 250f's to 125s.
glad you posted that.

yz250f gas tank: 1.7 gal
yz250 gas tank: 2.1 gal

wet weight without gas (~6 lbs/gal)

yamaha yz250 is 214.4 lbs wet (no gas)
yamaha yz250f is 214.6 lbs wet (no gas)

Evil

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Platform Industries 2/23/2011 6:08am
2/23/2011 6:08am
mattmatt300 wrote:
this^

most people could lose 10 pounds in a month. it would cost a chunk to take 10 lbs off a bike.
Bandito121 wrote:
At 140lbs I dont think losing 10lbs a month is an option. Anybody have any real suggestions. I know its not cheap, but willing to spend...
At 140lbs I dont think losing 10lbs a month is an option. Anybody have any real suggestions. I know its not cheap, but willing to spend some money. So where do I start.? Dealing with a 2011 KX250F.
Aussie_power_sports wrote:
why do you need it lighter? are you already riding it as fast as the PC guys??
He's right. The only thing you'll really lighten is your wallet. My one buddy always says, if you put a top pro on your bike, do you think he could ride it and still kick everyone's ass? Obviously, his point is that it's more about the rider than it is the bike.
SteveS
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SteveS 2/23/2011 6:18am
2/23/2011 6:18am
gaines1016 wrote:
i post this a lot but. yamaha yz250 is 227lbs wet yamaha yz250f is 224.8 lbs wet now i realize that 2strokers love to argue cc...
i post this a lot but.

yamaha yz250 is 227lbs wet
yamaha yz250f is 224.8 lbs wet

now i realize that 2strokers love to argue cc for cc when it comes to hp but when you bring up things like this they want to compare 250f's to 125s.
txmxer wrote:
glad you posted that. yz250f gas tank: 1.7 gal yz250 gas tank: 2.1 gal wet weight without gas (~6 lbs/gal) yamaha yz250 is 214.4 lbs wet...
glad you posted that.

yz250f gas tank: 1.7 gal
yz250 gas tank: 2.1 gal

wet weight without gas (~6 lbs/gal)

yamaha yz250 is 214.4 lbs wet (no gas)
yamaha yz250f is 214.6 lbs wet (no gas)

Evil

"you really should have known" DBM
That, and the YZ250 was designed to compete in the big bike class, so even though in amateurs it's allowed to run against the 250F, it carries the baggage of the minimum weight for the big bike class, heavier duty frame, bigger tires, etc.
newmann
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newmann 2/23/2011 6:23am
2/23/2011 6:23am
First off, remove any disc guards, caliper guards and remove any of the muonting bosses or tabs that you consider unnecessary.Do not replace any stock parts with anything heavier. No heavy duty tubes. Thick juicy graphic kits add weight. Billett triples add about a pound, billett hubs and heavy duty spokes add weight as well. Pretty much anything "billett" will add weight unless it's billett magnesium. Replace fender, shroud and number plate hardware with aluminum fasteners. They are lighter and way less expensive than Ti. Will a Yamaha shock spring fit on the Kawi shock? They are titanium and available all over Ebay for a hundred bucks or so. Sand tires knock off a shitload of weight for cheap.

Beyond that, you are going to start spending money. Lots of money. What's the budget?
txmxer
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txmxer 2/23/2011 6:24am
2/23/2011 6:24am
SteveS wrote:
That, and the YZ250 was designed to compete in the big bike class, so even though in amateurs it's allowed to run against the 250F, it...
That, and the YZ250 was designed to compete in the big bike class, so even though in amateurs it's allowed to run against the 250F, it carries the baggage of the minimum weight for the big bike class, heavier duty frame, bigger tires, etc.
good points. I'm sure someone knows...if you pulled the engine from the frame and weighed it, the 250 would be several pounds lighter than the valve muncher.
UpTiTe
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UpTiTe 2/23/2011 6:25am
2/23/2011 6:25am
Get a Ti bolt kit. At a cost of around 600 it is the fastest way to shed 6 pounds.

honestly tho, the best way to go is to make your body stronger and take that money that you're foolishly spending on wheels and exuast and spend it on properly setting up your suspension. That will have a bigger impact then anything else you do.
newmann
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newmann 2/23/2011 6:28am
2/23/2011 6:28am
Bandito121 wrote:
What is the best ways to shave weight off a modern 4 stroke? Is it in an aftermarket exhaust, wheels, clamps, or something else. Where are...
What is the best ways to shave weight off a modern 4 stroke? Is it in an aftermarket exhaust, wheels, clamps, or something else. Where are the biggest gains? Has anyone tried the Dubach radiator lowering kit and does it help?
The radiator lowering kits consists of some brackets to lower the radiators. That adds weight.....but lowers it to make it "feel" lighter.

How many laps are you running at a time? Only put that much gas in.
burn1986
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burn1986 2/23/2011 7:30am
2/23/2011 7:30am
Carbon fiber airbox, number plates and fenders. Complete Titanium bolt, washer, nuts, axles. Magnesium triple clamps. Drill holes in all the washers, and back part of fenders, number plates.
newmann
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newmann 2/23/2011 7:49am
2/23/2011 7:49am
UpTiTe wrote:
Get a Ti bolt kit. At a cost of around 600 it is the fastest way to shed 6 pounds. honestly tho, the best way to...
Get a Ti bolt kit. At a cost of around 600 it is the fastest way to shed 6 pounds.

honestly tho, the best way to go is to make your body stronger and take that money that you're foolishly spending on wheels and exuast and spend it on properly setting up your suspension. That will have a bigger impact then anything else you do.
To save 6 lb's with Ti hardware would be more like $6000.00.
UpTiTe
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UpTiTe 2/23/2011 8:17am
2/23/2011 8:17am
You would know more then I. I saw a kit for 600, I thought it said it would save six pounds, guess not.
SMITH201
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SMITH201 2/23/2011 8:30am
2/23/2011 8:30am
UpTiTe wrote:
Get a Ti bolt kit. At a cost of around 600 it is the fastest way to shed 6 pounds. honestly tho, the best way to...
Get a Ti bolt kit. At a cost of around 600 it is the fastest way to shed 6 pounds.

honestly tho, the best way to go is to make your body stronger and take that money that you're foolishly spending on wheels and exuast and spend it on properly setting up your suspension. That will have a bigger impact then anything else you do.
newmann wrote:
To save 6 lb's with Ti hardware would be more like $6000.00.
WTF? That kit must be gold plated with a bag of diamonds included!

My buddy didnt say the exact amount, but he said he got his Ti bolt kit for a few hundred bucks.
newmann
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newmann 2/23/2011 8:34am
2/23/2011 8:34am
UpTiTe wrote:
You would know more then I. I saw a kit for 600, I thought it said it would save six pounds, guess not.
I'd buy that! Yamaha used to have Ti kits in the GYT-R catalog that were reasonably priced and covered most of the major areas of the bike. But all of them combined only knocked off about 2 1/2- 3 lbs. Buying all the individual pieces and specialty bolts and hardware was getting out of hand really fast. Crazy expensive. GYT-R catalog back in 01-02 had all kinds of trick bits. Carbon number plates and side panels , engine mounts, ign. and clutch covers, carbon air boxes, ti subframes, magnesium triple clamps and mag hubs.
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Erick 2/23/2011 9:03am
2/23/2011 9:03am
The smartest thing to do to improve your handling by reducing weight is reducing unsprung weight. Unsprung weight is the worst kind of weight on your bike because it is constantly moving and affecting your handling.

Some ideas from the top of my head:

- Lighter tires (tubeless)
- Lighter spokes (titanium)

- CF (Carbon Fibre) chain guide holder and m ake your own chain guide from a lighter material (some spaceshuttle material?)
- CF front fork guards (use plastic bolts to mount them, they are strong enough I think)
- CF rear brake guards (you could also remove them completely)
- CF front brakeline holder (use plastic bolts to mount them, they are strong enough I think)

- Titanium rear axle (don't use titanium front axles, they aren't stiff enough (210GPa vs. aprox. 105-120GPa))
- Titanium linkage bolts/axles
- Titanium shock/fork springs
- Titanium bolts for your brakes

- Aluminium banjo bolts
- Aluminium rear axle nut
- Aluminium rear axle ajuster bolts

Also:
- Steel braided brake lines (they are more efficient than nylon brake lines, so maybe you don't have to use an oversize rotor)
- Machine your brake calipers to make them lighter (there is excessive material to them because of the casting process)
- Machine your rear axle holders to the bare minimum amount of material
- Machine your hubs (the center section COULD be lighter)
- Lighter bearings in your wheels

Zach Osbournes bike, look at the machining of the brake caliper and the fork lugs, simply beautifull


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