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A topic dear to my heart! I love a light bike. I'm a skinny guy without powerful legs so even holding up a heavy bike when straddling the bike can be a struggle, esp if it starts to topple.
But mostly I just like to be able to flick a bike through the twisties easily with quick changes of direction and maximum grin factor.
So... The first thing I will be doing when I get the bike is weigh it (with a full tank of fuel) using the scales at work. I use two load cells linked together and run a plank between the two that I maneuver the bike up on to. Carefully!
I weigh every part I remove using accurate kitchen scales and then weigh the new aftermarket or modified part before it goes back on.
Using this method I got my CBR300 down to a 150kg weapon. Ok, maybe not a weapon as it only had 30.4HP Lol but it was noticeably quicker off the mark through the gears and I surprised a few guys at the lights in town. But best of all you only had to think about a change of direction and it fell in to line effortlessly. Very little body english required to hustle it through the bends.
Here's a list of what I did from the biggest weight saving to the least:
1. Change exhaust.
2. Swap lead acid battery for lithium Ion.
3. Swap steel clip-ons for aluminium items.
4. Remove pillion peg brackets and add aluminium exhaust hanger.
5. Remove pillion grab handles & fit block off plates.
6. Remove tool kit.
7. Fit rear sets.
8. Remove mirrors, fit block off plates and fit one bar-end mirror.
9. Swap turn signals for smaller ones.
10. Fit fender eliminator.
11. Remove radiator fan.
12. Swap steel rear sprocket for aluminium one.
13. Replace various steel fasteners with aluminium ones.
Total weight saving 13.14 kg (29lbs)
Feel free to add any weight saving mods you do to your bike to this thread.
But mostly I just like to be able to flick a bike through the twisties easily with quick changes of direction and maximum grin factor.
So... The first thing I will be doing when I get the bike is weigh it (with a full tank of fuel) using the scales at work. I use two load cells linked together and run a plank between the two that I maneuver the bike up on to. Carefully!
I weigh every part I remove using accurate kitchen scales and then weigh the new aftermarket or modified part before it goes back on.
Using this method I got my CBR300 down to a 150kg weapon. Ok, maybe not a weapon as it only had 30.4HP Lol but it was noticeably quicker off the mark through the gears and I surprised a few guys at the lights in town. But best of all you only had to think about a change of direction and it fell in to line effortlessly. Very little body english required to hustle it through the bends.
Here's a list of what I did from the biggest weight saving to the least:
1. Change exhaust.
2. Swap lead acid battery for lithium Ion.
3. Swap steel clip-ons for aluminium items.
4. Remove pillion peg brackets and add aluminium exhaust hanger.
5. Remove pillion grab handles & fit block off plates.
6. Remove tool kit.
7. Fit rear sets.
8. Remove mirrors, fit block off plates and fit one bar-end mirror.
9. Swap turn signals for smaller ones.
10. Fit fender eliminator.
11. Remove radiator fan.
12. Swap steel rear sprocket for aluminium one.
13. Replace various steel fasteners with aluminium ones.
Total weight saving 13.14 kg (29lbs)
Feel free to add any weight saving mods you do to your bike to this thread.