Removing weight, from either the bike or the rider, has a HUGE impact. You can easily feel the difference if you are decently atuned to your bike, when you remove as little as 8 lb - from the right places. The right places are:
- Any component that is located HIGH on the bike. This is PARTICULARLY applicable to the rider, whose weight is mostly higher than the top of the seat. This makes the single largest difference to the feel, handling, acceleration, and deceleration of the bike. 25 lb would make a WORLD of diffference. Also, battery, which is right under the seat: change to Lithium battery and drop its weight weight by around 70%.
- Any component that is located very far rearward or very far forward. By lightening such components, you reduce the "barbell effect" that makes the bike overreact to handling inputs. e.g. front tire, rear tire. Adding luggage really HURTS.
- Any driveline components that rotates has a disproportionately larger favourable effect on both handling and acceleration. So go lighter, is possible and practical, on tires, rear sporcket, brake rotors.
- Any component that sticks out far from the cenreline of the bike. On many bikes, that's the single or dual exhaust pipes. On the 400, the OEM exhaust is not far off the centreline, but is incredibly heavy, so replacing the OEM muffler with a lightweight aftermarket exhaust is VERY helpful.
But ye,s overall, rider weight is THE biggest factor you can alter, and also costs the least.
Jim G