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Cheepest weight saving modds

Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 10:08 pm
by Spike16
Hi people just wondering what modds/parts people would recomend for being fairly cheep and reducing weight by a fair bit. I need the bike to function in every way that a standarb bike can (so need charging system and pilion seat etc) as il be using the bike every weekday, but as light as possible err cos il be racing and tracking it on the weekends.

Things like race fuel cap (about to order), alloy clip on bars (made and ready to fit), and lightweight brackets (made ofcourse as im on a tight budget)

o and iv hacked my exhaust bracket up a bit, removed pillion pegs, standard brake res and coolant res in exchange for HRC ones (every little helps)

Re: Cheepest weight saving modds

Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 10:14 pm
by CMSMJ1
If you have removed the pillion pegs, then lose the pillion seat and chop up your std subframe etc - get a race f/g seat unit and if you want lights..cut it.
The lock, seat, cabling and what not weighs a fair bit so worth getting rid of it.

Re: Cheepest weight saving modds

Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 10:39 pm
by Spike16
i need the underseat storage so so thats a no no, iv got an rs250 rear seat unit for track which needs to be mounted on the rear bolt mounts of the standard subframe aswell

Im planning to make a lightweight ally subframe that the standard rear section of subframe will bolt onto so it works like standard on road but can quickly be turned into a lightweight subframe for racing

any other idea's

Re: Cheepest weight saving modds

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:12 am
by Cammo
Spike16 wrote:just wondering what modds/parts people would recomend for being fairly cheep and reducing weight by a fair bit.
Apart from the obvious there isn't much you can do for little money I reckon.

Do you have fibreglass fairings? That's the biggest single weight saving in my opinion. You can probably save 10kg's (or more!) by getting rid of all the road gear and fairings and using lightweight fibreglass.

A couple of kg's can be saved by using a smaller battery which is pretty cheap. Making your own alloy fuel cell and fibreglass tank cover would be pretty cheap and can save a few kg's, same with an alloy subframe just weld some square section together.

Make sure you also use the minimum amount of fuel needed, using 15L when you only need 5L isn't smart and will save you 10kg's. (On this last point I actually always put far more in the tank than needed, my bike like's to have a bit in its tank it seems when it comes to long corners - all the more reason to build an alloy fuel cell methinks!).

Re: Cheepest weight saving modds

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:37 pm
by Spike16
yeh i fill my tank about 1/3 full for each session on track and comes bback with a little left in their, was talking to simon ed and he said BMC are fitting a lighter battery to his bike that saves a kilo so il check that out to see how much that is.

yeh iv got an rvf fibreglass front fairings and rs250 tail for track both fairly lightweight and i also remove all lights front the fairings bracket, mainly cos if i drop it i dont want to dmaage them but wwe'll sy it to reduce weight ;)

do fancy a weight'ing actually to see what its like, and weight balance with me on it. what do nc30's weight standard?

Re: Cheepest weight saving modds

Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 5:17 am
by mick.mh2racing
Make sure your bowels and bladder are empty. In my limited experience a good turn out can be worth upto half a stone! :lol:

Re: Cheepest weight saving modds

Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 11:49 am
by Spike16
hehe i thought someone would say something like that, loose weight or buy lighter leathers etc but iv been training alot and have got myself down to 60kg (just over 9 1/2 stone) so think im alright on that front

should mean i can afford my bike to be a bit heavier and still have a similar combined rider and bike weight to alot of the field

Re: Cheepest weight saving modds

Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 2:37 pm
by Lope
haha, i was also gonna say "take a shit" :)

Maybe you could be a gineua pig for my idea. Make a switch that disconnects your alternator from the reg/rect. (might need a relay) So basically when u want to race, you flip the switch, and your bike charging system is deactivated. It could get you an extra 0.5 hp. When ur done racing u flip the switch, and ur bike charges on the way home :)

Re: Cheepest weight saving modds

Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 4:46 pm
by RonniB
Lope wrote:haha, i was also gonna say "take a shit" :)

Maybe you could be a gineua pig for my idea. Make a switch that disconnects your alternator from the reg/rect. (might need a relay) So basically when u want to race, you flip the switch, and your bike charging system is deactivated. It could get you an extra 0.5 hp. When ur done racing u flip the switch, and ur bike charges on the way home :)
that won't work, you need to remove the windings in order to cancel out the magnetic resistance.

spike, you should downsize your battery to a durbahn LiFe 2.3Ah or 4.6Ah, it's £90 and will save your 2.2kg if you go with the smallest. Other than that, start with unsprung rotating weight, first at the rear (alloy sprocket, brakedisc and caliper) and work your way forward.

And for quick moral gains, buy a big tub of alloy bolts and change everything non-stressed, it may only save you 500gr but you get the sensation that you'r constatly doing something.

Ronni

Re: Cheepest weight saving modds

Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 9:07 pm
by razghost
Spike16 wrote:what do nc30's weight standard?
175kg dry, according to the haynes.