Hayabusa Wannabe
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Great feedback @rubbersidedown thanks as always. Sounds like there are not any trade-offs for the aluminum tank.
Mirrors/easy to see outa/you need lightweight/good looks/etc
- Thread starter rubbersidedown
- Start date
hayabuser
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Tru dat.
Just a guess HW...the ally tank will out live the steel one by a long shot.
Moisture build-up...a non issue,ally doesn't rust,thats why is a popular boat hull choice material...even for salt water.
Rubb.
That's a total old wive's tale... aluminum does corrode and it can corrode very quickly if untreated.
The accepted method in aviation is first acid-etch and alodine the bare aluminum to form a protective chemical layer, then prime it with a quality zinc chromate primer. After that, a two-part paint can be applied.
There's a reason that both boats and seaplane floats have zinc anodes bolted directly to bare metal areas of their exterior surfaces... the zinc acts as a sacrificial part of the electrochemical process which corrodes and degrades first before the aluminum skin.
hayabuser
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....Mr.Smarty Pants
Rubb.
Nope. Just a couple of decades of fixing crappy rotten airplanes......
it doesn't actually rust thou like steel ? It does deteriorate,but as u mentioned if treated properly right outa the gate,u should be GTG right?
Rubb.
I know. Those rides are a speciality at "Jim's".PS: And you should see some of the local motorcycles close up.... the ones ridden all winter on our brine-coated roads. Nasty.
I get that hand delt to me all the time.
Rubb.
I have a buddy who bought a new F150, he was washing it and noticed a crack in the paint near the rear wheel well. Nobody can fix that around our area so the truck was shipped to Toronto (5 hrs away) to fix it...it came back and the paint work was crappy so off it went again...
His truck was gone for almost 3 weeks total....not a happy camper...Ford said if it was anywhere else they could have just replaced the panel.
I've heard of 3 other instances where the paint has cracked on the aluminum body F150s.
His truck was gone for almost 3 weeks total....not a happy camper...Ford said if it was anywhere else they could have just replaced the panel.
I've heard of 3 other instances where the paint has cracked on the aluminum body F150s.
hayabuser
Registered
Rust is the term for iron-oxide formation which is what kills steel. The aluminum equivalent is aluminum-oxide. Pretty much the same process with oxygen being the evil-doer.
Iron-oxide forms easier, bare steel rusts almost immediately when exposed to the air. Aluminum is more resistant but longer-term exposure to the air will begin the process. You can buy Al-Clad which comes from the manufacturer with a thin sacrificial layer already on it which can sit around for ages but the minute the cladding is compromised, the oxidation attack will begin.
Both metals when exposed to salty water (ocean for boats and aircraft, winter roads for cars) corrode fast if unprotected. I used to overhaul Twin Otters in Calgary which would fly down to the Maldive Islands to work as air-taxis... four years later they'd return to Calgary looking like an old pick-up truck. Covered in fluffy white corrosion, rot holes throughout, just a mess.
I can't imagine the longevity of an aluminum truck operated in an Ontario winter. There'd be nothing left of it after a decade of road salt and as you said, aluminum repair is pretty specialized still. I understand the desire for light weight but your average Joe Lunchpail who uses a truck for his livelihood isn't going to be able to afford specialized maintenance and lengthy down-times for repairs.
My older lad in the Air Force works on helicopters used by the navy said they have to conduct a fresh water spray each time they come back from a flight to wash all the salt off them. He said doing this in the winter is a job they give to the rookies as they have to stand out there with a fire hose and spray the thing down-then take it into the hanger to dry out.
hayabuser
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When I worked on the dock in Vancouver, we did engine de-salinization washes every evening after the planes were done for the day. Essentially it was a chemical mixed in water and then sprayed at a metered rate into the compressor section of the turbine engine while it's spooled up on the starter with the ignitors off.
Having said that, I have seen folks just spray clean water through a hose into the engine intake since it's better than nothing in a pinch, but the volume of water needs to be controlled to prevent damage. You can't compress a liquid after all.
Having said that, I have seen folks just spray clean water through a hose into the engine intake since it's better than nothing in a pinch, but the volume of water needs to be controlled to prevent damage. You can't compress a liquid after all.
Mythos
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@rubbersidedown I didn't weigh my bikes when 100% stock. All I have to go on is the published weight figures. I haven't weighed the modded bikes yet but that's planned for the future. I hear two good bathroom scales is a way to get an accurate weight. Use scales that have at least a 300 lb max.
Some weight loss mods are not safe or practical for a street bike. I wouldn't go with a single front brake. Then again, the only problem that's remotely likely to happen with brakes is loss of fluid and that will take out both front brakes at the same time. My main concern would be loss of braking power but I heard it said one time that a single front brake on a ZX-14 was adequate for the drag strip. Anyway, I will always keep a rear brake and that is another thing that is often deleted for racing. Oil cooler deletion is probably not a great idea for a bike used for city riding. On the ZX-14, I rather doubt that canister does much though. Mine's coming off. I don't have many stoplights to wait at. I think oil cooler deletion is required for turbo on a ZX-14.
Ceramic balls in wheel bearings are lighter than steel. I've been told the bike rolls noticeably easier with ceramic and that's the main reason I'll give them a try. I don't expect ceramic to hold up as well and that's why many people don't want to use them for a street bike.
I pretty much only do sport riding unless I'm en rout to the twisties. I never commute. I spend a LOT of time working over the bikes and I check stuff often so it's safe enough for me. I haven't had a problem with any weight loss mods yet but I've had people tell me some mods like front fender mudflap and radiator cover deletion on the busa are not real safe. One thing I have concerns about is my super light Yanna Shikki front fender on the ZX-14. If that sucker tears off at high speed that could suck really bad.
As mentioned, the front fender flap and the radiator inner fairing are deleted. Other than that pretty standard stuff:
Bar end weights replaced with bar end mirror adapters
Lightweight battery soon (LOL that stocker is still kicking after 10 years!)
Chain Guard deleted
Rear Fender deleted
Evotech Gas Cap
Horn Delete --there's one a lot of people would think unsafe
SS lines on clutch and F/R brakes--kevlar is even a little lighter. Had Kevlar on my 14 for ten years.
Pazzo shorties are a small weight loss over OEM busa levers.
Mirrors replaced with block off plates.
PAIR deleted, blockoff plates installed
Reflectors deleted
Foot rest assembly replaced with Sato rearsets
Steering stem cover deleted --some say that's unsafe but never had issue with either bike. I can see how something might fly up off the road and hit you but never had any warning signs in 40k miles of riding.
Side stand replaced with T-Rex sidestand
Throttle cable bracket replaced with zip tie --there's a ton of brackets to delete or replace with fabbed aluminum parts.
Tool kit deleted
Trunk bolts deleted---really gotta put some plastic bolts in there but the tail stays on even without
Tsukigi full system exhaust
Zero gravity windscreen
Starting to replace stock bolts with aluminum and Ti.
I haven't started to add up the total weightloss on the busa yet.
I was gonna say, that guy shoulda put some kind of after market header on there and welded the pipes together if he was going to do that. No different than running a tubo out the lower fairing. I wonder if there was any performance improvement. Some say the muffler makes a difference others say it doesn't. Never heard about no muffler unless it was turbo in which case, the turbo is all that matters.
Nitrogen is lighter. Oil, IDK if lighter weight means it actually weighs less? It's lower viscosity but the actual weight must be the same as higher viscosity, no? LESS oil weighs less than more oil though. Not worth it to run the oil level low on the street and probably not a good idea for racing either. I don't over service though.Is nitrogen lighter than O2 ? Could fill your thinner (180/110) tires with it.
Lighter fork oil....
Tires? Yeah, I'd run the lightest possible If I were LSR or drag racing. I do keep tire weight records and Pirelli is the lightest I've found. I like the aded height of a 200/55 and that's about a lb heavier than a 190/55.
BOOM yes, I want that!!
I'm not an automotive painting expert by far but I've rattle canned engine covers on the ZX-14 5 years ago and those have held up to riding extremely well. Not quality aluminum but "pot metal" as they call it is in the ballpark, they aren't steel. Rattle can engine paint is not as tough as OEM but the only chipping problem I've had is hitting it with a tool when I work on the bike. Also, gets soft when hot and gravel sticks but it does on the OEM paint too. The busa engine paint doesn't seem to have that gravel problem maybe because the busa motor doesn't get as hot. I can't tell any difference in rattle canning aluminum compared to steel. Paint doesn't stick well to either one if it's going to be handled roughly but I've never had it peel off of either. The bikes are always garaged though.
As for the Yoshi tank, I'd try a vinyl wrap on it first. It's not going to match the OEM paint perfectly. I've had vinyl stripes on my ZX-14 tank for 10 years and it looks new. I would probably use vinyl as a tank guard anyway. I plan on replacing that tank bra I have on my busa with black vinyl, a Yoshi tank all vinyled might make sense. Rattle can over the vinyl with ColorRight and cover the part that contacts your body with black vinyl. If it looks bad, peal off all the vynil and have a pro paint on the metal. Cover the part that contacts your body with vinyl again.
It was at moments like that when I was glad I was a pilot.
RedBull
Registered
I got rid of mirrors
on both my bikes
and just use a
bar end mirror .
You do need to tilt your head a bit
to look in them but you can not
beat them for weight loss
and I think sport bikes
look so much better
without the mirrors
on the top cowl .
New Mirrors Roaring toyz | Gen 2 Busa Information
Just got em today shipping was extremely fast from extremekempy.com and price was better than roaring toyz website. I love the look
Hayabusa Wannabe
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Are you referring to a cap on the central steering stem hole? If so that must have been aftermarket, yes?
Good stuff there, thanks. Notwithstanding that I will likely never have the AL tank, colors that are slightly off, like picking a vinyl that is close to paint, that is an anathema to me.
@Mythos what is your subframe? Is it stock? I did not see that here in the list.
Mythos
Registered
I have the stock tail still. I want an aluminum but that will take some study. The Gen1 tail is not a direct fit I hera. They make aluminum Gen2 subframes.
I want that Yoshi tank too!
I'd call it more of a plate that goes under the triple tree. It's plastic. Steering Bracket Cover, they call it on the busa. You will probably see it if you look at your horn or the front brake lines attachment to the forks. The steering bracket cover is a stock part. Take off your horn and get rid of the plate while you're at it. I never had any pebbles flying up at me. Easy enough to put back on if they do.
Mythos
Registered
I have been in a couple heavy downpours with the busa and never noticed anything flying up then either. The fender should catch everything. SHOULD.
But I have the fender mudflap extension removed too. No damage to my oil cooler. Radiator looks good too. Might depend on where you ride. A lot of people use a radiator guard. I just straighten out a few fins every few years or so. No serious dents.
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