Unneeded weight

[michael parris heuberger]

I exhale .

Hi. I will need to do all of that and more before I race. It will be a good thing that I will have my girl friend with me too to help trim all the hair I can not reach and no food for 3 days before race date.

 

[sixpack577]

I have a Gen 3 street bike that is primarily ridden on weekends and occasionally ridden during the week for now. I will be doing more touring in the future. I have read many, many threads about people being heavily concerned about removing as much weight as possible for the same style riding. With that being said I feel I must remove my valve stem caps on wheels because all that excessive weight has to be slowly the bike down dramatically. I'm not concerned about anything getting in there to damage valve or cause a leak as I'm willing to take that safety risk to lose all that excess weight. I am concerned about by leaving the cap off I'm creating a cavity like pocket for air to get into and creating extensive wind drag. Decisions, decisions. Any input on this would be appreciated as it is driving me crazy. I apologize for any misspelling or incorrect punctuation as I've also noticed this really bothers some people. I'm also trying to be nice so I don't offend anybody and can get more help on this topic. :-0

Just take the valve stems out...it gives your tires a bigger contact patch and more traction...but, more friction/drag...I guess there is no free lunch...

 

[sixpack577]

Wow! That is something I never thought of. Thank you very much for for the amazing idea. I've also decided I'm not going to bring a cell phone when riding anymore, that much weight has to be hurting the performance of the bike.

Well...it will convict you in court
lol

 

[TrueGrit]

Joking aside, I am also looking to shave as much weight as I can. I replaced the exhaust (Yosh AT2) and the battery (Antigravity lithium), and probably saved a bit by removing the brake lines bracketry when I replaced the lines with steel braided. Extra weight can be saved with aluminum kickstand (a good 1 lb), and replacing the passenger pegs with exhaust bracket and a custom fairing stay on the left side (that's nearly 3 lbs saved). I don't care for the reflectors on the forks (0.5 lbs), and the tail tidy saves another 1 lb. Lighter wheels, lighter tires. There are some unused wires going to the back; probably 1/4 lbs worth. I am assuming you are keeping the ABS. The bar ends are very heavy. Aftermarket rear sets will probably be lighter, too.

Yeah I street ride/tour don't really worry about the weight much after replacing the exhaust. I also pull reflectors and curb feelers. The gen 3 didn't have the lead weights on pegs like gen 1 that was a bonus. I've lowered past bikes an inch because my big azz foot will often hit cowl. Never liked the aftermarket kickstands but I really disliked seeing people shortening the factory stand and leaving it so it can sink easier on soft ground or sinking in hot asphalt. So I shortened factory and welded foot back on, looked stock unmolested when done.

 

[TrueGrit]

Lose the clothes and ride naked.

Don't forget to exfoliate your entire body. Shaving off skin will shave tenths for sure.

(This is getting ridiculous)

Ridiculous can be humorous ;-)

 

[KPJ132716]

Before I ride, I clip my toe and fingernails and trim the hair in my ears just in case I need that extra push.........LOL!

You should leave the ear hairs... aerodynamics

 

[stgatev]

I found that clothing also plays a major role in how light I feel while riding. Well fitting leather makes me feel slick, gliding through the air. I remember the first ride in full leathers - like Cat Woman. Kangaroo leather is stronger and lighter, and perhaps better $/weight saved ratio than most mods.

 

[KPJ132716]

I found that clothing also plays a major role in how light I feel while riding. Well fitting leather makes me feel slick, gliding through the air. I remember the first ride in full leathers - like Cat Woman. Kangaroo leather is stronger and lighter, and perhaps better $/weight saved ratio than most mods.

I tried going naked but got pulled over within ½ a mile of leaving the house..never got a chance to finish testing

 

[stgatev]

I tried going naked but got pulled over within ½ a mile of leaving the house..never got a chance to finish testing

That means you were going too slow. Try going faster next time. While at it, have you tried covering yourself with wax, or oil? Swimmers do.

 

[KPJ132716]

That means you were going too slow. Try going faster next time. While at it, have you tried covering yourself with wax, or oil? Swimmers do.

Yeah..I was sliding all over the seat with the baby oil.. that's how they caught me

 

[stangman327]

Yeah..I was sliding all over the seat with the baby oil.. that's how they caught me

Did you let Diddy ride it before you rode it?

 

[wellcraft]

Well...it will convict you in court
lol

I was on a federal grand jury for about 20 months and one thing I learned is your cell phone can definitely help convict you.

 

[wellcraft]

I'm one of those riders that could care less about weight so, I'm happy with my Busa as it came from the factory in terms of performance and handling. For my style of riding I find weight to be a plus rather than a minus and since I'm not chasing fractions of seconds on the track the weight doesn't matter.

 

[KPJ132716]

Did you let Diddy ride it before you rode it?

No but it was a Diddy brand lol

 

[sixpack577]

I'm one of those riders that could care less about weight so, I'm happy with my Busa as it came from the factory in terms of performance and handling. For my style of riding I find weight to be a plus rather than a minus and since I'm not chasing fractions of seconds on the track the weight doesn't matter.

The only big difference you can really feel on a Busa(aside from time slips, no we aren't talking about any kind of racing) is aftermarket exhaust, if you like twisty roads, as you can dedinately tell a difference when flicking the bike side to side with the heavy factory mufflers gone.
A lithium battery will drop 5-7 lbs of weight from above the center of gravity too.
So some of the weight loss things do improve handling.

 

[stgatev]

I agree, the weight adds to the stability. But I am a wimpy 140 lbs, and my garage is slightly uphill, so anything helps.

Back on topic: if you fill your tires with helium, that's another 2 oz, of rotating mass, nonetheless.

 

[wellcraft]

The only big difference you can really feel on a Busa(aside from time slips, no we aren't talking about any kind of racing) is aftermarket exhaust, if you like twisty roads, as you can dedinately tell a difference when flicking the bike side to side with the heavy factory mufflers gone.
A lithium battery will drop 5-7 lbs of weight from above the center of gravity too.
So some of the weight loss things do improve handling.

I'm sure it does but the expense of adding aftermarket cans negates, at least for me, any performance or handling gains. Now when it's time for a new battery I may go with a lithium battery just depends on how much more it costs than a regular battery.

 

[michael parris heuberger]

The only big difference you can really feel on a Busa(aside from time slips, no we aren't talking about any kind of racing) is aftermarket exhaust, if you like twisty roads, as you can dedinately tell a difference when flicking the bike side to side with the heavy factory mufflers gone.
A lithium battery will drop 5-7 lbs of weight from above the center of gravity too.
So some of the weight loss things do improve handling.

Hi. Yes my tires are filled with helium.

 

[Gen3lover]

On the serious side never fill your gas tank all the way in order to keep weight down.
Gasoline weighs 6.2 lbs/gallon so unless you’re crossing a desert just fill up halfway.

Yes, it means more frequent trips to the gas station but the goal of saving weight will be accomplished.

 

[stgatev]

Hi. Yes my tires are filled with helium.

I believe that. Is my calculation of ~30g difference per tire about right?