Shaving weight

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nitrofish1

XS400 Addict
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Are there any easy ways to drop weight on my 81 special? I've already removed the front wheel fender, the side covers and the passenger footpegs. Are there any other easy things to do to drop weight? And does it really make a difference in power?

I was considering doing away with the electric start, but I'm probably going to leave that. And I bet that pod filters only save a few ounces? I just saw a thread where someone changed to pods and their carbs need rejetting now, don't want to have to do that.
 
Power to weight ratio is what matters in a straight line, not just power. Around a track things get more complicated when you consider mass and center of gravity.

What's your goal? Street, drag, track?

Consider what you're using this vehicle for before going nuts and making it ugly, uncomfortable, and impractical.
 
bcware said:
Power to weight ratio is what matters in a straight line, not just power. Around a track things get more complicated when you consider mass and center of gravity.

What's your goal? Street, drag, track?

Consider what you're using this vehicle for before going nuts and making it ugly, uncomfortable, and impractical.
Click to expand...

The passenger footpegs were a few pounds, and the front fender being removed actually improved the look imo. The bike is a tourer for me, but i still like to go fast from 0-60 at the lights though, but i still keep it speed limit legal. The reason i took off the "400 special" side cover is that theres only one that it came with and the other one is more expensive than free....

And Drewpy ive lost 30 pounds in the past few months, so i am on a diet yes.
 
The bike still has stock seat, tank, and such, so im not gonna go changing its looks and make it uncomfortable by making it a cafe or something like that.
 
It's ok to seek weight reduction, just be clear about what it's for and what you want/expect. You'll always be making a sacrifice in some way; cost or looks for example. If you're looking for faster acceleration you'd benefit from quick-acceleration sprocket and chain setup.

I removed a ton of weight from my bike, but I am more for performance/looks than comfort. The stock seat/fender/battery/battery box/exhaust all weight a ton.
 
bcware said:
It's ok to seek weight reduction, just be clear about what it's for and what you want/expect. You'll always be making a sacrifice in some way; cost or looks for example. If you're looking for faster acceleration you'd benefit from quick-acceleration sprocket and chain setup.

I removed a ton of weight from my bike, but I am more for performance/looks than comfort. The stock seat/fender/battery/battery box/exhaust all weight a ton.
Click to expand...

is there anything else besides the electric start that i can remove yet still retain the stock look? i dont think ill be goin for the lightweight battery. but the bike does turn over well on the kick start should i reconsider removing the electric start? hard call...
 
For the amount of weight you'd be saving I would say keep the electric start. If you want to keep the stock look there isn't a whole lot you can do without spending a lot. I'd probably keep the e-start no matter what though. It's a real life saver if you ever stall out in traffic :)

Pods, exhaust, jetting, sprocket/chain kit would increase power quite a bit, but may reduce low end torque.
 
bcware said:
For the amount of weight you'd be saving I would say keep the electric start. If you want to keep the stock look there isn't a whole lot you can do without spending a lot. I'd probably keep the e-start no matter what though. It's a real life saver if you ever stall out in traffic :)

Pods, exhaust, jetting, sprocket/chain kit would increase power quite a bit, but may reduce low end torque.
Click to expand...

this may be something ill do on my next bike. but i think for this one then, ill keep it the way it is. thanks
 
Mine was bent so I took it off not sure how you feel but lose the center stand. It weighs about 8lbs with the steel, bushings, and bolts.
 
We had clearance issues riding 2up on my wifes 81 special with the center stand. So I pulled it and have it sitting in the garage with the bolts attached, whenever I work on the bike (redid the forks yesterday) I. Just slid it back on and partially bolt it, just enough to get the bike up and when done put it back down on the side stand and unbolt it and put it back up. Easy as homemade pot pie.

Posted via Mobile
 
You want to remove weight from the top of the bike as much as possible as you want the center of gravity lower. A bike with a low center of gravity is much more flickable ala Eric Buell. The biggest drop is yourself, you can change the bars on your bike to a lower rise all the way down to clip-ons. But for bike only loss, look for extra tabs, big electrical connections, turn signals and your seat. Good luck and go big on this bike, it will help you go bigger on your next bike!!!
 
On this topic has anyone experienced anything with a carbon fiber tank?http://www.oppracing.com/category/105-fuel-tanks/. I have lots of experience with composites making kayaks and paddles so I think it would be easy to produce a tank since there is no structural component and for a LOT LOT less. Figure it would cost around $200 materials. Just wasn't sure if they use a specific resin that gas wouldn't eat away at? Any thoughts?
 
Generally I see fiberglass used, but it is not recommended for street use. Even carbon fiber is fairly brittle when subjected to sheering forces. If knocked by dumping or crashing the bike the tank will rupture rather than dent.
 
This is true but that is the reason for the blend with kevlar. It has been near perfected for kayaking and I have been whitness that they can take a substantial blow and not break.
...first minute is technical talk but you'll get my point.
 
Oh I am sure it is possible when an engineer produces the design. Boats and such also use these materials commonly, so they must be quite strong. I wouldn't have the same confidence in a homemade design though.

If you want to do it, go for it. I just think a lot of these ideas are going to have tremendous diminishing returns. The expense is high and the benefit relatively low. The xs400 has some potential for weight reduction to be sure, but if you're considering carbon body panels they really aren't going to make a noticeable difference unless you just like the way it looks. You could simply run half a tank of gas all the time and save far more weight.

Learning how to launch your bike from a dig properly will also do you a huge benefit. I wax faster vehicles all the time in my car and on my xs400 simply because I can better use the power the machine already has.

For power/weight mods remove the rear fender, stock turn signals, seat and seat pan, mufflers, battery box, battery (I use a 4 lb scooter battery for my kick-only), front fender optionally, handlebars, mirrors, and center stand. Add pod filters, clip-ons, jet it, change the sprockets and chain.

If you're going beyond these sort of mods you're probably far exceeding the cost of the entire bike. You'd be better off with a faster/lighter bike to begin with if you still want more, but perhaps the one you have has sentimental value. You can make any vehicle really fast, but consider the bang for the buck. If money is not an object by all means go nuts and make a super xs400.
 
bcware said:
Oh I am sure it is possible when an engineer produces the design. Boats and such also use these materials commonly, so they must be quite strong. I wouldn't have the same confidence in a homemade design though.

If you want to do it, go for it. I just think a lot of these ideas are going to have tremendous diminishing returns. The expense is high and the benefit relatively low. The xs400 has some potential for weight reduction to be sure, but if you're considering carbon body panels they really aren't going to make a noticeable difference unless you just like the way it looks. You could simply run half a tank of gas all the time and save far more weight.

Learning how to launch your bike from a dig properly will also do you a huge benefit. I wax faster vehicles all the time in my car and on my xs400 simply because I can better use the power the machine already has.

For power/weight mods remove the rear fender, stock turn signals, seat and seat pan, mufflers, battery box, battery (I use a 4 lb scooter battery for my kick-only), front fender optionally, handlebars, mirrors, and center stand. Add pod filters, clip-ons, jet it, change the sprockets and chain.

If you're going beyond these sort of mods you're probably far exceeding the cost of the entire bike. You'd be better off with a faster/lighter bike to begin with if you still want more, but perhaps the one you have has sentimental value. You can make any vehicle really fast, but consider the bang for the buck. If money is not an object by all means go nuts and make a super xs400.
Click to expand...
ok. my next step is probably going to be removing the center stand, and maybe the electric start next year if im REALLY comfortable with the kick start and i dont kill it in traffic. chances of that id say 50/50 for now, but as of this year the electric is staying.

dont you need mirrors on the bike to keep it legal? if not they can go too, ill prolly be buying a new handlebar here soon anyways.

i dont think im going to get into buying a new sprocket chain set (maybe?), or jetting the carbs higher because a new exhaust system is kinda pricey for me. pod filters would require a new carb jetting anddd yeah... at that point i may as well cut off the mufflers and go straight pipe. yet still a possibility for next summer of doing that. still got that up on the table to think about, although i hear it does ruin the low end power, which would be most of the time for me as it is a touring bike for me.

i looked into removing the rear fender but where would i mount the plate and rear brake lights? also the rear turn signal lights would just be sticking out there off the frame and that wouldnt look too great. id like to have the read fender off but those lights :shrug:


but ultimately, the bike is a tourer for me, but i still like to launch off the stop lights up to 60. i am a college student and this is the first bike ive owned, but not the first bike ive ridden. there i is a good chance that in a few years ill replace this bike with something larger, possibly a 650 or if i could find one a 1100 yamaha. or i can hang on to this bike and mod it up once i have some more capital to do so. right now my money on this bike is going towards replacing some of the old parts and hardware that have cracked and need to be replaced, such as my control cables and new tires, new horn and several other smaller items. im just looking for a few things to do to it to make it a little faster for the time being. i can easily mod the bike in a few years when i can afford to buy all the small little rusted parts to replace, and i have the facilities to clean up and de-rust things such as the engine and frame and all its tiny little bolts in the crankcase and such (bring the bike to a fully restored condition). and i would love to try my hand at modding this bike into a street bobber or cafe racer, but for the time being it is a touring transport for me.
 
And so far all ive done to reduce a little bit of weight on it is remove the passenger footpegs, the front fender, and possibly the mirrors. I'll be removing the center stand this weekend though. I don't think ill be replacing the battery though.
 
Daddio said:
You want to remove weight from the top of the bike as much as possible as you want the center of gravity lower. A bike with a low center of gravity is much more flickable ala Eric Buell. The biggest drop is yourself, you can change the bars on your bike to a lower rise all the way down to clip-ons. But for bike only loss, look for extra tabs, big electrical connections, turn signals and your seat. Good luck and go big on this bike, it will help you go bigger on your next bike!!!
Click to expand...

how should i be going "big"? im on a limited budget :confused:
 

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