The lightest xs400

[Joshwuh]

Anyone have tips on the best weighs to lose some weight?

 

[bentwrench]

I'd start by cutting off unnecessary stuff at the frame. Remove anything not required to get you around. Wire wheels if you don't already have them. Remove gauges if you don't legally need them. If you have both a kick and electric start, toss the electric.

If you still want lighter, it's time to swap out parts. Lighter wheels, lighter forks, lighter seat (less padding.)

Then, only run the bike with a cup of fuel in the bottom of the tank. And go on a diet yourself.

 

[Joshwuh]

Are you serious about a cup of fuel??? That would get me about 3 miles! lol

 

[bentwrench]

Just sayin...

To tell the truth, the easiest way to shave weight is to just go to the gym. The bike is 350 lbs, so the average rider is about 2/5 of the total weight. Get lighter, go faster.

 

[Joshwuh]

That's a good point and probably relevant to some but I weigh 150# and also work out :-D Maybe I'll poke around for some wire wheels as I have the alloy 7 spokes. Does anyone know the difference in weight between the two? Mine are disk.

 

[DanMach]

I have the xs400 maxim, so they aren't identical.. but:

Center stand.
All the body work. Fenders, side panels, any rear stuff, plate holders, all of them gone. Replace the signals with "flush" LED's.
Anything that is steel and replaceable by Aluminum? Do it. Handle bars, levers, kick stand.
Brakes: Find a modern version of your current rotor, it will typically be thinner and drilled. Find a way to convert the rear to disc. Drums are eff'n heavy.
Wheels: See if you can find lighter ones.
Exhaust: Titanium!! Since this is a dream project, find someone who can bend/weld titanium and get a full exhaust made.
Seat: Pull the old one off. lay down cardboard(thin) and aluminum foil over the area the seat was. Put down a few layers of fiberglass, let it dry, and cover it with some carpet padding and some leather-ish material.
Chain: Expensive ones are lighter...


Beyond that:

Try and weigh 'new performance parts' before you install them. Removing the intake box and replacing it with pod filters is probably lighter, but what about any extra's you need for it? Weight them.

EDIT: Oh duh!! Gel battery!

 

[bentwrench]

Also, smaller custom gas tank.

 

[rodeofan5656]

some people just cant lose a whole lotta weight though. im a power lifter at skool and weigh 190lbs. last time i checked, i was only 12% body fat (used a little electronic doctor machine thingy). i could lose some, but not a whole lot. i couldnt be healthy if i lose more than 10-15lbs

 

[Joshwuh]

So that brings us back to wire wheels, dropping extraneous items and a gel battery. It seems like we will have to switch many little things to notice a big difference in the end.

Drewpy any news yet on what yours weighs?

 

[bentwrench]

Anyone know anything about unsprung weight? I think (I don't know, but I think) that lighter wheels and tires will give you greater bang for the buck because it's unsprung weight... In cars it's a big difference, which is why racers run the lightest wheels possible for their tire fitment. Don't know what the effect is like on bikes, though...

 

[drewpy]

So that brings us back to wire wheels, dropping extraneous items and a gel battery. It seems like we will have to switch many little things to notice a big difference in the end.

Drewpy any news yet on what yours weighs?

if I get the chance, I'll ride to the weigh bridge at the local dump this weekend and ask them to weigh it

 

[bentwrench]

I keep looking at my centre stand and try to decide if I should cut it off or not. Lighter, but tougher to sell (maybe... if I ever sell it...)

 

[Joshwuh]

I've heard the same thing. I guess it must have something to do with centrifugal force?

Looking forward to hearing how much yours weighs (or doesn't weigh) drewpy :-D

 

[ThePsuedoMonkey]

I think it's all about torque and rotational inertia: reduce the inertia by dropping lbs and the torque you free up is that times the total gear ratio! (tire speed vs. engine speed) So you drop one pound from the tires and you "gain" ~18 ft*lbs of torque.

 

[xschris]

Reducing un-sprung weigh will give you the most noticeable results.

 

[Campbell45]

Ever seen team hansens chromoly frame for the cb450s? They also have just about every weight shaving part possible. Theres some videos of a cb450 dyno'd at 60hp and topped to 134 mph. Granted its race only


Seems like the Cb's get all the cool aftermarket goodies

 

[bcware]

They're more popular, but at some point you have to decide whether it's worth the money. I bet the chromoly frame cost more than my used gsxr750

 

[dO-bOy]

I keep looking at my centre stand and try to decide if I should cut it off or not. Lighter, but tougher to sell (maybe... if I ever sell it...)

Dude, take it off! Looks horrible too. I just quickly throw the bolts in and finger tighten the nuts when I'm working on it. It's gotta be at least a pound or two

 

[bentwrench]

Dude, take it off! Looks horrible too. I just quickly throw the bolts in and finger tighten the nuts when I'm working on it. It's gotta be at least a pound or two

That's a great solution! That makes this easy!

 

[xschris]

Dude, take it off! Looks horrible too. I just quickly throw the bolts in and finger tighten the nuts when I'm working on it. It's gotta be at least a pound or two

That's what I do as well I will have to find a place to get mine weighed but I know from weighing everything I have cut off or swapped out that I pulled 48lbs off of it.