Weighed the bike.

[utopia]

I got hold of a couple of electronic, strain gauge type, crane scales and weighed my 750 the other day.
Two webbing slings around headstock and rear subframe, and dangled it from the 8x4 beam in my "shed".
165kg. ...well 164.9 actually, so definitely hitting the 165 mark, which is what I was hoping for.
That's with the tank drained as far as possible via the normal fuel delivery outlet, so maybe a tad was left in there but not an amount worth bothering about.
Main culprits for the lightening are ti termis, lithium battery and carbon wheels.
I also swapped the steel swingarm for an ally one, although the net lightening effect of this is not all that much.
There are a few other bits of ti and carbon on it, but their lightening effect is minimal.
There is also added weight from extras such as screen, bellypan, airscoops, handguards etc.

Next target is to get it below 160kg, which should be relatively easy to achieve via fitting my carbon tank and changing a load of engine and chassis bolts for titanium.
I have also done nothing to lighten any engine internals yet, so there's a bit of room for manoeuvre there too, although I'll not be taking much off the flywheel as this is essentially a road bike and therefore needs road bike manners.

I sat on an NCR 1100evo special a few years ago, which weighed a mere 145kg (if memory serves).
That thing made me gasp .. just at a standstill in the car park.
I dunno whether I'll ever get quite down to that level but the bike's a keeper and the lightening process will continue to the limit, so we shall see.

Interestingly, I had done a rough weigh-in previously, using an ancient set of bathroom scales alternately under each wheel (with an equal thickness pad under the other wheel).
This method is extremely tricky as it is almost impossible to eliminate any input from holding the bike upright and steady.
However WITH CARE, I did manage to get a result which suggested that the 165kg figure was about right.

All round, I'm pretty chuffed with the result.
You can definitely feel the difference on the road ... however a great deal of this is down to the dynamic effects of the light wheels rather than just the reduced "dead" weight, I reckon.
Downside (if any) is that the overly harsh front suspension behaves even worse now that the bike is lighter.
That will be my next area of attention ... ultimately Maxton internals I expect, but I fancy a play around first.

Anyway, there you go .. an accurate weigh-in (witnessed and certified by another club member) of a moderately modified M750.

[rollo22]

To weigh the truck I just drive on the scales and ask for a reading you only really have to pay when a ticket is produced.

[Mr Gazza]

So how much does a standard 750 weigh?.

[S4R Dude]

How much do you weigh? :woot:

[slob]

Claimed: 178kg dry
Losing the stock cans is usually another major weight saver

[utopia]

So how much does a standard 750 weigh?.

According to my genuine workshop manual for a 2001 model, dry weight is 178kg.
Mind you, that's probably bone dry, with no oil, hydraulic fluids or battery acid, and minus anything else that can be got away with.
I reckon 180kg plus, is the nearest I would consider a "decent" dry weight.
Mine is actually a 2000 model, but I don't imagine there's much difference.
It has twin discs .. I dunno whether that figure includes both, but I suspect that it does.

The scales are back here now (after being out weighing a superdooperlight S4R).
You're welcome to weigh your bike if you pop over sometime.

How much do you weigh? :woot:

I'm a moderately lithe (scrawny ?) six footer, so not a great deal over 11 stone in old money.
In the same currency, the bike is probably getting on for 2.5 stone lighter now .. which sounds quite respectable, dunnit.
Plus the wheels now spin up faster and change direction easier, as well as holding less unsprung weight.
And the C of G is lower, I guess, due to the loss of battery weight.

Oh, it also has an additional remote preload adjuster for the rear shock too, which must add a bit of weight.
But also, the Nitron shock that it operates on is a particularly lightweight item, with its all ally body construction.

[Jez900ie]

Thats a considerable difference in weight. Welldone that man!

[Mr Gazza]

I wondered if the M750 ie would be lighter as it has no carbs but it appears to be a kilo heavier? I guess it also gained an ECU, a rev-counter and a bit more wadding in the cans?
The 2000 model is listed at 178kg with dual discs.

Interested at how much the Sooperdooperlight S4R comes in at, as I had it down as about 6 stone under stock weight, and it pushes round like a bicycle!

Not too good at parring weight off the 900 yet. I think it might be a bit portly, although I did shave half a kilo off when I last changed the chain.
The centre stand will put that back on and more probably, but it feels just the same with fully laden panniers, so I'm not too worried just yet.

I imagine your CoG has been raised by the mean weight loss of the wheels at axle height. Rather than lowered by the battery saving?
It would help if we knew where the CoG was on a Monster.

[slob]

...it gained cats in the cans too

[Capo]

156kg. 132hp. Power to weight .85 vs Standard 197kg. 113hp. Power to weight .58

[Blah blah]

How much do you want to change in the pursuit of weight loss?

Low level cans could save a bit (less link pipes), and have you cut off all the un-necessary bits? And rather than changing for carbon, could you just leave some bits off (like side panels)?

You could also repaint it white as that's a lighter colour...:spin:

[Mr Gazza]

156kg. 132hp. Power to weight .85 vs Standard 197kg. 113hp. Power to weight .58

That's 6.4 stones lighter by my reckoning... Chuffin' eck!!

I think that works out to 846bhp per Tonne.
Compared to roughly 370bhp per tonne for a Supermarine Spitfire.

[utopia]

How much do you want to change in the pursuit of weight loss?
Low level cans could save a bit (less link pipes), and have you cut off all the un-necessary bits? And rather than changing for carbon, could you just leave some bits off (like side panels)?
You could also repaint it white as that's a lighter colour...:spin:

The answer to the first bit is, ultimately, anything and everything.
But not blindly.
The bike is a keeper and in a dozen or so years of ownership I have, perhaps surprisingly, never felt the need for much if any more shove from the motor than its std 62bhp.
Ok maybe 70 would be nice but with the FCRs and a free flowing exhaust I reckon I'll get close to that.
Lightness however, well I can't get enough of it.
Lightness beats bhp in my book, because it works whether you are on or off the throttle .. and even when you're on the brakes.
In a manner of speaking, it even helps the bike move sideways, I guess.
So, given that this is THE bike, and already has enough power, lightness will bring it alive.
I'd rather do this to a keeper than spend the cash on depreciation losses on newer models.
But lightness is only part of the picture, and I'm definitely not preoccupied with it.
Until recently I was running a Corbin seat, which feels heavy enough to be made of all American Iron .. but it was a better seat to ride from, so it earned its place. It would still be there were it not for the fact that it has no provision to carry a toolkit of any kind, which is essential for my kind of biking.
Also, I consider the extra weight of the hi-level link pipes to be worth it, because I fancy that the extra pipe length improves low revs engine sweetness and also because they clean up the rear end and make the wheel more accessible for maintenance.
Bellypan too, cos it keeps the dross-blast off the engine .. a bit.
Actually, in fairness, the true weight ought to include my extra toolkit, puncture plugging kit and mini can of chain lube really, as I consider these to be essentials.
Capo has no truck with such sh1t though.
He is likewise about pillion pegs, whereas my weight includes pillion extensions to the rearsets, again because I consider the weight worth carrying.
But if there's some weight to be saved, without compromising the usefulness of the bike, then I will get round to it sooner or later .. its just a matter of time really.
At some point I'll quite probably even change the frame for an ally one .. as long as its still strong enough to carry a pillion and some luggage occasionally. If I have to get one specially made, then so be it.
I'd still rather spend the dosh making this bike better than shell out for the latest model which has more power than I really want, more weight too, and a shedload of electronic gizmos that I just don't need .. not to mention the costly dealer servicing.
My 750, on the other hand, does all that I need, is cheap and simple to home-service, has only depreciated by about a grand in all the years I've owned it (and stopped depreciating at all a couple of years ago) and should last forever. Even with some costly mods, its still cheap biking.
Dare I even say that ultimately, I reckon I should be able to beat Capo's weight ? ... in fact the 145kg of the NCR evo is sort of an ultimate target, or at least something below 150. Somewhere down the road, amongst the clouds and the cuckoos.
But obviously, I'm starting off with a much lighter package, with no plumbing, no 4-valve heads, no single sided swinger etc. And of course I'll never get even halfway towards his power to weight ratio.
The two bikes have completely different design philosophies, but we both have the same lightness bug.

As I once said before..
I love lightness. Give me, er ..... less ?

But first we need to consider suspension more closely......................

[utopia]

This morning I got to pondering the remaining scope for lightening.
Initially, I reckon I can expect over 2kg reduction when I fit the carbon tank, nearly as much again by fitting the 2-1 exhaust and losing one can, and say a further 1kg from titanium engine and chassis bolts.
That takes me down to the 160kg mark.
After that I'm not sure what my next move will be ... but I think Capo saved about 8kg with his ally frame, so we're now talking 152kg. I'll probably hold fire for quite some time before biting that particular bullet, but the potential is there.
I'm fairly confident that I can squeeze another couple of kg in odd bits and pieces .. ti wheel and swingarm spindles etc.
So, I reckon I can get into the hallowed ground of the 140s without too much head scratching.
Lighter discs may be on the cards in a few months time too.

And of course, I can always take Blah's suggestion of painting it in a lighter colour.
Heck, I could even fit some additional lights .. the headlamp's fairly crap anyway.
Wasn't that Lotus's policy ... tune it by adding lights.
:rolleyes:

[slob]

The horror of my calculations on using Ti for weight loss is that last kg is going to cost about £1/g
...of course I did it (only the engine so far) anyway :-O

[utopia]

On the other hand, for my bike at least, which was originally fitted with a wet acid battery weighing 6.25 kg, the lithium battery, which cost about £85 and weighs a mere 800g, comes in at 64g per £1.
Literally, almost as cheap as chips.

[Darkness]

The horror of my calculations on using Ti for weight loss is that last kg is going to cost about £1/g
...of course I did it (only the engine so far) anyway :-O

A box of Exlax for the rider may be more cost effective! ��

[Jez900ie]

On the other hand, for my bike at least, which was originally fitted with a wet acid battery weighing 6.25 kg, the lithium battery, which cost about £85 and weighs a mere 800g, comes in at 64g per £1.
Literally, almost as cheap as chips.

Did you have to change the charging system when you changed battery?

[utopia]

No, I changed nothing else at all.
I do have a slight paranoia about the reg/rec failing and causing it to overcharge though .. I don't think they like that a lot.
I will possibly fit a Shindengen mosfet type reg/rec .. that seems to be what Ducati fit to the newer bikes, which come with lithium batteries as std .. as far as my limited information goes.
But I think I'm being more fussy than your average owner there.

Another downside is perhaps that they don't like really cold weather, but mine has started the bike faultlessly on moderately chilly february mornings.
Its said that they like to be "warmed up" a bit when its very cold, by switching your headlight on for a few moments before attempting a start.