Cost no option weight reduction

I want to put my VFR on a diet. I'd like to drop 20-30 pounds. I'm looking to the members of this forum to help me find ways to drop weight. Racing wheels aren't panning out on google searches and I can't think of anywhere else besides the frame and wheel\tire combos to drop some tonnage. I want to make my VFR somewhat competitive with a 600cc street bike and my first step will be losing weight. Phase II will involve power increases through any avenue available, PCIII, exhaust, cat removal, custom mapping etc...Please help me locate some parts that will help me shave some mass off my fat ass bike. I'm 6'0" and 150 pounds so I don't have much to spare there. I have already removed all heat shields, rear footpegs and rear fender for a total of 6 pounds. I figure a good CF slip-on exhaust can save me 5 or so more precious pounds. Alternatives?? I looked at carbon fiber wheels and forged wheels from performancemachine.com and I'm at a dead end. Nothing seems to fit this bike. What other platforms are compatible with a 2006 viffer. would wheels from a 5th or 4th gen fit my bike? Help me out guys. Let's spend some money!!

 

Well, when you change the exhaust it will shave off weight, and if you do it right it will improve performance.

Could you replace the battery with a smaller, lighter one? Batteries weigh a lot, and if you're willing to trade off some reliability and longevity you might be able to shave some weight there.

You could run it with the tank 3/4 empty all the time, that would save a lot of weight. But you'd have to buy gas more often and the inside of the tank would rust faster. Maybe you don't care about that, though.

Could you replace the whole front end with something that would work with the lighter wheels? There must be some other bikes with the same fork tube diameter.

OTOH, why do all this stuff? Why not just buy the 600cc sportbike if that's what you want?

 

I don't fit on sportbikes. I have a 36 inch inseam and 35 inch arms. I'm built like an ostrich and have no ass. The Viffer is the only bike I really feel comfortable on. I LOVE the new R6 but I can't even sit on it in the showroom without my wrists and ass hurting. My idea of bike ownership is to have a sportbike in gentlemans clothing. I would like to bomb backroads one up with my buddies and then throw bags and a woman on it and tour the vineyards in the Texas Hill country. I need the VFR but I want it to be faster. The battery idea is excellent!! I never would have thought of that. Thank you for the suggestion, I will look into it! As far as the front end, I like your idea but I can't find lighter wheels anywhere, do you have any ideas? Is the Honda size similar to something else I could search for? The Ducati and Aprilla have SSSA's. Are they close enough that I could purchase a set of Marchenisi's and have them modified? Keep it up everybody, such a fast response too!! Don't let me down fellas.

 

I'm getting ready to take my center stand off, It's handy as hell but I only really use it for bike washes, it's got to be at least 10lb...

 

Roger that, duly noted. I thought about doing that as well. I want to do some cool stuff as well though. Obvious things like light wheels and carbon fiber goodies. Who's got the scoop on some lesser known parts out there?? I've been searching PCIII mods and only noticed a few ponies at a time difference. Would extrude honing the heads yield a decent increase combined with a PCIII mapping? I'm fully prepared to do a full 1999 header and slip-on exhaust plus O2 delete and PCIII mapping. What else is there to save weight??

 

you could try removing the rear peg-assembly tempereraly to see if that would be an option, and rear fender will take out some wind resistance

 

Did it already. Check out my first post.

 

You're not going to find a lot of large weights to take off. At this point you're getting into shaving an ounce here, an ounce there.

You'll also want to be careful not to do any mods that impair the driveability of the bike. If you gain a few ponies at the top end, at the expense of making your dyno curve all choppy, you'll be slower on the street because the choppy power will do subtle bad things to the handling.

I have no idea what is out there for lighter wheels; this isn't a project I would touch with a stick so I've never investigated it. :smile: But when you say there aren't any lighter wheels that fit the VFR, I assume you mean there are lighter wheels available for other bikes. Which is why I suggested a front end swap; find a front end that matches a light wheel, and switch out the whole thing.

The battery thing, I just thought of that because I was working on one of my other bikes over the weekend and I had to take the battery out, and I was marveling at how much a battery weighs, for its size. A smaller battery wouldn't be as good, for all the things you actually want a battery for. But maybe you can find one that would be minimally adequate, and shave a few pounds there.

I would worry about weight-reduction mods making the bike fragile, or screwing up the handling. Be careful ok?

 

Just a couple mentions here, as I'm also on the loss weight thing, Ha ha first FWIW the center stand is 4.4 lbs and since its so low one won't feel the loss there as the CG is way low, still if your wanting it off for all means go for it. From what I can tell and heard theres like 25lbs aprox. in the brake system. I believe theres a thread here explaining the removal of the linked brakes and the what not to do. Other wise theres not a whole lot to do to loss weight. Yep to the run it less half tank as theres a lot of weight there up high when full. I know when I'm ready to rock I play on the low side
For4 me as a side project, I've been thinking about making all the steel parts out of Titanium, but since I just thought about it not sure if the Ti comes in the sizes I'd need or not.

 

Convert to Ducati swing arm and F4i front and go with Marchessini wheels. CF fuel tank and Body work. (Race plastics that don't weigh as much as the stockers). Ditch the lighting and build a single head light unit. Lots ot TI, especially the Exhaust and bracketry. Cast some mag covers for the bike. (You said cost is no obstacle.) Ditch the seat and go Superbike tail with a layer of wet suit material.

Or.. Buy a Concours 14 or that yamaha sport tourer and have power and comfort.
I rode a blackbird a few years back, was very comfy compared to the RC51.
(Hondas are known for being overweight, underpowered and insanely reliable.)

 

Wow, only 4-5 pounds for the centerstand huh? Well, I really don't use it so who knows. I think the exhaust will be a good place to start. Catless headers and CF cans could drop a significant amount. Maybe 10 pounds?

So far then

dry cell battery -2pounds
remove rear footpegs -2 pounds
fender elim -1 pound or less
centerstand -5 pounds
exhaust -10 pounds

Total 20 pounds!! off to a great start. What about super lightweight honda civic racer helium infused oil and tires? Or I could get some stickers and put them all over it. That makes it faster right?? Keep 'em coming guys! I'm rich and stupid....

 

Too bad they don't supply kick starters anymore, or perhaps you live on a hill. The starter's got to be good for a several pounds anyway.

 

If no one else is going to say it, I will...

You are wasting your time & I recomend that you quit F'ing with your bike before you ruin it. You can try all day long to get a VFR down to the weight of a CBR & you WILL ultimately fail. If by some miracle you suceed, how much is it going to cost? $1000? $2000? $5000? Is this $$$ really worth it just to get a bike that still WILL NOT compete equally with any 600 or 1000 in a real sporting environment. You might be able to catch up but you will NEVER be able to surpass them, rider skill being equal on both bikes.

Do you really need ultimate perfomance offered by most current super sports? If you do, you should probably look for a CBR or whatever you want & modify it to make it more comfortable. Heli or ConvertiBars, lowered rear-sets, Sargeant Seat, higher windscreen, etc. You'll get more comfortable package that will still be able to rip it up.

To wrap this all up, if you check all the VFR sites out there, you'll see that a select few try to do major surgery on their bikes. Those guys usually spend ridiculous cash but are for the most part satisfied. The rest of the crowd finds out fast they are fighting a losing battle & either "settle" for the VFR as it is (is anyone really "settling", I'm not, I have no desire to add any HP to my bike or change the way it rides) or they sell it to get a more focused sporting machine.

KC-10 FE out...
lane:

 

If you want to be a faster rider, dial in the suspension and learn to ride. I get more people who come up to me and are shock to see my 500lbs+ viffer hangs easily with the new generation of 600's. They may be just a tad faster in the straights, but just how fast do you want to go anyways? I have the big bonus of not needeing fuel every 125 miles like most 600's do that are riden hard. You can't beat the comfort of the viffer compared to a GSXR, R6, 636, or CBRr.

 

I think your wasting your time aswell why spend 2-3k on mods that arnt going to make much difference trade you bike in while its worth somthing. sounds like you need a zx-14 lots of power for you with a few inexpensive mods the bike will fit you . bike is suprisenly comfortable for touring. longer and heavyer feel than the viffer but waayyy....waayyy more power you just have to get used to those fish eye lights

 

This all sounds a little tounge-in-cheek to me, but that sticker thing does hit a little close to home.

 

Maybe do all you can with weight loss and then add a big bore kit?

 

How radical do you want to get? You could:

1. Install a full titanium exhaust system.
2. Carbon fiber body kit and gas tank.
3. Cut the headlight assembly in half reinstall the remaining half,'glass over the remaining opening.
4. Get a Marvic or Dymag front wheel, dunno if you'll find a rear one.
5. Make all brackets out of carbon fiber or titanium.
6. Radial pump brake and clutch master cylinders
7. Lose the oil cooler and all related hoses.
8. Lose the rear brake assembly: rotor, caliper, hose, m/c, the works.
9. Have a 5/6g? Relocate one of the radiators to the front of the engine (ala 4g) and toss the other one.

The first six are realistic, though rather expensive. The last three? Well, I'm not recommending them but you'd certainly cut some weight off the bike...

 

Reminds me of the people who buy Harleys and then spend thousands on them to "make it fast"! Bwahahahaha.