i get it. i'm the fool who has a 2008 Mustang Shelby GT500 that I modified over many years and many dollars and many more long nights in the garage into the lightest canny carver road course car i could- it's kinda like our Street Bobs- it's a dumb thing to try to make light to anyone except us. that car has a 5.8 liter iron bock v8 with a giant supercharger on top of it. still- I gutted the interior- put a 6 point cage in it- super light Kirkey seats etc. etc. i think it's 500lbs lighter than when we started and most of that is from finding square 18x11 inch wheels that could hold up this fat pig, not break, and save a bunch of weight.




still- if i'm reading this correctly you're objectively trying to address the handling and speed limitations of your bike on twisty mountain roads. i still think you won't notice near as much difference in how she performs versus if you were to invest that same money in better suspension, stickier rubber, more performance oriented rider ergonoica- not to mention engine modifications. people are getting 140hp and 140ft/lbs of torque out of our bikes without having to remove the engine. it's absurd! and awesome!




to put it in perspective- and I know that performance is more than just speed or horsepower- and lighter especially when it comes to unsprung weight effects braking and acceleration even more- let's look at the simplified equation drag racers have written down on the the back of napkins forever:




horsepower= weight (speed/234)to the 3rd power




this is a good way to guesstimate horsepower when we know a bike's trap speed. anyway- applying this equation if you take 70 pounds off your bike- you've done the equivalent of adding 6hp. i know this over simplifies things- but my point is that 6hp on our bikes- while not negligible isn't going drastically alter the performance of the bike. you're not dusting those "Japps" that were previously dusting you.





last year i replaced the heavy cast wheels on my Aprilia RSV4-RR with lighter Magnesium wheels. I lost 15 pounds of rotating unsprung weight- and it changed the bike especially its turn in-. I think that doing something similar with our Street Bob would be well worth it-




of course we can feel the difference between a full tank and an empty one- that weight also happens to be sitting really high which is where we tend to feel weight on motorcycles the most. our softails "feel" a lot lighter than they are in large part because they sit low to the ground and hold their weight low.




i'm sorry if i didn't come across clearly. you asked you shared what you're doing with your bike and invited comments in so doing. i certainly didn't tell you to go buy a Hayabusa- I was just suggesting that you may be underwhelmed by the difference in how the bike handles having lost that 46lbs. Given the prices that you quoted- it seems like a lot of money for the return.




i'm by no means disagreeing the weight is important and rotating weight even more so. hell- i wear a two piece Vanson drag racing suit when I drag race instead of my track leathers- why? because of the weight. my drag suit weights 1/6th of what my track suit weighs.




again- cool project. i did not mean to offend you or strike a nerve- i was simply giving my limited perspective and putting it into a context that i understand. i'm going to spend that much money on my Street Bob addressing the suspension first- then the engine performance - then I'll probaby start doing weight stuffy like an aluminum swing arm- maybe a light carbon tank- and other crazy things to make my bike truly mine.

 

Have the li/Ion battery fitted the original died ,it's way lighter than the stocker we weighed the differences with my old battery and a new li/Ion from a box it's 12.2 lbs lighter. The shop warrantied the dead battery and I paid the difference. The bike feels like it did with an empty fuel tank now when it has a full fuel tank when i picked it up. It's a small thing on the way to weight loss for the bike. Moving on.


Peace.

 

I installed a new shock, saving almost 3 pounds.

 

Mike pardon me if I've missed your new shock's brand and length(compared to standard) .Have you had a ride and your thoughts on the new shock when you do please ?

Peace.

 

Progressive 465, Low Rider standard 12.6" length with Standard spring. Just installed, I'll start a thread with pictures and thoughts when it stops raining here.

 

Hi Agoober,

Any updates on the project?
I am shaving of some weight of my old 2002 FXD Lowrider. I lost some weight myself 😇, I am 6'1" and 185lbs, and that's where it stops.
I always could feel the weight changes i made in my bikes, specially in handling.
Already changed things or just took it of, (like the passengers pegs and mounts. (Huge weight)
Battery will be changed for a Lithium one. (Had those in other bikes, and they work perfect)

Any advice for me?
Grizz

 

I sort of stopped trying to lose weight from the bike because it feels fairly light to me anyways and the procedure can end up costing a small fortune.
Your bike is a light and nippy HD too. An 18 inch rear wheel will drop weight on both our bikes around 8 to 10lbs depending on the tyre manufacturer.
Tubeless tyres will as well another lb(fr) to lb and a half (rear)each end, the tubeless and an 18 will be noticeable as it's unsprung weight , the bike will feel slightly more maneuverable .
Ti bolts and hangers will bring weight down, alloy hangers a bit more.
Let us know.

 

Thanks Agoober.

I started not on the most scientifically way, and forgot to weigh all the stuff that I took out.
My front wheel was a spoked one, but with rusty iron spokes and a chromed iron rim. That is already changed for stainless spokes and a new stainless rim. Maybe 1 lbs weight loss there, but i hate rust, and the rim came cheap (free)
Rear wheel is a 16" Fatboy solid aluminium wheel, that will be changed next week for a 17" stainless spokes and Alu rim. That is a nice weight reduction.
Also, i took of the passengers footpegs and mounts, THAT was a lot of weight. The mounts alone weigh over 4 lbs.
I changed the bolts for all covers with alu bolts (cheaper than titanium)
I am on pension, so have to keep an eye on budget.

To not highjack your thread, i will start one new, with what I did and will do, with pictures and better weight numbers.
I changed the stock rear suspension with light weight 13.5" YSS set.
I replaced the exhaust with a 2 in 1 stainless exhaust that weighs 7lbs. So a lot of weight reduction there.
Oh, one thing. my scale was not appropriate to weigh less than 6 lbs or more than 265lbs. So I bought a scale that goes up to 1100lbs. I can hang my bike up from that scale, from the ceiling in the garage and weigh it accurately (up to 2 ounces)

 

Cheers grizzly , keep us posted here if you like it'll give the lads something to read.
Yea alloy hanger bolts do save a little on a HD , that might be my next thing.
I'm waiting for a lifter tick, top end noise or some oil use from my bike so I can put bigger slugs in it and a cam but not yet it's still running sweet as a nut.It'll blow up now I've said that .lol
Unsprung weight/mass like you've done is the real key noticeable weight loss and I know an 18 rear with no width doesn't look all that flash but you'll notice a better ride with it.

 

I just bought the FXFB shock probably a small weight gain but I guess more clearance is it's own reward.
I've already almost ground my pegs off.
Has anyone got a pic of the routing of the remote adjuster ?
Or a neat trick to stow it under the seat. Might cut the original right side panel up if there's no love to be found.
The right guard/side panel is stupid money here in Australia maybe someone has one lying around I could buy from them.
Anyone done the short shock to long/er shock have a ride comparison ?
Has anyone revalved the stock long shock ?
Cheers.