Lighter is better...

[TwoDirtyWheels]

Hi there,

 

I am trying to keep  the weight  down on my T7 , I want to get it it ready for my next trip from  Mongolia to Italy (who knows when, 20XX) ,

I was just wondering if someone managed to find  the "lightest parts" for a T7  in the market  yet ,( OEM or other brands  is not important)

such as:

 

-central stand

-skid plate 

-crash bars

-rear rack

- panniers rack +panniers

- exhaust

 

any suggestions?

 

 

 

[UtahJack]

For starters AXP racing is the lightest skid plate.

[pgeldz]

2 hours ago, TwoDirtyWheels said:

Hi there,

 

I am trying to keep  the weight  down on my T7 , I want to get it it ready for my next trip from  Mongolia to Italy (who knows when, 20XX) ,

I was just wondering if someone managed to find  the "lightest parts" for a T7  in the market  yet ,( OEM or other brands  is not important)

such as:

 

-central stand

-skid plate 

-crash bars

-rear rack

- panniers rack +panniers

- exhaust

 

any suggestions?

 

 

 

I think for the exhaust, it might be the Arrow Titanium Indy Race Silencer with steel end cap, and their Titanium Headers, but it's also probably the most expensive

 

Don't forget, one of the best hang for your buck lightweight upgrades is a lithium battery.  Takes about 8 lbs off high on the bike.

 

- Paul

Edited July 11, 2020 by pgeldz

[MGG]

2 hours ago, TwoDirtyWheels said:

Hi there,

 

I am trying to keep  the weight  down on my T7 , I want to get it it ready for my next trip from  Mongolia to Italy (who knows when, 20XX) ,

I was just wondering if someone managed to find  the "lightest parts" for a T7  in the market  yet ,( OEM or other brands  is not important)

such as:

 

-central stand

-skid plate 

-crash bars

-rear rack

- panniers rack +panniers

- exhaust

 

any suggestions?

... if you really want to keep the weight down stop putting stuff on it ... NO central stand ... NO panniers rack... NO rear rack ...  go soft bags with some plastic protection. ... NO skid plate since the one that comes with it is at minimum level acceptable so unless you plan an enduro race with mindless quick offroad sections you can simply slow down and be careful when offroad.

... I am not sure what you plan or need for that trip since the bike has everything already. Maybe the crash bars will be useful to protect the radiator, but that is also up for debate since some do not put them on.

 

For mine I got Outback Motortek crash bars, SWmotech skid plate, proper handguards, motor engine covers, tail rack from Outback Motortek ... The actual weight was not a factor but overall function, life span and flexibility of use were. 

[Louis]

Adventurespec for  crash bar protector, and racks. The lightest by far!

[Cruizin]

Im skipping the crash bars, so thats pretty light.

 

Titanium exhaust would be about the lightest i think, but also among the most expensive. 

 

No rear rack for me, can do alot with the stock tie down points.  

 

Panniers will be Mosko Moto, a whole bunch lighter than hard panniers and they don't need side racks. 

 

Skid plate weights don't really matter, because the weight is down so low, under the engine. But with that said, both the ACD Racing and especially the Camel ADV skid plates are so light.

 

Only other way would be to change out for an aluminum frame, but that would be crazy expensive.  

 

I also wonder how light a one piece aftermarket tank could get. Stock is two piece, with the plastic cover. 

 

Alas, Im kind of a fat ass in my old age, so best way to lighten my bike is to lighten my ass. I need to hit the gym and layoff the bbq a lil bit. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[johnnygolucky]

26 minutes ago, Cruizin said:

Skid plate weights don't really matter, because the weight is down so low, under the engine. But with that said, both the ACD Racing and especially the Camel ADV skid plates are so light.

Cruzin made good points especially about weight down low. I'd suggest the Camel Gut Guard over the ACD as it's 4.5mm thick. It's SUPER beefy and it is heavier than the ACD, but again it's as low as it gets and the key point is it also protects the linkage which is absolutely worth it in every aspect. Not just from protecting impact, from just grime itself. 

 

The ACD is very light because it's only 3mm thick, which is the same thickness as the stock thin skid plate. 

 

And I too have the Mosko Reckless 80. No racks needed. Ive used it for years on other bikes and can't ay enough about the quality and design. Just brilliant form and function and 30 seconds, you can remove the whole thing at camp and then rip unweighted. Cant do that with side racks. 

 

 

[Cruizin]

1 hour ago, johnnygolucky said:

Cruzin made good points especially about weight down low. I'd suggest the Camel Gut Guard over the ACD as it's 4.5mm thick. It's SUPER beefy and it is heavier than the ACD, but again it's as low as it gets and the key point is it also protects the linkage which is absolutely worth it in every aspect. Not just from protecting impact, from just grime itself. 

 

The ACD is very light because it's only 3mm thick, which is the same thickness as the stock thin skid plate. 

 

And I too have the Mosko Reckless 80. No racks needed. Ive used it for years on other bikes and can't ay enough about the quality and design. Just brilliant form and function and 30 seconds, you can remove the whole thing at camp and then rip unweighted. Cant do that with side racks. 

 

 

I have the ACD and it is tough, it is thicker than the stock plate. Stock plate is like tin and the ACD is not weak by any means at all. 

[johnnygolucky]

55 minutes ago, Cruizin said:

I have the ACD and it is tough, it is thicker than the stock plate. Stock plate is like tin and the ACD is not weak by any means at all. 

That's interesting that you say it's thicker being both Yamaha and ACD say they are 3mm thick. Perhaps ACD just uses a better grade Aluminum which would be nice to still keep it light. 

[Adrenolin]

1 hour ago, johnnygolucky said:

That's interesting that you say it's thicker being both Yamaha and ACD say they are 3mm thick. Perhaps ACD just uses a better grade Aluminum which would be nice to still keep it light. 

That would be the Upgraded Yamaha plate. The OEM that comes on the base bike is extremely thin.. as in worthless really.

[jojitsu56]

I have the aluminium adventure spec crash bars and have just ordered the B&B rear as it only weighs 1kg and will allow me to anchor the rear of my giant loop great basin with (no heavy side rack). Also fitted a cheap Chinese end can that's very light compared to standard. 

[TennesseeTenere]

3 hours ago, Adrenolin said:

That would be the Upgraded Yamaha plate. The OEM that comes on the base bike is extremely thin.. as in worthless really.

Worthless? Hardly. I think you can take the OEM to the recycling center and get about 12 cents.

[Aleksandar13]

I think our bikes could be well below 200kg fully fueled... 

Mine should be but I have not proof yet... All I know is that exhaust and no rear pegs plus tail tidy saved 5kg plus front fork guards another 0.5kg and fender is lighter but didn't measure it as it comes from r1. 

Mudguard is stock, I probably won't change this as my bike is setup for road (maybe carbon fibre). 

In off road setup it might be a bit more tricky due to the added weight of crash bars and engine guards. 

Touring with enduristan blizzard and xs pack with no rack and my GPS map 64s should provide good coverage at a light weight solution. 

Aleks 

[pgeldz]

I said this already, but it's worth repeating...

 

One of the best hang for your buck lightweight upgrades is a lithium battery.  Takes about 8 lbs off high on the bike.

 

 

- Paul

[duggram]

So how much difference will 20 pounds make on a 450 pound bike?  500 pound bike when geared up?  I'm curious about how you figure that.  All comments appreciated.

[johnnygolucky]

53 minutes ago, duggram said:

So how much difference will 20 pounds make on a 450 pound bike?  500 pound bike when geared up?  I'm curious about how you figure that.  All comments appreciated.

Agreed. You'll never get this bike down to the 330 pound KTM 690 Enduro which has the same HP. It's a 450 pound bike, which will not feel any different than a 440 pound bike. And being it's so heavy, adding an extra 10-15 pounds for crash protection wont matter in the slightest, yet save a lot of coin in damage. 

[sbeck09]

2 hours ago, pgeldz said:

I said this already, but it's worth repeating...

 

One of the best hang for your buck lightweight upgrades is a lithium battery.  Takes about 8 lbs off high on the bike.

 

 

- Paul

On thing to think about with this "upgrade" is that when traveling in a remote area like Mongolia, this is not an easy battery to jump start or replace. I personally am a big fan of leaving the stock battery even with the additional weight because it will be more forgiving to any potential issues.

[Great Escape]

And  dare I say it....there's often a few pounds,  (or stone!) that  can be shed from the rider of the T7...!! Cheers,  Steve 

[johnnygolucky]

Just now, Great Escape said:

And  dare I say it....there's often a few pounds,  (or stone!) that  can be shed from the rider of the T7...!! Cheers,  Steve 

Did you just call me fat?

 

Dammit, Steve. 

[Great Escape]

Would I insult a fellow T7 rider....cmon Johnny,  you know me better than that! 

[pgeldz]

1 hour ago, sbeck09 said:

On thing to think about with this "upgrade" is that when traveling in a remote area like Mongolia, this is not an easy battery to jump start or replace. I personally am a big fan of leaving the stock battery even with the additional weight because it will be more forgiving to any potential issues.

Depends on the battery.  EarthX batteries have the cell balancing technology built-in, and you can use a standard car charger to charge it - doesn't have to be a special lithium ion charger.

 

They also have built in protection so you can't fry it.  I have them in all my bikes, and the Tenere will get one also

 

- Paul

Edited July 13, 2020 by pgeldz

[Aleksandar13]

2 hours ago, Great Escape said:

And  dare I say it....there's often a few pounds,  (or stone!) that  can be shed from the rider of the T7...!! Cheers,  Steve 

Easier spending 1k on mods to make the bike lighter than giving up the goodies

[Adrenolin]

The AntiGravity ReStart batteries have self balancing cells, a full battery management system to monitor and protect the battery AND has a built in Jump Start that can be used several times. Been using one year round in my WRR for the past year or so. Bought one for the T7 but returning it this week because it can’t supply the required amps to operate the winch unfortunately.. actually, it can but the BMS will shutdown the battery thinking it’s protecting itself.

[Kluthage421]

On 7/10/2020 at 10:43 PM, pgeldz said:

I think for the exhaust, it might be the Arrow Titanium Indy Race Silencer with steel end cap, and their Titanium Headers, but it's also probably the most expensive

 

Don't forget, one of the best hang for your buck lightweight upgrades is a lithium battery.  Takes about 8 lbs off high on the bike.

 

- Paul

4.5