Diet for a Monster 620

2825 Views 19 Replies 15 Participants Last post by moto, Dec 6, 2006

jpc

Discussion Starter · Nov 23, 2006

Hi Guys,
I wanted to make my first post and say hi! I am the proud owner of an 06 620 dark and it has come time to start tweaking the bike to my liking. First up on the list is a diet. I want to shave roughly 50 pounds from the bike to make it real flickable. Other than wheels and an exhaust (and swiss cheesing the damn thing) I was wondering what you all thought were modifications that would produce relatively large weight losses? I'd like to make as few mods as possible as this is a cruiser- I have a race bike that keeps me tinkering enough already!

Thanks for the help!

1 - 20 of 20 Posts

coastie

· #2 · Nov 23, 2006

Remove the reflectors and stickers. Then chop the tail.

Seriously though, other than what you mentioned, a flywheel can save you a few pounds and improve the acceleration and handling. Maybe some carbon fiber bits, tank and such. Exhaust. Different chain. I don't have any FHE, anyone?

kopfjager

· #3 · Nov 23, 2006

Lighter wheels 10lbs (forged alu) maybe 15 (mag)? CF ETI Tank 8.5lbs, exhaust 10lbs? Don't know where the other 20+ lbs could come from.

Davesax36

· #4 · Nov 23, 2006

the real answers to this question lie in very deep pockets....

fasterblkduc

· #5 · Nov 23, 2006

50 pounds is a tall order. I removed everything I could on my race monster and did not shed a whole fitty.

jpc said:
I want to shave roughly 50 pounds from the bike to make it real flickable.

It is already REAL flickable. It does however need some changes to corner better. The weight needs to be shifted forward. I'd put on clipons and raise the ride height in the rear. This will make a huge difference in handling. It will turn in quicker but will be more stable because you have more weight over the front wheel. And if you already race, you know what I'm talking about.
Also, your rearsets and exhaust will scrape in no time. Nothing more $ can't fix.

yuu

· #6 · Nov 24, 2006

Yeah 50 is A LOT... you'll spend a lot of money to achieve that goal (if possible)

But some suggestions:
Quat-d Ex-box - About 10 pounds lost and lowers the CG
Aluminum swing arm
CF for plastic & metal wherever possible, inc wheels
Light flywheel
Mag engine case sides
Cop the tail
SGT seat - though it might not be less... not sure on this one
Milled out triple clamps, like cyclecat or speedy moto

Go on a diet of your own...

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test-reg

· #7 · Nov 28, 2006

yuu said:
But some suggestions:

CF for plastic & metal wherever possible, inc wheels

Wheels are the big one, reducing rotating weight has more effect than just the weight saving - but they're also a very expensive mod... Someone on here (from the UK if I recall correctly) managed to fit a pair of recent model Yamaha R6 wheels to their Monster, that'd be a much cheaper option than forking out for new carbon Dymags or magnesium Marchesinis... Keep tire choice in mind here too - I remember JimG starting a chart of different tire brands, models, and sizes and their respective weights - there were some quite surprising differences there...

Other than that, remember that even CF weighs _something_ - first lose everything you don't _absolutely_ need. Then start looking for lighter options for the things you _do_ need.

Ditch the sidecovers, the seat cowl, the hugger - leave the toolkit and the tankprop behind. If you're allowed to run without indicators or mirrors, lose them too, otherwise replace them with lighter ones. Kelllerman make some tiny and light LED indicators. The stock mirror stalks are pretty heavy, cheap plastic pushbike bar end mirrors are a common replacement.

Put in the smallest battery you can get away with - the YT12s weight 7.6lbs, I'm running a YT7 happily right now at 4.5lbs, you could try dropping to a YT4 at 2.1lbs - cold starting reliability may become a problem though...

Chop as much off the tail as you dare and replace as little of the beer tray as you can and use lightweight hardware to re-mount the plate and indicators.

Consider ditching the airbox and running pod filters - the whole airbox assembly is pretty rough... That will require fabricating your own battery and ignition coil mounts (which would be easier if you've dropped to a lighter/smaller battery).

A common "streetfighter" mod (at least in the UK) is to use the headlight assembly off a scooter (or an aftermarket one designed for MX bikes) - that'd drop a few lbs off the front, the glass lens and reflector and bucket for the headlight is a quite heavy assembly - when you lighten that up you can probably save a few more oz by lightening up the mounting hardware to suit.

Thats about all that comes to mind for "cheap" options.

Go on a diet of your own...

This is usually the best advice... At least for some of us... [cheeky]

big

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Speeddog

· #8 · Nov 28, 2006

Once you get beyond taking off nonessentials, lighter cans, battery, and flywheel, it'll cost you roughly $100/lb (or more) to go further.

It would be interesting to see how much weight you can cut off for minimal money.

Solo rearsets and clip-ons probably save a bit.

Orfeas

· #9 · Nov 30, 2006

Stop eating ! ! !

;D

Dragsterhund

· #10 · Nov 30, 2006

Diets are free...

pennyrobber

· #11 · Nov 30, 2006

Mix one can of Slimfast into each tank of gas. [cheeky]

jpc

Discussion Starter · #12 · Dec 4, 2006

Thanks for the advice guys. As a pretty serious racer (on 4 wheels) I can say that the diet for myself won't help much! However, in retrospect I'm thinking my original goal may be ambitious. I think cutting the extras, a set of wheels, a flywheel, an exhaust and possibly a chain is a good start.

I will update as I make progress!

coastie

· #13 · Dec 5, 2006

jpc said:
I will update as I make progress!

Please do. [thumbsup]

Norm

· #14 · Dec 5, 2006

Don't forget clutch & battery.

swerdna

· #15 · Dec 5, 2006

Norm said:
Don't forget clutch & battery.

Clutch? ... Dry? I think I missed that part...

Norm

· #16 · Dec 6, 2006

I'm assuming that you can get an aluminum basket & plates for the wet clutch.

moto

· #17 · Dec 6, 2006

This will save you about 8 pounds:

We are using this new drycell battery from Odyssey that weighs about 5 pounds. It has 310 cranking amps which is twice the power of the little Yuasa YTZ7S that we used to use before that had about 130CA. These are about $130 and have a lot more reserve.

http://tinyurl.com/ss5qy

Speeddog

· #18 · Dec 6, 2006

moto said:
This will save you about 8 pounds:

We are using this new drycell battery from Odyssey that weighs about 5 pounds. It has 310 cranking amps which is twice the power of the little Yuasa YTZ7S that we used to use before that had about 130CA. These are about $130 and have a lot more reserve.

http://tinyurl.com/ss5qy

Does that battery fit the '02 and newer bikes?

The (OEM sized) Yuasa YT12B-BS is 6" x 2.75" x 5.13".
That PC310 is 5.43" x 3.39" x 3.98"

It's the 3.39" vs 2.75" that I'm concerned about.
The clearance to the underside of the tank is the limiting factor, perhaps it's OK...

TheOther996s

· #19 · Dec 6, 2006

50 lbs. - It's doable, but $$$$. Here's a strategy I put together a while back to achieve the 50 lb. mark. So far, I'm at 21.7 lbs.

Rotating: Lbs. Reduction
DP Lightweight Flywheel 2.5
520 Chain, Aluminum Rear Sprocket, Drilled Front Sprocket 1.75
DP Ergal split timing belt rollers 1.06
Marchesini 10 spoke Forged Aluminum Wheels 6.9
Galfer lightweight rear brake rotor 1.2
Galfer lightweight "wave" front brake rotors 2.4
Titanium Brake Rotor Bolts - $119 - Front wheel 0.22
*Cannot use Titanium Brake Rotor Bolts in rear - Must use steel bolts for Speedometer pick-up.
Total Rotating: 16.03

Static:
License Plate Frame & Front Reflectors 1.25
Arrow High Carbon Fiber Slipons 11.75
Cycle Cat Billet Aluminum Rearsets, eliminating passenger pegs 2.43
CRG Hindsight Bar End Mirrors with Adapters 1.2
Carbon Fiber side covers and rear tire hugger .6
Airbox: remove sound shroud & cut cover 1.9
DP Carbon Fiber Gas Tank 8.2
Cycle Cat Billet Side Stand 0.5 (est.)
Yuasa YTZ7-S battery 4.2
DP Lightweight 280 W alternator kit 1.9
Cycle Cat Clutch Cover 0.22
Total Static: 34.15

Grand Total 50.18

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moto

· #20 · Dec 6, 2006

Speeddog said:
Does that battery fit the '02 and newer bikes?

The (OEM sized) Yuasa YT12B-BS is 6" x 2.75" x 5.13".
That PC310 is 5.43" x 3.39" x 3.98"

It's the 3.39" vs 2.75" that I'm concerned about.
The clearance to the underside of the tank is the limiting factor, perhaps it's OK...

I checked a S2R in the shop and it looks like you would have to remove the tank pad. If we get some spare time, I'll pull the OEM battery and check to see if the existing box can be lowered. The YTZ7S would fit with no mods.

I know the Odyssey fits no problem on the earlier bikes.

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