For a tutorial on lifting a dropped BM GS just follow the links from this page:

Pink Ribbon Rides

Cheers!

Wow, this is nuts!

What on earth is the point in saving a few grams on a bike that weighs, what, 165kg dry? And that's before you load it up with luggage and petrol and oil! I would put money on you not being able to tell the difference between a loaded XT that weighed even five or ten kilos less and one that hadn't been stripped down by riding them!

Personally I'd keep the steel wheels as they are strong and easily fixed in the middle of nowhere. But I have no experience of ally wheels, so...

Not to badmouth the DR boys, but cutting down your side stand to save weight sounds totally daft. In soft sand/earth the increased incline of the bike is just going increase the chances of your bike toppling over. In fact the sensible thing to do to your side stand is weld some more flat onto the foot to give it more stability in soft ground, a mod I will eventually get round to

The bars though, definately worth getting a good set, I finally got some renthals after destroying two sets of Yamaha OE bars.

Dieting: A joke, but actually there's a good point here. Don't diet but do some strength training. This'll help you control an inevitably heavy bike in the soft stuff.

Removing a mirror? Well, it's all personal I suppose but in many parts of the world I'd want as much of a view of what was charging up behind me as possible!

I reckon at the end of the day the way to save weight is to take less crap in your luggage. I took WAY too much stuff on my big trip. Think about what you REALLY need and what is just pointless luxury or being over cautious in terms of tools and spares. A time honoured way of limiting your guff is to buy smaller luggage, time hounored because it does actually work!

Matt

PS- Pointless modifying is a common hobby amongst all sorts of enthusiasts. (You should see the twatting about mountain bikers get up to). But you should ask yourself whether you are doing it for fun or because you really need to, what the associated costs are and what you could more usefully spend the money on.

__________________
http://adventure-writing.blogspot.com

http://scotlandnepal.blogspot.com/

*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!

Nuts and bolts !!!

Indicators !!!!




Come on guys, this isnt anodised bling were looking for on a travel bike.

Im battering my 2003 XT600E in South America now and did a huge amount of research and prepping etc.

For a start.. The exhaust is the heaviest and easiest thing to change. Bin it and get a road legal aluminium one. Literally kilos to save.

The wheels are heavy yes but expensive to replace and probably not worth the cost (500 quid ish for excel rims inc the build). I considered this also but decided against it.

Changing the seat wont lose weight and neither will changing a few nuts and bolts.... The 'heavy' bolts on bikes are heavy because they are hardened and load bearing and SHOULD NOT be changed.

If you want to save weight you have to start looking at your luggage. Packing a spare front sprocket will probably add more weight than changing all your steel 'secondary' bolts to titanium saved in the first place.

Keep your luggage light and BALANCED.. My biggest mistake is having far to much weight on the back leaving the front too light and leading to unhappy times on gravel and dirt.

Once you start spending big bucks on weight saving you might as well of just bought a lighter more expensive bike in the first place.

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Yer, right Ted. You replaced the can to save weight. The sweet burbling sound it makes had nowt to do with it...

Matt

__________________
http://adventure-writing.blogspot.com

http://scotlandnepal.blogspot.com/

*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!

Funniest thread ever!

Maybe you could sell your XT and buy a TTR, it is 32 000 grams lighter.

Im also converted to soft bags now..

I spent big bucks on lovely metal mules and although they are really pretty, secure and convenient, ALL metal luggage weighs a bloody ton. Also, metal boxes are a bloody pain in the ass when you crash.

Before this trip everybody was telling me to take less and watch the weight. Me thinking i was a "know it all" went ahead with metal boxes and loads of spares and camping gear.

My bike was still way lighter than a lot of bikes on the road but personally theres nothing worse than unbalanced heavy bike, especially in the rough stuff...

Iv already sent 10 kilos of stuff home and im really considering ditching my 500 quid powder coated metal mules in argentina and taking off with light soft bags...

I crashed a few times and even at low speed, the alu boxes bend and the fittings break and mis align... Just a pain in the ass all the time.

Talking about wheels.. Exel Alu rims on double butted spokes are in my opionion stronger than the originals BUT if they do break they are much harder to repair.

Ted

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

My first trip on an XT I had a Givi top box and home made alloy side panniers the top box sits to far back and unbalances the bike the side panniers ripped off the frame twice after crashing.
(The top box looks horrible)
Next trip I had ortlieb soft panniers and a ortlieb waterproof bag strapped to the passanger seat this was very good system and I could just about carry all my luggage in one go so did not leave anything on the bike while checking into hotel etc, Tools stay on the bike in an amo box on the bash plate.
My next trip I had an XT I cut a bit off the back of the frame and moved the rear rack closer to the seat I also cut the seat down making a single seat again used the Ortlieb panniers and waterproof bag but added a cheap alloy top box ( need some where for the stickers) this was a good system but I took far to much stuff and sent some home.
I also use a tank bag and tools on the bash plate inner tube and small tyre levers on front mudguard
I have just cut a bit more off my frame to move the top box closer to the rider but not tried it yet as am getting my engine rebuilt.
Next trip I wont have the bag on top of the top box I think I take the sleeping bag out of the pannier and fit it between me and the top box on top of the tent then I can use the pannier for other stuff

Attached Thumbnails

 

Taking less stuff with you is the key - not modifying the bike by cutting thing off it. When I bicycled across the U.S. many years ago I took all kinds of items with me. A week into the ride I stopped at a Post office and sent a box full of clothes and misc back home. You will find you really need very little. Have fun - don't worry.

Some practical tips for shaving those few extra grams...

-drill holes in your toothbrush handle or any other item
-sand unrequired rubber from the soles of your shoes
-Grind the paint off the plastic, or at least just the lacquer
-Ride naked
-Try and double up where possible, I use 10W40 for cooking instead of carrying two oils, or 25W50 in hot climates
-Shave your head/wax all body hair
-Keep your nails short, or have them removed
-Ditch any non-vital organ like that second kidney/appendix/tonsils, little toes etc
-Take lots of morphine for that feeling of weightless-ness
-Have a laxative breakfast
-Dehydrate yourself, a human can easily lose 4 or 5 kilos in water before the major sypmtoms kick in and you fall off the bike

On a serious note I would avoid saving weight on the wheels, this is definitely a component that you want to be as strong as it can be. Exhaust and luggage are where the savings are. If you replace any bolts I would always go with stainless, and make sure that you copper slip them all, nothing more annoying than sheared seized bolts.

Thanks guys, we are absolutely OVERWHELMED by the useful advice...


One thing you didn't consider - is that our heads are filled with air (on account of being girls) - so we are making a HUGE effort not to get any weighty thoughts....that in itself is probably a big help.

Riding naked is probably the most useful tip which will solve all our problems should we come off and can't pick the too heavy bike up:

Without a doubt, in a state of nakedness, we will have no problem whatsoever, to find willing men to pick our bikes up for us --- so there really IS no need, to try and limit the weight!!

__________________

I have a section on how I prepped my bike for south america here.. Touring Ted » Preparing the bike

Ignore the part about fitting metal mules and get a thick drainpipe for tools for the front of the bike.

A sheepskin is a must on the XT but please tie it down or it might blow away in patagonia

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

My XT is an old 86 kick start. I've had it three weeks and this is what I've done so far...

-Removed kickstand safety switch
-replaced battery with 4700uF capacitor
-replaced stock turn signals with ministalks
-UFO rear fender/light

Future lightening:
-alloy Renthal handelbars
-plastic Clarke gas tank
-aluminum kickstand?
-Alloy footpegs?

My bike already came with a Cobra exhaust.

Not many other practical ways I can think of to lighten the beast.

Also, the technique is covered at just about every HU meeting.


About the dieting: it's a good idea, but, IMO, it will happen anyway when you start riding for hours each day in hot climates - your metabolism adjusts to the warmer conditions I reckon, and, on average, you will eat less anyway (all of us eat too much in this "1st world" that we inhabit) - consequently your weight will drop away, even if you don't want it to!

__________________
Dave

If you do put a kickstart on the bike...you can remove the battery and the e-starter motor...but you will have to get a small part that is called "battery eliminator" as I recon which is needed!! and fix the wiring harness off course

WITH THE KICKSTART:
There is one more thing you can do...just immagine that big black air box cut to just the part you actually need for the air filter...you won't need the rest of it because you'll take the battery off meaning: LESS WEIGHT!

OR

There is one more thing you can do...but it is VERY COMPLICATED... do you know those conic air filters? you can get that the whole air box off your bike but you'll have to something that will hold the air filter in place you choose...also you can make a even smaller box to put the air filter in to avoid rain and too much dust/sand don't forget it has to open at least on the top with two more holes for the two "rubber connections" of the twin carb......

Have fun!
Vando

You can just make do with a smaller battery, like for the 55W Tenere. It might even be that you need battery power for starting (I do not know the ignition system is CD or TCI, in the latter case you certainly need a battery, as a battery eliminator is just a condenser that discharges over time and leaves you without ignition.

Beg to disagree; the airbox is an integral part of the intake system and well in tune with the carb, valve timing etc. Removing it and replacing with some aftermarket racing filters might lead to a lot of other issues: jetting, lack of power, and very important: dirt!

Auke

__________________
Auke
http://aukemarieke.blogspot.com