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Weight reduction 2016

12K views 24 replies 9 participants last post by  Klaus69 
#1 ·
Hi ZX-expertise


I´m thinking about a weight reduction on my -98:er, and i´m not sure about what parts to use. Seen different proposals on different forums, so i thought this would be the place to finally set the settings, so to speak.


The things i´d like to change - as bolt-on as possible - is the swingarm and rear Wheel, and maybe also the forks.


So...
is it the ZX9R 2002-2003 (F-model) or ZX10R that is most suitable for my bike when it comes to swing and rear Wheel?
 
#2 ·
I would start with a lighter lithium battery and a lighter subframe, and also a lighter seat if you can live with the reduced comfort and no passenger seat.

You will not save much weight with lighter wheels and a lighter and better swingarm, but these will help reduce lap times and make the bike feel lighter in fast corners.

Another area easy to go lighter is a 520 size chain and a lighter back sprocket- you can buy an aluminum back sprocket with steel teeth for longer life and not much extra weight, or get an all aluminum back sprocket for racing that wears out faster.

Losing some of your own weight and keeping just enough fuel in the tank also help.

Selling your 7 and converting a used 450cc motocross bike to a supermoto would help the most <grin>.
 
#3 ·
@jeff - thank´s for the input...wich requires some clarification from me that i forgot to mention initially.


I do not want to change the look of this beautiful machine, and will not change it for another bike, no matter performance. No bike looks as mean as this one : )


From what i´ve seen in this and other forums regarding the weight loss, the change of swing and rear wheel is the most gains on the bike while weight reducing.


From another thread:
"The weight reduction tally here is significant.
- wheel - 5#...yes the zx7r wheel is that much of a boat anchor.
- Swingarm 4#
- Braking wave rotor, aluminum sprocket and dog bones: 3#
- Rear caliper 1#"



What i was hoping to get some expertis input on is wich models are the most compatible with the ZX7R, when it comes to lighter parts. ZX9R is one i know of, but is the ZX10 a better option perhaps?
 
#7 · (Edited)
#9 ·
Here is the parts i have and will replace the originals:


Swing - original 8,8 kg, ZX9 6,1 kg = -2,7 kg
Rear Wheel with brake disc - original 14,7 kg, ZX6 ca 12 kg = -2,7 kg
Rear brake - original 1,6 kg, ZX6 1,35 kg = -0,25 kg
Rear sprocket +center- original 2,26 kg, ZX6 m. lightsprocket ca 1,8 kg = 0,46 kg
Slipon - original 4,8 kg, Micron Carbon 1,8 kg =3 kg
Battery - original 4,2 kg, Lightweight battery 0,68 = 3,52 kg

In total about 12,5 kg lighter Kawa, with these improvements.
Further on i will probably look for lighter forks/front wheel.
 
#12 ·
Here is the parts i have and will replace the originals:


Swing - original 8,8 kg, ZX9 6,1 kg = -2,7 kg
Rear Wheel with brake disc - original 14,7 kg, ZX6 ca 12 kg = -2,7 kg
Rear brake - original 1,6 kg, ZX6 1,35 kg = -0,25 kg
Rear sprocket +center- original 2,26 kg, ZX6 m. lightsprocket ca 1,8 kg = 0,46 kg
Slipon - original 4,8 kg, Micron Carbon 1,8 kg =3 kg
Battery - original 4,2 kg, Lightweight battery 0,68 = 3,52 kg

In total about 12,5 kg lighter Kawa, with these improvements.
Further on i will probably look for lighter forks/front wheel.
That's quite amazing, nice job!

Classic case of "every little helps" :)

Carbon fiber wheels would be the ultimate performance - weight reduction mod but they are SO expensive :frown2:

A pair of forged ones will cut plenty of unsprung weight without totally breaking the bank though.
 
#10 ·
Can anyone tell me how to safely remove the clutch slave cylinder bracket, to be able to get the front sprocket off?


The first pic is my bike, with a red circle showing a bolt i can´t reach because of its position behind the slave cylinder, and the two white circles shows two bolts in the slave cylinder. Can those two be removed or will it open the cylinder and empty the oil?


The second pic is the same area but from the manual. They don´t look the same, or...?
 

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#13 ·
A friend of mine came down to 2 choices years ago- buy lighter wheels for his R6 street and track bike, or buy a new R1.

He chose the new R1, but after he got used to all the extra power, he wished he chose the lighter wheels instead.

The R1 is better for tracks with a very long straight section- for most tracks you have to be a top expert to get a faster time with the R1, without any extra "Holy Shit!" moments. On the street, a 1000cc superbike is total overkill, barely turning the throttle to not get speeding tickets.
 
#18 ·
The present situation with a ZX9-00 swingarm and a ZX6-99 wheel on my ZX7-98:


As for now i have measured the lining front wheel/rear wheel, and there is an alignment difference where the rear wheel is approximately 20 mm to the right of the front wheel.
To fix this, i would have to center the rear wheel to the left, and the only way to do that is putting a 20 mm spacer between the rear hub and the brake disc.
This because if i move the wheel and the brake caliper to the left together, the caliper will lose contact with the caliper guide at the right side of the swingarm.
Ways would be to swap to another wheel or another swingarm.
1. I would like to put a 98-99 (C-model) ZX9-wheel into my 00-swing, but since that is a 5.5" wheel, i suppose i get the same alignment problem with that wheel?
2. A ZX6-swing would match my present Wheel, but i don´t know if a ZX6-swing fits into a ZX7 even with spacers?
3. A ZX10 swing with ZX10-wheel would be nice, since it is also a light solution...but don´t know how it fits into my ZX7 either.

Advices/solutions from the expert crowd in here? : ) (keep in mind that this is a weight reduction Project)
 
#21 · (Edited)
cant you make an adapter/spacer that holds the caliper in place and leave the disc where it should be?
im planning on doing similar to my zxr l model, thinking i will use a rsv mille swingarm with a 10r wheel if i can make it fit.
do you have any plans for the front?
the j model swingarm is the lightest of all and will run a 6r/9r wheel
from what ive found online a 10r rear wheel weighs 7.3kg
 
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