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How to make the 05 Ninja LIGHTER ??

10K views 108 replies 61 participants last post by  tsair  
#1 ·
Ok... Here is what I'm talking about...

I want to make my 05 Ninja 636R as light as possible.

A: What have I done so far:

#1. Removed passenger pegs and brackets.
#2. Removed all rear fender parts and installed a simple Aluminum Angle bracket to hold the tag.
#3. Removed the 4 bolts that are welded to the under-side of the stock exhaust, drilled them out and used the rear-most two holes to mount the aforementioned tag bracket.
#4. Removed the feelers from under the stock pegs.
#5. Used a dremmel bit to chop off the humps where the peg feelers were screwed into on the front pegs.
#6. Removed both front reflectors from the front fairing.
#7. Replaced all 4 bolts from the front fender with slightly smaller allen-head bolts (same thread size and length, just a smaller head on them.
#8. Removed tool-kit from rear storage compartment.

....

B: What I would like to do:

#1. Replace both front and rear turn signals with smaller, flush-mounted lights, maybe even LED's.
#2. Upgrade to a lighter exhaust system.
#3. Get lighter weight brake harware like braided lines and aluminum fittings.
#4. Light weight levers.
#5. Eliminate the rear brake fluid resevoir like the race-only bikes have using clear-rubber so I can keep an eye on the fluid level.

Ok, so far so good.. I don't want to get a light weight exhaust just yet since the cost is prohibitive.. but I know that the exhaust is a majorly heavy item... I would like to remove the cat but I don't have the tools to do that big of a job just yet...



So I am wondering if anyone knows of other little tricks / tips that I can try to make it lighter still.... ????
 
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#2 ·
With out spending a fortune on the bike by getting lighter wheels, rotors and CF body panels there is not much you are going to be able to do. With all of the work you ahve done already you may of have saved a 1lb of weight.

Why the big thing about shaving weight, are you racing or something?
 
#3 ·
Seriously dude... I bet you have saved around 5lbs if that.

You want to shave weight from your 636 for cheap.... GET YOUR ASS TO THE GYM! lol

the only *real* weight savings u are going to get on a bike like ours comes from serious upgrades- exhaust, body work, wheels

otherwise the rest of what you are going to do will be completely unnoticable.

And same question as the last guy, why? You obviously arent a serious track guy, and I doubt you are a serious drag racer.... so what in God's name would have you doing this to your bike? I mean... replacing the bolts in the front fender with "smaller headed" allen bolts!!?? come on.... lmao!
 
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#4 ·
did you weigh the items you took out so far to see how much weight you saved? not sure how much taking off the reflectors and turn signals will do. ALso i dont think steel braided lines will be lighter than stock, might want to go kevlar ones, but still wont see any diffrence. I say a full titanium system is the only real way to save a lot of weight....and if its for a track day then thats a diffrent set up....
 
#5 ·
The biggest differenc will gain from weight reduction will be from your rims, if you can affor Mag, carbon, or even just lighter forged rims you will see a nice peformance gain. All those stuff that you mention about taking off dont really weight that much, look at it like this. If you take all those stuff off with 1/2 a tank of gas, and then went to fill up you would be at the same wieght with a full tank of gas.
 
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#8 ·
seriously, don't eat anything for a week.

I shaved 13 pounds off my bike by losing my job!! Sorry, not helpful, I know. If you're into it but on a budget, you can drill out many of your bolts on a drill press. Just get em nice and centered. Also, if you use one of those round dome bits you can make a concavity in the head of hex bolts without damaging the sides, that'll save you an ounce or so if you do em all. braided lines are not lighter, but they will make for better brake feel. I like the reservoir-less rear brake though, you should do that.

I broke my right rearset's master cylinder bracket, so I just pulled the whole rear brake off. now THATS lightening.. har har

I didn't use it much anyway. It'll be back when I can afford aftermarket rearsets
 
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#9 ·
Well, to answer the questions as to WHY ...

A lighter bike will improve in all areas ...

IE: if its lighter it will =

1. accellerate faster.
2. stop faster.
3. permit quicker turn-in.

Right ?
 
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#13 ·
Originally posted by fordfasterr
Well, to answer the questions as to WHY ...

A lighter bike will improve in all areas ...

IE: if its lighter it will =

1. accellerate faster.
2. stop faster.
3. permit quicker turn-in.

Right ?
Dude.. honestly... if that is what you're looking for, the things you are doing... shit ANYTHING you would do in the weight area, most likely you wont notice the difference. You need to improve your skills first. I presume you dont know a lot about bikes, so the best way to improve your skills safely is to get some seat time and then go to the track, then we can discuss quicker turn in, braking etc etc.

To address your concerns.. STOP DOING STUPID SHIT TO YOUR BIKE... lol the best way you will notice a big difference is to set up the suspension. Bar none. you WILL notice a difference with a properly set up bike. removing bolts and drilling out shit are not going to do ANYTHING for you.


*** disclaimer-- Im assuming you dont know that much about bikes because you are talking about removing one bolt and replacing with a "smaller" bolt to improve acceleration etc. You are DEF not a MotoGP rider, so the line of thinking that you are in, shows me you dont know a whole heck of a lot about bikes. Which isnt necessarily a bad thing, cuz u seem to have a good attitude about it and want to learn. Just my observations.
 
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#15 ·
take the advice to work on yourself first.. then if you can't resist, click da link
http://www.oppracing.com/bodywork.php?id=53#157
trick it out in CF or titanium panels.. that'll save a bit..
replace the little things like the clipons and resets, CF wheels, remove a headlight, race wiring loom, and full titanium exhaust system. Pretty much all I can think of. And for a grand saving of.......... not very much by comparison of how much you've just dished out.
These bikes are designed to carry as little fat as possible.. Yeah, there's a few places you can save a little weight, but the biggest reduction would probably be your wallet. It'd look 'kin awesome tho to do all that..

See if you can check out some race bikes.. they're all lightened as much as poss
 
#16 ·
I guy who races SV competitively on my SVboard did a hardcore weight loss on his SV. In the end...he had created an SV which was barely over 300lbs wet.

He had mag wheels, all titanium bolts, titanium subframe, titanium complete exhaust, drilled out rotors, titanium rear brake rod, only the most minimal battery, no sidestand(of course)....and many others. It was something of an experiment to see just how light he could make it. Oh yeah...and his motor was putting out over 95hp from a bike that weighed in the low 300's wet.

Basically, what I'm saying is...The thing's you're doing to your bike are technically going to lighten it...but only a lot of money will really show noticeable improvement. Still..can't fault trying something new and using a little ingenuity.
 
#17 ·
Originally posted by KermitGreen
One question, why? If you want to go faster, just buy a liter bike.[?]
damn why didn't he think of that?
fuck liter bikes they are not fast enough just buy the zx14 when it hits the dealers. then bore it out to 1500cc's. that's what i would do.

maybe we should tell this too all the people that race in the 600 class trying to make their bikes faster


btw the mirrors have to go and get flush mounts, a full exhaust system from titantium can shave some weight. like 8 pounds or more

but the wheels would help the most because it's rotating mass.
 
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#18 ·
Remove all your stock bodywork along with all light fixtures. Replace with light flimsy race bodywork :D and take it to the track. The track is where you'll learn to go faster, not the street.
 
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#21 ·
Oh my god I met this guy like 4 years ago. If you all have met him you wouldnt be surprised at all. I met him at a f body hang out ( camaro firebirds) and he has or had a fox body mustang 4 banger that he put a 302 into that was stock or mild with spray. He took all kinds of stuff out of the car I mean he really lightened it up and the rumor mill said to the point were it was unsafe. He also had the plastic seats but I dont think he had the covers so just bear plastic. I know lighter is quicker but he will go to extremes. I wouldn't be surprise if he drilled more holes in the heel plate or took them off.
 
#23 ·
Well i'd say use fords way of lightening, let it sit out in the rain and rust but aluminum doesnt rust too fast ;)


You could always take out the engine and flintstone your ass around town.
 
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#25 ·
Originally posted by Relentless
Oh my god I met this guy like 4 years ago. If you all have met him you wouldnt be surprised at all. I met him at a f body hang out ( camaro firebirds) and he has or had a fox body mustang 4 banger that he put a 302 into that was stock or mild with spray. He took all kinds of stuff out of the car I mean he really lightened it up and the rumor mill said to the point were it was unsafe. He also had the plastic seats but I dont think he had the covers so just bear plastic. I know lighter is quicker but he will go to extremes. I wouldn't be surprise if he drilled more holes in the heel plate or took them off.

cool :)

That thing went 11's on spray with street tires. :) Drove it daily for over 3 years until I got sick of no A/C ... :)
 
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#26 ·
Ok, here is the rear brake reservoir eliminator... of course this is my first try at it, I plan to get something nicer to plug the end of it with... but for now i'm using a 5/16ths plastic coupler filled with red silicone to seal it + allow some minor expansion... I then wrapped the 5/16ths clear hose with some 3/8ths braided clear hose to prevent any heat from the exhaust to harden up the line... :)

pic:

Image
 
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