Diet For Bike

:beer: Hello all, just got a new 14 Interceptor 800 and love the bike - very smooth, perfect shifting, great brakes, quality and v4 sound. Already ordered the 2 bros carbon slip on and claims 6+ hp and 6 lbs lighter. Are there any other areas to shave some heft as the bikes weight is its biggest disadvantage. Also has anyone done any major engine mods? Hotter cams, higher compression, fueling . It seams like Honda has the engine in a very mild state of tune and should be able to get 20 more hp without messing with reliability too much. In a perfect world 20 more hp and 20lbs lighter

The carbon can is the best single change for weight loss, apart from that the bike's weight is mostly in that lump of an engine, big frame and solid swingarm. Lot more difficult to do anything about those.

And in my bike's case, 200lb+ of pilot. :blush:

What is your BMI?

BMI 29. height 5'10" chest 44", waist 35". What has that to do with losing weight off the bike?

:laugh:My answer would be the same as eggs.

Whilst the question was for the bike, rider weight would make a big difference too.

If you wanting to take it to extremes. First loss would be the ABS system that must weigh a few pounds, grab handles if fitted, smaller battery, centre stand.

fatshoutyblokefatshoutybloke, on 10 Oct 2015 - 3:39 PM, said:

BMI 29. height 5'10" chest 44", waist 35". What has that to do with losing weight off the bike?

I lost 30 lbs of the weight of my bike this year and it cost me nothing and I don't have to undo my trousers to get them on or off anymore.

:biggrin:

As far as moar powah goes, Ive gone with a k&n air filter on top of the after market can, I've added a pc5 but am yet to dyno run the bike so just losing fuel quicker than before.

Removing too much stuff would reduce practicality and may as well be a cbr600 IMO.

I've added weight, givi trekker 52ltr side boxes and the under seat is jammed with stuff, still give most sunday riders a surprise on roundabouts.

Titanium tank carbon fiber panels and short under engine exhaust would be nice though.

Others have said it - your own weight can make a big difference. A real world example - I've lost 20kg in the last 6 months, cost me nothing, and there's so many other benefits stemming from it besides reduction of the overall weight on the bike. Losing 20kg off the bike itself would be extremely difficult.

Of course, if you're not carrying a few extra pounds, then this is totally and utterly irrelevant and you may disregard my post entirely ;)

I knew a guy who was so conscious of weight in the car he was drag racing, he was cutting brackets and damn near close to taking critical safety equipment to save less than a pound. He was also about 300 lbs and would scarf about 6 cheeseburgers (not small ones like White Castle) in a sitting....

I can understand taking weight off the bike if possible, but exactly as everyone said, if rider weight is possible, it's the easiest to take off. It's also the best since it's weight up high. That being said, I could stand to lose a few pounds (or some more than a few :tongue: ), but I still dropped the stock exhaust for a lightweight carbon can, for sound, looks, and weight savings.

Ok, I am going to drop 10 lbs of fat off myself but still looking for more options for vfr. Does anybody make a lightweight bracket for pipe mount that eliminates passanger peg? How about a cowl? Eliminating the passanger pegs, grab handles and a fender eliminator would pair a fair amount of lard up high on the bike and further enhance handling.

It's the frame and engine. That V4 is dense, and it's never going to make much more power than how Honda served it up, without spending a third of the bike value on hop-up mods that eliminate one of the VFR's greatest assets- anvil-like durability.

I mean, just how many of those supercharged 5/6th gens are still out there running well?

Sounds like you want a CBR with a V-4 motor? :wink:

I try not to judge. Well, wait, let me re-phrase that. I saw a 6th gen with a shorty exhaust this morning. The little noise-maker pointed about 45 degrees out from by the rider's heel. The bike looked absurd with those big empty spaces where the underseat pipes used to be. Yech.

There is not a big aftermarket for VFR engine internals. If any. Power Commander modules are available. If you get a PC or equivalent, plan on spending a day at a shop with a dyno for best results. Of course nothing is stopping you from being a pioneer. If you're willing to tear apart the motor, just shop around for someone to do the cams, etc. If you throw enough money at someone I'm sure they'll be willing.

There was an outfit called A&A Performance. They made a supercharger kit for 6th gen VFRs but seem to have disappeared. A 160 HP VFR would certainly be LOLz. At least until the whirly bits get launched. Maybe you can find the remnants of an old kit and try to fit it.

As for weight, the question becomes what do you expect from the weight loss. Speed? Acceleration? Quicker handling? If you knock 20 lbs off of the bike and factor in the weight of rider and gear you end up with less than a 3% improvement in power to weight ratio, which will give you some improvement in performance until speeds climb to the point that aerodynamic drag and real honest to goodness horsepower are in direct competition. A touch better acceleration and you may or may not notice the difference in handling unless you're tossing the bike around a lot. Lighter wheels do more in that area.

Leave the pillion seat and grab handles at home, dispense with the toolkit, take off the centerstand if you have the DLX. Yes, a lithium battery is a good idea too. After that you'll be buying lighter wheels and going to town with drills, saws and angle grinders.

I'm with all the people here who realize that for many of us, the biggest hits to horsepower/weight ratio often come from our own bodies, and you don't need to spend money or start sawing stuff off your bike to improve that.

If you shop for engine work, let us know how your adventure progresses.

The easiest way to keep the weight down on the VFR is to not fill the tank. Unleaded weighs about 0.737kg per litre so that's about 15.85kg for a full tank. All that weight sits high up. If you're not doing long journeys or don't mind stopping more regularly then half filling the tank will drop the weight by nearly 8kg, which must be the cheapest way of losing weight and all from the highest point on the bike. And because the bike's lighter you'll actually get marginally better fuel economy too.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Seriously if your looking for a drastic weight loss then you have bought the wrong bike.

Could someone explain the need to loose 20Lbs off the bike?? I used to be able jump between 3 bikes a Cbr600 F3, a ZX9r and the viffer. All 3 different bikes in their own way but could have just as much fun on all of them. Don't have any problems chucking them about.

fink

Could someone explain the need to loose 20Lbs off the bike?? I used to be able jump between 3 bikes a Cbr600 F3, a ZX9r and the viffer. All 3 different bikes in their own way but could have just as much fun on all of them. Don't have any problems chucking them about.

It sounds impressive at the pub?

See this post:

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/78919-alloy-side-stand-thanks-to-gig/?p=962700

Check the rest of the thread while you're at it.

No not at the pub at all, well wouldn't impress any of the bikers in there . Sadly Cbr and ZX9 were sold as new house and commitments meant didn't have room for them or free time

Forgot to include the Pan as well, but she doesn't really count as it was sold before I got the 9.

[image: PanontheBeefTub2010-1.jpg]

[image: 004_zps754fe097.jpg]

[image: ZX9rdownthelakes_zps5ea58157.jpg]

[image: VFR 004]

[image: VFR 005]

I just want the bike that Honda should have would have could have built, its a great bike! Knocking 20lbs. off any motorcycle will improve handling dramatically .The 2 bros carbon slip on is a must have, 6lbs lighter and 6 more hp with really great sounds when going thru the gears at full tilt. The stock muffler is a boat anchor and makes bike sound like a sewing machine. If you ride this bike like a 600 - high revs its pretty dam sporty and handles great. I am surprised that there are very few aftermarket parts for the bike though. Will post some pics soon - happy riding :cool:

The aftermarket for VFRs has always been fairly sparse in terms of performance goods. If you look through the forums here, yeah, you'll see the usual whinging about weight, or the effort it takes to perform valve clearance work on VTEC motors, and most power related stuff is limited to relatively easy things like swapping exhaust components (there's the LPSL goofballs but that's another subject entirely), experimenting with airbox equipment and installing remapping widgets like Power Commanders. In the grand scheme of things it seems to me that most VFR owners aren't that eager to pull their motors for major work and seem to be more interested in farkles, storage options, or fixing those g******** mother-f****** rectifier/regulators and related electrical gremlins. Which I'm sure would also plague the owners of the more sport oriented machines... er, if folks owned 'em long enough to get there. :ohmy:

I have a friend here in NYC with a 1986 VFR that had 200,000 miles on it as of 2012. Looks like hell but really, how many late eighties CBRs do you see with 200K-plus on 'em?

Conversely, how many VFRs do you see at the local raceway? Probably about as many as you see FJRs, I'm guessing... :laugh:

The very few serious power related offerings for VFRs have gone down in flames. Big bore kits, turbo and supercharging, etc. I think there's just not enough market to keep those ventures alive. Passion is great but nobody wants to work for free, or worse.

When it comes right down to it, if you really want to stick with Big Red but you're pining for power and lightness, you could spend the same coin on a CBR1000RR today, get 50% more horsepower, knock something like 80 lbs off the weight and get more suspension adjustability too.

Or you can be that passionate pioneer.

If a cbr 1000 is what you migrate to you can consider adjustable clip ons to raise the bar height an inch or two as well as adjustable rear sets. These two changes can make it a bit closer to the ergos of the vfr and still have honda, power, and light weight as well as more adjustment in suspension.

Why not buy a Cbf then its basically a fireblade engine with the above.

fink

Why not buy a Cbf then its basically a fireblade engine with the above.

CBF1000? Much less power and torque, and weighs in at a healthy 490 dry.

Also not currently in production as far as I know.

Rectaltronics

fink

Why not buy a Cbf then its basically a fireblade engine with the above.

CBF1000? Much less power and torque, and weighs in at a healthy 490 dry.

Also not currently in production as far as I know.

http://www.honda.co.uk/motorcycles/range/street/cbf1000f-2013/overview.html

Ok so it an older blade motor which is detuned.

Oh, you don't get it across the water.

Lithium battery is an easy one!

Tyres are the best speed mod!

1 hour ago, XRM

Lithium battery is an easy one!

Tyres are the best speed mod!

Thanks for reviving this old thread XRM, I hadn't seen it.  How much weight savings does the lithium battery offer?  I noticed the new for '17 Fireblade uses one and Honda says it helped them cut some weight but they don't say how much - I'm guessing a pound?   I shaved just over 7 pounds when I replaced the stock exhaust with the Delkevic mini carbon and I like Fuelex's idea above of just not filling the tank all the way.  I can get away with that because most of my riding is just cruising around the suburbs on weekends and taking it to work about once a week on super nice days (which I'm gonna do today, can't wait!).  So it's pretty easy really to shave about 10 pounds between the 3 (exhaust, battery, fuel) and I'm happy with that.

That said, it seems many people are obsessed with weight and call the VFR fat without taking into account that this is really a sports-tourer, not a supersport, and having a bit of extra heft actually helps when you're cruising down the highway getting buffeted by the wind.  The VFR has a couple extra inches of wheelbase compared to the average supersport which comes with a weight penalty of course but gives us a bit more room to get comfortable.  And having the bigger/heavier fuel tank and the weight of the extra fuel itself comes in handy for touring by virtue of the longer range it affords.  Supersports typically don't come with a center stand either, that's got to be another 5 pounds at least right there.  But damn it sure is convenient to have one!

I've had quite a few folks approach me in parking lots, etc., to compliment my bike and ask me questions about it and not one of them has ever mentioned weight or said she looked fat.  To the contrary, they all say she looks beautiful!  In fact, I've had a couple guys ask me if my bike was a Ducati or a Daytona, both of which are significantly lighter weight machines.  So for a big girl I'd say she hides her weight pretty well LOL.

The only weight saving I'm interested in is the unsprung weight, to which end I'm working my way through all the fasteners swapping them for titanium from Pro-bolt, the disc fixing bolts are about 1/2 the weight of the mild steel ones fitted, both sides and all the brake bolts soon add up

If you're seriously going to fit a lithium battery just to save weight, then make sure you empty your bladder frequently, carry only a credit card and leave your phone behind 

Pardon my fifth gen intrusion into an eighth gen thread but perhaps the info will transfer. My latest fifth gen came with a Power Commander II and a Staintune exhaust can (can't remember the weight loss but it was more than a few pounds).

I needed neither and sold both to lower my net investment in this at-the-time 10,800 mi. machine.

Without those two items I did notice a loss of power and response and a huge reduction of noise. But my gas mileage rose by more than 10%. I now get between high forties and 60 mpg depending mostly on load (hard bags and top box).

I agree with all the above arguments. Why buy a VFR if you want a pure sport bike. The VFR has been a Bike Of The Year in the past. The common review stated it was a master of nothing and great at everything.

Visor Down: Fine engineering, top class build quality, and brilliant balance - which makes it the one of the very best all-rounders ever - are just some of its numerous virtues.

I can ride it 500 mi/day, and at the end of that trip I can take it on a track and keep up with most.

I tell peeps along the way "It allows you to ride Great Distances and still have Fun When You Get There." 

I have to ask what more could the average rider ask for.

10 hours ago, Thumbs

If you're seriously going to fit a lithium battery just to save weight, then make sure you empty your bladder frequently, carry only a credit card and leave your phone behind 

And if you can hold the 5lb weight delta between a lead-acid and Li battery in your bladder, you probably need to get yourself checked out.  :wink:

In all seriousness, I've had a Shorai for years, and it's a great upgrade. Unprung weight reduction is awesome, but there's still a 500+lb bike on top of that. IMHO a 5lb reduction overall is worth a bit more than taking a leak and opting for the smaller iPhone model, but to each their own. 

16 hours ago, carlitos92

And if you can hold the 5lb weight delta between a lead-acid and Li battery in your bladder, you probably need to get yourself checked out.  :wink:

I'll have the measure that one day.  I often feel like Austin Powers in the pee scene from the original movie.  ("stage 5")

The Shorai batteries and their ilk seem to be an acquired taste.  Folks in cold climates are often uncomfortable with their behavior.

I recall the weight shaving mania I had back when I was a fairly fit, semi-competitive bicyclist.  Spent a fortune buying light stuff, spent lots of time with punch and a dremel in my hand drilling holes in everything I could possibly drill.  Very proud of having a bike that weighed under 19 lbs.  In the end it didn't make that much difference and the super-light components were often more trouble than they were worth due to fragility, excess flex, etc.

I'd do things differently today.

But everyone needs a hobby.

To each their own.

Be sure to empty your 

Thumbs, 4/18/2017 at 1:40 PM

The only weight saving I'm interested in is the unsprung weight, to which end I'm working my way through all the fasteners swapping them for titanium from Pro-bolt, the disc fixing bolts are about 1/2 the weight of the mild steel ones fitted, both sides and all the brake bolts soon add up

If you're seriously going to fit a lithium battery just to save weight, then make sure you empty your bladder frequently, carry only a credit card and leave your phone behind 

And for maximum weight savings and performance, don't forget to go number two  :tongue:

Hi GatorGreg,

No probs mate

Check out the revzilla video https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/antigravity-ytx12-12-cell-360ca-lithium-ion-battery#overview_tab

Lithium is the lightest metal, opposite end of the periodic table to lead!  This manufacturer claims up to a 70% saving.  The battery is located reasonably high in the bike, so the weight loss should be noticeable.  It a sensible improvement rather than a hack.  If your current battery is a few years old, give the Ol girl a birthday present and enjoy the ride this summer, "assuming you live in the northern hemisphere"

I would ignore and be entertained by the many dick heads passing unhelpful comments.  Most  if not all of theses guys can't truly handle these new full on sports bikes anywhere near 6/10ths, nor are these bikes that great on the road for any enduring amount of time, they do look great and for a few (see the sales stats) that's all they want. Weekend super heros....

The VFR is a wonderful real world sports-touring machine, an obvious Honda favourite, and absolutely loved by those who travel far to explore new awesome twisty roads.  Yes it's not the lightest bike but she's still a great handling bike and everyone loves that V4 power.  Have you seen the UK motorcycle magazine called MCN?  I'm not from the UK but buy the mag on my iPad, if you can have a look at last weeks 12 April publication where the VFR800 was compared to the new super sport Ducati and the Kwaka SX1000.  Touring capabilities were not explored, but the VFR was praised "it's not slow and handles so well, it's always there"

Surprisingly there aren't more similar bikes designed to fit factory integrated panniers/saddlebags for those road adventure holidays.  The new Ducati super sport was a real disappointment for me  (I love V twins - I had VTR1000, SuperHawk in the US) as Ducati fitted a very small fuel tank and didn't design in the ability to fit factory panniers, that's a sizeable market segment missed, pity.....

If Honda is listening, next year can we please have cruise control...and whilst throwing coins into the wishing well it wouldn't hurt to breakout of your skins and produce an "S" model too with some Fireblade SP goodies such as electronic suspension and rider aids, an instrument panel with Garmin GPS maps inbuilt or at least a Bluetooth link to our phone maps another 20hp and 10kg weight savings would really top off the awesome list...

While on the wishing rant, wouldn't it be nice to have dealers provide fitting support, to set your bike up for you, seat height, bar reach, suspension tuning loaded and unloaded....  many bicycle shops are now providing this service....

In in the meantime I'm really enjoying my 2014 Interceptor, and I'm chewing at the bit to further explore Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington states this summer

Ride on....

XRM, 4/20/2017 at 10:28 PM

While on the wishing rant, wouldn't it be nice to have dealers provide fitting support, to set your bike up for you, seat height, bar reach, suspension tuning loaded and unloaded....  many bicycle shops are now providing this service....

Ride on....

:idea3:

5 hours ago, MaxSwell

:idea3:

Think your on the wrong post dude.  :beer:

XRM, 4/20/2017 at 8:28 PM

Lithium is the lightest metal, opposite end of the periodic table to lead!

Having a ;little problem fact checking this. :tongue: