J
Jarrett
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When does that weight starting making a difference?
NC700X Manual = 470
NC700X DCT = 500
6.4% increase in weight
AT Manual = 500
AT DCT = 530
6% increase in weight
VFR Manual = 600
VFR DCT = 630
5% increase in weight
Does that really make a difference in these cases? 5-6% increase?
Or do you mean a much lighter race bike?
Seems like for dirt bikes, Rekluse is the answer.
30 pounds / 5-6% isn't going to change the world but it will make a difference and especially off road and on a tougher trail for the same reason that most people take off the saddlebags and and shed any excess luggage when they hit a trail, it's always better to have less weight than more. (and especially if you drop the bike or lose traction going up hill and have to stop mid climb)
Having said that, 30 extra pounds on a 500 pound bike wouldn't be something that kept me from buying one and it really wouldn't matter at all on an 800 pound bike like a Goldwing so a 3-6% weight change isn't a show stopper for me.
But.... on a 420 pound KTM 790 Adventure where many are already talking about dropping the cat and stock exhaust and getting it close to 400, 30 pounds would be too much weight to add. It would only be about 8%....but still way too much. And it definitely would be too much on a 250 pound dirt bike like a CRF450 where it would be over 10%.
10% is still a relatively small percentage....but it would definitely matter. 5% matters as well....just maybe only half as much. (see what I did there )
From a xr650l to a klr is enough weight to drastically change my confidence and riding style.When does that weight starting making a difference?
NC700X Manual = 470
NC700X DCT = 500
6.4% increase in weight
AT Manual = 500
AT DCT = 530
6% increase in weight
VFR Manual = 600
VFR DCT = 630
5% increase in weight
Does that really make a difference in these cases? 5-6% increase?
Or do you mean a much lighter race bike?
Seems like for dirt bikes, Rekluse is the answer.
It saved my newbie butt on the few steep rocky climbs on the K-Trail, I have no doubt. Had I ventured down there on a 500+ lb manual bike, I suspect there would have been a call from Rich at some point, "Jarrett stalled out going up a steep rocky section and his bike fell on him. We're waiting on the ambulance..."
But like you said, a Rekluse would have accomplished the same in that spot.
However, I suspect for many riders, if 30 lbs were that critical, they could stand to shed some personal ballast, which would be weight up high on the bike
Exactly...
By the way, electric bikes are coming, they'll be here and with them, clutch will be gone.
I think the above posts were a bit tongue in cheek but it's worth saying the fact that weight on a riders body that can be shifted around at will is MUCH different than weight attached to the motorcycle as a practical application when riding.
A 250 pound rider on a 500 pound bike is going to have an advantage over a 200 pound rider on a 550 pound bike even though the total weight of both is 750.
Shedding weight off the body definitely helps in acceleration and deceleration just as much as shedding weight off the bike, but it doesn't really help when maneuvering the bike much at all. In fact, bigger riders sometimes have an advantage in throwing around a motorcycle from side to side that a smaller rider just isn't able to do. (only problem is they get way too tired too quickly doing it.)
So.... if you are drag racing....then shedding 30 pounds off the rider might be the same as shedding 30 pounds off the bike. But...in normal riding scenarios, it's not the same at all.
Not that I couldn't stand to lose weight, it's not the same to me. I can tell the difference of 30 pounds in off-road bikes, as that's about the difference in my 450 and 350. I'll take lighter all day long.Exactly...
Gotta go and mess up the discussion with facts and data...
I wonder if folks will be like 23.2 lbs? Ah, that's no big deal. But 30!!
That was kind of what I was thinking, where exactly is the deal breaker? Is it 25? 20?
I can't say how much I'd want it in the dirt, but 23 is well worth it for a street bike. Too many models of new Goldwing to figure out the weight difference but I'd happily take 30 pounds on a Goldwing to get DCT. Doesn't matter though, I can't even afford to look at Goldwings.
If it was 23.3, i would never have purchased the silly DCT AT piggy I did lose 30 lbs of body fat a few years ago, but guess what? I still ride and crash the same!I wonder if folks will be like 23.2 lbs? Ah, that's no big deal. But 30!!
That was kind of what I was thinking, where exactly is the deal breaker? Is it 25? 20?
I can't say how much I'd want it in the dirt, but 23 is well worth it for a street bike. Too many models of new Goldwing to figure out the weight difference but I'd happily take 30 pounds on a Goldwing to get DCT. Doesn't matter though, I can't even afford to look at Goldwings.
It’s not all about the weight for me...I just din’t think the whole idea is what I’d enjoy the most. On a Goldwing, though, I definitely get it. Everything else on the bike is designed to make riding as easy and comfortable as possible, so the DCT fits right in.
Anymore I hate hate hate getting caught in traffic with a manual clutch.
It takes a lot of hate out of riding in traffic. Not all, not even close, but a lot.