Any tips for reducing weight on early R1100RT's?

[MingOnMongo]

While the later years seemed to shed a few pounds, am still very fond of the early oilhead RT's, which were known to be a tad on the 'thick' side. Have seen where one easy opportunity for weight reduction is removing the stock ABS unit, and perhaps swapping the one-piece exhaust system for a lighter aftermarket one. Any other ideas, and mostly looking to knock off maybe 50 lbs or so to bring it closer to the more 'svelte' weight of my old airhead RT? Thx!

[dirtrider]

30 minutes ago, MingOnMongo said:

While the later years seemed to shed a few pounds, am still very fond of the early oilhead RT's, which were known to be a tad on the 'thick' side. Have seen where one easy opportunity for weight reduction is removing the stock ABS unit, and perhaps swapping the one-piece exhaust system for a lighter aftermarket one. Any other ideas, and mostly looking to knock off maybe 50 lbs or so to bring it closer to the more 'svelte' weight of my old airhead RT? Thx!

Afternoon MingOnMongo

 

It's not so much the weight to remove but how high the weight is. A low mounted exhaust weight saving isn't nearly as noticeable as a higher ABS module or a battery weight savings.

 

Easy things are the ABS removal, going to a light weight Shorai Lithium Battery, & only putting in a few gallons of gasoline. 

 

More difficult but effective is removing the heavy windshield electric motor & relays, removing radio & speakers if your motorcycle has one,   etc. 

 

 

 

 

[MingOnMongo]

Understood re: the 'center of gravity', and at only ~3 lbs, the LI battery sounds like a great tip. Between losing the ABS, a LI battery, and maybe not completely 'topping off' on gas, might do the trick...thx!

[Rinkydink]

The rider losing weight works very well too!!

[John Ranalletta]

41 minutes ago, Rinkydink said:

The rider losing weight works very well too!!

 

...and, it's cost free!  In fact, less weight = $ saved.

[fourteenfour]

The interesting part about RXXXXRTs is they haven't gained much if any weight, if anything your best option is to get a lower seat and lower the foot pegs if the weight is a problem in combination with inseam

 

 

[Selden]

I fitted a Battery Tender lithium ion battery for a while on my RT, but its capacity was always marginal. From what I have read, the Shorai lithium batteries are the best currently available. The BT was about 12 pounds lighter than the Odyssey it replaced. However, lithium ion batteries are noticeably cold blooded, and even in Georgia winters it didn't inspire confidence, especially given the tendency of R1100 ABS systems to throw low voltage faults.

 

Note: if you use a trickle charger to maintain a battery, a lithium ion battery has different charging requirements from lead acid, and a charger designed for lithium ion batteries is highly recommended.

 

I put the Odyssey back in the RT, and moved the BT to my F700GS, where the battery sits even higher. Both batteries are still going strong; the Odyssey was purchased in May 2009, and the BT in March 2014.

 

  

[Selden]

6 hours ago, MingOnMongo said:

Understood re: the 'center of gravity', and at only ~3 lbs, the LI battery sounds like a great tip. Between losing the ABS, a LI battery, and maybe not completely 'topping off' on gas, might do the trick...thx!

 

I have a ~29" inseam, and when I first bought my RT, I was concerned about all that gas tank weight, so I kept the tank only half full. It turned out that a full tank made it easier to maneuver at low speeds because the front suspension was compressed a little more. A full tank of gas weighs about 44 pounds.

[MingOnMongo]

On 7/6/2020 at 10:19 AM, Rinkydink said:

The rider losing weight works very well too!!

 

Whatcha 'we', Kemosabe...?! 

[Red]

When I was a young lad and racing flat track, the big thing was sprung and unsprung weight.  If you're going to down size, there are more and less effective ways.

https://www.cjponyparts.com/resources/sprung-vs-unsprung-weight