[JayPrashanth]

Although this sounds a little cliche, I would like to know the different steel/iron components that can be replaced with lightweight, high quality aluminium to make the Royal Enfield Electra 5S a little lighter(maybe five to ten kilos) while still retaining the charm of being an predominantly all-metal motorcycle. I am thinking of replacing the mudguards, both front and rear, replica aluminium fuel tank and some other stuff. Please contribute your ideas and know-how to this weight reduction idea and lest I forget the pros and cons of using aluminium for weight reduction.

Jay

[Mpower]

You can use 18" wheels and tires front and rear, will not only drop weight but give you better flickability

[JayPrashanth]

That was something I hadn't known, Thank you. But, won't the gearing get altered if the wheels are downsized to 18 inchers?

And if it does, what are the trade offs? The bike is primarily intended to be used as a commuter on weekdays in the horrendous traffic in the Bangalore IT belt and as a tourer on weekends.

Also, I plan to plonk in a goldie/short-bottle exhaust and a K&N and a suitable rejet to go with these changes.

[TheARUN]

Originally Posted by Mpower

You can use 18" wheels and tires front and rear, will not only drop weight but give you better flickability

Using 18 inch wheels will be tantamount to tampering with the bike, the bike comes with 19" wheels as standard.

Go for single seat, remove center stand, custom bikini front mudguard, remove the rear footrests, keep engine oil and other oils at minimum levels, stay at reserve and keep filling 1 liter at a time, remove front headlight assembly and fit a single light, etc etc. Its a never ending pursuit.

It seems the R&D department spends so much money to shave off 500gms from your car's weight, and you can spoil the whole effort by buying a pack of chips and keeping it in the car

[Sankar]

Weight reduction? Check out the Bullet in my Gallery

[JayPrashanth]

@sankar
Yes, I did see your bullet. It looks light, atleast lighter than the models that roll out of production now. Meanwhile, my idea primarily centers around using lighter aluminium for the steel parts like the mudguards etc. How feasible is that? Hasn't anyone done it before? And if anyone has, kindly let me know how and where did they get it done.
Thanks

[Sankar]

JayPrashanth, it's very much possible to use aluminium to replace the parts in steel with. If time and money is not a problem then you could definitely proceed along that route. You have to find a very good panel beater who works with aluminium to make your dream come true. The choice of aluminium sheets have to be discussed with your panel beater before you buy it.

Things you could do up in Al:
Fuel tank
Mudguards
Mudgurad stays
Side boxes
Airfilter box
Batterybox

You need to find yourself a good panel beater and a fabricator who works with Al.

[praful]

Originally Posted by Sankar

Weight reduction? Check out the Bullet in my Gallery

OT: Is that a real pic of the M800 doing a 140+ on the speedo?? :O

[deepclutch]

I have seen a bull with mudguards ,fuel tank all gold plated(?).is it stock mudguards etc?

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by praful

OT: Is that a real pic of the M800 doing a 140+ on the speedo?? :O

Oh yes It was mentioned in the thread here in Tbhp about my Blore-Tvm road trip in the 800.

[bblost]

What do you intend to achieve by reducing about 5 to 10 Kilos of weight on a Bullet.

If its just aesthetics then you can look up at some super threads available here.

But why the focus on weight loss?

[praful]

Originally Posted by bblost

But why the focus on weight loss?

Coz, its far more difficult for a human to loose weight!

No offense meant Jay!

OT: @Sankar: I'm amazed man, will try and dig that thread that you talk about!

[howler]

Originally Posted by bblost

What do you intend to achieve by reducing about 5 to 10 Kilos of weight on a Bullet.

If its just aesthetics then you can look up at some super threads available here.

But why the focus on weight loss?

errr.. im guessing he hopes to achieve a higher power to weight ratio. And i dont think aesthetics and weight loss are on the same wavelength. The bull weighs in at portly 185 kgs, I think weight loss can only be a good thing esp. as he plans to retain the all metal characteristics of the bull, but with the use of a smarter material.

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Aluminium will reduce weight but remember one property of aluminium - it gets hot fast and cools down fast too. So if you have an aluminium tank it will heat up faster than a conventional tank (if you are travelling - let's say, the whole day). Whether it's good or safe for the petrol inside? I don't know.
Also the problem with aluminium is that you don't get ordinary backyard mechanics to be able to work with it. You need highly specialised places to be able to work with aluminium welding etc.
Same for carbon fibre, for example. It sounds nice in principle but there are various practical problems of working with different advanced materials at a hobby level.

[rangan]

try fitting a TVS petrol tank and crash gaurd.

hee hee jokes apart, i have a question.
is it worth spending so much to reduce some 2-3 kilos on the bull??
what would one gain out of it?