Misc: Everything Else Weighty Business

[vibrac]

I suppose it depends on your point of view (and age?) but I put the weight of the bike just after comfort and certainly before polish, which is why I said in another thread that I was taking off one rear drum in my road Comet rebuild. I just weighed it, with all the brake rods levers torque stays etc it came to around 13 lbs of unsprung weight I think a good guess of total loss with other mods etc may be about 30lbs weight overall, but I have gained an electric start so it will be interesting to see what the overall weight is when I get it off the stand in a week or so.
Since I have Bramptons and it is a forties Comet I wonder how it compares to a B Comet or even Meteor?

 

[Colin]

I don't know how it does it but every time I move my Comet out of the workshop where it lives it weighs more than when I put it away. I suppose enforced idleness causes weight gain, as it is happening to my other bikes too.

Nothing to do with me getting older and more senile, of course.

 

[greg brillus]

10 lb's in your tires will do that every time........

 

[Chris Launders]

To my mind the best weight saving on the bike (not on the rider) would be to replace the steel steering head casting with an alloy one, right at the top of the bike where it would make the most difference.

 

[vibrac]

Another part of the weight question came to mind when reading the other VOC magazine Fishtail - they were quoting weight distribution bike and rider and had a table from Cranfield university

	Front %​	Back %​
Velocette Venom	38.4​	51.6​
Enfield Bullet 500	40.2​	59.8​
Morini 500	40.8​	59.2​

then went on to modern bikes.

It would be interesting to see what the Vincent 500 & 1000 are and how they differ its not something I have ever seen discussed.

 

[kerry]

My Rapide that spent 60 + years with an 'old master' Vincenteer, Has his own design centre stand, the rear stand removed, side stands too and many steel parts side plates replaced with Aluminium, lithium battery, ali rims, etc
I think it is now about 430Ibs and was always considered his best Vincent to ride and he had many.

 

[greg brillus]

Norvin single racer..........65.5 kg's front......64.5 kg's rear.

 

[davidd]

The Racer weighs in at 280 lb. and has a bias of 53.5% front and 46.5% rear.

David Tompkins racer weighs 263 lb, but I don't have the bias numbers.

I do have aluminum steering heads, but my racer did not have one installed at the 280 lb. number.

A crank-fired ignition saves as much weight as an aluminum steering head. Using both will save quite a lot of weight.

I had to run a magneto on this engine, so I used an aluminum oil filter chamber cap so this one should go really fast!

David

 

[vibrac]

Marcus had an alloy oil filter cap on the Chain drive cam trials Bike so I guess at some point a batch were made.

 

[Bill Thomas]

Did it undo OK, I was told Alloy Cap, That I have in stock !,
For the oil pump I should not use !,
For fear of messing threads up ?.