How heavy is your Bantam?

How heavy is yours? or anyones racing bantam? weight does seem to be the bantams limiting factor! Average Frame+swinging arm 26lbs due to all the big heavy lugs. Rear wheel with big cast drum all help to slow us down. The Seeley G50 I race is stripped for paining and its frame + s/a comes in at 15lbs, the engine-gearbox is a dam site heavier though!!
Perhaps a light weight swinging arm is the answer?? Going to weigh my bike!!

Went in to the garage and had a word with my Bantam. I suggested she shed a few pounds. I cannot repeat on here the response

Steve

The weight equivalent in pork pies would be phenomenal!
So has anyone actually weighed their own bike? not sure I dare weigh mine, but Pete knows the weight of his from 3-Sisters a few years back when the scales were turned.
Alan

would nt trust them scales at three sisters Alan, A few years ago i used to have to stand on them for scrutineering at kart meetings, miles out they were Lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Forgot my bike is in bits - i'll have to put it together before i can weigh it! Which I'll do in due course...

How to loose weight and push the envolope of modernism... Ally swinging arms? Carbon fibre subframe/seat unit with rear shock mountings?? Has anyone had a rear hub trimmed down to save grammes?

I think we all have racing bikes that need to shed the fat but keep the muscle...

I think i did weigh mine .. or the component parts while i was in spain building it. it came out at about 79kg. I was about 86kg at the time at christmas and decided to lose some weight. got down to 82kg. don't know what you would have to do to save that on the bike! i even weighed the gear and reckoned a good 2kg could be saved on getting a more modern set of leathers ... even more maybe. losing the poundage on the bod i think is far less work than on the bike. depends on how much you like butter on ya toast or the pork pies .. and the ale of course.

Ray

Now come on Ray....
The Ale wins every time!
Al

Not sure this helps, but Jethro my mechanic reckons its alot easier to pick the bantam up than it is to pick me up after a night on the falling over water! No idea what the bantam was doing out with us in the first place, but there you go!

I weighed my first one and it was just shy of 90kgs a lot heavier than Ray's I may have left a bag of chips and a few cans of Guiness in the fairing though !!!

James

Hi All
have trouble getting the bike up the stairs to the bathroom to weigh it on the bathroom scales lol WAIT have just had A idea if I take the bike to bits I could use the kitchen scales ?????

I tried swinging the bantam from the rafters in the shed and using the fishing scales... the result came up with "large Pike"....
Alan

I'm going to borrow some scales!! Coz i don't own any? I think my bike will be on the heavy side - 1kg of water, cast iron cylinder, radiator, battery, flanged wheel rims, heavy duty spokes!! I'll see how it compares to Ray and James machines?

One of the most interesting threads yet !

Some of my best lap times yet were on the old blue 'un (ex Chas James bike) [die cast D3 cases, SA D3 frame with small tubing welded up subframe] the least powerful of all my motors. My watercooled bike with sandcast D7 cases, heavy barrel, phew heavy to lift near the scales.

There is no doubt the best place to loose weight is the rider. Given my profession I should be a good example of a healthy specimen, ROFL says my son. The cardiologist recently told me i had to give up the beer, after nearly karking on the treadmill; "I might as well die now" I said. So a compromise, James wanted to go the gym 3 mornings a week, watching him is very tiring, so I do a bit of exercise. Cut out the chips and wedges, run the cast iron barreled LS on methanol and I'm looking at a few more 3rd place plaques at Pukekohe. Nah, only got more 1.5hp,but I have lost 7kgs !!!!
So I reckon my weight to power ratio will be an advantage against the Jawas, C15s and NSUs. Furthermore, I found some really good batch brewed beers with no residual sugar, after a few on weekends I feel much better, don't need to eat any of the boys steak and eggs.
So ethanol is a good body fuel, comes attractively packed with trace elements and I can carry less Avgas which is cheaper.

If my memory can be relied upon, i think my machine weighs 186 lbs.

I'll look up the figure tonight




..........if i remember to

If my maffs are holding up that would put Mr.T's Bantam at 84.5kg.

The question is, does this lead to a handicapping system of each bike and riders combined weight being exactly the same ?

I will start pinching lead of church roofs for pouring into the frames of all you lightweights

James

Hi wen I was at work today working in a Mcdonalds Store.
I had idea if I was to fill my tyres with helium would it make my bike lighter ?????

As a further diversion away from 2010 Bantam preparation I have been tasked with making some lead weights for the No 2 stepson, who is about to embark on racing with 1 horsepower. He weighs about 10.5 stone clothed in racing garb and with saddle. He needs lead weight to fit into the saddle weight cloth to make him up to 12 stone (Well, acuallly we have to protect for 12.5 stone).

I am thus going to be in a position to supply weights for the lighter of our riders, if required.........

Hi pete
could I put a order in for a 2stone weight for micheal would make a nice christmas present for him

I have the figures for my bike-not as bad as i thought either its 82kg with water but no fuel! Must be all of Jimmy's latest light-weight glass-wear! And i weighed me in my racing garb too - 82kg .... Does come down to balance - bike to rider??

Is anyone thinking of putting an aluminium swingarm on a bantam then? to get the un-sprung rear end weight down? I'm not sure if Micky Nash had one on one of his bants! Be well worth while doing on a 175 i should think!

put my 175 engine on the scales and it weighed 43.4lb was hard worked getting it up to the bathroom

ROBBIE wrote:

Hi pete
could I put a order in for a 2stone weight for micheal would make a nice christmas present for him

Just put the metal out of your leg into his pockets......
Or leave it there and claim a half-lap start.......

Happy Christmas to all nutters, everywhere!

Robbie - put your scales in the garage!! It may be easier than taking your bike apart and upstairs in small pieces?? Have you weighed your swinging arm at all? How about an alloy swinging arm on your bike mate! What colour are you doing your bike this year too.... only asking coz I'm doing mine red this year!! lol

Hi mike standard s/w 6.0lb alloy s/w 5.2lb not changing colour red and gold if I get the new frame done it may have to be silver to match the s/w

I can confirm that at least one of Mr Nash de Villiers bikes was fitted with an aluminium swingarm, when time permits and I can dig my way into the shed I will weigh it and post the results.

Can I take this opportunity to wish all my fellow competitors a safe and succesful 2010.

Mike.