Does bike weight matter that much?
#1
08-29-2007, 07:28 PM
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Does bike weight matter that much?
According to honda site:
F4i dry weight - 370 lbs
1000RR dry weight - 388 lbs
Everybody says that liter bikes are much heavier, but 18 lbs difference is nothing. For example the difference between full and empty tank is 40 lbs. Do you feel the difference? I don't.
So, does it reallyfeels THAT heavier as they say? Or riding f4i with full/empty tank is pretty much the same differenceas riding f4i/liter bike? [&:]
F4i dry weight - 370 lbs
1000RR dry weight - 388 lbs
Everybody says that liter bikes are much heavier, but 18 lbs difference is nothing. For example the difference between full and empty tank is 40 lbs. Do you feel the difference? I don't.
So, does it reallyfeels THAT heavier as they say? Or riding f4i with full/empty tank is pretty much the same differenceas riding f4i/liter bike? [&:]
#2
08-29-2007, 07:32 PM
#4
08-29-2007, 08:25 PM
RE: Does bike weight matter that much?
Just sitting on the bike isn't going to tell you anything.The weight affects momentum, and the weight difference will be more apparent at speed. Also, however, the weight in relation to center of gravity and centralization of components, as well as rake/trail effects of steering stability/lightness also combining with weightwill affect the character of riding the bike. When you compare your F4i on an empty tank to a full tank, you are comparing a bike with the exact same distribution of mass and steering geometry (the same bike). So all other factors being equal, the weight in isolation will not make much of a difference. But when you have 2 bikes with different distributions of mass and qualities in steering, a difference in weight can factor in with other differencesbetween the bikes to provide a significant difference in maneuverability.
Now in my personal experience, I have not ridden enough bikes to be able to tell you. However, most people who have ridden, for example, both literbikes and middleweights, (particularly those of the same brand utilizing similar design principles) will tell you that the middlewights are in general easier to 'throw around'. I have also heard insightful comment, though, that the middleweights are not SO much easier to turn than literbikes, else AMA racers would take middleweights into 1000cc class races and win. So from what I have read on forums and the like, the lighter 600cc bikes are more flickable, but not incredibly so, than the heavier 1000cc bikes.
As an F4i rider,I would say that though your bike is heavier than the 600RR, if you could mod your bike up to where the engine can give you the hp of a 600RR and a nice power band, you could still perform well in a race against an RR even though you are a little heavier. That is if you do not factor in differences in rider skill, which is apparently the biggest factor in racing.
As a general bike buyer, I would say that if max maneuverability is your goal, you will want to go with a 600, but if you want the speed of a 1000, go ahead and get it. You will not be disappointed with the maneuverability of the 1000, and you will probably be able to outmaneuver 600s under the control of riders with less skill than you.
I'm not an engineer or a racer, though. Just a forum reader and enthusiast who has gotten that take from what I have read and heard from others.
Now in my personal experience, I have not ridden enough bikes to be able to tell you. However, most people who have ridden, for example, both literbikes and middleweights, (particularly those of the same brand utilizing similar design principles) will tell you that the middlewights are in general easier to 'throw around'. I have also heard insightful comment, though, that the middleweights are not SO much easier to turn than literbikes, else AMA racers would take middleweights into 1000cc class races and win. So from what I have read on forums and the like, the lighter 600cc bikes are more flickable, but not incredibly so, than the heavier 1000cc bikes.
As an F4i rider,I would say that though your bike is heavier than the 600RR, if you could mod your bike up to where the engine can give you the hp of a 600RR and a nice power band, you could still perform well in a race against an RR even though you are a little heavier. That is if you do not factor in differences in rider skill, which is apparently the biggest factor in racing.
As a general bike buyer, I would say that if max maneuverability is your goal, you will want to go with a 600, but if you want the speed of a 1000, go ahead and get it. You will not be disappointed with the maneuverability of the 1000, and you will probably be able to outmaneuver 600s under the control of riders with less skill than you.
I'm not an engineer or a racer, though. Just a forum reader and enthusiast who has gotten that take from what I have read and heard from others.
#5
08-29-2007, 08:47 PM
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08-29-2007, 09:03 PM
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08-29-2007, 09:22 PM
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08-29-2007, 09:28 PM
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08-29-2007, 10:33 PM
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RE: Does bike weight matter that much?
May have overlooked it in this thread in someone's post, but don't think I've seen anyone mention up to this point.. Weight to torque ratio plays A key factor in overall performance. It comes down to good old mathematics, doesn't it whether it be geometry of center of gravity or the biker straight-line performance, where weight to torque ratio plays its biggest fact
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08-29-2007, 10:52 PM
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