Weighing In.

[firko]

To assist in research for an article I'm putting together for VMX #44 I need to know the weight of a bare Yamaha XT/TT500 frame/swingarm. If anyone can help me out by weighing their bareframe/swingarm it'd be much appreciated.

While we're at it, it might be interesting to see what other frame/swingarm combos weigh. If you've got a bare frame laying around and a set of bathroom scales, weigh it up and post it up here. I have a suspicion some of the results will be surprising.

[TT]

1978 Suzuki SP370 with swingarm 16.5kg

1968 CT90 with swingarm a svelte 11.3kg 
I just knew you would be hanging out to find that one out......... 

[GMC]

Can’t help with the TT weights, I did have some bare frames a while back but can’t find any notes on them.
I thought I had some more frame weights as well but can’t find any notes at the moment, will looker deeper later

GMC HL replica frame          11.0 Kg’s     Cro-Mo
GMC HL replica swingarm       3.5  Kg’s   alloy

RM80 DG swingarm         1.8 Kg’s   alloy
RM80 GMC swingarm           1.6 Kg’s   alloy   
XR75 stock swingarm         1.7 Kg’s   steel
XR75 GMC swingarm           1.65 Kg’s   alloy

YZ 250/360 A bare frame no swingarm              11.9 Kg’s

Husky 77? bare frame no swingarm      8.3 Kg’s

Honda CR 250-78 bare frame         9.3 Kg’s

Yamaha YZ 400 D frame   1W4   bare frame      11.6 Kg’s
Yamaha YZ 400 E frame   2X4    bare frame      10.3 Kg’s

Hallman Suzuki bare frame missing rear engine mount    8.2 Kg’s

[YZ250H]

YZ125H 9.1 kg for frame and 3.2kg swingarm.  No shock in that obviously

[Canam370]

Safeway shopping trolley - 7.3kg (accurate guesstimate only) bare. Not including the castor wheels or money holder thing.

[shoey]

By the "way" 

Whats a piecost or a henweigh

[mx250]

Monty H6 16kg of Spain's finest Chrome Moly .

Swingarm 3.5 kg

(More to follow  - interesting project  )

[jimg1au]

FIRKO
i have some frames at home on the waiting list
staracer tt500 frame sw arm shocks oil tank and tripples
1974 honda cr250 frame sw/arm and tripples
1958 ariel swing arm frame
1977 italian long track frame plates swing arm
are the weights of these off interest
jim

[Curly3]

Jim, I reckon this thread is a great idea and will be a reference point for years to come.
It will be interesting to compare different makes, capacities and era's.
Anyone at the bare frame stage of a resto has a responsibility to inform the rest of us.
Weigh everything I say.

[GMC]

All my weights quoted are from the same electronic scales that I know to be accurate.
All weights quoted are rounded off to the nearest 0.1 Kg

I’m a bit skeptical of the 16 kg’s quoted for the Monty frame. Does it include the swingarm?

I don’t trust bathroom scales, tried to use them in the past but they are often way out which is why I bought some electronic scales.
If the weights quoted aren’t accurate then any comparison is meaningless

I’m starting to feel a bit anal now


78 RM 125 frame      9.2 Kg
73 CZ    frame         9.3 Kg

73 CCM frame         9.5 Kg
73 CCM swingarm      2.6 Kg

82 XR500 frame      12.9 Kg
80 YZ 125 swingarm      3.3 Kg    alloy

73 Maico frame         10.7 Kg
73 Maico swingarm      3.2 Kg

74 GMC CMS replica CZ frame                  7.8 Kg
74 GMC CMS replica CZ swingarm       2.3 Kg

88 KDX 200 frame            11.6 Kg
88 KDX 200 swingarm            3.9 Kg

64 CZ twinport, frame, swingarm
Pivot bolt & engine mount         12.4 Kg

79 KTM swingarm                    3.5 Kg    alloy
87 KX 250 subframe                           1.3 Kg   alloy

75? YZ 80 frame                   6.6 Kg
Z50 frame                      5.9 Kg   

[brent j]

I can weigh a bare TT frame and swingarm for you Mark but not until Sunday.
If I don't see any weights put up here I'll dig mine out let you know

Brent

[firko]

Thanks fellas.....This can be a good reference and dispel some rumours about the material some frames are reputed to be made of. Keep 'em coming. I did a quicky weigh in with some of the frame/swingarms I have in the stash and the results were rather interesting (to me anyway).

* Sprite/American Eagle (early pre fastback model).....20kg
*Rickman Zundapp Micro Metisse.....14kg
*Trackmaster 750 Yamaha ....15kg
*Cotton Cobra....13.5kg
*Hindall Kawasaki 350....10kg.

The assumptions that I've made from that weigh in is that the claims of the Sprite frame to be Reynolds 351 are questionable at best. The Cotton frame is of a very similar design yet it's 6.5 kg lighter. The other thing I have found is that the American reports of Harry Hindall's frames being ultra light are spot on. The 4130 Chro-Mo Hindall is half the weight of the Sprite and that included the steel Kawasaki triple clamps...the only frame I weighed with clamps. Remove them and there's a real possibility the frame may come in at around 9kg. I thought the little Rickman frame would have been lighter than 14kg considering it's constructed from Reynolds 531. The Trackmaster is a big frame so when compared to the other smaller units, it comes up pretty well. I wish I would have weighed my Boyd and Stellings frame before I built the bike as it was noticably lighter than the 10kg Hindall. The complete Boyd and Stellings TM400 comes in at 190kg so I reckon the frame and aluminium swingarm had to be sub 10kg. The weight of the Cheney would have been handy as well. Tomorrow I'll weigh '71 Maico, DT1, TS250 and my other Trackmaster frames. 

[frostype400]

Hi Firko, the tm do you mean 90kg's that is pretty good how heavy is the bike stock?

[vmx42]

The assumptions that I've made from that weigh in is that the claims of the Sprite frame to be Reynolds 351 are questionable at best.

The weight doesn't mean that its not made of Reynolds tubing - it just indicates that there is either more of it, or they used thicker walled tubes.

Perhaps we need some more materials testing to be sure…  How about we test them all to destruction and then we will have some quantative data from which to draw our conclusions? 

[curly001]

Mark,

My 76 & 81 XT frames both weigh 14 Kg and the swing arm is 3.5 Kg.
will weigh TT tomorrow as it's else where.

Curly