May 14, 200422 yr WOW, a couple of surprises here Weighing In... Dan Brown and Barry Florin conducted an impromptu new-bike "weigh in" at the Trials Training Center during the National Competition. Using out-of-the-box machines from TTC's own stock (with exception of the 4-stroke 140cc Scorpa and the Gas Gas Raga Special, which were provided by the respective importers), each bike was weighed, using accurate digital scales. Before weigh in, each bike was emptied of fuel, but contained tranny fluid and coolant in ready-to-ride form. Weights (LBS.) From Heaviest To Lightest Montesa - 167 (without lights) Beta - 164 (with lights) Scorpa 4-stroke - 163 (without lights) Scorpa 2-stroke - 162 (with lights) Sherco 2.9 - 159 (with lights) Gas Gas Pro 280 - 156 (with lights) Gas Gas Raga - 148 (without kickstand) For comparison, a 1975 Honda TL125 weighed in at 198, with fuel. Sherco's are right in there!!
May 14, 200422 yr So is that also in order of least frame cracking problems to most frame cracking problems?
May 20, 200422 yr hmm,gas gas weights seem a little odd.maybe that was an 03 280 'cos the raga shouldn't weigh that much less than an 04,being that the 04 came with ally mid pipe (-4lbs supposedly) and the raga didn't.The 04 has come with most the weight saving items that the raga came with except for the mag parts which surely can't have saved 8lbs.Did the raga have lights too?Oooh,i'm all confused!Too many questions.I'm going to bed. pip.
May 20, 200422 yr They were all 04's except the Honda, the Raga was without lights and the kickstand. They were all without fuel, but ready to ride other than that!
May 20, 200422 yr Barry, I believe I was told that the Raga Replica you and Dan weighed was Dale's. If I am not mistaken, his bike is an '03 model. I have heard that he replaced his mid muffler with an '04 aluminum one and maybe did a few other things to lighten it. I could be mistaken, but that would account for the extreme difference in the weights. -Ron
May 22, 200422 yr "So is that also in order of least frame cracking problems to most frame cracking problems?" Maybe not I've cracked a (1997) montesa frame and a (2001) beta frame, not done a sherco frame yet and not ridden a gas gas for 10 year so can't comment Chris
May 23, 200422 yr The raga replica 04's are only just out so guess this was the 03/04 raga replica, should be lighter with a magnesium s/arm and other bits, cases?
August 30, 200421 yr Did you happen to note the front/rear weights? I'm really curious about those. Bullfrog . . . keep the rubber side down!
August 31, 200421 yr my beta weighs 84 kilos ready to ride with full fuel tank so that is about 185 pounds dont no why they didn't make them light in the first place it is not exactly rocket science saving weight is it.
August 31, 200421 yr dont no why they didn't make them light in the first place it is not exactly rocket science saving weight is it. when you get married BB, you should tell that to your wife, she'll show you bloody rocket science.
August 31, 200421 yr Did you happen to note the front/rear weights? I'm really curious about those.Bullfrog . . . keep the rubber side down! When we did the bike weigh-in, the bikes were suspended from a calibrated scale hanging overhead. So there was no measurement of front/rear differences. Ron Milam & I did something interesting a while back with the 04 GasGas Pro and the Beta. Both bikes were new and totally stock. We weighed front and rear using a simple bathroom scale, which may not be totally accurate but we were only looking for differences anyway. I'm speaking from memory now, but we observed that the Beta was very close to evenly distributed weight, while the GasGas was a bit lighter in the front relative to the rear. We lined the bikes up side by side and noticed also that the stock footpegs on the GasGas were further to the rear by maybe a half inch or so compared to the Beta. The front end geometry looked identical. The Beta swing arm appeared to be a bit longer, with the pivot point slightly forward of the GasGas pivot. Of course, probably some of this comes from the linkless suspension on the Beta with conventional linkage on the GasGas, but the result is a slightly different geometry in the rear. Ron & I rode both bikes side by side, rode a section and then traded bikes and repeated the same thing. It was interesting. The GasGas felt nimble to me, and seemed to work best if you rode it more aggressively. The Beta seemed to work best for me if I went slower and tried to ride more precisely. It seemed to hook up nice on a camber turn when traction was poor. I rode the Sherco 2.9, although not at the same exact time, and it felt to me like the handling on it was somewhere between the GasGas and Beta. Really nice clutch on the Sherco, it is nice when you make an off-camber turn while working the clutch. I've ridden the Montesa a little, but not enough to compare. I hope to spend some more time trying out the Montesa now that the LeRiche boys will be done with them after the U.S. season is over. That's my impressions from a middle of the pack clubman Advanced class rider. My observation is that different club riders develop different styles and what suits one rider best may differ from what suits another best. That's why we try to sell all the brands at TTC and keep some of each in the rental fleet so people can try them. It would be easier for us to maintain if we had a whole bunch of the same bikes, but I think people enjoy trying out different bikes and so we try to accomodate that. Probably some people develop a style based on the bike they happened to learn on and they tend to like that same feeling. But it's fun to try new things, especially motorcycles! regards, Dan Brown Trials Training Center
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