09-16-2023, 08:26 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Northeast
Posts: 934
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How to dramatically lighten a China bike?
I’m looking at the Surron Ultra Bee right now because it is so lightweight.
I’m now living on my boat and I think I’ll keep doing so. I need a bike that is: *55mph+ *street legal *weighs closer to 200lbs or less *can go at least 50 miles in one direction, stay overnight, then go 50 miles back and won’t break the bank. The xpect I have meets most of these points but it’s 280lbs. Without thinking about looks or suggesting stupidly expensive things, what are some low hanging fruit ideas I can do to lighten the xpect? What are the heaviest parts of the bike? What parts are unnecessary? What parts are heavy and cheap to change to something lighter? What about Chinese pit bikes with blinkers? Is there such a thing?
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2020 Lifan x-pect |
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09-16-2023, 11:01 AM | #2 |
Join Date: Nov 2022
Location: Dallas TX
Posts: 610
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The usual suspects are the exhaust system, battery, aluminum sprockets and perhaps narrow chain, foot pegs, and any metal mounting frames for add on gear can be very heavy. Going lighter wheels works too but it’s costly to switch to new rims and wheels.
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2022 1/2 Templar X 250 - 6 gear model - 13 Front / 40 Rear Sprockets - #42 / #120 Jets - 1mm thick nitrile O-ring needle shim (removed) - Kenda K761 Dual Sport Tires - Sedona Standard Thickness Inner Tubes - Stock OEM battery, carburetor, spark plug still going strong - https://youtu.be/dhAYEKH-jFQ |
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09-16-2023, 11:37 AM | #3 |
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Omaha, NE
Posts: 8,100
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Considered a smaler/cheaper ebike? This one is one I would love to have. 1200w continuous hub motor and a 60ah 48V battery. With that big battery it can go 70+ miles on a charge and thanks to the 1200W motor it can do speeds of 30+ Yes, it's 2400 bucks, but also a nicely engineered machine with full suspension. https://www.eahoraebike.com/products...tric-bike-grey
Unless you want something a bit faster, then yeah it's not the greatest option. Fills all the other desires well.
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Hawk Information and Resource guide: http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=20331 2018 Hawk 250 - Full Mod list here. http://www.chinariders.net/showpost....62&postcount=1 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 https://chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=34124 |
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09-16-2023, 06:45 PM | #4 |
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Northeast
Posts: 934
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I would definitely welcome a bunch of suggestions. That DB 125 at xpro is really something.
Mostly I would be riding this on the road because the places you go with a boat tend to be very developed. At least in terms of roads. Maybe not so much in terms of getting an Uber or public transportation. That’s where things fall short and where I need some kind of transportation to bring with me. I do need to be able to go 55+ because for something to be street legal and safely ride around on the road to go places, I see that has the minimum. I can’t do 30 on the road people are going to run me over. Even 55 kind of sucks. That’s what the xpect does right now with its current gearing. E bike is definitely not the priority. It’s just that the surron weighs so little. But now I see this DB 125 and I’m surprised. It weighs about the same. Yet it can go much farther. Realistically it’s going to be a road machine. I might even replace the knobby tires on whatever it is with street tires and even street rims. A Grom comes to mind or a monkey or something like that, but they are just too small. They are short. They are not easily seen in traffic. Any revised suggestions? I’m going to look a little more deeply into this DB 125 at X pro. My xpect is from xpro so I have some confidence in ordering from them. They were great.
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2020 Lifan x-pect |
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09-16-2023, 06:46 PM | #5 | |
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Northeast
Posts: 934
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Quote:
When I look at everything on your list, it sounds like a fortune to save about 10 pounds. So I guess making an existing bike light weight is probably not the way to go. The big ones are the engine and frame I guess. And that means a new bike
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2020 Lifan x-pect |
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09-16-2023, 08:17 PM | #6 |
Join Date: Jun 2023
Location: Big Piney, WY
Posts: 577
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Honda XR150L 282 lbs.
Remember, you can always build a bigger boat. ;-)
Honda XR150L https://powersports.honda.com/motorc...1E2em4g4-jYGO8
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2023 Hawk 250 from XPRO off of Amazon MOUNTAIN MAN RC + MOTO on YouTube "If there were more bloody noses, there would be less wars." - Hagbard Celine "Someday, after mastering the waves, the winds, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love and then, for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire." - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin |
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09-16-2023, 08:23 PM | #7 | |
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Northeast
Posts: 934
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Quote:
Also I want to be able to get this thing on and off the boat easily and I’d really like to be able to do that from anchor. That’s the main consideration. The ideal bike should be able to be taken out of a dinghy when I get ashore or put back into a dinghy again. Like at a boat ramp. Checking out the xr150l Edit: the xr150L is, unfortunately the same weight as my xpect. Hoping to knock 100 lbs or so off the xpect weight
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2020 Lifan x-pect |
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09-16-2023, 08:36 PM | #8 |
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Northeast
Posts: 934
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Look at this little inconspicuous post, for the win!
Listed dry net weight is 181lbs Listed max speed 65+ That extra 25cc is a big deal I guess. They put this together with the extra 25cc but didn’t add a ton of weight to go with the extra power. Weighs the same as the surron ultra bee and has, of course, unlimited range which is a huge plus. Listed UNDER $1000! Wow. Front Tires 70/100-19 Rear Tires 90/100-16 Probably would need to change these and the knobbies to something with a little more street grip. More like 60/40 or 70/30 tires ok for gravel and packed dry dirt, but very good on the street.
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2020 Lifan x-pect |
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09-16-2023, 08:55 PM | #9 |
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Australia
Posts: 1,419
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2 stroke scooter might be the weight reduction you are looking for. though not sure how street legal they are these days without being of a particular vintage...However trying to get larger than a grom but lighter than a grom is a conundrum.
Other option would be find a Honda classic or clone cub or trail and put in a new 150cc or higher displacement engine to achieve the 55mph requirement. Or the Xpro DLX 150 with all the superfluous plastics and any gubbins removed might be the featherweight dual sport possibility. |
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09-16-2023, 09:54 PM | #12 |
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Australia
Posts: 1,419
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the X-Pro DLX Storm 150 might get you there and back but I don't think it could carry extra luggage without snapping the back end off...
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09-17-2023, 06:16 AM | #13 | |
Join Date: Jun 2023
Location: Big Piney, WY
Posts: 577
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Quote:
55mph for a 150cc engine seems...possible, I guess? The same way that 75mph is possible for my 229cc Hawk engine, with a 150lbs rider, maybe...going downhill....with a tail wind...
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2023 Hawk 250 from XPRO off of Amazon MOUNTAIN MAN RC + MOTO on YouTube "If there were more bloody noses, there would be less wars." - Hagbard Celine "Someday, after mastering the waves, the winds, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love and then, for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire." - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin |
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09-17-2023, 07:29 AM | #14 |
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Australia
Posts: 1,419
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maybe they were listed in a Chinese miles which i believe has been changed to 1 china miles = 500meters...
a US mile is 1 to 1.609344km or 1609meters so you can fit 3 china miles in 1 US mile... Another example of why the metric system is superior... |
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09-17-2023, 09:03 AM | #15 | |
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Northeast
Posts: 934
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Quote:
Losing weight means I have cancer or am dying or something. A couple years back when I got the vaccine and it filled my heart with blood clots almost killing me, I went down to 130 while I was in the hospital. I'll pass on doing that again. I'm good. Lol but this is all about how heavy the bike is to lift Even if I was a huge guy, losing weight wouldn’t help me out here.
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2020 Lifan x-pect Last edited by Boatguy; 09-17-2023 at 09:36 AM. |
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