Ducati Monster Forum

So I've been thinking about a couple of ways to save some more weight on my duc. Looking around for some used wheels and a used, lightweight exhaust header have been my more simple ways to achieve it. It just seemed to make sense that the lighter my Monster is the better it'll get off the line. Plus, I just have fun looking at Ducati stuff and dreaming ......

I found a set of used Carrozeria gold wheels to looks like they might fit my 2001 900Sie. $800.  Claimed naked weigh for the front is 7.8 lbs and rear is 13.4 lbs.

Does anybody know what the weight savings are over stock wheels?   Is there a really noticeable difference [handling, acceleration] with lighter wheels?  If so, are these wheels a good way to get there from here?

Just throwing it out there.  Thanks for helping the less-informed!   [roll]

Despite tires being more important (, but can't be lighter) really light weight rims makes a very fun change. Hard to name a price for fun.

We have a sticky about wheel weights.

Not a sticky..

http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=47036.0

R6 wheels + lighter discs on my M900, 2,0kg/2,5kg rear less wight, quite noticeable and fun, more flickable.

Wow. Wheels from an R6 + lighter discs.  If there are lighter weight options, for my bike, from other bikes, I'd sure enough work towards that!.  I started looking at my wheel dimensions and comparing them to other lighter, aftermarket or higher quality/lighter Duc wheels on Ebay.  It seems the weird issue with tire fitment = limited options starts at the slightly different wheel dimensions for the '01? .  Front is 3.50 x 17"  No problem.  Lots of wheels and tires available.  Rear is 5.5 x 17"  - what appears to be a limited/odd size?  Most Duc wheels seem to be wider than 5.5"

I'm down with spending a few bucks for more fun and better response on my bike but 1 of the only lighter forged alloy wheels, listed on Ebay, that fit my wheel dimensions was waaaaay out of my price range.  The dimensions of the rear [already] mounted tire were different from mine but the wheel is the same dimension.    170/60 OEM vs. 180/55 on the Galespeed wheel.  I thought that it's not a good idea to push tire sizes?   Hey, what do I know!

If this wheel expedition pans out I'll be looking at some type of lighter weight rotors. Probably keeping a sharper eye on future tire weights too.

Anyway, I'm getting a bit of an education on how some of this works as I get a little deeper into it.  Sorry if this is all pretty basic to most people.  If there's a suggestion as to what to look for, I'm open.  Thanks!

If you've got the wheels I think you have, 25mm front axle and 17mm rear axle....

5-spoke OEM Ducati front, 6 bolt brake rotor flange, will bolt straight up.

5-spoke OEM rear from a 1000SS will bolt straight up too.

5.5 is a very common Ducati size and 180 tires are suitable.

Right on!    Thanks for some direction and clarification.  Much appreciated.

Greenmonster -
What's the R6 wheels mod you mentioned?  Looking for wheels for my 695...
Thanks

See sparate thread.

How about battery?  You can shave off 5-7 pounds going from AGM to Lithium. EarthX are barely over 2 pounds.

If the battery location is high under the tank a lithium battery makes a full tank feel empty and really helps the c of g. Light flywheels may also sharpen the handling on steering input and changes of direction like steering through esses. I noticed the difference testing flywheels on 900 models which have heavy internals. On a 900ie, I'd get the stock flywheel machined down and run a light clutch. You can get a billet hub/drum, basket, alloy plates, billet pressure plate, springs keepers and Ti bolts. I dropped 4 pounds off my 900 clutch.

So consider wheels, flywheel, clutch and battery. If you can find Michelin Pilot Pure tyres they were very light tyres. I notice that Ohlins springs are usually lighter than stock too. A Penske shock dropped 2 pounds. I raced weighing 155 but I would consider 200 my normal weight, so there's that. With a concerted effort within my budget I dropped 35 pounds off my 900. I even fitted a small light weight horn from a dirt bike..

Light wheels are very effective since wheels are the largest gyros on the bike.

In my experience I have to confirm Koko’s input. With a Nichols flywheel, aluminum clutch hub and basket, over 7lbs removed from rotating mass, Andreani for cartridges another 2lbs, hyper pro rear shock, about 1.5 lbs, and my P2 battery is only 1.5 lbs. but that 12 lbs came at quite a cost, I have marchesini wheels, Yana Shiki rotors with ti bolts (I’m sure there are a couple pounds shaved off there. Weight loss is a very expensive proposition

I'll third the lighter clutch comments. Replacing steel clutch pack and basket with alloy was noticeably lighter with improved feel. I recorded the weights somewhere, will see if I can find them. I also got a billet pressure plate (from HSBK Racing) but found it was the same weight as the stocker I was replacing.

In my experience, the challenge is that many vendors don't include weights for pressure plates, drums, springs, and fasteners so you may be shelling out for something that's not actually any lighter than what you have.

Suzyj had an epic thread redoing her 695's wiring. IIRC, she dropped 5+ pounds on her bike. That's a project not for the faint of heart, though.

I found a set of red 5 spoke Marchesini/Brembo wheels that are looking great ["pimp my ride" factor], were actually affordable and saved a little weight on the front too. The seller has been extremely helpful with "a bit of fiddling" it has taken for the rear to fit on the swap. The rear was a wash on weight.  I figured with new tires and wheels, I found a set of wave rotors that work great and didn't break the bank. My OEM's were close to being out of spec anyway.

The lithium battery is a great idea.  Next year I think.   I did upgrade to an Ohlins 3 years ago as well.   

Lighter wheels seemed to make the biggest difference in handling. And then a lithium battery.
I've got a 6" back wheel on my '98 M900. They are forged aluminum Hi-Points.
Some 180 tires are wider than others- the Pilot GP 180 I have now is about 3/8" narrower overall than the 180 Pirelli Rosso Corso I previously had, the Pilot GP 180 is narrower and clears the chain a good bit more, it seems.

A new lithium battery is definitely on the to-do list.  I also found a used set of rearsets from Pinion [thank you for the install information!] and am working on them, hoping they shave a bit of weight off as well as improving my knee position. I got a garage heater to extend the season for my feeble wrenching skills before I put the duc away for the season. Between fitting the new wheels, new tires, rearsets and 2 other bits, not many miles on it this season but it should be ready to roll next spring. The bike came with a Barnett clutch and partial C.F. cover. I'm not sure if that saves any weight/rotational mass over OEM.

The original 3 spoke wheels on the older monsters are very soft.  Bent a few of them on Boston roads.  The newer 5 spoke versions or a machined forged after market set is definitely a step up in strength.  I just thought of the reduced rotating mass as an added bonus.

As for your clutch, check and see if the basket is steel or aluminum.

 By Barnett clutch, that could mean plates and/or basket. Barnett plate kits are very light kits and the baskets are lighter than steel oem baskets and similar in weight to oem alloy baskets. Light weight hubs, Ti bolts, Ti springs and alloy spring keepers are also available from various companies. A past weight loss crusade resulted in shedding over four pounds from theo clutch of an older M900. The flywheel had 2 pounds shaved off it, literally, which is a subject in itself.

Lithium batteries are a low cost weight reduction, but buy a high quality item like a Shorai to avoid problems.