Unneeded parts = lighter bike

kshoban · Post by **kshoban** » Wed May 04, 2011 2:05 am

I want to strip everything off my bike that isn't needed, to get the bike as light as possible on the road. I love the simplicity of the old cafe racers and want to ad the same concept to my ca95 build. I was wondering specifically about the rear fender braces. Neither of the two benlys pictured below have rear fender braces --and one of them is a racer? How much they actually do? If I get rid of them, would my bike be insanely wobbly at 45-50mph or will it be barley noticable? Thanks.

-Kevin

Smithers · Post by **Smithers** » Wed May 04, 2011 9:00 am

You might not notice much of a change in handling if you are just tooling around. I hope you aren't 200lbs plus!! haha. I would leave them on or paint them black. In the long run they keep the frame metal from fatiguing and cracking. It all depends on how much you're going to ride the little guy and how hard. Get some pictures of your work when you start messing with it.

Sam Green · Post by **Sam Green** » Thu May 05, 2011 5:50 am

kshoban wrote:I want to strip everything off my bike that isn't needed, to get the bike as light as possible on the road. I love the simplicity of the old cafe racers and want to ad the same concept to my ca95 build. I was wondering specifically about the rear fender braces. Neither of the two benlys pictured below have rear fender braces --and one of them is a racer? How much they actually do? If I get rid of them, would my bike be insanely wobbly at 45-50mph or will it be barley noticable? Thanks.

-Kevin

Kevin, the braces that you reffer to are not braces and the #4 bike in your second picture is a CB92 frame which did not have them in the first place.
The only purpose they serve is for mounting the turn signals on the tourer and act as strengthening when the Honda lugage rack is fitted.
Even removing the rear fender completely will not affect the handling of the bike. Check the back end of the sprint bike in this link pictured with my modern race bike, it has a carbon fender just for looks, it offers no ridgidity to the frame. http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=46104.125
The child in the background of the picture of the #4 bike was 37.5 yards away, I guess he thought it was a little to noisey for him.

Sam.

Sam Green · Post by **Sam Green** » Thu May 05, 2011 6:46 am

Just to add, the bike now weighs in at 139lbs.

Sam.

kshoban · Post by **kshoban** » Thu May 05, 2011 5:46 pm

Hey Sam, are the bikes in the race pics thread your bikes? Aw man, if they are, I have some questions. Haha. Thanks for all the info everyone!

Smithers · Post by **Smithers** » Thu May 05, 2011 8:14 pm

Yeah that would be cool if we could get some more info and pictures of actual race bikes on here.

Sam Green · Post by **Sam Green** » Mon May 09, 2011 12:31 am

kshoban wrote:Hey Sam, are the bikes in the race pics thread your bikes? Aw man, if they are, I have some questions. Haha. Thanks for all the info everyone!

Yes they are and that is me on the #4 bike back in 71 when I was young and good looking

the years have not been kind to me and remembering some of the things I did on them is a little hazey, didn't keep notes back then and didn't know what a dyno was.

Sam.

Smithers · Post by **Smithers** » Sat May 14, 2011 9:12 pm

Wow that is one streamlined machine. That sucker must have been loud. Look at the poor little kid in the background holding his ears! That bad boy needs a pressurized airbox too. Top speed?