Quote:
Originally Posted by HugoVW
Why is everybody so impressed with the 165kg weight figure? that's the minimum weight required to race in WSBK.
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exactly. with a factory-backed bike comes through tech inspection, and it ISN'T at the minimum weight, they go back to the garage and tear the arms off the chief mechanic.
if it's BELOW the mininum weight at tech inspection, they go back and pat the same chief mechanic on the back...and ask him where he's going to add the lead to make minimum.
the hardest part is getting UP to the minimum weight, not reducing to drop down.
for example, factory-backed supercross bikes are required to have outer engine cases that "appear" identical to the stock cases in size and shape, but what goes on inside is another story.
"all the gears" have to be in the gearbox, but it doesn't state what materials the gears must be made of.
since they don't use fifth or sixth gear while racing, those gears can be made of something other than metal...say for instance...plastics used for skateboard wheels. liberal use of magnesium and titanium is also employed, along with more drilling-out that our resident dentist will experience in his whole career.
the goal is to get the bike lower than minimum, then add back weight in strategic locations to get the center of gravity where they want it.
team race bikes look pretty, all lined up in a row. they look identical. yet you usually can't take a motor mount from bike A and use it on bike B because the engine isnt in exactly the same position.
lots o' fiddlin' goes on in dirt bike racing. and we don't have anything close to the budgets that those asphalt scraping guys play with.