Dyna weight loss project

Trying to drop 100 lbs off a 2001 Dyna FXDXTS. That's the pseudo sport touring HD. A bunch of stuff on the maybe list, some of it centering around the brakes. So.... before looking at the brakes, the wheels cry out for attention.
Looking for leads on lighter weight mag (tubeless) wheels. Bolt-on or at least semi-bolt on. Don't mind doing a bit of machining, but don't want a parrot-to-cat conversion.
Aftermarket? Other HD wheels? Other brands?
Appreciate any leads, experience, or info.
Not asking for permission, only information.
thanks,
-Armen

you really want to save weight on the wheels look at BST carbon's they are used on the Confederate X132 Hellcat allot of tests with these wheels on superbikes due to the savings in weight made the bike lap 1 second a lap quicker than before, I'm not sure if they do never done much research into HD as I'm more a sport's orientated rider perhaps you can also get carbon fibre fairing replacements to save more weight.

If you really want to get as much weight off as possible could swap out all the mounting bolts for Titanium ones seen guys do it on my bike to save some weight plus means there easier to remove after a couple of years with its corrosion resistance.

Yes, I know those wheels. Amazing, but about $5K for the pair. And lots of fabrication to custom fit them.
Looking for something a little less effort :)

If you want to install different wheels that require less effort, you are pretty much stuck using Harley wheels. I'm not sure how much weight savings would be involved. Light = expensive in the motorcycle world.

For wheels it should'nt be too hard to knock some weight off, if you don't mind going with spoke wheels, go with some aluminium hoops and it should knock off quite a bit right there.

Plus looking at all the superficial parts is really worth it, as cruisers are mostly superficial parts, think fender supports and such, the fenders themselves can loose a lot of weight by going with fiberglass ones.

Even the controls are fifty times more porky than they need to be, master cylinders don't need to weight 3 pounds to work, handlebars don't need to be schedule 40 1 1/8 tube.

You can pretty much lose weight everywhere on those things depending on what you want to fabricate.

I was planning on making as much stuff out of unobtanium and drillium as I can. What I was looking for was someone saying "Try XYZ aftermarket wheels. Ten pounds less and only $1K each".
Performance Machine and a few others make wheels. Most of the websites are pretty painful, and weight is not real detailed, as the HD crowd seem to think bigger/heavier is better.
Supertrapp 2-1 is on order. System weighs pounds less and we ditch the bridge abutment holding the existing 2 muff system together.
Doing the headscratching on a single 6 piston caliper (and lighter rotor) to replace the dual disc boat anchors. Prob 10 lbs off.
When the battery dies, it'll get swapped for a Shorai. 10-20 lb off.
Rear rotor is being swapped for a Wave. A few pounds.
Footpeg brackets are insane. Fenders are made of deckplates from the SS United States.
I think 100 lb loss is possible without selling organs.
Weighed in at 666 lbs with most of a tank of gas.
Still waiting for some moron to say 'Just go on a diet!' It seems to always happen with bike-lightening threads.

ahh you don't need to go on a diet look what has happened in moto2 with the minimum weight raised riders who were starving themselves to save weight are at a healthy weight now and can put more strength into hussling there bikes about, even with lightening a HD will still be heavy.

Have to say, the bike as it is now works pretty well. If I can get it down to 550 lbs, it'll be faster, handle better, stop better, get better MPG and be right in the hunt weight-wise for a big sport tourer.

can that beast of a motor be hung in a buell tube frame,they are 130 lbs lighter than the same engined sportster.

I guess you could more completely miss the point, but only if you really tried.
Put a big twin motor in a Buell chassis to make a touring bike and devote my life to it? And have what when I'm done?
I'm looking for a tummy tuck you're proposing a sex change :-0

I'll be watching this thread with interest. I have the same bike but mine has gotten heavier over the past couple years, if anything (come to think of it, so have I).

I'm pretty happy with the performance as it is but a better power to weight ratio is always welcome.

This forum as all about info,more-buell cyclone has a 6 puck brembo cali,no sex change, the buell frame is made of chromoly-not wimpy.
anyway you have something in mind, the ideal DYNA. i throw out info if it doesnot fit well but something has been added,HD doesnot design lightness and gave you a basic example,look at all the oversized parts,even in al they are not helping your idea. i have 2 shocks to try on my build up one the gszx1000 is half the weight of the other-hayabusa.
woodies wheels could tell you how much you can save on going to alloy spoked wheels-if you like,i like mine tubeless ,so no go for me but i will be in the boonies 2up.I donot like plastic ,but i have a plastic oh japanese bike.
Classic brit bikes had some nice al fender and parts,easily gotten as they are going nuts over there restoring and building new bikes-engines included.
But all this is just to increase your inventory of possibilities.
By the way, i would not make that suggestion on an HD forum.
the dyna dry was specd at 597 lbs dry,639 lbs wet,which weight are you going for? myself if it was my bike i would just ride it and make changes over time.

see this,http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=515443

Watching with interest, as I do all lightening threads. If done right it is ALWAYS worth doing, regardless of bike.

When your starting point is an HD there's nowhere to go but down, so ta speak.

Is there enough available real estate on a Dyna to go to a spun aluminum oil bag?

Ordering a single caliper HD master tonight. Found an EBC rotor for not scary money. They come in wide and narrow band. I believe the PM 6 pot caliper would qualify for the narrow band rotor, but I'll order it first and take a looksee before ordering the rotor.
A bunch of the Glides had a single 4 piston caliper. Gotta figure a top shelf 6 pot will do the job.
Time to dust off the digital scale : )
-Armen

Well I'm not sure about what bolts up and what does'nt but I know most aftermarket calipers are just prettied up copies of nissin and tokiko calipers and use the same pads and rebuild kits as suzuki and kawasaki sport bikes.

I have seen people swapping supersport calipers onto the rear of their cruisers, given most were japanese it's a little different.

But most of the suspension and brake parts harley uses is japanese too...so maybe some good used super sport parts may bolt right up and save you tons of money on restyled parts that are internally the same?

Some quick googling yielded:

http://www.hdforums.com/forum/dyna-glide-models/197228-yet-another-dyna-brake-upgrade.html
http://www.harley-davidsonforums.com/forums/suspension/1340-did-you-know-how-brake-upgrade.html

Open primary & kickstart with small battery. Belt primary instead of chain. Probably 50 lbs+ right there. Could fab a light belt guard.

Here's the gag:
Planning on using a single, 6 piston Performance Machine caliper on an EBC rotor. And a single disc M/C from another HD.
logic?
HDs of that era used DOT 5 silicon based fluid. Everyone else used DOT 4 glycol based fluid. So, either use stock, period HD stuff or aftermarket stuff made for HDs. DOT 5 and 4 parts and fluid are ragingly incompatible.
Performance Machine makes bolt-on 6 pot calipers for the bike. Having just spent more hours than I care to admit to fabricating a bracket to mount a 4 pot Brembo to a late model Bonnie, I can tell you things move slower in real life than on TV. Those fucking chopper channel shows have made a million 'experts' out of people who can barely wipe their asses.
Most people saying stuff like 'just use a Buell chassis' don't understand that that is like saying 'just win a ground war against Russia'.
As to the comment that the aftermarket stuff is copies of Japanese sport bikes, it doesn't apply to PM. They make billet calipers and have for decades. I don't remember any billet factory Japanese calipers from that era.
The only way to use the 'supersport' calipers would be to use DOT 4 compatible master cylinders. This HD uses an integral M/C and throttle/switch housing, so much changing of stuff is in order. And the bike uses a 1" diameter handlebar, which no supersport bike does.
As it is, in simplest form this project will take tens of hours and consume thousands of dollars. That is with mostly bolt-on stuff. I don't want it to become hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars. We just don't have that.
As to the comment that the bike specs were under 600 lbs, that would be measured at the Ad brochure. The same person probably still believes in the Easter bunny. Those numbers are at best, a lie.
This bike was weighed on a digital bike scale at 666 lbs with most of a tank of gas. I checked the scale with my own weight and it was pretty damn close.
For the record, the early single piston/sliding caliper HD stuff were craptastic at best. In 2000, HD went to sealed ball bearings in the wheels, 4 pot calipers, and larger diameter axles. In 2008 (?) they quietly went to Brembo calipers, but they still weigh as much as Rosy O'Donnel's butt.
Supertrapp ordered yesterday. M/C ordered today. Closing in on a deal on the caliper. Will order the rotor next week.
After the pipe install/jetting flog, then the front brake. Then maybe something simple like a wave rotor on the back.
Then the winter projects of lighter footpeg brackets, etc.
Should be a hoot. Removing dead weight is like taking a huge dump-very rewarding!
-Armen

plastic fenders.
plastic gas tank
buell wheels
7/8" aluminum bars with minimal switches
plastic headlight shell.
jap controls & brakes
aluminum swingarm
kickstart/ remove electric starter components
CDI, no battery
no steel covers, if it doesnt seal oil, just eliminate all of them.
with this you should be close to losing 100.

PM 6 pot Caliper and single disc master are on the way. I'll take a looksee at the caliper and see if we can use the narrow band rotor.
Guessing the brakes alone will be worth 10 lbs.
Supertrapp is on the way as well. Bike has an aftermarket 2-2 with almost no baffles now. Trapp is 2-1, so the crossover support (hunk of pipe) will go.
Not sure how much the pipe project will do, but another 10 lbs would be nice.
Guessing a Wave rotor would be next on the list. When I did one on my SV650, it was worth over a pound. Considering the HD discs, I'm guessing the weight loss will be more than that.
I don't think 100 lb loss is impossible.
All in good fun.
-Armen

Will be following with interest. I don't think I'll change anything on my bagger for weight savings, but I'm always amazed on how much everything weighs.
EDIT: Ok, I'd love a new front wheel and an open primary, both of which would save weight, but it'd really be done for the cool factor. Both are also pretty pricey.


Also, people might contribute more if you don't berate them for throwing out ideas. No need to be discourteous for spitballing during a brainstorm.