RGS Frame

I also very much doubt a total weight of 171kg... not even attainable if the entire charging, lighting and starter system are ditched, as Red has explained with his very trick race bike. The weight distribution is also very suspect, reckon there's a good 20kg missing from the front. 108kg rear equals 63%, stock faired triples come out at around 52-53% rear iIrc, total weight being close to 245kg with oil and a half-tank fuel load.

I see heavy wheels with tubed(?) tyres, handlebars, switchgear, instruments and bracketry, horns, brake line splitter on the Spondon, so there's definitely scope for improvement. Anything under 200kg would be pretty damn good if using a Laverda triple as drive unit.

My own 3C underwent a long and tedious weightwatchers program, now at 215kg and 52/48% F/R bias with a half-full tank and complete road equipment. Did manage to get it down to around 205 at one stage, but many of the lightweight bits quickly fractured, so I beefed it all up a bit again. Paring 5kg from the engine alone was one royal pita, it don't come easy... No exotic materials have been used, all good ole' fashioned aluminium alloy, steel and fiberglass, reckon a further 2-3kg might be able to be saved if some larger bits are replaced with titanium and carbon fibre. Re-framing might save a further 8-12kg, but that's out of the question for me at my age.

Side note; mate always jeered on how heavy the jap competitors of the Laverdas were. One fine day we had a stock Honda K2 750-4 in the shop, next to his own SF3 and a bunch of triples to choose from. Turned out the SF3 was a whopping(!) 4 kg lighter than the Honda, pretty much debunking most of his arguments.

piet
 
On a good day with a tailwind, I am 120ish kg. The Garlic bread with Surf and Turf, Rump Steak with salt and pepper Squid for dinner at Wednesday nights NSW Laverda Club Meet was so good. They must have hired a new chief at the Pub.
 
sfcpiet said:
I also very much doubt a total weight of 171kg... not even attainable if the entire charging, lighting and starter system are ditched, as Red has explained with his very trick race bike. The weight distribution is also very suspect, reckon there's a good 20kg missing from the front. 108kg rear equals 63%, stock faired triples come out at around 52-53% rear iIrc, total weight being close to 245kg with oil and a half-tank fuel load.

I see heavy wheels with tubed(?) tyres, handlebars, switchgear, instruments and bracketry, horns, brake line splitter on the Spondon, so there's definitely scope for improvement. Anything under 200kg would be pretty damn good if using a Laverda triple as drive unit.

My own 3C underwent a long and tedious weightwatchers program, now at 215kg and 52/48% F/R bias with a half-full tank and complete road equipment. Did manage to get it down to around 205 at one stage, but many of the lightweight bits quickly fractured, so I beefed it all up a bit again. Paring 5kg from the engine alone was one royal pita, it don't come easy... No exotic materials have been used, all good ole' fashioned aluminium alloy, steel and fiberglass, reckon a further 2-3kg might be able to be saved if some larger bits are replaced with titanium and carbon fibre. Re-framing might save a further 8-12kg, but that's out of the question for me at my age.

Side note; mate always jeered on how heavy the jap competitors of the Laverdas were. One fine day we had a stock Honda K2 750-4 in the shop, next to his own SF3 and a bunch of triples to choose from. Turned out the SF3 was a whopping(!) 4 kg lighter than the Honda, pretty much debunking most of his arguments.

piet
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Hi Piet, I just contacted another Spondon Jota owner in Oz to find out if his bike had ever been weighed.
His had been to a local weighbridge a long time ago and he said from memory it was 195kg.
Moral of the story for me, be absolutely sure of any data before casually dropping it on an educated audience. Some interesting insights though as to how finely you guys have tweaked and honed your own bikes. For my own interest (and to put the lid on) I will get mine weighed the same way this summer and post the printout here. Thanks All
 
That is probably Richards Spondon, ex-Mark M. Small Laverda world, especially in Oz. I really like their aligned swingarm pivot and countershaft idea. Also there oval frame members, the beam might be stiffer but it hides the engine too much.
 
There is another Spondon triple in South Australia I know this because I have the engine for it in my workshop.:)
 
martymoose said:
All this drilling and weighing. I just want to ride, too many roads I haven't seen yet. Waste of time for me, even after a good shit I'm still 115kg......
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I'm over it now Marty. T'was a time when it really mattered... emphasis is now on reliability and comfort. ;) The occasional trackday hoon is still fun though.

Finding it difficult to stay under 90kg these days. Why isn't everything as easy as getting fat??:rolleyes:

piet
 
My Motodd comes in at 200kg,
Motor has carillon rods 235grm Ross Pistons and lightened clutch basket.
GSXR 1100 rims and lighter rotors.
All brackets and body work CF.
Thin walled minimal wiring harness.
Lithium battery less than 1kg.
Small headlights. For road going I couldn't loose any more weight as I built it for lightness. Could loose a couple of kg off the crank.
Looking at that Spondon frame there is a shitload more tubing than the motodd frame.
 
My highest was 92 kgs., at age 59.
Lost 13kgs. in 12 weeks to hit 79 for my 60th birthday.
I made 72 kgs again, probably for the first time since the '80s, during Covid.
Mainly, I'm happiest under 80. It's great to bend over to pull on my socks, and especially my wetsuit, without having to not breathe while doing it.
That and the bike goes quicker!
It's easier to shed weight from your body than it is from your Laverda.
Better for you, too.
 
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Laverdalothar said:
Better for us, yes, but to safe weight on the Laverda is relatively easy: Lots of heavy components that can be easily replaced with lighter ones...

I can lose roughly 10 Kilos just by exchanging the battery. Takes about 30 Minutes max. Show me how to lose 10 Kilos on my body in a week, and you are my heror. 😳 :ROFLMAO:
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Be careful Lothar or the guillotine might come after you.
I have the opposite problem, try not to let weight drop too much, bloody cyclist.
 
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