How much does the starter, gears and battery weigh??

[yamaha227]

Looking at removing the Starter motor, drive gears and battery from my 08 WR250F and was wondering if anyone has done the same and weighed all the bits?

[JMo]

Not as much as the sweat you'll work up every time you have to kick start it...

Why would you want to remove a factory e-start?! Isn't that the point of having a WR (rather than YZ)?

xxx

[meyer1son]

Looking at removing the Starter motor, drive gears and battery from my 08 WR250F and was wondering if anyone has done the same and weighed all the bits?

I just removed all that on my bike. I haven't had a chance to weigh it all, but I can tell you that it is worth it to me. I live in Cali with the green/red sticker bs. The bike is way better in every aspect. Except when you have to kick start it.

Chris

[drz400gncc]

the first time u lay the bike over and have to kick it you will wish u had it.

[meyer1son]

the first time u lay the bike over and have to kick it you will wish u had it.

Thanks for caring, but I will be ok LOL

[yamaha227]

I just removed all that on my bike. I haven't had a chance to weigh it all, but I can tell you that it is worth it to me. I live in Cali with the green/red sticker bs. The bike is way better in every aspect. Except when you have to kick start it.

Chris

My reasoning may be different to yours. This is my race bike so im prepared to sacrifice having e-start if i can save 3 to 4kg, especially from up so high like where the battery lives.

The energy i will save in a race from less weight will outweigh having to kick it if i have too. My legs aren't that weak so kicking it is not a problem!

If i could have 2 bikes i would, (a YZ to race and a WR to trail ride and train on) but i cant afford it so the WR is both. I need registration for everywhere i ride and alot of races i do, so just having a YZ is not an option.

So back to the question, anyone done it and weighed the bits?

Did you use a cheap lightweight 12v battery in place of the stock lead acid one or did you come up with another sollution?

A mate of mine has done it and he said he needed some kind of 12v battery in the system to act like a capacitor/diode (or something) so he didnt fry his regulator.

[Semmler07]

I just took the electic start off of my 03' WR the weight it shaved ended up being about Eight pounds. The best part about it is most of the weight it high in the bike so you are lowering its center of gravity. The rest of the weight off the flywheel is rotating weight which for anyone who knows should be multiplied by a factor of 8. this makes a signifigant difference in your bikes wind up. Here is a link to a write up i did of all the specs and thigs you can expect when removing electric start. About halfway down the page is my response- https://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=749136

[yamaha227]

Thanks for the link.

With mine being a 08 WR im pretty sure my CDI and regulator work differently to the earlier models and it requires some kind of 12v power source to still be there. Not sure if there are any other options?

Mate of mine used a cheap, light, small 12v Dry cell battery from a auto parts store and wired that in and it worked fine. He said it weigh's about a 1/3 the weight of the stock one, thinking of doing the same but mounting it right down low on the bottom of the frame just infront of the lower shock link.

Will be pulling the gears off aswell for sure, apparently they weigh quite a bit and the motor rev's alot easier without them.

[mx730md]

man you guys are crazy im trying to find a wr just for the e-start i race hare scrambles and i believe i would be alot fast cause half the time im riding i worry more about stalling rather then racing. i got a big bore and it pretty hard to kick over at least to me so if it doesnt start in the first two kicks it just wears you out. 8 pound is hardly worth not having the button. i saw on a website that tested tad duvals wr250 that they put the battery in the skid plate. so that should get rid of most the weight while keeping the magic button

[Semmler07]

Individuality and customization is what makes the world of motorsports so great. If we all wanted the same bike it would be just boring, i thought removing my e start made a huge differenc in my WR's handling thats just my opinion.

[yamaha227]

Individuality and customization is what makes the world of motorsports so great. If we all wanted the same bike it would be just boring, i thought removing my e start made a huge differenc in my WR's handling thats just my opinion.

Exactly. Im hoping i will notice a nice difference, can always put it back on if i dont feel its worth it. The friend of mine who has done it said its awesome and he wouldnt go back.

If your stalling it all the time IMO your doing something wrong or your bike is not setup right.

[mx730md]

idk i see the guys point from cal but the other guys why not just start out with the yz it a better package if you dont want a estart

[Semmler07]

Because we didnt start out with yz's and we are not made of money. I bought my 03' WR 2 years ago in great shape froma guy who was about to lose his house if he didnt scrape up some cash fast. He was asking 2700 bucks for it, i offered him 1900 and he took 2000. I couldnt go wrong and otherwise I would have been riding something alot worse for the past two years. Also the gearing is pefrect for the places I ride. If you look around and do a search every topic about removing the e start off a WR every other person has that opinion "why didn't you just buy a YZ?" easier said than done for some of us friend. I still have all of the parts so i can change it back if i choose to sell. I havent lost a thing, only my time. Hope this clears up the mystery.

[yamaha227]

idk i see the guys point from cal but the other guys why not just start out with the yz it a better package if you dont want a estart

The main reason = Registration!! ?

I cant ride anywhere in Aus without registration and a YZ cant be registered, simple!

Soon i will have a bike just as light and nimble as a YZ but with lights and rego, so i can ride it down to the shops if i want.

[yamaha227]

Well i have done the mod's, removed the battery, starter, and gears.

Filled the hole where the starter was with a 30mm welsh plug and used small 12v 1.3ah battery from a electronics shop where the original one was.

New battery weigh's 500 grams.

Bits i removed weighed:

Starter = 0.7kg

Battery = 2.0kg

Gears = 1.2kg

All up = 3.9kg - 0.5kg for the battery i added = 3.4kg weight saving ?

Rode it today and its a very noticeable improvement in handling. Feels like riding it when its nearly empty of fuel but with a full tank.

Another great part of the mod is removing all the gears, especially the big one from behind the flywheel has really freed up the motor and its rev's alot quicker now, just like a YZ.

Very happy with the changes

Some pic's,

Starter and original battery

Gears removed, the big one sits behind the flywheel!!

New battery installed where the stock one was, much smaller!