Yeah I have lost weight since I got those leathers, and it's time to go back down a size or maybe just get them altered. They will roll over from Snell 2010 to Snell 2015 helmets next year so that means a new Shoei X-14 too (cripes they are expensive). It's been three weeks so naturally I already have the bike completely reconfigured in my head to run fuel class next year - three spoke wheels, adjustable clipons, lose the lights, aero fender, 6" rearsets, seat 3" back, tanks for gas, nitrous and alcohol injection, crossover pipe, beefier oil pump, lighter valves, titanium keepers, beefier clutch, etc., etc. I suspect I'll need to get to at least 110 to record in 350 M-CF which means finding around 20hp. Tricky, but possible. Option 2 is look for more low hanging fruit in a different class and get a different bike. Already have my eye on one possibility.
When you crunch the aero/hp/speed numbers weight reduction has about the least impact. Reduced frontal area is way more influential, as is reducing drag coefficient. My estimated speed was pretty accurate using about 555lbs, .7 Cd, 6 sq ft frontal area. Figuring about a 20% hp loss at 5000 ft I would have been putting out about 25.5hp, which would have put me right about 90 mph. I was up to speed at the timed mile even with a semi-slipping clutch, so I was probably OK in terms of accelerating my mass in the run up. Running 50 lbs lighter would have gotten me to maybe 90.1, but reducing frontal area by 0.5 sq.ft. could get me close to 93. So tighter leathers and getting more tucked and skinny are probably more useful than chopping weight off the bike, for sure.
Look up Alp Sungerteken. He just ran 173.33 against a 123.869 record in SCTA 650 M-VF, on a naked 1950 Triumph 650 running nitro. Holy s**t!
