RaceTech Titanium is one of the leading brands when it comes to aftermarket titanium products. While many might associate them strictly to trick titanium hardware for dirt bikes, they do more. They fabricate pieces and parts for sport bikes, quads, SXS, karts, and drag cars. Some of my favorite work by them are custom titanium Yamaha Banshee swing arms. Most impressive in my opinion is, if you need a part they can machine it for you.
If I haven’t said it enough I am a big fan of one-off parts, carbon fiber, and anything I can get my hands on that is “works”. I have long been a fan of titanium bolts. Factory teams have been running titanium bolts and parts for decades in order to shave off as much weight as possible. The weight savings are very significant and even more so if you focus on key areas. I got my hands on RaceTech’s titanium triple clamp bolts, brake rotor bolts, sprocket bolts, chain tensioner nuts and bolts. These parts look amazing and are definitely visually appealing. Looks are great but titanium is king for one very important reason- weight. I busted out a calibrated scale to get deep into the weight comparison. (weight in grams)
Stock RaceTech Difference
Triple clamp bolts 140.4 83.1 57.3
Brake rotor bolts 28.2 14.4 13.8
Sprocket bolts 117.7 68.6 49.1
Chain tensioner 73.2 37.7 35.5
Total weight 359.5 203.8
Total savings 155.7 0.34 lbs
Weight Saved: 0.34 lbs
359.5 grams equals 0.79 pounds
203.8 grams equals 0.44 pounds
Over a quarter pound was saved by using RaceTech’s products- that is HUGE. If you look at the breakdown in weight you can see that there is a substantial difference in stock vs RaceTech. What must be taken into account as well is that these are savings on an already very competitive production bike. KTM leads the way in reducing the weight of dirt bikes and is the class leader. For comparison, here are the following weights (in lbs) of the 2020 450 dirt bikes provided by Motocross Action Magazine:
KTM 450SXF 223
Husky FC450 224
Kawasaki KX450 233
Yamaha YZ450F 238
Honda CRF450R 238
Suzuki RMZ450 241
Left: Triple clamps Bottom: Front Rotor
0.34 lbs saved on a KTM from titanium bolts is nothing to scoff at especially considering the manufacture already has cut weight in multiple areas. Most important is the brake rotor bolts, sprocket bolts, and chain tension bolt and nut are unsprung weight. The quick run down of sprung vs. unsprung is that if your suspension has to move it; you gotta lose it. 0.34 lbs removed of unsprung weight for around $200 is a very good move for any competitive racer. Unsprung weight is also the most felt weight and the rule of thumb is a 1 pound reduction in unsprung weight is equal to 6 pounds of sprung weight. Taking that ratio into consideration makes the 0.34 lbs lost with RaceTech's products equivalent to 2.04 lbs!
RaceTech sells titanium kits and individual bolts as well. My KTM 250 SX is my forever bike and I plan to keep it and continually modify it till I end up racing the vintage class on it somewhere around year 2060. What I like about the individual bolts is you can accumulate the weight savings over time by replacing bolts piece by piece. If you want it fast and now RaceTech has you covered with kits for your bike. RaceTech is offering factory parts and technology to the consumer.
Below is a link to the website and use code MXTECHTALK for 5% off to start accruing your titanium collection!
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