steel frame vs. Aluminum.

[125pinger]

how much weight are you really saving??

[justin1363]

None you actualy gain weight Example the husqvarna tc 250 is now the lightest productshion (spelling) 4 stroke and it has a steel frame.

[txmxer]

It mostly gives you better handling, cornering, etc

[Kalamazoo]

2005 WR450 244 lbs. steel frame

2007 WR450 246.9 lbs aluminum frame

[mxjosh]

Depends on the bike. My 03 YZ Steel frame was 5.4lbs heavier than my 05 YZ AL frame.

[payne5757]

Its an excuseto keep upping the price on bikes! lol

[yamaha king 69]

and they look better!

[rkwfxd1]

Steel tube can only be bent so far and shaped so much. I think the real advantage to aluminum is they can forge the frame to the exact shape they want and "tune" the stiffness and flexibility with more or less / thicker or thinner ribbing and material thickness.

[rkwfxd1]

2005 WR450 244 lbs. steel frame

2007 WR450 246.9 lbs aluminum frame

Is the frame the only difference between these two bikes? Is it possible that the aluminum frame is lighter than the steel frame but the bike weighs more due to AIS, heavy muffler, bigger forks, different rims and tires, different handlebars, etc....?

I don't really know all of the changes between the steel frame WRs and the aluminum framed WRs.

[Chevy74]

The aluminum frame is more ridged and allows the suspension to properly work instead of the frame flexing.

[Gflo]

I have heard that aluminum is cheaper than chromoly steel. The weight difference is negligible because you have to use a lot more aluminum to get the same strength as steel. As for the level of stiffness, that can be engineered into the design regardless of materials used.

[Ogener]

From what I have been told and experienced. An aluminum framed bike may weigh the same but it will feel lighter due to the handleing of the bike and where the mass is centered in the frame. Generally they are designed differently to provide better handleing and work better with the suspension components.

[Parker888]

how much weight are you really saving??

It depends on the coins:p You're looking at it wrong its all about the $$$$$$ for the manufacturing company's.

[fast frank]

with stock frames there is rarely any weight difference, but with a good custom frame such as a c+j there is usually an advantage with moly but it does not look as trick as aluminum, so it is a hard sell.

with stock bikes it is almost impossible to compare the two, the new bike will always handle better. Ive built several kitted bikes c+j with real chromemoly frames (Idont think any japanese frame has ever had real moly frames) Just comparing the swingarms with my last project the moly arm was 3lbs lighter than the aluminum arm.

[GodHunter]

Steel tube can only be bent so far and shaped so much. I think the real advantage to aluminum is they can forge the frame to the exact shape they want and "tune" the stiffness and flexibility with more or less / thicker or thinner ribbing and material thickness.

Exactly it's more about ergonomics than weight.

[rpt50]

Both steel and aluminum frames can be "tuned"--just look at sport bikes and motoGP. When you look at the whole model line, the lightest bikes are KTMs, and they use steel. I own both types, and the only consistent difference I can see is that it is much easier to work on a steel frame bike.

[fivepointnine]

I heard that in Japan Steel is more expensive than Aluminum, therefore it would make economic sense to use Aluminum......flex is not an issue, since most companies are now engineering more flex into their frames

[markgoodall]

They used to play baseball with wooden bats. Then they allowed aluminum bats. They still don't allow steel bats ?

Just saying ?

Nah, I think aluminum frames look cool. But I'm happy with my steel framed older bikes, cause I can afford to have more of them

[NoFiddyPilot]

What I do know is that I took an 04 CRF450R, modded it for off-road and had almost 3k in custom suspension work. Compared to my stock 08 KTM, it beat the crap out me on rocky, trashy trails. I understand that the bikes are entirely different, but at least in this case, my steel framed KTM is all around a better performing bike in the same conditions.

[fast frank]

I had the same experience with my 04 crf 450 so I went back to my kit bike. I think most of the crf,s harshness came from the forks, the forks on my kit bike came from an 88 cr last of the conventional cartridge forks, they ride a lot better than the crf,s forks even set up stiff.