Weight and Riders
Nice weather and holidays lures many motorcycle riders to the open road for overnight and longer adventures. With these travels comes extra weight: camping gear, food, water, and clothing. Many riders don't give this issue a second thought. We fill our cars to the tops of windows with no ill effects, why should a couple of big duffel bags on the bike matter?
Because that extra cargo may silently overload the bike. Motorcycles are manufactured to specific weight limits. Combine an overloaded bike with faulty tires and you've got disaster in the making.
Unfortunately, some manufacturers haven't made figuring out the right weight limits easy. And even worse, some weight limits are downright unreasonable for certain kinds of bikes, making one wonder if hiding weight limit information in small print, and forcing owners to get out the calculator to get an answer, isn't deliberate.
For example, most big current cruisers have an available add-on weight of about 400 pounds. So, if the operator is 225 pounds and the passenger is 150 pounds (including helmets, gear, boots, etc.) you can only take about 25 pounds of luggage and be safe. Many riders of these big cruisers drive off the lot with their new bikes already overloaded or close to it.
But back to the subject at hand. How can you tell how much weight is safe for your bike, and at what point do you need to lighten the load?
Check your Owner's Manual
Some owner's manuals (such as those for the Honda Goldwing) list the "maximum weight limit" for all passengers and gear. Simply deduct the two passenger weights from this figure to determine how much gear you can load. Remember, passenger weights must reflect clothing, boots, helmets, etc.
However, many owners' manuals (such as Harley-Davidson's) only list the bike's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). In this case, you must calculate what weight is available for passengers, gear and fuel. Here are the steps to do this:
Safe Weight Calculator - Harley Davidson Community
Nice weather and holidays lures many motorcycle riders to the open road for overnight and longer adventures. With these travels comes extra weight: camping gear, food, water, and clothing. Many riders don't give this issue a second thought. We fill our cars to the tops of windows with no ill effects, why should a couple of big duffel bags on the bike matter?
Because that extra cargo may silently overload the bike. Motorcycles are manufactured to specific weight limits. Combine an overloaded bike with faulty tires and you've got disaster in the making.
Unfortunately, some manufacturers haven't made figuring out the right weight limits easy. And even worse, some weight limits are downright unreasonable for certain kinds of bikes, making one wonder if hiding weight limit information in small print, and forcing owners to get out the calculator to get an answer, isn't deliberate.
For example, most big current cruisers have an available add-on weight of about 400 pounds. So, if the operator is 225 pounds and the passenger is 150 pounds (including helmets, gear, boots, etc.) you can only take about 25 pounds of luggage and be safe. Many riders of these big cruisers drive off the lot with their new bikes already overloaded or close to it.
But back to the subject at hand. How can you tell how much weight is safe for your bike, and at what point do you need to lighten the load?
Check your Owner's Manual
Some owner's manuals (such as those for the Honda Goldwing) list the "maximum weight limit" for all passengers and gear. Simply deduct the two passenger weights from this figure to determine how much gear you can load. Remember, passenger weights must reflect clothing, boots, helmets, etc.
However, many owners' manuals (such as Harley-Davidson's) only list the bike's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). In this case, you must calculate what weight is available for passengers, gear and fuel. Here are the steps to do this:
- Find the motorcycle's GVWR among listed statistics in the owner's manual. It is also printed on the vehicle-identification-number (VIN) plate (usually found on or near the steering head) on all current bikes.
- Find the motorcycle's "as-shipped weight," also known as "dry weight." This is the bike's weight alone, not including gas and other liquids. Sometimes, weight is expressed as "wet weight," which is the weight of the bike plus all liquids. If there is no "wet weight" specified, add 50 pounds to the "dry weight" (a gallon of gas weighs about six pounds).
- Subtract the motorcycle's "wet weight" from the GVWR. The result is the maximum amount of weight you can put on the bike, including passengers.
- Weigh the driver and passenger. Subtract this figure from the maximum weight figure (as described above.) This is the weight available for cargo and accessories.
Safe Weight Calculator - Harley Davidson Community
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Great place for tent, sleeping bags, etc.