Max Load Capacity - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

Sandman · 11-07-2008, 01:35 PM

So my wife volunteered me a few weeks ago to give a ride to one of her co-worker friends. Being the good husband that I am, and always on the lookout to score brownie points for a rainy day, I said sure, no problem!

The Sunday before last was that day, sunny, breezy and 64°. I was looking forward to the ride as it is not something I normally do. (Ride on weekends.) I pull the bike out, clean both visors, and begin to put on my gear when in walks the friend... All 300 lbs of her... (Lord forgive my deer in the headlight stare.)
When I came to my senses, my first thought was , holy mother of...well you get the picture.
My second thought was, “ well, this is going to be interesting”, and
My third thought was, just what is the maximum weight limit for the bike?

I've carried up to 360lbs a few times before, and I know what a difference a hundred pounds can make. The ride went off without a hitch (60 miles total), but the bike did not like to start off from a stand still. I had to rev it pretty high just to keep it from stalling. My poor clutch. Though once we got going, there wasn’t any problem.

Anyway, between the two of us we were pushing 460-470lbs. I did some research and found that the GVWR for the C50 is 1070lbs with a curb weight of 611lbs (542lbs dry weight). That leaves 459lbs remaining. So yep, I was maxed out. It won’t happen again. I’m sure Suzuki builds in a safety margin above the GVWR, but it’s still not something I want to come close to with any regularity.

I also discovered that a larger displacement bike does not necessarily mean a higher load capacity. The FJR capacity is around 400lbs (after curb weight is subtracted from GVWR) and the Concours is around 425lbs. This was a disappointing discovery.

Just thought I'd share.

Regards,
Andy