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Happy Monday.

I have a new GF and she's six feet one inche and 240lbs 186 CM' / 111 KG. I'm six feet and 312 lbs , 140 KG, thankfully 40 lbs less than a year ago and still working on it.

According to manual 522 LBs or 237KG and we are over that limit a good 13 KG / 30 lbs. Still using Stock Shocks at 20K us miles. Took a short ride yesterday with her on the back and all seemed OK. wasn't the tightest ride in the world and kept it under 40 and around manhattan with 8 mile blast on the highway here called the FDR Expressway.

can I do any long term damage with a bit too much weight of two passengers? At some point would like to go for longer rides together if possible. Will have top case with maybe another 10 lbs of items. More risk of overheating perhaps? Anything else would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Hi!

I'm in the 185cm/145kg (6'0.5"/320lb) class myself and have ridden Arizona from B.C., in the summer (45'C/114'F), with an extra 25kg of gear with no problems whatsoever. (about 6500km/4000miles) So two up w/gear should be do-able.

On the suspension side, some years ago I had EPM Performance (http://epmperf.com/) rebuild my ESA shocks with HyperPro innards and stiffer springs. It doesn't change the legal definition of the MaxGVW for the bike, but it sure helped out the handling. So an aftermarket spring/shock set up may be very helpful. I went with EMP Performance and the HyperPro shock, but there are others, here on the board, that have gone other routes with Wilbers and Ohlins. I don't think anyone has been other than very happy with their aftermarket shocks.

So, all-in-all, with a little suspension help, I think you'll find the bike can handle what you're wanting to do quite easily.

Kyle

I think some manufacturers make rear tires in our size that can carry extra weight.

Thanks Coal but if you are 145 and carrying 25KG in luggage that's still below the max weight..I just changed tired to Metzler Roadtec 01 a few weeks ago. I guess my question still stands that at 237 KG or so we are over by 30 lbs. Any dangers to the bike riding with this type of load?

I was alluding to the capability of the bike carrying some mass, at high ambient temperatures, at highway speeds, without problems. I have carried passengers that I know took me over the MaxGVW, before and after the new shocks, usually on short rides not two up touring. Having the stiffer springs in the new shocks made a huge difference in handling. As to the chassis and drive train handling the extra mass, you're less than 10% over, I don't think that will be an issue. As you might expect it will probably affect tire wear, braking distances, and acceleration rates.

vroomr wrote:I think some manufacturers make rear tires in our size that can carry extra weight.

Look up the RT tires - same size very often a higher load rating.

yes that's the feedback I was hoping for. Also called metzler and they said the Road Tec that I bought have a load rating of 1325 lbs including the bike. So even at 550 lbs for the bike we are under the limit of 1325. And very much aware of those things but always good to keep in mind.
Thanks all!