[rickn]

Just noticed this in the service manual...



80 kg (176 lb) ~ Maximum load*



* Load is the total weight of cargo, rider, passenger and accessories.



No wonder the suspension is harsh... I'm 6'2' and 250lbs without all the ad on's

Cant do much with the rear shock but was wondering about pre-loading the front fork springs with a spacer.

Did this years ago on my SR 500.





2011 TW leftover... Just rolled over 600mi

Love it!!

 

[Loppy]

I would think Pre loading springs would make it even more harsh. Are you trying to get rid of sag or harsh ride? Or both?

 

[retmotor]

Wait, what? This is what I have in the Owners Manual: "The total weight of the operator, passenger, accessories and cargo must not exceed the maximum load limit of

179 kg (395 lb) (CAL) 180 kg (397 lb).

 

[retmotor]

And here's what I get from the Service Manual:

I have to admit, I'm not sure what they mean by "basic weight."



Harsh ride? If I want a less harsh ride, I lower the tire pressure. I really only run at recommended pressures when I'm strictly on road otherwise, like you say, it's harsh and I feel like I get very little lateral traction from the front. I go about 180lb geared up though.

 

[evan]

my 89 manual says 346 and 344 (cal). then lower in the chart says 176. they must mean each tire for the last number.

 

[rickn]

Manual Page



Here is the specs from the manual that I cannot figure out what they are trying to say.



Thanks

 

[lizrdbrth]

The info that you really need to know is clearly marked on the steering neck of U.S. models. The various manuals will only make you crazy.



"Basic weight" is a riderless bike with a tank of fuel. Handy to know when the bike is on top of you but has little to do with knowing the limitations of the bike.



The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) for the total of bike and rider is 625 lbs. Subtract the claimed wet weight of the bike from this and that leaves up to around 350 lbs. for rider + passenger or rider + cargo.



"GVWR, front" and "GVWR, rear" includes the weight of the bike and cargo, giving the Max. axle weight per axle with properly inflated stock tires, brakes and suspension. 220 lbs. in the front, 440 in the rear. This deals primarily with how the weight should be distributed if you're pushing the max limit. It also tells you not to load the bike to 125/500, cuz bad stuff will happen quickly. Hauling Grandma's piano on you Cyclerack: Bad plan.



Note that if you total this up it adds up 660 lbs., which is more than the max total weight rating. It's meant to indicate how much each tire, axle, brake and suspension on either axle can handle in terms of weight, but the max. gross weight of 625 still must be respected if you're picky and expect the swingarm not to bend and the bike to actually stop when you hit the brakes. Yeah, right..



The different tire pressures are for different combined weights. Max load is only valid at higher tire pressures. You can run 18 front and rear up to a cargo weight of up to 176 lbs. Beyond that you need to increase pressure up to as much as 22/25 at max weight.



The bike was meant to be a packhorse, not a motocrosser. It's shocked stiffly to prevent bottoming at max load within the limited amount of available suspension travel. You can lighten it up a bit by moving the preload clip on the rear shock, but it doesn't lighten up by much.



The Cali ("C" model) emissions canister weighs a pound. So in order to satisfy the legal department they called it 2 pounds and adjusted the weight rating by -2 lbs. to compensate. Purely useless info.



Minimum OFFROAD tire pressure is a judgement call as to how many rims you want to ding. You can prolly go as low as 10 in soft stuff on stock tires with a light rider. Go way slower or increase pressure for rocks or a heavier rider. My 110 pound social director can do it all day long, but it's iffy. The only heavy add-ons to her bike are the TCI skid plate and an O.E.M. rack, which in effect bring her up to maybe 120.



Clear as mud now?

 

[rickn]

Cool... I will have to check that out when i get home. The manual is very hard to understand at times.



Tell me more about this (Preload clip) I see no adjustment at all.



Also i was thinking if i preloaded the front forks a bit it might allow the suspension to work better with my weight.... Thoughts?

 

[lizrdbrth]

Preload spacers are done all the time. Just don't go so stiff that you have no sag or you'll get no rebound action from the fork. We don't have very much of it to begin with.



Make them out of PVC until you get the height right, then commit those dimensions to steel once you're done.



The preload clip in the rear shock is located out of sight under the lower spring collar. You need to compress the shock spring to reach it. Most bikes are set in the middle of the three rings. Setting it on the bottom will lighten it up but the grooves are only about 1/8" apart, so as I said don't expect much. Most guys your weight eventually end up INCREASING preload to stop the bottoming once they pile on the accessories.



There's a fine line. YMMV.

 

[macbig2k1]

Manual Page



Here is the specs from the manual that I cannot figure out what they are trying to say.



Thanks

I think, this is realy easy.



You have to use 18 psi/1,25 bar on the front and rear tyre, when the load (driver, package...) is under 80 kg/176 lb

And you have to use 22 psi/1,5 bar on the front and 25 psi/1,75 bar on the rear, when the load (driver, package...) is between 80 kg/176 lb and the maximum load (non Cal. version: 157 kg/346 lb; Cal. version: 156 kg/344 lb).

 

[lyfestyl]

22 front---25 rear. Seems like a good place for a fat boy to start.

 

[rickn]

Not sure you know me well enough to call me fat........

Thanks for all the good info Lizrdbrth!! Got some work to do this weekend.