Weight capacity

[Allen D]

Yeah, I'm the kind of nerd that reads the manuals, for everything, and was just re-reading through my Vaquero manual tonight. In perusing the manual I came across the weight capacity of the bike again, and to be honest, I'm a little shocked and a bit concerned.

Currently I'm tipping the scales at 285 or so and my wife, well, let's just keep it at this, she weighs more than the remaining 112lbs that make up the total weight capacity of the Vaquero. Not to mention I've added the passenger backrest, the dang thing weighs a ton, as well as a driver backrest and there's usually some things in the saddle bags as well.

Add all of that up and I'm absolutely over the, what I feel as paltry, weight carrying capacity.

So here are the questions I have:

1. does anyone else find that number to be extremely low?
2. how do they arrive at that number?
3. how unsafe is it to ride over it's capacity.

A quick google search says in 2010 the average male is 195lbs and the average woman is 166lbs. Now that was from 2010 and an average... That puts the "average" American couple at 361lbs. Now I think we can all agree us Americans are above average in many things, and weight is certainly one of those things, lol. Even if you fall within the average weight, as well as your passenger, if you add on any accessories such as a backrest or items in the saddlebags and helmets etc... you're looking at that 397lb weight capacity in the rearview mirror...

I'd speculate that a large percentage of people riding the Vaquero weigh more than the "average" weight from 2010.

Anyway, just wondering out loud as to when I'll be breaking the welds on my frame.. :(

[mike07nad]

Originally Posted by Allen D

Yeah, I'm the kind of nerd that reads the manuals, for everything, and was just re-reading through my Vaquero manual tonight. In perusing the manual I came across the weight capacity of the bike again, and to be honest, I'm a little shocked and a bit concerned.

Currently I'm tipping the scales at 285 or so and my wife, well, let's just keep it at this, she weighs more than the remaining 112lbs that make up the total weight capacity of the Vaquero. Not to mention I've added the passenger backrest, the dang thing weighs a ton, as well as a driver backrest and there's usually some things in the saddle bags as well.

Add all of that up and I'm absolutely over the, what I feel as paltry, weight carrying capacity.

So here are the questions I have:

1. does anyone else find that number to be extremely low?
2. how do they arrive at that number?
3. how unsafe is it to ride over it's capacity.

A quick google search says in 2010 the average male is 195lbs and the average woman is 166lbs. Now that was from 2010 and an average... That puts the "average" American couple at 361lbs. Now I think we can all agree us Americans are above average in many things, and weight is certainly one of those things, lol. Even if you fall within the average weight, as well as your passenger, if you add on any accessories such as a backrest or items in the saddlebags and helmets etc... you're looking at that 397lb weight capacity in the rearview mirror...

I'd speculate that a large percentage of people riding the Vaquero weigh more than the "average" weight from 2010.

Anyway, just wondering out loud as to when I'll be breaking the welds on my frame.. :(

While I'm not an expert in anything (or so I've been told) - Me thinks the weight numbers were provided by the Lawyer End of Kawasaki as an out for any possible litigation.

On the Voyager the reason they never had an OEM Rack on the Trunk was because the overall carry capacity of the Voyager trunk is like 15Lb of something silly like that.

Just to show that I never overload my Voyager here is a picture.

Ride it and have fun! It can take it.

[JD Hog]

Do the Voyagers have a different suspension system? I looked in my owners manual and it lists the max load capacity at 397 lbs. also. It seems with the tour pack on the voyager that the limit would be a little less than the Vaquero.

[Allen D]

I definitely agree that it's a "legal" out for them but for a big bike, that just seems so low.

So a quick search online comes up with the load capacity of the Goldwing 1800 = 441lbs and the Road Glide Ultra = 444. Those are the most popular and most similar bikes to the Vaquero. Now the 397lbs seems even worse...

Interesting to say the least.

[Snake Ranch]

The Vaquero is said to weigh 835 pounds new. I put a trunk on mine and with my wife and all our stuff the weight jumped up to 1400 pounds,450 pounds front axle 950 rear axle. The limiting factor is the rear tire capacity. The M/C tire is rated @ about 850 pds. The rear axle bearings are rated @ max of 3000 pounds each and there are two that are load carrying. Then there are the brakes that were designed for a certain amount of weight.

I went to the dark side and put a C/T on that is rated @ 1356 pds with 51 psi air.

With a few changes the Vaquero can haul a lot. When your weight goes up you might want to consider you ground speed, meby slow it down a tad.

[skullbagger]

I used to wonder about that too, on my old nomad.
dont put to many thoughts into it. youll know when she is overloaded it will ride like shit and the front willl get light.
i used to dress out about 340lbs and the wife in her upper 200's
she rode with me on short little stints just to get her out because she loves to ride. now she weigh's about 160 and me 270 and we now have a vaquero and let me tell you it rides like a dream it acually rides better with a little weight
i hope this puts your mind at ease a little

[smokier]

Greetings,
Agree, legal blah, blah for CKA (Cover Kawasaki A$$). No, I do not worry about it. Look at all the guys who two up AND pull a trailer without issue... I would only worry about a load that seemed to effect handling... Like a trailer loaded too heavily.
Ride safe,
Smokier

[Allen D]

Yeah, I'm sure it was listed at that weight due to some "testing" and that was the number that came back with the highest load and still "operate safely"..

Thanks all. When my wife and I ride it barely feels different than when I ride solo. The bike handles good however when I read that number again, it got my mind working and that's rarely a good thing, LOL

Skullbagger, congrats on the weight loss...

I think this is a case when commonsense is the best measure...

[skullbagger]

Thanks Allen
No surgeries here, just cut out the
Carbs


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