What do they really weigh?

[neepuk]

Originally Posted by strongbad

If the scale(s) are accurate, and the bike is level, the weight measured with a scale under each wheel then added, or a scale under one wheel at a time then added, is accurate. The key thing is that the bike must be level.

Experimental aircraft builders get weight and balance info this way sometimes.

That's what I did.... just used a bathroom scale that sits about 2" off the ground under one tire, put a 2x4 under the other wheel, then switch and add.

[Ruffus]

Originally Posted by Fast55

what numbers did you find on the scale?

My 06 TE 510 with oversized IMS 3.9 gallon gas tank , EE barkbuster & moose hand gaurds, uptite skidplate, dual rim locks, & Buell headlight & windscrean came in at 305 lbs, complete ready to ride with a full tank 3.9 gallons

[Vibr8r]

Originally Posted by mr openroad

BMW R1200Gs 581 lbs dry what a pig, its beyond me why they are so popular off road!

From the original post, "1) All weights are wet, ready to ride, with a full gas tank"

The dry weight is much less.

Edit: mcnews.com listed the wet weight of the R1200GS as 530#.

[cbig]

I weighed my 07 TE610 with dirt bags (empty) and a gallon of gas and it came up to 308 using the bathroom scale at the front + back method. My drz400s was if I remember 306 in the same trim. I'll have to check that again.

[potatoho]

Originally Posted by Castleman

99 LC4e 317 lbs ready to ride and the 04 LC4 625 motard was 321 ready to ride.

I couldn't get my 1999 LC4E to weight less than 343 lbs. It was all up top too. It was a piggy That was 12L full tank, ids2 silencer (-5 lbs), heavy duty tubes (+3 lbs), emig stabilizer & tag bars (+1 lb), rallye pegs, TF rear tire (+2 lbs).

[mcnut]

I really like your work here (and on the gear spread chart as well), but...... I don't understand the logic of listing and as a result ordering the bikes with a full tank of fuel!!!!!
Given most bike will travel more or less about the same distance on a gallon of gas, why allow gas capacity to enter into the ranking or ordinal? Filling a tank to full capacity is a choice the owner makes. For many, generous fuel capacity is an attribute but the standard you have chosen turns this feature into a liability! Your chart doesn't list fuel capacity making it difficult to back the weight of the fuel out for those wanting to level the playing field.
Wouldn't a wet, ready to ride weight with out fuel paint a more accurate picture?

Even though I don't agree with it's current form this is a very useful collection of data.

MCNut

P.S. I own two 04 KTM EXCs. One with a stock 2.2gal tank and the other with an aftermarket 6.6gal tank. How should these otherwise identical bikes be charted and why? Empty the bikes weight difference is less than 1%, full the difference is over 12%. I believe the 6.6gal bike should only be penalize the additional 1-2lbs of the over-sized tank itself.

[montesa_vr]

Originally Posted by mcnut

Wouldn't a wet, ready to ride weight with out fuel paint a more accurate picture?

Absolutely! As you point out, it is perverse to penalize the manufacturers for providing additional gas capacity to a stock motorcycle, when as adventure riders, that's one of the things we are always screaming about.

Unfortunately, weight with a full tank is the only number I can find that is comparable. Various magazines over the years have listed weight three different ways: tank empty, tank full, or weight with half a tank of fuel. Obviously the latter measurement is subjective and lends itself to inconsistent results. The first would be the most fair way to compare, but it is the most rare.

Since my purpose here is to list weights in one place that can be compared, I am stuck with weight with a full tank. I appreciate all the contributions done with bathroom scales, truck scales, etc., and please keep them coming. However, I won't be adding them to the list, since I need to limit that to comparable weights.

Same thing with the weights from Motorcycle Consumer News. It is indeed a helpful resource to have all those weights listed together, but the MCN numbers are consistently lighter than the weights from other sources, and I suspect they are using the half tank of fuel method for determining wet weight.

One of the frustrating things about this project is the reminder that the magazines don't take dual sports very seriously. For example, the KLX250S is one of the more significant additions to the dual sport world in the last few years, yet Cycle World treated it with a one page glossover and no spec sheet at all. The TE610 has been featured in several articles, including comparisons of sorts, but never with an all up weight. I'm hoping that will change as the new models hit the floor this spring. But it's not like the good old days when Art Friedman was editor of Motorcyclist and dual sports were part of every third issue.

Mcnut, I like your idea of listing the fuel capacity. Since dual sports typically hold between 2 and 2.5 gallons, I'll note those that are carrying 3 gallons or more, and readers can do the math if they want to see where a bike might rank with less gasoline.

[mcinfantry]

if your tank holds 1 or 10 gallons why NOT include that in the weight? dont most people fuel up prior to heading offroad? so wouldnt my xyz with 10 gallons need to figure that since not only is the bike heavier its TOP heavier?

or do most people head offroad with only enough fuel to complete the trip?

that would be like having your post of gear ratios NOT include 6th gear. since most people dont run 6th gear in single track.... why not compare only the gears everyone has.

larger tank is MORE range, but its also MORE weight. so it really becomes is the range worth the weight

[mcnut]

VR, thank you again for your efforts. I attempted this many years ago. Had a commercial electronic load cell scale, built wood ramps to roll the bikes up and maintain level. Hauled the setup to various dealer and weighted bikes I had interest in at the time. Because the the bikes on the showroom floor had varying amounts of gas in them, I was forced to make an adjustment. After much thought I concluded: Wet ready to ride w/o gas was the fairest configuration. I totally agree with not including weights from various unknown sources.

VR, thought you might get a kick out of this, we think allot alike (I own a 74 Rickman powered by a VR). The file was last modified in 2001 and yeah some of the dealers thought I was nuts. And I don't even remember what all the symbols mean any more;

MODEL	GAS	FW	RW	TW	CW	GAS	GW		WEIGHT
94 ATK 350ES Cross Country	4.2								{281}
for 605, +2lbs +$700									[282]
94 ATK 350ES Duel-Sport	4.2								{286}
for 620, +3lbs +$600
94 ATK 605ES Cross Country	4.2	141	148	289	295	2.0	12.0		283
no lighting
90 Kawasaki KDX200	3.2								[235]
94 KTM 250 E/XC	3.2	121	128	249	254	1.0	6.0		248
94 KTM 250 Project	3.2	123	130	253	258	0.0	0.0		258
legal, inc. battery
94 KTM LC4 400 E/XC	3.0	139	147	286	292	2.5	15.0		277
for 620 +1lb +$100
94 KTM LC4 400 R/XC	3.0								[302]
for 620 +1lb +$100
94 Honda XR250L	2.4	124	148	277	282	?	?		282
96 Honda XR250R	2.4								243 DB 1/96
96 Honda WR250R	2.4								249
96 Honda XR400R	2.4								265 DB 1/96
96 Honda XR600R	2.6								275 DB 1/96
91 Bruce's Project X,	4.8	135	155	290	296	0.0	0.0		296
legal, inc. batt, skid
94 Husaberg 501C		116	123	239	244	0.0	0.0		244
93 Husky 350	2.4	134	147	181	287	1.5	9.0		278
skid plate, hand gards, lights
98 Gas Gas Pampera 320									200
02 Gas Gas Pampera 250									199

[mcnut]

Sorry about the size and lousy formatting of my prior post!

MCNut

[ShadyRascal]

I think the best way would be full of all fluids except gas, due to the differing tank capacities.

The factory weight ratings are dubious I believe at best.

I bought a new-from-the-crate Yamaha YFZ450 (atv) recently. Factory weight rating is 350 dry. I took it right to a certified shipping scale, not a drop in the gas tank, and it weighed 372.

Two quarts of oil and a quart of anti-freeze is probably not 22 pounds.

Pisses me off actually, people who are spending 7 grand on a race atv (or anything else) should be provided truthful specs.

[mcnut]

if your tank holds 1 or 10 gallons why NOT include that in the weight? dont most people fuel up prior to heading offroad? so wouldnt my xyz with 10 gallons need to figure that since not only is the bike heavier its TOP heavier?

infantry, your point could be taken to an extreme: Some adventure bikes come equipped with hard luggage. As we see in many ride reports ADV riders often choose to take everything but the kitchen sink if they have the room. Should these bikes be fully loaded to maximum GVW because they come equipped to carry more (and the weight is up high)?

I choose to almost never completely fill the 6.6gal tank on my 525EXC.

larger tank is MORE range, but its also MORE weight. so it really becomes is the range worth the weight

As originally formatted, VR"s chart didn't contain the info necessary to arrive at an enlightened conclusion to this question. I think he has plans to change that.

By most accounts the DR650 and KLR650 fill a very similar roll in the MC world. Should the KLR be penalized for having the capacity to carry 3 more gallons of gas than the DR and should a bed roll be placed on it's standard (optional on the DR) cargo rack?

MCNut

[Jan from Finland]

Great thread, if only you could print the weights also in kilos, please.

If you are not afraid of German, you could verify the numbers from here: http://www.motorradonline.de/bikes/k..._bik_start.htm

German Motorrad magazine lists most models sold in Europe between 2003 and 2007 at the page.

At first you have to choose a model year from upper right hand corner “Katalog-Ausgaben”.
Then you click the make (Motorräder) in the middle, choose the model from a list, click red text “Technische Daten”, and you get the specs. The measure weight is mentioned under text “Test in MOTORRAD” Leergewicht vollgetankt kg. Claimed weights are mentioned at first, so make sure you read it from the right place (Test in MOTORRAD).

However, all the weights may not be comparable, because in some cases they include racks and hard cases.

[ThatGuyEd]

Originally Posted by Jan from Finland

Great thread, if only you could print the weights also in kilos, please.

If you are not afraid of German, you could verify the numbers from here: http://www.motorradonline.de/bikes/k..._bik_start.htm

German Motorrad magazine lists most models sold in Europe between 2003 and 2007 at the page.

At first you have to choose a model year from upper right hand corner “Katalog-Ausgaben”.
Then you click the make (Motorräder) in the middle, choose the model from a list, click red text “Technische Daten”, and you get the specs. The measure weight is mentioned under text “Test in MOTORRAD” Leergewicht vollgetankt kg. Claimed weights are mentioned at first, so make sure you read it from the right place (Test in MOTORRAD).

However, all the weights may not be comparable, because in some cases they include racks and hard cases.

Pull out the calculator Jan!
2.2 lbs per KG.
Compliments of Canada.

[mcinfantry]

Originally Posted by mcnut

infantry, your point could be taken to an extreme: Some adventure bikes come equipped with hard luggage. As we see in many ride reports ADV riders often choose to take everything but the kitchen sink if they have the room. Should these bikes be fully loaded to maximum GVW because they come equipped to carry more (and the weight is up high)?

I choose to almost never completely fill the 6.6gal tank on my 525EXC.



As originally formatted, VR"s chart didn't contain the info necessary to arrive at an enlightened conclusion to this question. I think he has plans to change that.

By most accounts the DR650 and KLR650 fill a very similar roll in the MC world. Should the KLR be penalized for having the capacity to carry 3 more gallons of gas than the DR and should a bed roll be placed on it's standard (optional on the DR) cargo rack?

MCNut

well, apples to apples.
if i want to buy a used 2007 husky te610 and there are two, one with a ims 5 gallon and one with a stock tank... thats alot of difference ABOVE center of gravity. id almost like to ride the two just to see how much. i bet its more significant than most of us think.