Too much weight for the GS?

[CraiGDaniel]

Me and partner weigh in around 420lbs together. When we are both on the bike the back drops very low, not sure if this is normal for two-up riding? I have adjust the suspension, but i have no idea what setting it is on due to rust and wear.

However i clicked it a few turns to adjust the pre-load and it feels alot stiffer, but it bottomed out on a speed bump (was going 20mph).. just wanted to know if this is normal. With this weight should i adjust the pre-load to the max setting of 7?

Thanks

[mister]

Yes, it should be adjusted to 7. And that is turning it clockwise as you look down on it.

The rear tire should also have increased air pressure in it. Manual suggests 41psi

In case you don't know, the gross load (weight of bike, accessories, payload, ride & pillion) for the bike must not exceed 840 lbs - 381kg.

The bike itself weighs 400lbs dry, Add your 420lbs plus the weight of gas (6lbs a gallon) 30lbs and your total weight is 850lbs - you have exceeded the Gross Vehicle Weight of the bike. recommended not to ride it like this as handling and control may be severely effected.

Michael

[twocool]

Yes, it should be adjusted to 7. And that is turning it clockwise as you look down on it.

The rear tire should also have increased air pressure in it. Manual suggests 41psi

In case you don't know, the gross load (weight of bike, accessories, payload, ride & pillion) for the bike must not exceed 840 lbs - 381kg.

The bike itself weighs 400lbs dry, Add your 420lbs plus the weight of gas (6lbs a gallon) 30lbs and your total weight is 850lbs - you have exceeded the Gross Vehicle Weight of the bike. recommended not to ride it like this as handling and control may be severely effected.

Michael

My manual says "curb weight" (all fluids and full gas) for 09 is 436lbs  ...this allows only 204 lbs for driver, passenger, accessories and cargo........


Cookie

[crzydood17]

me and my fiance weigh about 500 together (im a big boy) i threw a katana shock on under it, and a 15t for some power and it runs great... upgrade your brakes, and make sure you use your rear break a bit harder than normal (you have more grip on the back with the extra weight...

[Dr.McNinja]

Yes, it should be adjusted to 7. And that is turning it clockwise as you look down on it.

The rear tire should also have increased air pressure in it. Manual suggests 41psi

In case you don't know, the gross load (weight of bike, accessories, payload, ride & pillion) for the bike must not exceed 840 lbs - 381kg.

The bike itself weighs 400lbs dry, Add your 420lbs plus the weight of gas (6lbs a gallon) 30lbs and your total weight is 850lbs - you have exceeded the Gross Vehicle Weight of the bike. recommended not to ride it like this as handling and control may be severely effected.

Michael

My manual says "curb weight" (all fluids and full gas) for 09 is 436lbs  ...this allows only 204 lbs for driver, passenger, accessories and cargo........


Cookie

Japanese/European sportbikes aren't made for "bigger" people. Just like Japanese/European sports cars aren't.

That being said, on a STOCK bike you're way over recommended weight as one of the other posters said. Not only do you lose ponies because your power/weight ratio is suffering, you could seriously damage the frame bottoming out your bike at higher speeds. Fix it by getting a better suspension system. Particularly one from a heavier bike.

Also, make sure you're filling up your rear tire to 41 psi to accommodate the passenger.

me and my fiance weigh about 500 together (im a big boy) i threw a katana shock on under it, and a 15t for some power and it runs great... upgrade your brakes, and make sure you use your rear break a bit harder than normal (you have more grip on the back with the extra weight...

If by "power" you mean "horsepower", 15T doesn't give you power, it gives you acceleration at the sacrifice of top speed. No ponies are gained upgrading the gearing.

[gsJack]

Curb weight of GS is approx 420# for a naked GS500/E and 440# for a GS500F with fairings.  Gross vehicle weight is approx 840# so you have 400-420# left for passengers and load.  Like suggested above, crank up the rear spring rating to max and tire pressure to max shown on sidewall, around 40 psi in most cases.  The load rating of the tires on a vehicle is a significant part of determing the load rating of the vehicle.  Suggest you replace stock 130/70 (584# rated) with a 140/80 (716# rated) tire next time you get a new rear tire.  Besides increasing the load rating it will also raise the rear of your heavily loaded GS back up about 3/4" keeping the handling closer to normal.

[CraiGDaniel]

Wow heaps of advice cheers guys.

Will get the tire pressure's sorted i have a page from this forum suggestion the PSI's for a pillion etc.

After searching about i concluded a Katana shock would be best for me and my pillion. Which year shock will i need for a '93 GS500E ??


Thanks again everyone

[ojstinson]

Don't sweat it, in Viet Nam I saw entire families ( sometimes 5 or 6 people ) including luggage, the dog,  and maybe a small pig traveling long distances on bad roads on Honda 50 step throughs.-----Old poorly maintained Honda 50s at that, and I'm talking all the above on one bike, It must be seen to be believed.


Ok, they were small people----but still.

[Captain Slow]

Me and partner weigh in around 420lbs together. When we are both on the bike the back drops very low, not sure if this is normal for two-up riding? I have adjust the suspension, but i have no idea what setting it is on due to rust and wear.

However i clicked it a few turns to adjust the pre-load and it feels alot stiffer, but it bottomed out on a speed bump (was going 20mph).. just wanted to know if this is normal. With this weight should i adjust the pre-load to the max setting of 7?

Thanks

I would certainly suggest upgrading the rear shock and doing some work the forks as well.  I weigh 250 myself (I know, big guy for a GS500) and riding alone I have the stock shock at its highest setting and have installed 1" fork spacers to avoid bottoming out.  I have to ask, how does the bike perform with the two of you on it?  Just with me its pretty sluggish as is off the line, haven't tried any 2-up.

[CraiGDaniel]

Hi Captain Slow. I havn't noticed much difference, only off the line. The bike will still do 100mph just about, with us both on it  and i was able to overtake fairly easily at 70.

Definately slower on the acceleration, but not enough for it to be something to worry about.

[twocool]

If by "power" you mean "horsepower", 15T doesn't give you power, it gives you acceleration at the sacrifice of top speed. No ponies are gained upgrading the gearing.



Actually acceleration is only improved in one gear....1st........and only at the beginning of first (from a dead  stop)....

Cookie

[crzydood17]

If by "power" you mean "horsepower", 15T doesn't give you power, it gives you acceleration at the sacrifice of top speed. No ponies are gained upgrading the gearing.

If you actually wanna be a duck about it, a 15T gives you more leverage in all gears, Torque is a metric of leverage, If I dyno a GS500 in first gear vs a GS500 with a 15T in first gear... the one with the 15T will show higher numbers. Power is a synonym with torque, If I increased my applicable torque I increased my power. Oh and a side note, I gain top end by having a 15T not lose it as the 16T hits a power/wind resistance barrier and the added torque of the 15T allows a slightly better spot in the power band allowing for higher top speed! AND FURTHERMORE! Since the 15T sprocket is slightly smaller and lighter than a 16T I decreased my rotational mass and INCREASED MY HORSEPOWER no matter how slight it still is a increase. Next time before you speak, remember I am watching and waiting in the background just to call you out on how stupid you really are.

[twocool]

If by "power" you mean "horsepower", 15T doesn't give you power, it gives you acceleration at the sacrifice of top speed. No ponies are gained upgrading the gearing.

If you actually wanna be a duck about it, a 15T gives you more leverage in all gears, Torque is a metric of leverage, If I dyno a GS500 in first gear vs a GS500 with a 15T in first gear... the one with the 15T will show higher numbers. Power is a synonym with torque, If I increased my applicable torque I increased my power. Oh and a side note, I gain top end by having a 15T not lose it as the 16T hits a power/wind resistance barrier and the added torque of the 15T allows a slightly better spot in the power band allowing for higher top speed! AND FURTHERMORE! Since the 15T sprocket is slightly smaller and lighter than a 16T I decreased my rotational mass and INCREASED MY HORSEPOWER no matter how slight it still is a increase. Next time before you speak, remember I am watching and waiting in the background just to call you out on how stupid you really are.

Ok....We are headed for the Tard Farm now....

Your understanding of this physics is partially correct and mostly hazy.....

Let's start somewhere... like this statement, "Power is a synonym with torque"

Not so!  Power is torque times RPM

If you come to grips with that basic premise of physics...I think you find that the rest of what you state above is also kind of "off"...

Or we can simply go around calling each other "stupid" if you wish...

Cookie

[twocool]

http://www.allpar.com/eek/hp-vs-torque.html

Help in understanding power ..torque... rpm... acceleration... shift points

Cookie

[ojstinson]

Cookie, you shouldn't argue with someone who is Crzy----and particularly if they can't spell it.

[mister]

And cookie, stop referencing posts to "we're heading to the tard farm now". It's as if you secretly Want posts to end up there, unseen, for some reason. 

As for HP vs Torque... saw a chart the other day (which I cannot seem to find at the moment but will repost it when I do) comparing dfferent bikes over torque, hp, etc. The ducati had the most torque by a mile but nowhere near the most HP.

Michael

[crzydood17]

WHOA where did I ever say "horsepower" = torque. Horsepower is a equation of torque, specifically Torque*RPM/5250=Horsepower

Power is merely a general term that describes force, torque is rotational force. I never said in any way in that first post that a 15T increased my "Horsepower" I stated it increased my power. If anyone has ridden a GS500 with 15T vs 16T they understand it has more power.

Past that, none of what I stated was "off" in any way. You can call me wrong all day long and twist words, if you think I was wrong prove it!

[Suzuki Stevo]

Yes, torque is a rotational force, but if you go one step backwards before it becomes rotational, torque can be seen as....pressure applied to the top of the piston regardless of weather the piston moves or not.
(during my vocational training it was presented to me this way)
Carry on 

[crzydood17]

actually that is wrong, the entire point of a engine is to turn longitudinal force (expanding super heated nitrogen) into rotational torque (spinning tires). Don't listen to your vocational school. I went to Wyotech, the collective knowledge of the students outweighed the knowledge of the teachers. The books are great though! I kept all of mine and use them as great reference tools.

[twocool]

And cookie, stop referencing posts to "we're heading to the tard farm now". It's as if you secretly Want posts to end up there, unseen, for some reason. 

As for HP vs Torque... saw a chart the other day (which I cannot seem to find at the moment but will repost it when I do) comparing dfferent bikes over torque, hp, etc. The ducati had the most torque by a mile but nowhere near the most HP.

Michael

When members post such statements as this:

"Next time before you speak, remember I am watching and waiting in the background just to call you out on how stupid you really are."

It belongs in the tard farm....

If we want to discuss a topic rationally...then let's keep it "nicer".

Torque, Horsepower, and RPM are physics terms with specific definitions.....and certain relationships..

Cookie