When Is A Bike Too Heavy?

Speedy has a great lock, so mine takes some back and forth to get in, but no issue after enjoying and outing.
Have had a few of the lads sit and take the weight and been surprised at how light it feels.
250kg is all low centre.

 

There is a guy on the Guzzi Wildgoose site who has a bit of a thing about this (he also likes Triumphs - Kev m, you know who you are) and he writes very eloquently about it, even if he is American. The gist of it is that he thinks manufacturers make heavier bikes; we (the riders) think it's better to have heavier bikes - but, secretly, we acknowledge that light bikes are just more fun, and 'what a bike should be'.


Beerman

 

At least for me, lighter is the right way to go.
When I had a thundercat (yzf 600) I never thought about the weight and the seat height was quite low further removing any issue.
My next bike was a Honda CB1000R. It weighed around 220 kg book figure with the abs adding a bit. The suspension handled better set firm so very little give and a little tall, not excessive but not totally ideal.
Current bike 765 rs addresses all these points. Seat a little lower and not a bizarre shape, weight significantly lower by around 30 kg I reckon wet.

I think it is the relationship between seat height (and sometimes width or shape) and the overall weight and CofG that is important to shorter leg riders. The actual number of kg is meaningless to some extent on its own.
Beerman I would agree with you that 250kg is very much getting to be too much, at least for you and I.

Bizarrely the 1200 bobber feels far lighter than a supertwin in the showroom but clearly can't be. The sure ability to sit flat footed fools you into thinking this.

 

150kg sounds great, is that wet?

 

I used to have a Harley nightster 1200for about 6 months but we won’t go into that... I found although it was a heavy bike it also was easy to hump around the workshop and on smooth alpine roads was impressively flickable due to the bulk of the weight low down.
As I’m only 5’6” with an inside leg of 29” I find most bikes challenging to hump around the roads but always manage it. I also find that it’s the same with girls!!

 

Sounds great any pics?

 

This is one of my other bikes, at 147KG ready to go and with a low seat height, it’s a keeper, I’ve had it 7 years now, not very quick, but reliable and economical.

 

That looks like a fun bike once you get it up to speed

 

It’s not all about speed, it will cruise at around 60/65 mph ok, but being only a 400 single, it’s a relaxing ride, with 70mpg for good measure.

 

I’ve a Skorpion sport in storage which is a similar thing. It’s a 660 single and handles like it’s on rails. You learn to ride them differently to other bikes but boy does it make you feel alive, it reminds me of a lotus 7 on two wheels!!

 

I was expecting this to end badly.

 

A bike is too heavy when you rupture your Achilles Tendon trying to put it on it’s centre stand.

 

The thing with these instructional videos on how to pick your bike is they never demonstrate picking the bike up on an uphill slope covered in gravel!
It's always on a nice flat smooth surface.....

 

I'd love to see her try that with my 900 Sprint. Now that would end badly.

 

For me the biggest improvement triumph could make to the Bonneville, (in all its confusing guise’s) would be to reduce the weight. In turn that would improve braking, handling and suspension performance.
I realise they have to add all the modern day euro4 crap to em but they don’t seem to concentrate on lightness.
Let’s be honest, the scrambler is just a name and fashion statement, most will never go off road and rightly so, just way to heavy to be fun and actually any good on dirt.
Obviously this applies to the BMW GS too. I had one, carried it weight well once moving but a nightmare to move around by hand. Only went “off road” once, rode across a field, feeling very unconfident due to its bulk.
The 1050 speed triple I swapped it for felt so much better for being a lot lighter.
Even at the end of their production at Meriden, the 750 Bonneville was sub 200kg and that had grown maybe 50kg from the 650.
It must be within triumphs ability to produce a “lightweight” Bonny for the modern era. Forget about more engine power, reduce the weight and achieve a similar result.
Be a long time coming tho me thinks.
@ Triumph, Image isn’t everything to a lot of customers.

 

I dread to think how much the anticipated new Rocket 3 would weigh, If I was 40 years younger I might start saving up for one.

 

All my bikes are heavy and I am not tall. I can pick them up with my legs.
Stratoliner
Vulcan 2000LT
Thunderbird Storm

JJ

 

I used to own a Honda Pan Euro ST1300 weighing in at 331 kg’s wet, add the weight of loaded panniers, top box and tank bag and she was a heavy beastie.
With the suspension set correctly she would hold the road very well and the old adage of you don’t notice the weight once your moving was correct for me.
It was a different matter trying to push it around.

At the same time I owned a couple of Yamaha RD’s the aircooled 250 and 400 which weighed in at around 151 kg’s each I think.

What a difference in riding, enjoyed the little Yamaha 2 strokes just a much as the BIG Pan Euro.

 

is this you

 

Yes Dougie D,how did you know ?

JJ