[2true]

I was wondering if any of you feel that your body weight had any impact on your decision to choose the bike you did. I guess this question is geared more towards the experienced rider who has gone through a couple, three bikes already. Do you think weighing over 200lbs has a significant affect on the bikes handling, torque, hp.. etc.. especially on a 600cc bike vs. a liter bike?

I'm about 6'1 and pushing 235...

 

[b1tesize]

for my track bike yes

 

[kevinwilly]

Yeah, i'd say only for a track bike, or if you're over 300lbs...

But for the street, it's my belief that a liter bike is more fun, just because you don't have to rev the balls off of it.

It depends on what you're going for. But if you're not extremely familiar with bikes and not pushing it near its limits, you wont notice the difference in handling due to your extra body weight.

If you're looking into a 600RR or something, and you are at 230lbs, i'd say you'd be totally fine. ESPECIALLY if you're not that experienced with riding. A liter bike is a totally different animal than a 600. One sneeze and you could be on your back before you know it...

 

[RayOSV]

There isn't much difference in size between the 600ss and 1000ss bikes. In fact I think the GSX-R 1k is smaller than the 600 (seat height any way).

The interesting thing about weight is that you can pay big $$ for lighter bike parts. Losing the weight from the rider is free and usually more healthy to boot (although not unsprung weight).

 

[2true]

No, i've been riding for a couple, three years now.. i've had an r6, went to a 954, now i'm back on another 600.. I agree with you kevinwilly about the weight not being an issue unless 300+ lbs.. I just had a friend of mine today whose 6'5 around 240 get a brand new R1 as a second bike because the 06 R6 wasn't "big" enough for him... He had a vf500 for about 6 months.. I'm not completely worried about him, he seemed ok riding it home (about 60) miles.. But I am gona be worried about him when we're in the canyons and he has that thing around 10k rpms coming up on a corner..

 

[kevinwilly]

No, i've been riding for a couple, three years now.. i've had an r6, went to a 954, now i'm back on another 600.. I agree with you kevinwilly about the weight not being an issue unless 300+ lbs.. I just had a friend of mine today whose 6'5 around 240 get a brand new R1 as a second bike because the 06 R6 wasn't "big" enough for him... He had a vf500 for about 6 months.. I'm not completely worried about him, he seemed ok riding it home (about 60) miles.. But I am gona be worried about him when we're in the canyons and he has that thing around 10k rpms coming up on a corner..

Ah, gotcha.

But yeah- weight really shouldnt determine what you buy. I think riding style should be a better indicator. Though i have never seen the point to buying a japanese I-4 liter bike... but that's another story.

I mean- either you want to go fast in corners and be nimble, or you want to cruise around town and have torque. To me, that means a 600 I-4 or a 1000 V-twin. A 1000 I-4 is just kinda silly....

But i guess if you need an excuse to feed your ego...

 

[MeinGlänzendMotorrad]

I'm 6'4", 280lbs or so. I ride, obviously, a 599cc bike (Gotta make that 600R/R6 distinction) and have no issues with speed, handling, etc.

If I can go from stopped to 100 in a few heartbeats, why do I need more when I don't do the whole straight-line track thing?

 

[KrayZFrameRate]

Im 6' 155lbs. So there was no consideration in my weight on the bike. As far as the bikes concerned im negligeble. As for being a heavier guy, I had a buddy who had the same bike and he was 240+ and it moved him about quite rapidly.

 

[zx11_12]

I'm 6'0" and used to weight 360. I rode a ZX-12R because I figured a lightweight bike made no sense when I was so heavy and I needed every bit of horsepower and torque I could get. Now I weight 235 and I got a CBR1KRR. I know I'm still heavier than the average sportbike rider, but I felt I could take advantage of a lighter, more nimble bike. Between the bike being 100lbs lighter than the Ninja, and me being 130 lbs lighter, it feels just as fast if not faster then the ZX-12R.
However, too much power is never enough. I can't quit thinking about how fast a ZX-14 would be, especially since I lost weight. I'm thinking I may have to get me one.

 

[binx_19]

. Now I weight 235 and I got a CBR1KRR. I know I'm still heavier than the average sportbike rider, but I felt I could take advantage of a lighter, more nimble bike. Between the bike being 100lbs lighter than the Ninja, and me being 130 lbs lighter, it feels just as fast if not faster then the ZX-12R.

arent Ninjas known for being lighter then other bikes?
ok i looked it up if you had an '04 zx12r and went to a '051krr, you dropped 200cc and 75 pounds.

 

[cajunTLR]

This is one argument I never get. I mean I look at it this way. Would you say "oh I can't get that Mustang because I'm too big for it, I weight 250+ and it won't be enough power for me, so I'll have to get a Viper that way the power to weight ratio is about the same" Come on!!! I'm 200 and have been all the way up to 227. And know damn good and well that the weight difference would not have made me want to go up to a 1000 ( even know I have one and am trying to sell it). Unless your pushing these bike within a inch of their capibilities then it doesn't matter.

I mean I guess if you wanted to you could go down to %'s But even still the big guys that say "I have to have a Busa or ZX12 because I'm b*****" Makes no sense because if you get down to it. Your saving like one pound per horse power by going with a 12 or a Busa. Here is what I mean. 533lbs bike (sport rider mag dry weight for Busa since they are the favorite one for big guys) X 300lbs guy divided by 160HP gives you 5.2 lbs per HP or A 04 636 (mine) at 389 dry (sportrider) X 300 lbs guy divided by 113HP give you 6.2 lbs per HP. So ONE STINKING POUND????? Come on!!!!!! I guess you should have bought that Viper huh??? Make any sense now??

Shit it doesn't matter if you give up 50 lbs. Hayden was running .5 MPH slower than Pedrosa down the straight this weekend and that was on 250HP machines. Now if you just said "hey I'm a big guy and I am used to being the biggest and that's why I buy the biggest baddest thing out there" I could understand honesty. But then again I guess that means I must love my 1000 cause I was 227 at about 7% body fat. So I was pretty big. Better get the Viper too huh?? Ego's crack me up.

 

[04ImolaZHP]

I am 165 lbs and it had zero effect on my motorcycle decision making.

 

[Hammer.time]

the thing that seems to be the biggest issue when talking about size other than weighin more than 300 lbs is height......my one friend is 6'5" and he can't really comfortably ride the 600ss bikes or even most of the new liter bikes he says their too small and narrow......hes partial to big bikes like busa zx12/14....he rides an 97 yzf1000 thunderace the thing is huge

 

[zx11_12]

Cajun,
You are forgettting torque. Torque is actually what causes acceleration, not HP. And the big bikes have it in spades over the smaller ones. And 1 lb/hp is actually quite a lot when it comes to acceleartion. Compare the quarter mile times between a 'Busa and a 600cc supersport.
Then there is the issue of suspension. A light 600cc bike not only has softer springs simply because it's lighter and doesn't need them as stiff, but it is assumed that the rider will be lighter than the rider(and/or passenger) of a 'Busa or ZX-12R. Look at the GVWR of the bikes. Those stiffer springs are needed to at least try to get the suspension set up correctly for someone as heavy as I was at the time.

 

[GixxerSteph]

I'm 6' and weigh 200 lbs, didn't matter at all, which is why I went in the middle.

 

[sungwei]

I average around 170 which I think is a good weight for any size bike. Even a 500 is enough to push me around pretty quickly. My old EX500 didn't seem like it was underpowered due to my weight. It was just underpowered for my taste.

If you're like 250 and up I'd say a 600 will be quick, but I could understand if someone wanted something b*****. 600s are kind of small for a big framed and heavy guy. Not that the 1000s these days are any b***** frame wise though.

 

[malik ross]

not really. i'm 6'2"@225. i was about 15lbs light when i bought the bike but i was more interested in the power and lange range ridability than my size and it effect on the bike.

as far as a track/race bike goes i've seen some pretty big guys go pretty damn fast on 600's. i don't think wiehgt/size plays as big a factor as people would like to think. ability again plays the biggest role.

for some reason new riders think that because they aren't small they need a big bike. i call bs. i don't think an extra 50 or even 100lbs is going to have such a drastic effect on the delivery of power. a liter bike is going to be a handful in the lower gears regardless of how big you are.

 

[cajunTLR]

Cajun,
You are forgettting torque. Torque is actually what causes acceleration, not HP. And the big bikes have it in spades over the smaller ones. And 1 lb/hp is actually quite a lot when it comes to acceleartion. Compare the quarter mile times between a 'Busa and a 600cc supersport.
Then there is the issue of suspension. A light 600cc bike not only has softer springs simply because it's lighter and doesn't need them as stiff, but it is assumed that the rider will be lighter than the rider(and/or passenger) of a 'Busa or ZX-12R. Look at the GVWR of the bikes. Those stiffer springs are needed to at least try to get the suspension set up correctly for someone as heavy as I was at the time.

I see what your saying about the torque. But what I was saying in my reference to the Viper is that, even if it's a 600 and you are on a super sonic machine. They are ridiculously (spelling) fast. I mean your 235 now, 8 lbs heavier then I was but I didn't think that I needed a faster bike to get me going.

I don't know I guess I would just rather have a bike that is more flickable then one that takes some laboring. But I really don't know about that suspension thing.

 

[busarider54]

I chose my bikes because of fit to my height (6'2") not necessarily my weight. B***** bikes just fit me better ergonomically. Now if I were to have straight up track whore, I could live with smaller dimensions, but on my real-world streetbike, I have to have it somewhat comfortable.

 

[zx11_12]

I see what your saying about the torque. But what I was saying in my reference to the Viper is that, even if it's a 600 and you are on a super sonic machine. They are ridiculously (spelling) fast. I mean your 235 now, 8 lbs heavier then I was but I didn't think that I needed a faster bike to get me going.

I don't know I guess I would just rather have a bike that is more flickable then one that takes some laboring. But I really don't know about that suspension thing.

I've been riding biger bikes since my second bike, so that has something to do with it too. And as far as flickable, if you consider the bikes I've owned over the years, then the CBR1000RR is by far the most flickable thing I've ridden. I suppose it's relative.

Just for fun, here is a list of the bikes I've owned in order:
'85 Kawasaki LTD 454
'83 Honda V65 Magna
'87 Kawasaki ZL1000 Eliminator
'87 Honda Hurricane 1000
'90 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11
'82 Honda Goldwing
'00 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-12R
'99 Honda Valkyrie
'79 Honda CBX (still have this one)
'05 Honda CBR1000RR (still have this one)
'05 Honda Shadow Spirit 750 (wife's bike. Still have this one too)

Looking real hard at the ZX14. Maybe next spring when I see what Suzuki does to retaliate.