When purchasing a motorcycle, weight is an important factor to take into account. Purchasing a motorcycle without understanding its weight and carrying capacity could result in severe injuries. When selecting the best motorcycle for you, it’s crucial to take its weight into account. Discover how much a motorcycle weighs by reading this article.
Not All Motorcycles Are The Same
Although this is a broad generalization, most motorcycles weigh between 300 and 500 pounds on average. The size of the engine, exhaust, and frame are just a few elements that have an impact on a motorcycle’s weight.
Large batteries, powerful brakes, and steel rims (as opposed to aluminum) can all significantly increase the weight of a bike.
The engine is still the main element. Let’s say you visit a dealership in search of a cruiser with a 600-700cc engine. Even though it might be categorized as a medium-sized motorcycle, this one is still quite large. A 650cc cruiser that weighs 300 pounds is not going to be found.
It can be advantageous or detrimental that this bike weighs more than 300 pounds. A heavier bike might be more difficult to load with a winch or transport on a trailer, on the other hand. The advantages of heavier engines outweigh the drawbacks, though.
They can offer better stability in addition to the obvious benefits of speed and power, especially on a cruiser with a bottom-heavy design.
In general, lighter bikes tend to be smaller, less powerful ones. On the other hand, heavier bikes typically have more power. And the engine’s weight accounts for a large portion of the differences between them.
What Factors Affect The Weight Of A Motorcycle?
We’ll delve into the various elements that affect a motorcycle’s weight the most in order to get more specific.
Engine
The engine is by far the heaviest component of any motorcycle. Engine sizes typically range from 125 to 1600 cc. Motorbikes with smaller engines are therefore lighter than those with larger engines.
On adventure bikes, cruisers, and sport bikes, heavier engines are typically found, whereas lighter ones are on scooters, dirt bikes, and entry-level motorcycles.
Larger engines weigh more because they are larger in size and employ larger heavier components. They also require larger frames. Therefore, the motorcycle will be heavier with a bigger engine.
The engine of the motorcycle is so crucial that even within a single class of motorcycle, the engine’s size, or cubic centimeters (CC), has a significant impact on the bike’s overall weight.
Fairings
The main objective of this simple shell covering the frame of some motorcycles, particularly racing and sport bikes, is to lessen air drag. Your bike’s appearance is also determined by the hard plastic (or carbon fiber) shell.
You should be aware that naked motorcycles lack fairings and are typically lighter than fully-faired models. Smaller displacement, naked motorcycles are some of the lightest models.
However, fairings are standard on the majority of modern motorcycles. Additionally, despite the use of lightweight materials, your motorcycle may still gain a significant amount of weight.
The weight of your motorcycle can be significantly increased if you’re riding an older bike model because these models occasionally have sheet metal or steel components.
Luggage
Additional weight can be added to your bike by extra loads like your motorcycle saddlebags, top boxes, and other gear. Naturally, you’d need to bring more gear when camping or touring, and this will add to the weight of your bike.
Build Material
The weight of a motorcycle is significantly influenced by the materials used in its construction. Aluminum and plastic are lighter than steel, which is heavy.
While newer motorcycles use lighter materials like aluminum and hard plastic, older motorcycles are typically made of steel and are very heavy. These materials significantly reduce the bikes’ overall weight.
You’re in luck if you ride an older motorcycle and need to reduce weight! There are some excellent aftermarket upgrades that can be used to swap out your bike’s heavier components.
Panniers
A style of bike bag known as a pannier is one that is fastened to or slung over the back of your rear bike rack. Some motorcycles, such as touring and adventure bikes, come standard with panniers. The weight of panniers alone can be substantial.
Steel old-school panniers that are empty can weigh up to 10 pounds each. This adds to the weight of your bike along with everything else you would be putting in it, such as extra oil or fuel, a chain, and a spare helmet.
Other elements that impact a motorcycle’s weight include:
- bike’s class, type, and intended use.
- Air suspension, an exhaust system, and other auxiliary equipment are examples of onboard equipment.
How Much Does A Motorcycle Weigh?
Average Weight Of A Motorcycle By Engine Size
The cubic centimeters (CC) of the engine, which measures the size of the engine, will have a significant impact on the overall weight of the motorcycle, even within a single class of motorcycle.
By engine size, the following rough weight ranges for motorcycles are possible:
- <200cc weigh 100 to 200 lbs.
- 250-300cc weigh about 350 pounds.
- 500-800cc weigh about 400 to 450 pounds.
- 900-1100cc weight about 400 to 600 pounds.
- 1200cc and up weight about 500 to 800 pounds.
Average Weight Of A Motorcycle By Class
A rough classification of average motorcycle weight by bike class is as follows:
- Mopeds weigh between 100 and 200 pounds on average.
- 150 to 300 pounds is the weight range of scooters.
- The average weight of cafe racers and scrambles is between 350 and 450 lbs.
- Between 500 and 900 pounds is the weight range for cruisers and touring bikes.
- Weight ranges from 700 to 900 lbs for fully dressed baggers.
- Roughly 200 to 500 pounds is the weight range for dirt bikes and enduros.
- Sport bikes weigh between 300 and 500 pounds.
