rlgiv Posted December 13, 2015 #1 Posted December 13, 2015 Was just looking for some input on 2 up riding. I am a good sized guy at about 6 2 and 220. my wife is also about 220. Have any of yall rode two up with this weight and loaded for a trip? I have a 2007 venture and was just wondering how the bike would react and if its safe? Should I use certain tires?
GAWildKat Posted December 13, 2015 #2 Posted December 13, 2015 Hubs has a 1st gen, so my answer is going to be slightly different. But 1st off, tires are a touchy subject here. Most 1st and 2nd gen riders swear by the dunlop elite 3 series tires. Some use metzlers, Avon, etc. My suggestion is try the E3 and see how it holds to your riding style. My husband weighs abt 180 and at the time we last took the bike out I weighed abt 220. We unfortunately never tested it on a roadtrip before it gave up in the spring, however we did load it down a couple of times with about 100lbs of clothes, snacks, etc for a day trip or 2. Most of the time we were within 4 hr ride of the house and he would ride the bike and I drove the van to camp. Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
mirider Posted December 13, 2015 #3 Posted December 13, 2015 Wife and I weigh total of about 380# (I am forbidden to say who weighs what ) and we run E3s on our 09 Venture. No problems on trips towing trailer and trunk and saddlebags full....... I run max recommended pressures front and rear.
Motorcycle Mike Posted December 13, 2015 #4 Posted December 13, 2015 Me and the wife tip the scales at a little over 430 lb's together. We've loaded up both bags, the trunk and pulling a full trailer with cooler. Traveled many thousands of miles with no issues what so ever and I never felt unsafe. Rear shock pumped up just under max pressure. Dunlop E3's @ 40 front and rear. .
OrlinEngh Posted December 13, 2015 #6 Posted December 13, 2015 we are around the 400 mark and have pulled the trailer and loaded down and have had no problems at all and don't ever feel that the bike feels over loaded or unsafe Just keep a close eye on the tire pressure front and rear. Tires are just a matter of choice, Just keep in mind the softer rubber tires do grip the road nice but you wont get the miles out of them as you will with a harder rubber tire. Orlin
cowpuc Posted December 13, 2015 #7 Posted December 13, 2015 Tip (my best friend) and I have covered a fair amount of miles on Tweeks (1st Gen) with the scoot packed to the gills. While I do get teased a lot about my unwillingness to pull a trailer because of the extra weight we carry, I have actually found these touring bikes to be very capable of carrying max loads without to much problem. The main thing when carrying full capacity is to remember that when you have a passenger on a fully loaded scoot is that being mindful of the change in handling attitude that the xtra weight brings about is now up to BOTH of you instead of it just being on your shoulders as it would be if you were riding alone. That old saying about "practice makes perfect" comes to mind here, pack up your scoot - get your precious wife on the back and go to a parking lot and practice practice practice. A huge thing for the passenger to learn is when its ok to move around and when its not - she has to participate in "riding" the bike or bad things can happen real quickly. As far as tires go, I tend to run the lower end tires (cheaper) because carrying the amount of weight we do combined with our LOVE for HOT desert tarmac - the differences in mileage we get out of high priced compared to low price tires has been negligible = 4k miles out of cheap, 6k (maybe) out of expensive - plus I change my own tires from start to finish so an "on road" tire swap is not that big of a deal. More important than brand (IMHO) is that you make sure that what ever tires you decide to run, make sure your purchasing tires with a high load rating on them - I like to stay above "78" on my load ratings which keeps me above 900 lbs cap on each tire. I have found we go thru 3 rear tires to every front tire. Also, when packing heavy, keep in mind that the last part of the tread wear wears A LOT faster than the first part (especially in high tempts) and if your near wear bars = begin the process of ordering a new tire. Concerning brands, there is only one "brand" that I would stay away from,that would be "Metzler". I only say this because I have personally experienced delamination with a rear Metz and I also have a very good friend of mine who also had this issue (almost cost him and his wife some severe personal injury). Due to this, I would NOT put a Metz back on unless I had no other choice. Run max tire pressures, run max suspention pressures (especially rear), dont tailgate (ride defensively), learn to use front brakes (where REAL stopping power is) and keep an eye on brake pad wear, pack heavier items in bottoms of saddlebags, if riding with other bikes ALWAYS ride your ride (dont find yourself getting pressured into riding over your head) and you folks will do fine!! Happy touring! Puc
Larry1963 Posted December 13, 2015 #8 Posted December 13, 2015 Wife and I weigh total of about 380# (I am forbidden to say who weighs what ) and we run E3s on our 09 Venture. No problems on trips towing trailer and trunk and saddlebags full....... I run max recommended pressures front and rear. Smart, very smart
etcswjoe Posted December 13, 2015 #9 Posted December 13, 2015 Wife and I are both large folks and only trouble I have had was with an older Avon tire I bought when I had a flat on the road, it was not the highest load rating available and the treads started splitting. I do not know if it was the load rating or the age of the tire, was the only one the dealer had in stock so I was stuck with it, so watch the load ratings and the age of the tire.
Eck Posted December 14, 2015 #10 Posted December 14, 2015 You will find the RSV is very top heavy with two up riding. I strongly recommend that you and your other half take a few short rides so that YOU know how to handle the bike with the extra weight. (trailer or spouse). Get into a parking lot (Wal-mart) and make sure YOU know how to make slow turns before adding that extra weight. Then do it again with the extra weight..Do this BEOFRE you head out on a trip... YOU must know how to handle the bike "before" you take the better half for a ride....
Venturous Randy Posted December 14, 2015 #11 Posted December 14, 2015 There are probably a lot on here that would love to ride at the combined rate that you noted. And their bikes probably would like it too. Randy
garyS-NJ Posted December 15, 2015 #12 Posted December 15, 2015 I'm 160 and my gf is about 100. I don't think my mk1 knows. We are riding it.
stickhandle2 Posted December 15, 2015 #13 Posted December 15, 2015 We arent small but mine is greater then the high commanders, our RSV handles both of us and our gear when travelling on the scoot with out a whimper. Yes they are top heavy and when fully loaded going slow in tight areas can be a test, but as Eck mentioned. practice practice practice. Get to learn how to ride your bike slow, and become good buds with the friction zone and the back brake. Mike
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