Max Weight on 900 LT?

boy_welder2000 said:

I just got a 2008 VN900 LT and saw in the operators manual that the max weight is 397 pounds. Most of my rides will be alone so that will normally not be a problem. The times it will be a problem is when my girlfriend wants to go with me. Together we will be roughly 450 pounds with gear. Will that extra 50 pounds still be safe or is there something I will need to do before hand? Thank you

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Well, I'm 350 by myself. I've had me and my 180 pound daughter on it. And me and my 6' tall muscular redheaded ladyfriend (who's nearly 200 pounds, and not a drop of fat on her) on it. No problems. *shrug*

The problem of excess weight isn't on the bike itself (though it may bottom out occasionally) , it's in the top-heaviness of it and the handling issues that may arise if you have to make any sudden moves on it. Just give yourself more space and more reaction time and you should be fine. I have a 1500, and the max weight is about 450 or so. I'm 270, wife is 135, all the gear is close to 50 pounds so we're right there at the max. But I barely notice a difference except balancing it at a stoplight requires a bit more attention. Acceleration and handling seem to be fine.

I've got an '04 1500 Classic dressed up with bags and fairing. I'm 6'4" approx 280lbs. I noticed bottoming out when riding two up on driveways and some bumps. I bought Progressive Suspension shocks (model 430) and noticed a big difference in handling even when riding alone. Would recommend looking into this.