[meangreenbean]

Hi all,

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I’m 42, 6 feet tall and weigh 300 pounds. I finally have the money for my first bike.

How much of a factor will my weight be in selecting a bike? In other words if I were 180 pounds and selected a bike in the 250cc range does the additional 120 pounds push me up to the 500cc or 750cc range?

This is strictly recreation for me. Riding only when the weather is nice and the traffic is light on back country roads or out to the beach on the interstate early in the morning.

Many thanks!

[Gary856]

If I were your size, I’d consider starting on a 500 for a bit more engine power, but still manageable and not crazy. Not sure about your bike style preference but my standard recommednation is GS500.

Most bikes are set up at the factory for a smaller rider, 140-ish pound rider. You’ll probably need to go for heavier springs for better suspension action on any bike you choose.

[WeaponZero]

I started riding at 335 lbs. Bigger bikes usually come with beefier suspension and you will need a 500 or so minimum. I know, I tried 250s back then and my fat butt bottomed them out. My SV650 even needed a rear shock upgrade.

[A]

No pun intended, but at weight of 300 lb., probably best to avoid any impact while operating a moto.
Try and find a moto with nice wide/big rear tire, Yamaha Virago or Honda Magna type moto would probably serve ok.

[SilkRyder]

I had that same question I’m 6′ 245. You think I should be looking in the dame category? I really wanted a Hyosung GT250R or a ninja 250.

[eternal05]

A Ninja 250R will haul you just fine, and at 6′ you should find it right at the limit of comfort (I’m 6’4″ and just barely made it work).

[SilkRyder]

Cool thanks, was getting nervous there lol:)

[CBBaron]

Power and the ability to move you is not a problem with the 250s, especially the Ninja250R. However as mentioned suspension can be a problem. Any small bike will be undersprung for your weight but with heavier bikes the rider is a smaller percentage of the vehicle weight so the effect is less noticable.
However suspension upgrades are possible and probably recommended for any bike.

I’m 220lb and ride a stock Ninja250R. I take up a good bit of the suspension with my weight along but it still handles the rough rural roads and urban potholes without a problem. In fact the soft stock suspension probably handles rough roads better than most street bikes.

Craig

[madjak30]

If you ask whether or not a 250cc bike will be adequate, you will get a unanimous YES. But ask how it would do riding two up, and you will get varied answers from “yeah, it will be fine” to “if you are planning two up riding, I would consider a bigger ride” to the ultimate “you shouldn’t even be thinking of going two up until you have a few thousan miles under your belt”…

You have to realize that most of the guys in here are under or around the 200lbs mark, and if their significant other is around the 100lbs mark…you do the math, we are riding two up at all times…you could also look at it as incentive to loose weight…as you loose the weight, the bike would get noticably quicker…but to get down to the 200lbs range will take quite an effort, so I don’t know if it would be advisable to use your bike as incentive. It may end up being more discouraging than helpful.

Just read through past posts to see the responses to the question of will a 250cc bike work for me, and pay attention to the two up riding responses given. That helped me decide on a GS500 as my first bike…I’m 5’11 and 275lbs…and it was just right for me…

Just my two cents…

Later.

[madjak30]

The GS500 was the bike for me in my situation. If you are riding primarily in the city on surface streets, a 250cc bike will be more than enough…they are quite a blast to ride up to 85kph for bigger guys! But I live in a bedroom community that is 25kms down the hiway to get to work, so the smaller bikes would be not as comfortable on the hiway with the morning commuters.

Again, it was the right bike for me in my situation. My weight, my riding needs and my experience/comfort level (dirt bikes when I was a kid)…just so we don’t get caught up in the “500cc isn’t a starting point” debate.

Later.

[WeaponZero]

Couldn’t have put it better myself.

The bottom line is that when you get into the weight realm where you weigh about as much as a normal rider PLUS a passenger, the rules change. And yes, at that point you can scoff at anyone who points you in the direction of a 250. And as much as losing weight is the best option, the truth is that can take a long long time and a lot of willpower. Not everyone has the willpower and not everyone wants to wait that much time.

As I said, when you’re in this situation, the rules change. 250s are no longer an option. But you also need adjustable suspension, something only found on high-end supersport bikes, and they’re still off-limits. So, what is a guy to do?

The truth is you’re going to have to make suspension modifications to virtually any bike you buy if you’re in this weight category. A new rear shock at the very least. Because the manufacturers wrongfully assume that the only people who need adjustable suspension on a motorcycle are sport tourers and track scratchers. Bikes aimed at beginners seldom, if at all, have adjustable suspension. The only one I know of that does is the Kawasaki Versys.

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