Twisties said:
I had assumed that since the vehicle weight is given wet you don't need to count the weight of the fuel in the load, unlike the BMWs which give a dry weight.
You're probably right. The two specs in the manual give a "curb weight" of 575 without accessories and a max load of "rider, passenger, cargo, and accessories" of 461 (slightly less for CA models). I would assume this means the GVWR is the sum of the two or 1036 lbs. Curb weight is usually defined as the vehicle in "ready to drive" state with some defined level of fuel and Yamaha does say on the web site that it means "fully fueled". So you shouldn't have to include fuel int he 461, I would think.
We do also have the data from the motorcycle USA test which seems to indicate that perhaps Yamaha is fudging the 575 a bit. I think they got something like 635 for the bike which includes some accessories, although I don't think they identify which ones.
I doubt it would be hard to get a accessorized bike to 650, especially if you're going with the most rugged options in your luggage and guards. For many of the bikes out there, I doubt you have more than 400 to play with for rider, passenger, and cargo and still be technically legal.
BMW, BTW, is now quoting fairly accurate "curb weights" also. Their spec for the basic unaccessorized R12GS (without ABS since it is not standard) is 504 curb, 465 for max load, and 970 GVWR. Load wise, its a wash, although they start out lighter and end lighter. Earlier analysis indicated the BMW had about a 35-40 lb weight advantage with the same equipment, but the data is trending to say that perhaps it is more like 60 or so.
- Mark