I hope one of you guys can answer this for me: Is the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating based on the horsepower or the suspension of the bike? Its hard for me to believe that the ZX-14 with 190 horses only has a max. load of 397 pounds.

* Last updated by: elliszx11 on 3/11/2012 @ 2:10 PM *

welcome to the forum. Here are some definitions:

Curb Weight is the actual weight of the truck without any passengers or cargo in it. It’s the base weight that is used in subtraction to calculate the total weight of the vehicle with passengers and cargo.

Gross Vehicle Weight is the total weight of the loaded vehicle. This includes the vehicle itself and the cargo that is loaded within that vehicle.

Gross Vehicle Weight Ratings are the ratings that are calculated by the manufacturers as to be the amount of weight that the vehicle will be when the vehicle itself is weighed filled with gasoline and loaded according to manufacturer’s specifications.

Thanks for your response and the definitions, but maybe I didn't ask the question quite right. My issue is the Max Load of my 2011 ZX-14. It is listed as 397 lbs., which I assume is the max recommended load for the bike. At my weight, I exceed that max load with me and my girl. No room for luggage! Can I increase the max load by changing the rear shock, or is that figure based on the horsepower of the bike?