Have I purchased the wrong bike?

[chamelion]

Hi there,
 
My requirements led me down the path of choosing between:
 
MT-09 Tracer/FJ-09
Kawasaki Versys 1000
Suzuki GSX-R 1250
 
I went with the Tracer as it seemed it would suit what I wanted to do, being: commuting, touring, weekend fun, both 1up and 2up. What I failed to consider was the weight limit. I'm a bit overweight, but I didn't consider myself so fat that putting my wife on the back and loading panniers and a top box with touring gear/hiking style camping equipment would be a problem. I have a little time before I'll be taking my wife on a longer trip with luggage, so if I need to upgrade the rear shock or something I can save a few $ and get that done.
 
Me - 110kg + gear
Wife - 70kg + gear
 
 
185kg - riders plus gear
 10kg - panniers and top box (rough guess)
 30kg gear
 
225kg or 496 lb
 
From what I worked out we're actually going to be on the weight limit without panniers, top box or other gear.
 
I didn't want to go with the versys as I just didn't feel it would be as fun to ride so, which will still be the much larger percentage of my riding. So much so that I could have bought one the same day as I bought my FJ for 2/3 the price, a year newer and with less miles on the ODO, but didn't.
 
Is there something that I can do without spending thousands for this bike to be practicle for my wife and I to do some touring? Or should I consider switching this bike out for something else?
 
Thank you in advance for your help.. hoping no one suggests I lose weight, buy a gold wing or make my SO ride another bike.

[chamelion]

Interestingly I just checked the Versys too.. same weight limit as the FJ. Out of the three only the boring (lol) Suzuki has a higher limit of 496lb.

[britelitebob]

Interestingly I just checked the Versys too.. same weight limit as the FJ. Out of the three only the boring (lol) Suzuki has a higher limit of 496lb.

 
Loading 500 lbs on any of these bikes sounds awfully boring to me.

[chamelion]

Well, I'm clearly not looking to drag my knees around the twisties with my wife on the back and loaded up with gear for multi day touring. It'll be a very sedated affair with speed limits adhered to and the scenery enjoyed.

[wessie]

You mention you have time.
 
You could use the time to shed some weight.
 
Get a divorce.
 
Get the wife her own bike.
 
Save up for a K1600GTL.

[chamelion]

You mention you have time.  
You could use the time to shed some weight.
 
Get a divorce.
 
Get the wife her own bike.
 
Save up for a K1600GTL.

I would love to lose some weight, but I'm on medication that causes weight gain.
 
Tempting to get a divorce. But no, I don't like doing my own laundry.
 
Wife isn't licensed to drive, let alone ride.
 
Not that keen on them, but certainly a better option than the gold wing. Would be shit for weekend twisty time with my mates though.
 
Maybe I'll make do for a while and then consider two separate bikes down the track. Something sporty for fun time and something like a bandit or a gsxr 1250 for commuting and touring.

[stevesweetz]

I don't think the FJ is a good choice for multi-day touring with a pillion regardless of the weight limit. Have you ever done anything like that with your wife before - do you have any idea of her willingness to put up extended discomfort for something that's probably more your passion than hers?

[chamelion]

I don't think the FJ is a good choice for multi-day touring with a pillion regardless of the weight limit. Have you ever done anything like that with your wife before - do you have any idea of her willingness to put up extended discomfort for something that's probably more your passion than hers?

I've done week long touring on an ER6N solo and happily would have gone a week more. I'm a bit of a nutter, I know. But I love riding long distance, over multiple days.
 
Taking the wife will be a first no matter the bike. I am completely unable to purchase a large, comfortable land yacht, I just can't afford it. If I can get her to do overnighters happily, then that will be good enough. Lots of great place to ride to within 500 miles.

[stevesweetz]

I don't think the FJ is a good choice for multi-day touring with a pillion regardless of the weight limit. Have you ever done anything like that with your wife before - do you have any idea of her willingness to put up extended discomfort for something that's probably more your passion than hers?

I've done week long touring on an ER6N solo and happily would have gone a week more. I'm a bit of a nutter, I know. But I love riding long distance, over multiple days. 
Taking the wife will be a first no matter the bike. I am completely unable to purchase a large, comfortable land yacht, I just can't afford it. If I can get her to do overnighters happily, then that will be good enough. Lots of great place to ride to within 500 miles.

Sitting passively as a pillion on an uncomfortable seat (as compared to other modes of transportation) for 4+ hours is a completely different experience from being the one controlling the bike.
 
Has your wife ridden pillion at all yet?  If you have no concept of the wife's enjoyment of being pillion then it potentially would be a waste to buy a big touring bike anyway - since it could turn out she's not up for it regardless.
 
Try a day trip with no luggage (in which case you should be close enough to the weight limit that it's not a big concern) before you start having regrets.  May turn out your wife just isn't into riding pillion at all in which case you bought yourself a very fine solo touring bike.

[wessie]

I suggest a ten mile loop to see if she likes the experience before you go planning a 500 mile trip. If she doesn't, pick a destination you both like. Ride there yourself and get her to take a train or plane. Have a few days together at the base and return home independently. This works for a number of friends who have partners who can no longer manage or never liked long trips on the back of a bike.

[root]

I've gone over the limit by that much many times and been fine. The bike handles completely different of course, but I personally have never felt unsafe. It feels like a big heavy cruiser and the suspension isn't as comfortable on rough areas since it's sprung for a lighter weight. Takes alertness to slow down or avoid large bumps. I did a camping trip with some friends in the spring down at the tail of the dragon without the wife, but I had enough camping gear to make up for her weight. Lol. I didn't weigh the gear but I'm sure I was significantly over the limit for that trip. The nice part was having the option to carry all that down, then taking the side cases off and having a pretty sporty bike for the dragon. That trip included 2 full days of interstate highway though to get there and back. I think next time I may just trailer the bike if I do that trip again.
 
For what it's worth, my wife is more comfortable on the back of my FJ than a 2015 HD Ultra Limited touring bike as long as she has a top box for a back rest. I thought she was crazy or appeasing me when she said it, but she was serious. YMMV significantly on that one I'm sure. I do agree in general with the sentiments above regarding how tolerant she will be but at the same time, I have a feeling you might know your wife a little better than some random guys on the interwebs. A good friend of mine has taken 2 different 3-4 week long trips circling the country, motorcycle camping with his wife riding on the back of his Harley. She loved it.

[root]

Something like an FJR would be my go to before stepping up to the full touring bike if I was going to spend a lot more time carrying lots of weight. But, to answer your question in the subject line... my rule for my self is to buy the bike that does the 80%-90% of my riding well and is capable of handling the 10%-20%, even if I have to stretch the limits the lawyers suggest to do the 20%. So only you can decide that.

[jgalloway]

I've ridden mine 2-up on a 1,100 mile weekender. We were right at 470 lbs loaded (we were also carrying gear for our friend on an R6.) The bike handled just fine, and we did the Tail of the Dragon. We went fast enough to drag my toes several times. It obviously handles differently loaded that heavily, but it still corners well enough and has plenty of power to have fun. She had no complaints of discomfort, but I also had the Corbin seat before that trip, and she's a seasoned passenger who loves riding as much as I do.

[docsimple]

My wife and kid just meetup with me (and sometimes riding buddies) where ever we are camping. Probably not an ideal setup but lets everyone enjoy themselves. If your wife has not done much (or any) pillion riding I dont think 10 miles will tell you much. I also love long rides, sometimes 600-800 miles in a day. I dont do those so often anymore as this middle aged carcass says no, but easily 300-400 miles a day. There is no way in any reality that my wife wants to ride pillion for that long.
 
First get her on the bike and see how she feels. Do 50 miles, than 100. If she is all "hells yes" the weight shouldn't be much of an issue, but I really think your issue will be more of "this is exhausting".

[xlxr]

I weigh 270 lbs in gear, and found stock suspension / springs horrible. Way too stiff and harsh, then used up too much travel over bigger bumps. Especially not safe with too much weight too far back because front tire gets too light.
 
Get good suspension, springs and set up for your weight. Wife needs back rest and Air Hawk air cushion. Do a few shorter practice runs. Have plan B, whatever it takes to keep your wife happy, otherwise you will be seriously not happy.