Generally speaking, a motorcycle’s weight depends on its type. It all goes down to the cubic capacity (CC), denoting a motorcycle’s engine capacity, and the weight of its parts.
All in all, there are ten main bikes: choppers, adventure bikes, dirt bikes, touring bikes, sportbikes, baggers, cruisers, café racers, scooters, and lastly, moped bikes, which are the lightest. Let’s explore each!
Motorcycle Types
1. Choppers
Before the transformation they underwent in our current era, choppers were exclusive to outlaws. Today, that’s no longer the case; they became popular as time progressed. They weigh an average of 700 lbs, come with potent engines, and have an excellent customization capacity.
2. Adventure Bikes
Adventure bikes and dirt bikes share some similarities. However, adventure bikes are more of an older sibling that can deal with longer distances and are more comfortable overall. Typically, they come with a large pannier that can add significant weight due to its metal construction. This motorbike weighs around 500 lbs.
3. Dirt Bikes
As we’ve mentioned before, dirt bikes are lighter and smaller than adventure bikes, but, that doesn’t mean they’re weaker. Rather, they’re designed to have easily replaceable parts as they tend to take a significant beating along with its rider. They normally come at a weight of 200 to 220 lbs and enjoy various CCs ranging from 50 to 450.
4. Touring Bikes
Touring bikes are probably some of the heaviest on the market today as they weigh around 800 to 1000 lbs. The reason is that they’re designed for traveling, so they come with storage space in addition to some advanced options, such as GPS, heated grips, ABS, and more.
5. Sportbikes
Sportbikes bikes weigh around 400 lbs, and they come with little to none of the standard accessories. They’re oriented towards high performance and speed; plus, they come in a vast range of engine capacities.
6. Baggers
Baggers are the lighter, smaller version of touring bikes, as they’re suited for long but not too long distances. They weigh around 700 to 850 lbs and come with space for rear storage.
7. Cruisers
Cruisers represent the typical American image with their laid-back seating. They’re quite comfortable to ride and come with a mighty twin motor. Cruisers are incredibly customizable and can weigh anything between 400 to 700 lbs.
8. Café Racers
Café racers, or scramblers, bring all the properties of newer motorbikes into a vintage-looking bike more fit for all types of terrains. They weigh around 450 lbs, depending on the customizations that you apply to it.
9. Scooters
Scooters are the improved version of Mopeds. They’re great for beginners, thanks to their automatic transmission. They’re also stylish and quite stable, with sizes ranging from 50 CCs to 650 CCs and weight ranging between 200 and 500 lbs.
10. Moped Bikes
Moped bikes weigh around 150-200 pounds, which is why they’re easily manageable. Actually, if you have some muscle, you can easily lift them upstairs or fit them anywhere.
Other Factors That Affect Your Bike’s Weight
Although type and CCs are the greatest detrimental factors when it comes to any bike’s weight, other factors take part in the equation as well.
Battery
The majority of bikes still operate using lead-acid batteries. Switching to lithium-ion ones can significantly reduce your weight, as they only carry 1/3 of lead-acid batteries’ weight.
Accessories
Fenders
Based on your surrounding terrain and other protection methods, you can replace, shorten, or remove your front and/or rear fenders.
Rims
The rims that usually come with your motorbike are made out of hefty metals. You can switch them out for other heavy-duty, lighter ones.
Windscreens, Backrests, and Panniers
If you don’t need a windscreen, backrest, or pannier, remove them, since they’ll eventually add up to a lot of deadweights.
Exhaust and Wheels
There’re a lot of options in today’s markets that offer you both lightweight and durability. If it’s within your financial capability, try to go for those options.
Final Thoughts
As we’ve discussed, the question of “how much does a motorcycle weigh” is actually a smart one to ask, especially with the variations among each motorcycle type.
We hope that we’ve given you a comprehensive view of different motorbikes and weights, plus a few tips for taking the dead weight of your motorbike!