Wet weight

[Wes]

Hi All. Yesterday I pulled into the truck scales when it was unused and weighed the 650 ready to ride. It was full of gas, Givi e52 top box empty, rainsuit and Gerbing liner under the seat. First aid kit and other un-named junk in fairing pockets. Total wieght - 290 KG or 640 pounds. No need to guess any more, eh?

[vfdcaptain]

Thanks for the info, Wes.

[Twinrider]

Sheesh, more than as my R1100RT wet. No wonder I don't get arm-wrenching acceleration Suzuki, bring out an 800cc Burgman!

[ulwbob]

I did the same truck scale thing. I did take off the E52 GIVI top box and all the junk in the under seat storage. I went to two certified feed mill scales and one independent farmer friend. All fluids were full.

Certified scale #1 = 515 pounds
Uncertified farm scale = 505 pounds
Certified scale #2 = 615 pounds

With such different readings I asked about when the scales were last checked for accuracy and if they were off a bit on the low end. The guy at #2 said they were checked in April. I told him how the '05 dry weight should have been 518 and the wet weight should calculate out to be nesr 560-575. He took me outside and threw three 50 lb bags of dog food on the scale and the digital readout said exactly 150 lbs. I've got to figure the 615 is right for my bike.......but I am still looking for another scale to try a 4th source.

[jcdorz]

Yeah, when I read the first wet weight I was incredulous. Gas, oil, coolant don't add up to 115 lbs. The Givi E52 is 11 lbs. plus the rack-maybe 1 or 2 lbs. The weight of the liquid is very measurable outside of the scoot. Gas is probably around 36 lbs. for 4 gallons. 3 quarts of oil is probably 7-8 lbs. The coolant, don't know the amount, maybe 5-10 lbs. With my Givi E52 on I would guestamate the sum to be about 590 lbs. I have never weighed my scoot on a scale, I know it is heavy, but I don't think all that stuff would add up to 640 lbs. even with a rainsuit under the seat.
Then when the other guy weighed on 3 different scales and came up with 3 different weights, I thought, yeah, maybe that first guy's scale was inaccurate. What do the rest of you think? JC

[Wes]

The scales I used are the government ones that all the trucks have to use every day. They are checked by governemt inspectors on a regular schedule. If you know anything about Canada, you know that our beaurocrats are among the most ingly annal about their weights and measures of any in the world. I have no direct proof that the scales are accurate, but I'd sure bet on it. I have used the same scales to weigh other bikes, as well as 4 wheel vehicles and have always found them to be pretty close. At the same time I weighed the Burger, 3 of my friends weighed their bikes and all felt the weights were probably accurate. Until someone can prove different, I'm going to have to accept the weight I got.

[Rubble]

I agree with Wes. I have seen my own body weight registered on several BC government scales and it was extremely close on all of them.

[ulwbob]

The difference between Wes' results and mine are virtually non existant. He said..."It was full of gas, Givi e52 top box empty, rainsuit and Gerbing liner under the seat. First aid kit and other un-named junk in fairing pockets"....... I said I filled it but took all that stuff off so we'd all be comparing apples to apples. If you add all his stuff onto my 615 pounds the result would be just about 640 pounds...or something VERY close. I think it is fair to say any 650 Burg in its natural, original road ready condition (stripped of junk and add-ons but full of fluids) is going to weigh 610-620 pounds. That's really what we've both said.

BTW --- the water (in the radiator) weighs 8.3 pounds/USA gallon

[4DThinker]

How accurate a scale is will probably vary with the position of the moon overhead. I have yet to see two scales side-by-side that gave the same reading (to two decimal points) for the same thing. Metal fatigue and expansion/contraction with changes in temperature can change readings. nearby magnetic fields can change readings. A non-level surface will change the readings.

My point? Be happy with whatever reading you get. If you don't like it, find another scale. Keep looking until you find the scale that tells you the weight you WANT your bike to weigh.

[wilythek]

Hey all, I've read the above posts about the weight of a 650. Something is amiss here. It sounds to me that the dry weight of a 650 must be higher than the 525 pounds as stated by Suzuki.

The following weights are approx; Gas=6# gal, oil=8# gal, water=8# gal.. given there is approx 4 gal of gas, 5 qts??? oil;( crankcase, forks, final drive), possibly 1 gal cooling fluid... there is no way the 650 can weigh 615# wet and unloaded if it's truly 525# dry. Wouldn't you agree...

525#(dry)+24#(gas)+10#(oil)+9#(water+antifreeze)=568#wet Where's the other 47# coming from?????????

[Ken OBSC]

525#(dry)+24#(gas)+10#(oil)+9#(water+antifreeze)=568#wet Where's the other 47# coming from?????????

You forgot about the air in the tires.

[wilythek]

You're right Ken... I forgot... but if you run 36# in each tire then you are adding another 72#.... hummmmmmmm

[ulwbob]

525#(dry)+24#(gas)+10#(oil)+9#(water+antifreeze)=568#wet Where's the other 47# coming from????????

I did the same calculation trying to predict what the end result would be and came up with just about the same number. As a retired fireman I know the water is 8.3 pounds/gal and the gasoline is closer to 7.2 pounds/gal but who's quibbling? I even tried to factor in the brake fluid to justify the extra weight. I don't know where you got the 525 number. My owner's manual and the service manual both quote 518 as the dry weight. Maybe you are looking at a year previous to 2005.

Like another guy said, every scale will be a bit different.... but none of them should be 47 pounds off in 500 pounds total. That's a 10% error! Of course that's how far our speedometers are off too .... but that's another topic. I am going to keep looking for scales. None of them so far have charged me to be weighed. If most of them are around 615 with the junk off the bike I am going to have to believe it. I am just glad I don't have to explain it.

[wilythek]

Hey Bob, the Suzuki website lists the 2005 650 as;

Ground Clearance: 130mm (5.1 in.)
Wheelbase: 1595mm (62.8 in.)
Dry Weight: 238kg (524 lbs.)
Suspension Front: Telescopic, oil damped

238 kilo X 2.20462262#'s = 524.7 pounds
1 kilogram = 2.20462262 pounds

Right from the horses mouth... although it can not be that weight if your scoot weighs 615# wet and empty of gear.

Possibly you have an 11 gal gas tank??? Hehehe..

Bill

PS I see you have a throttlemeister. There's the answer as they are quite heavy. Hehehe

[ulwbob]

Web sites are made up by marketing guru's... not techie engineers. Engineers write books and design stuff. Who are you gonna believe? The marketing guru's who are quoting last year's data without reverifying it for 2005 or the people who wrote the owner's manual (in my hand now) or the official Suzuki service manual that also says 518. My bet is on the engineers. 518 is the correct number for 2005.

[Brewman]

Lies, Lies, Lies, it's all lies!

Am I going 60 mph? No, I'm really going 55. Does my 650 Burgman have a 650 cc engine? No is't a 638 cc engine.
Does my scooter weigh 525? 518? 500? Nobody seems to know.
It's all a big conspiracy. I can just see the marketing genuses at Sukuki rubbing their hands together saying "Bwah Ha Ha Ha. Let's see what the do with this!"

BTW, loved the air in the tires comment!
Filling our tires with Hydrogen might lighten up our rides a bit.
Just don't smoke while riding. (Oh the Humanity!)

[wilythek]

Hey Bob, If'n the 650 does weigh 518 pounds dry, then the fluids weigh 97 pounds..... I don't think so... If the 615 pounds is correct, the bike must weigh about 570 pounds dry... depending of course on the amount of air in the tires.....

Bill

PS Being that heavy might account for the poor mileage.

[ulwbob]

The 97 pounds of fluids doesn't seem reasonable to me either. That's why I am continuing to look for more truck scales to try some more attempts. My calculations come closer to an estimate of what someone else speculated ..... 560-570 total

[jcdorz]

Ok, I forgot about the other oils, but they don't ad up to much and I gave way too much weight for the 3 quarts of oil-I must have been thinking of 3 gallons of oil. All the specs for the 650 Burgman say it weighs 525 or 524 lbs. I think most say 524 lbs. No where in a google search did I find any real info on a "wet" weight. My wife's Silver Wing feels way lighter than my 650 Burgman. The dry weight for hers is 476 lbs. for her 2002. The difference is only 48-49 lbs. Somewhere the Japanese know what the wet weight is for the 650, they are keeping a secret for some reason, I think it is to make the Burgman an enigma. Like, how the heck did they come up with the name Burgman for a Japanese scooter anyway? The liquids in the 650 should only come up to maybe 50-60 lbs. Measuring the liquids is very easy, just have to know the exact amounts for each weigh them and add 'em up. We do have to trust that the dry weight stipulated by Suzuki is correct too! Going to bed now, this has worn me out. JC
OK, I'm awake again. The most probable wet weight I've found was 607 lbs. on the http://needabike.com/numbers.html site. Somehow, all the fluid could weigh close to that. Maybe the dry weight is all wrong. Have any of you been on a Silver Wing and then gotten on a Burgman? I have both and the Burgman really feels significantly heavier to me and it is only supposed to be 50 lbs. less. Someday I will weigh it on a real scale & the truth shall be told! JC

[bruce gaal]

Hi folks, thought I'd "weigh in" on this topic. I have read in the past that the manufacturers "dry weight" not only means without fluids of any kind, but also means without the battery. Some number of pounds there as well.

[ulwbob]

Well!!! The battery would certainly help explain the weight difference. All of you who keep quoting 524 pounds need to be aware that that number is valid but NOT for the 2005 models. It's 518 for the 2005..

[AZscooter]

Just reviewing the MCN (Motorcycle Consumer News) May 2004 issue
they did a test of the 04 Burgman 650. They mesured the wet weight at
607 pounds..........

[ben1364]

Just reviewing the MCN (Motorcycle Consumer News) May 2004 issue
they did a test of the 04 Burgman 650. They mesured the wet weight at
607 pounds..........

Since I am considering a R1200RT to keep my Burgman 650 company, I was interested in how much more it weighs. It turns out that it is in the same weight range, ...perhaps even a bit lighter.

[4DThinker]

I don't suppose anyone has seen a 650 still in it's shipping crate? I'm curious what that crate weighed with a naked 650 in it.

[ulwbob]

I'll confirm that 607 figure. I took my Burg 650 to a local feed mill that had just had its truck scale checked by the State of Ohio Dept of Commerce inspector a couple weeks before. With the gas, oil, and water full and only the original tools etc in the trunk under the seat mine weighed 615 pounds. That 518 (2005) or 525 (pre-2005) number that is frequently quoted is the dry weight. NO LIQUIDS. I tried doing the calculations to make up the 90-100 pound difference and couldn't come up with the missing pounds until I realized they don't include the battery in the dry weight. Works out just right when you consider that.