Motorcycle Tire Load Capacity

As I've repeated an annoyingly large amount of times, you should follow the manufacturer’s recommendation on this.

That said, buying a tire with a larger load capacity than specified isn't going to do any harm. You won't increase the maximum load limit of your motorcycle, and it might add a bit of unnecessary rolling resistance. But that's no biggie. On the flip side, getting a tire with a smaller load limit is always a bad idea. Because, pop!

On alphabetical tire codes, the “Load Range X” part corresponds to a ply rating. This is a measurement of how sturdy the tire is, which in turn relates to how much weight it can carry. However, the actual number of kilograms is dependent on the size and inflation pressure of the tire. So, "Load Range X" remains a nebulous concept that doesn't mean much by itself. Just match what the OEM recommends, and put it out of your mind.

Load indexes, on the other hand, are easy to understand. They directly correspond to the maximum weight that each tire can carry when inflated to the tire's maximum psi. But beware of two things. One - your motorcycle probably suggests an inflation pressure lower than the tire's maximum psi. So for your purposes, the tires on your bike will have a slightly smaller load limit than indicated on the sidewalls. Two - your motorcycle's weight distribution is not 50-50. So, never assume that the load indexes from the front and rear tires add up to the maximum weight of the vehicle. In all likelihood, the weight limit of the motorcycle, passengers and cargo is much lower than the sum of two tire capacities.

The bottom line is this: fit your motorcycle with tires of equal or greater load capacities than specified by the OEM. Then, load your bike according to the motorcycle manufacturer's guidelines; not according to the load indexes on your tires.

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Load Index Chart

Load Index Weight Limit (Kgs.) Weight Limit (Lbs.)
21 82.5 182
22 85 187
23 87.5 193
24 90 198
25 92.5 204
26 95 209
27 97.5 215
28 100 220
29 103 227
30 106 234
31 109 240
32 112 247
33 115 254
34 118 260
35 121 267
36 125 276
37 128 282
38 132 291
39 136 300
40 140 309
41 145 320
42 150 331
43 155 342
44 160 353
45 165 364
46 170 375
47 175 386
48 180 397
49 185 408
50 190 419
51 195 430
52 200 441
53 206 454
54 212 467
55 218 481
56 224 494
57 230 507
58 236 520
59 243 536
60 250 551
61 257 567
62 265 584
63 272 600
64 280 617
65 290 639
66 300 661
67 307 677
68 315 694
69 325 716
70 335 736
71 345 761
72 355 783
73 365 805
74 375 827
75 387 853
76 400 882
77 412 908
78 425 937
79 437 963