How much gear do you bring, in pounds or kilograms?

Going up a Mountain Pass while fully loaded. TGW is an abbreviation for Touring Gear Weight. How much gear do you bring, in pounds or kilograms? This is to make some people realize that going up a pass lightweight is very important, or to simply prepare for a very difficult ride like we did Here’s an example of my bike riding up the Stelvio pass on a clear day on August 18, 2021! The motorcycle is a BMW R1200GS with a pillion and full camping gear, including 2x 4 season suits, tent air mattress sleeping bags, and so on. Included are a mini BBQ grill, camera and drone equipment, electronics such as a laptop and clothing, swimsuits, extra gas and a water tank, and other items… (I’ll make a list at a later date.) How much weight do we have? Here is a member’s text from the Advrider forum. “My wife and I went to Inuvik/Alaska on our 05 GSA and by the time we were on our last leg home we hit a truck scale and with both of us, all the stuff we accumulated and a full tank of fuel we were 550 kilos/1210 Lbs! No Problems at all!” So if my bike wet weight is 257 kilos / 565 Lbs. my weight in 85 kilos /190 lbs and wife 55 kilos /130 lbs we are up to 404 kilos / 890 lbs without the side panniers and the rear top case and the front side bags and the extra staff on top of them all that I call Touring Gear Weight or TGW. Is my gear from the rider on the forum heavier than 140 kilos/320 lbs? (1210-890=320lbs) Maybe not, but maybe close to it, if not more?

LET’S STOP READING AND THINK ABOUT IT! 140 kilograms / 320 Lbs? WHAT??? This is like you riding THREE (3) UP PLUS LUGGAGE, LMAO!!! OK OK MAYBE NEAR THAT WEIGHT OR EVEN MORE? So when I hear riders saying “aaa this pass it’s very easy, piece of cake, why was difficult for you!” going up single on a small EMPTY BIKE I understand that they have not much experience with motorcycles! My advice is to not go with a heavy loaded bike (camping gear, suits, tools, etc…) and two up like we did, because turning blind corners with cars and bicycles on them is difficult, or if you’re willing to go, just be prepared for a challenge like we did! Don’t get me wrong, we enjoy it and will do it again and again, but we will ALWAYS PREPARE! If you want to watch us both fully loaded going up Stelvio pass, there is a link below, as well as a link to the Advrider forum where you can read more. Thank you for taking the time to read this! I hope it helps some of you understand better!

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If you decide to go on a long distance ride including mountain passages and back roads fully loaded here are some of my recommendations!

1) First and foremost, properly load the bike! Maintain a low CG (center of gravity). Load heavy items at the bottom of the side panniers, not the top case, and load two smaller bags on the front of the bike.

2) Balance the weight! Spread your staff’s weight evenly.

3) Prepare by reading many articles about the upcoming passage road conditions.

4) Seek advice from other riders.

Articles and links

Advrider: https://advrider.com/f/threads/how-much-gear-do-you-load-up-lbs.792708

YouTube our Stelvio pass ride: https://youtu.be/q80pwHGGPHc

Safety Guidelines: https://easyridertours.org/wp/motorcycle-safety-secrets-and-guidelines/