V E N G E A N C E M O T O R C Y C L E S O W N E R S M A N U A L
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Vengeance Motorcycles, Mira Loma, CA USA • 866-483-6432 • www.VengeanceMotorcycles.com
© 2004 Vengeance Performance Products, LLC All Rights Reserved • VOM 2nd Edition Rev 2.0 11/03
lean as well. So have them look over your shoulder in the direction of the turn when you go through a corner; that will
put the weight where you want it.
LOADING THE MOTORCYCLE
Whether it is a carton of milk from the convenience store, or camping gear for a three-week trip, you will end up
carrying more than people on your motorcycle.
All loads should be tied to the machine. Do not balance a bag of groceries between your legs for a short ride home.
Strap it to the back seat with bungee cords or an elasticized cargo net.
A great carrying device is the tank bag. It puts the weight where it should be – near the bike’s center of gravity. Make
sure it is properly secured and remember never to carry anything on the gas tank or inside the fairing that might
interfere with the steering of the bike. Just imagine what happens if the bars won’t turn far enough – big trouble.
There are appropriate places to carry loads on a motorcycle, but they do not include your front forks or fenders. If your
machine comes with saddlebags or a travel trunk, you’re set. If you have none of this, you can always buy a luggage
rack or throw-over bags; they are very useful items.
When you load saddlebags, keep equal weight on both sides. This is even more important when you are using soft
throw-over bags, as an imbalance can cause one side to drop down and rest on the muffler. A blazing saddlebag is no
joke.
Keep the weight relatively light in your travel trunk or on your luggage rack. Being aft of the rear axle, this is the worst
place on the motorcycle to carry much weight. It can turn a well-handling motorcycle into a poor-handling terror.
Sleeping bags go great back there; a 50-pound sack of dog food does not.
Check the security of the load frequently, and make sure nothing is dangling. It is one thing to lose part of your
luggage, quite another to get it tangled up in a wheel.
Above all, DO NOT EXCEED THE GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) of your motorcycle! You might find that
figure on the plate attached to the steering head; sometimes it is found on the frame; but the best place to look is in
the owner’s manual. It is written in pounds, and it includes the weight of the motorcycle, all gasoline, oil and coolant,
the rider(s), and the luggage.
DRUGS, DRINKING, AND DRIVING
In a word: Don’t. We kid you not. Mixing alcohol and drugs and motorcycles is like putting nitro with glycerin: there’s a
dangerous reaction.
Alcohol is a depressant. The first thing to go is your judgment – and good judgment is essential. Bad judgment gets
you into trouble. Drinking riders tend to run off the road more often, have a high percentage of rider error, and use
excessive speed for conditions around them. Those are the statistics – and that spells trouble.
It takes a long time for the effects of alcohol to be cleared from your body, roughly one hour for each bottle of beer,
glass of wine, or shot of liquor. Nothing but time will shed that alcohol - not showers, coffee, or other so-called
remedies. Have a couple of beers if you wish, but have them at home. Then you don’t have to go anywhere afterward.
If you are going to drink, don’t even think about riding.
Alcohol is not the only drug that affects your ability to ride safely. Whether it is an over-the-counter, prescription, or
illegal drug, it may have side-effects that increase the risks of riding. Even common cold medicines could make you
drowsy – too drowsy to ride – and mixing alcohol and drugs is even more dangerous than using either alone.
CONCLUSION
There is no conclusion. Motorcycling is a constant learning experience. You’ll never know all there is to know about
riding. But a year from now, you’ll know a lot more than you know now – and 10 years from now; 50 years from now.
Go forth, have a good time, don’t do anything foolish, and we’ll see you on the road. It’s going to be a great ride!
