Motorcycle carrier, how much can it really hold?!?

Question

A while back I purchased a motorcycle carrier off ebay to transport my Ninja 250. With the carrier being rated at 400 pounds and the Ninja at 335lbs, this was all fine.

Well, I'm looking to upgrade to a 86 Ninja 600. The new bike would weigh in at around 400lbs exactly.

Now I know your never supposed to exceed the specs and its taking a risk etc etc. I'm talking in reality here, every company would underrate safety specs, for safety!

This thing is pretty d**n solid, and pretty basic. The platform is aluminum but the main structure is thick steel. How much would you all say is a "true" max load??

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* High quality, lightweight aircraft aluminum

* Exclusive Anti-Wobble Design

* Designed to safely carry 400lbs.

* Fits any 2-inch Class II, III, IV or V Receiver

* FREE Ramp included -- mounts directly to rack

* Gray powder coated steel sub-frame

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j320/rusrobin/1d_1.jpg

http://i18.ebayimg.com/03/i/06/8a/42/98_1_b.JPG

Answer 1

look at it this way, how important is your bike to you? personally I wouldn't trust it with anything bigger then a minibike.

Answer 2

You are correct about the safety factor. How much does the company use? Hard to say. Could be a factor of 1 or a factor of 4. I would go ahead and use it since your right around the max limit. However, I would keep a very close eye on it the first few times you use it and inspect it closely for any cracks or bends after each use.

Answer 3

I  would not over load it. I know that  everything has a little more built into in to is but I would not  press it.