A few things.. I have a -4, similar to the -8. Have you got any experience in Tandem aircraft and loading? Sam principles will apply to all. The RV 4/8 carry all the fuel weight forward of the CG, so fuel will be a factor as well. In my -4, I don't let PAX exceed 200 lbs, and I will also maintain at least half full tanks. The pitch sensitivity goes up, and down trim is required as load increases. The light loading of the RV requires conscious application of elevator with a back seat PAX, and it's not hard to over G one if you yank it. Landing requires very light pitch changes, but not dangerous by any means. I almost always have a PAX in my -4 (wife) and am very used to it.
 
I’ve flown my -8 near the aft limit. It is more sensitive in pitch but even as a low time pilot I had no problem or concerns if I used wheel landings. You have to go through the W&B for that airplane but you should be able to handle at least 450 lb of pilot/passenger weight.
 
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To the OP -

It sounds liek you haven;t bought the airplane yet, so you can;t go experiment…but if/when you do own the RV-8, you shoudl go out with various progressively aft CG’s and decide where YOUR limit is - then you can back-figure what rear seat weight that corresponds to.

What we have found with the -8’s that have a constant speed prop is they can be just fine at the aft limit until you are decelerating in the flare. With the big flat prop, they decelerate very fast, and as the airplane slows below about 70 knots, the stick force gradient can reverse at aft CG…in other words, you have to PUSH on the stuck (slightly) to keep the nose from rising. This can be very disconcerting to someone who has never experienced it!

To answer your question directly - I find that a 220 lb passenger is about my limit in the -8 - at that point, the stick force gradient DOES reverse (or go to neutral) and that gets a bit fun, especially if I’m trying to land short.
 
A 120 lbs person in the rear seat is hardly noticeable…. 225 is !! . I’ve had both and 200 is my limit . The 8 is two completely different planes …1 solo the other with a passenger.
Work your way up if you’re new to the plane .
 
My last two passengers weighed 250 and 230 pounds respectively. It wasn’t by choice but was limited to the CFI’s I could get to ride in it to do BFR’s. I do feel the pitch stability change but if you ignore the pressure on the stick and just move it in the proper direction it works fine.
 
If you have a mission to carry a large passenger in an -8 then an angle valve engine and a heavy metal constant speed prop will allow a larger passenger and baggage. If you are primarily flying solo with that same heavy engine/prop you will always have an uncomfortably forward CG that will manifest itself in less than optimal handling.

With the aforementioned engine/prop combo I was comfortable flying 210-220 passenger and some baggage behind the seat in my -8. The ability to load baggage (or smoke oil) forward also helps.
 
+1 for Paul's point of finding "your" limit. Like others have expressed here, my personal limit is 200 lb. The pitch sensitivity doesn't bother me - I fly gliders with lighter to non-existent stick forces. Negative stick force gradient is indeed disconcerting. But I can tell you that an RV-8 that is almost as docile as a Citabria when flying solo can be very laterally twitchy to manage with a heavy person in the back. Altitude plays into this too, because the ground speeds are higher at touchdown, and it just makes the lateral dynamics on roll-out surprisingly fast.

On a calm day and a wide runway at sea level, sure, I can, and have, landed with someone pushing 225 in the back. But I know that if I do that regularly, at some point it is just going to get too exciting. So, 200 is my limit.
 
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