1st pillion ride

[UnknownStuntm...]

Yesterday, took the missus for a spin round some well known country roads. She was really, really tense, holding on with her legs and pressing into me, so I was taking a lot of weight on my arms. Was quite the workout actually!

We didn't go fast, or anything even remotely dangerous as I thought it would be the first of many rides together, and to scare her off now would be the end of it.

After we got back, she told me she was absolutely terrified in the first 40mph limit, crying and screaming (I couldn't hear her at all, despite slowing down, flipping open and shouting 'are you ok?' every 2 mins!). She did calm down about 10 mins in though, and she said she enjoyed it a little more then.

I thought the style of riding was quite different to solo riding. Brakes don't work quite so sharp, throttle has to be a lot more smooth (especially from gearchanges) and the cornering is a lot more definite - like you tip in more than you think necessary. Kinda. Were it not for the bus driver flashing me and pointing to my light helpfully illuminating most of the western hemisphere, I'd have gone out today too, just can't be arsed to adjust the shock and the light.

[ajb]

I too took my first pillions couple days ago. The first one was scared and I had to wait a couple of minutes for her to actually mount the bike because she didnt want anyone to watch She also had the habit of leaning the opposite way to the bike in corners

Second one (different passenger ) was a lot better and she loved it, seemed to get the hang of cornering too.

You are right, the brakes/acceleration were significantly different (more so than I imagined) which I did notice on an overtake uphill !!
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CBR125R '05 > CB500 '00 > CBR600F '99

[Devils Advocate]

I love taking the mrs out now that`s she`s got over the initial fear and trusts me....it`s a great feeling being out with your lady on the open roads.
i got some of those love handles and they`re a lot better than having someone wrapped round your waist all the time......and i got some bluetooth headsets/intercoms aswell so we can chat and have a giggle while we`re out

[Charlie]

I can't remember who I gave my first pillion ride to, could have been my brother.

Had one girl who was shit scared and had her arms tightly wrapped around me the whole time, I didn't mind she had big boobs (which was what mattered at the time). I was only my 125 then lol.

My current girlfriend enjoys it though, but I had to buy her, her own helmet first as mine and my spare where too big for her and kept moving down over her eyes while riding! I don't think she quite enjoys it as much as me, but she said she wants to get a bike one day so it must have made some impression on her.
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Past: Honda x8rs, Honda City fly, Honda Hornet 250, Honda VFR750, Yamaha xt600e.
Current: Honda CBR929RR & Yamaha XT660Z Tenere

[Pete.]

I took my cousin Sharon for a pillion ride on my 'busa once and she was a complete natural despite never having been on a bike before. Was such a pleasure having someone on the bike that didn't try to stop it leaning.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[Irn-Bru]

Still on my L's so no passenger for me My dad took my brother out on his 'busa once though and my brother was pale when they got back
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KTM 990 SMT & Suzuki DR-Z 400 SM

[Alexio]

I'm still on my L plates and yet I've had a pillion before (very naughty of me I know). It was a friend who is also a biker, so he understood the risks and was desperate for a lift.

I can honestly say that I've never felt so little power from my 125 in my two years of riding so far. It felt like a proper cyclist could have probably beaten me up some of the hills Turning was crap, braking was crap, acceleration was crap..... maybe that's partly what it feels like to be on a moped?!
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will never give up his CG. I look at my fuel gauge more as a progress bar than a fuel gauge.
G: With my GSXR I do often effectively use it as a scooter with a clutch in town.
ms51ves3: why does it need 500 miles? Are you teaching it how to be a piston?

[Moonie]

The worst pillion I had was a very fat bird who I didn't really want to take but I'd taken everyone else, and she tried to get on by clibing aboard one peg then hoiking her leg over with all her weight on it. Needless to say, a 1/4 ton bike with her leaning on one side of it didn' go well.
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Don't practice it until you get it right, practice it until you don't get it wrong.
Presenting the one and only Chinkmobile

[SamJL]

Ive been riding a year now and have never taken pillion!

I always seem to take my rear pegs off and put a cowl on the back the day I get my bikes

[nowhere.elysium]

Both the Mrs and sprog enjoy pillion riding, and the Mrs has determined that sh wishes to ride a bike herself, hence the CB125TDC that's sitting in my garage, awaiting parts, and my tender ministrations...
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'10 SV650SF, '83 GS650GT (it lives!), Questionable DIY dash project, 3D Printer project, Lasercutter project

[MaybeGuy]