First time taking a pillion

[Dave McCool]

Right, well I know this subject has been covered here before, but to my knowledge, not for a little while, so I thought I'd bring it up again!

Basically, the girlfriend wants to come out on the bike with me, so I said we'd give it a go this weekend.

She's been a passenger quite a few times before on her brothers' bikes, but I've not taken anyone on the back!

Basically just wondering whether there were any major things I should be doing differently to riding solo? Is it worth the suspension/tyre pressure adjustments? I mean, I'm 16 stone and the bike is comfortable for me as is, am I even going to feel her 8 stone on the back?

Also, I'm sure I've heard somewhere that I should be using the rear brake more, not entirely sure I get why?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, ta!
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McGee - "When I go to the mall and see all the high school girls, I have to have DO NOT TOUCH THE GIRLS written on my hand. Every time I go to grope I see it and stop."
K7 GSXR750

[dansrockin]

hi, ive only just got into taking my girlfriend as a pillion so im no expert but as far as i can work out, as long as you take a bit more time for everything then you should be fine.
it takes longer to accelerate, brake and turn with someone on the back due to the extra weight, it will move the balance point too so when in a corner you may feel a bit different.
i think your supposed to use the back brake more as the weight is taken off the front wheel with a pillion, which makes it easier to lock the front when braking.
just relax and ride as normal and you will be fine. just dont accelerate or brake too hard otherwise you will bang heads! lol
dan

[Moo.]

Yeah, weight on the back makes the front wheel and steering feel lighter, so it'll lock the wheel easier. I would pump up the tyres and suspension just to be on the safe side
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[Nai]

I read somewhere rear brake also prevents the bike dipping forward as much when braking firmly which stops the pillions helmet clunking against your helmet.

[The Artist]

A lot of it is the Pillion herself.

Tell her not to lean with you, just stay inline with the bike, so that when you lean you don't get juddery movements.

Also tell her not to headbutt you and crush you every time you brake.

[Pickledswede]

I tend to put two feet down instead of one when stopping in case they decide to have a fidget, it could all go pear shaped very quickly! As said above, don't underestimate braking distances, it takes quite a lot longer to slow down. And try to tell them 1. not to lean the wrong way and 2. not to lean in too early.

The second one is normally more of a problem 'cause in their rush to not lean the right way I've had pillions who lean in early and force me to turn in before I want to and take a line I didn't want through a corner. Also on a right hander one leant over and forced me way too far into the middle of the road towards an oncoming car!

[Bubbs]

I've been taking my G/F on the back for a while now and it's best to do the following:

- Tell her to wait until you let her jump on the bike rather than getting on when your not ready. Almost dropped my bike as I was putting my lids on and she tried to hop on. (same with getting off).

- When changing gears try to do it smoothly. Don't close the throttle before changing because they smack into you. Keep it neutral or even open slightly. This keeps everything flowing.

- Don't tell them to lean with you because they tend to lean for you. Just tell her to pretend to be a sack of sand on the back and act as that would. I.E freely move with the bike when the bike moves.

- You need to think/look further ahead than normal so that you can see what traffic is doing. She will slam into you if you have to slam on. And it will hurt your crotch.

- Tell her to squeeze you with her thighs if your going too fast, and tap you on the head if she want's to stop. Also make sure you give her a warning like a tap to let them know your about to accelerate hard.

- Cornering can be more fun when your used to a pillion. You feel more anchored in the corner when it's done properly but it can go to shit when they decide to adjust their seating position mid corner.

- Motorway driving is much more comfortable. The extra weight helps a lot with higher speed.

Um... Other than that, I can't think of anything else to worry about. It's pretty easy to do and get used to.

EDIT: DON'T ACCELLERATE HARD FROM STOP WITH PILION. YOUR FRONT WHEEL WILL POP UP MUCH EASIER WHICH HAPPENED TO ME LAST NIGHT AND SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF BOTH OF US.
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Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

[Stevie GooGs]

Ive took a few people on the back of bikes, some have been on bikes before some have not. I took my g/f mate on the back and her just to hold on to me, not to lean just hold onto my back and i will do all the leaning and tbh she was trying to counter balance the bike on every bend and the bike was very unsteady not very nice.

The one thing i would say is ask them to warn you if they want to move a bit to get more comfy, as unexpected movement can catch you off guard.

Depending on your bike and the weight of the person on the back you may find the front wanting to come up a lot, just take your time and remember not to be too harsh with the throttle or you will scare the bejesus out of her.

Filtering and slow manoeuvres can be a little bit more difficult with the weight factor but again ensure you get a warning before she decides to move about to get comfy.

As said above, i also use both feet when coming to a stop incase she decideds to move to the left.

Your back brake will work better with the extra weight so use that more, if you brake hard with the front expect to have a sex change on your tank.
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[Walloper]

Ask you pillion to shift position carefully and only when you're moving and clear of other traffic.

It's your actions that cause your pillion to bash the back of your head not the pillion. SMOOTH is the doing word.
If you keep it smooth a normal person will be able to accomodate the motion of the bike.

Think further ahead. DO THIS WHETHER YOU ARE TWO UP OR NOT!!!! It costs nothing.

Both feet planted when stopped or mounting/dismounting.

Show your pillion where/what they can cling onto. Some bikes have sissy bars built into rear racks but some hooligan rides have nowt. (Fack that for a game of soldiers.)

Use a condom.
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[metalangel]

Further to the above:

-see if you can get her to hold onto the grabrails (if fitted) when you're in town. Lots of stopping and starting means lots of her sliding into you and than means trying to stop her momentum with your wrists. Unless she's make Keira Knightley go 'yuck! anorexic!' you'll get sore wrists quite quickly. However, it might take her a while to get comfortable doing this. Holding onto you while at speed is fine, so work out a tap or something to tell her to change so she doesn't try and do it at 70mph on the motorway.

-while she doesn't lean with you, tell her to try and look over your shoulder into the bend, at least.

-NO SQUIRMING or changing position in corners.

Some pillions have been taught to support themselves on the tank during hard braking but that's an advanced technique for later, perhaps.
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[wilbur]

said. Smooth is the aim. You'll find yourself thinking a lot more once you've bashed helmets together 20 or so times and becoming a much more fulid rider.

[chillyman0]

my girlfriend is 6 stone so is just like wearing a heavy burgen but i have taken 17 stone people on the back before and me being almost that weight means we were like a tank. I'd say it comes naturally, just go easy the first few times you go out and from then on you just switch from riding on your own to as if it was icy or wet, simple
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[Walloper]

[CarlosCBR]

I took the g/f on the back of the CBR125 a few times and smoothness is definitly the key to having a fun and safe ride.

[Poseidon]

[chris-red]

[Pie-Roe]

I find the key to counterbalance the weight is to pin the throttle in first and second as much as possible, or you slow down a lot.

You should also lean over as quickly and far as you can to counter the extra weight pulling through the corner.

It's kinda common sense to just take it easy and chill out

I love being pillion, I don't bother leaning or whatever I just chill out and watch the world go by.

Pyro
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[Walloper]

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

With a pillion you can use more rear brake when coming to a stop to minimise fork dive. Also using the rear brake in heavy traffic i.e slow riding will make the bike feel alot more stable.
You've got a big rear tyre with extra weight on it so use that rear lots.

For communication i ask my pillions to tap me on the right if they need to talk, and the left to pull over and stop.

If you get the chance find a quiet place and do some slow riding maneuvers(yeah baby)...you know what i really mean.

Keep it smooth and don't frighten them.


Pat
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[Grimnir]

Going slightly off topic - you could offer 'a ride for a ride'

[Poseidon]

[Poseidon]

[Walloper]

[Poseidon]

I tried the rear grab rail, but due to my mate being 5ft and a several inches and me being a manly 6ft 3, we end up having to tack if there's a head wind! Through trial and error, we found that my arms around him (whilst being worryingly homoerotic) means that we are a much more streamlined duo. My arms are also long enough to get around his modest beer gut and rest comfortably on his tank with my gloves affording enough purchase on the tank for bracing under braking. You just made me curious when you said it was an advanced technique!

Bonus is, he said he likes me as a pillion as I don't fidget and keep my weight in line with the bike. I trust him as a rider too as he's very controlled

[Dave McCool]

Thankyou very much for the advice people, went out for a nice run yesterday with the missus on the back, all went really well! She tried the whole hands on the tank business, but to be completely honest her wee arms were far too short! After a few miles we worked out a bit of a system; braking at speed she'd put her hands on my thighs to brace her weight, which she said was comfortable and I could barely feel it, until we came to s stop and I wanted to put my feet down, which was a bit of an arse clencher the first time! After that, at low speeds she clamped my waist with her thighs and put a hand on my back, which worked pretty well!

We both actually really enjoyed it, was able to make so much more progress than I thought I would, and the quicker I went the more I could hear her giggling when we slowed down again! And CHRIST ALIVE did my bike feel good once she got off again!

All in all a very good experience, once again thanks a lot for the advice, tried to employ most of it, and it definitely made life easier and more fun for both of us!
____________________
McGee - "When I go to the mall and see all the high school girls, I have to have DO NOT TOUCH THE GIRLS written on my hand. Every time I go to grope I see it and stop."
K7 GSXR750