taken a pillion for first time :-D

[Nicky-Jano]

Probably old hat to most, but at 5ft1I've always been wary of taking a pillion but tonight finally bit the bullet and took my son's grandfather (also a biker).
We went to the local beach and had a coffee. Many weird looks we received!!
Very proud of myself, only time I struggled was at stops as I can only get toes down.
I'm now looking forward to taking my mates on the back now.

[_mjs_]

Nice one. The first time I took a pillion I ended up doing an epic accidental wheelie and bust my fork seals
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Previous Bikes: 2006 Honda XR125L > 2003 Yamaha DT125R > 1996 Honda CB500
Current bikes: 1997 Kawasaki ZZR 600 E5 > 2006 Honda Varadero XL125V

[MC]

What's the extra weight like? Is it like riding a 600 compared to a 125? Easy way to find out I know, just never found a willing victim.
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Yamaha MT-03 '08 (crashed)
Honda XR-125L '04

[Rogerborg]

Crop dat shizzle!

Also, well done, chap... ette? I barely trust myself on a bike, let alone taking a potential potato on the back.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[hedgehugger]

I've pillioned my daughter on a 125 and my OH on a 500, 650+

It is a little weird and braking is very much affected. I found it weird once the pillion was off. The bike felt super light at the front, you soon adjust again though.

I did nearly drop the bike and my OH into oncoming traffic
Poor planning and pulling up to a right hand turn too quickly, plus the camber on the road meant I was all off balance and we tipped to the right. Luckily a bit of manpower and frantic hopping meant we didn't go over. Boy was my face red! my ears were burning a bit too, hehe

[rideslikean00...]

I don't mind taking a pillion, but I will say even with limited experience it's nowhere near as much fun as when it's just you. You can share the joy of riding with someone directly, which is lovely, but if you're anything like me you might find yourself being overly safe, accelerating more slowly, putting all your checks back in and sitting on the speed limits. It shows you care but kinda sucks the fun out of riding, for me anyway. I like to be a little more assertive/aggressive on the road which I don't feel comfortable doing with someone else onboard.

The worst part is stopping and pulling away. Really is a lot harder with the weight distribution being different, longer stopping distances too. Gear changes that are very smooth when it's just me are often jerky when I do 2 up as well, lot more clutch work required, in some ways a very different type of riding.

Yeah, taking a pillion is OK but personally I prefer solo. Still, I'm happy to make the sacrifice if it gets a girl into bed quicker (that's not why I ride it's just a nice side benefit, if I think there's a shot I'll put a spare lid in the top box and just carry mine).
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Previous/Current Bikes
2013 Yamaha YBR-125ED -> 1997 Yamaha YZF-1000R Thunderace -> 2009 Yamaha XJ-6 Diversion -> 2007 Yamaha FZ6 Fazer S2

[Nexus Icon]

[carlosthejack...]

I'm the same. Very aggressive throttle, fast corners, everything's zip zip zip when I'm on my own.

However, with the missus on the back, ultra cautious, smooth, mega amounts of concentrations, take corners dead steady, really plan ahead for gear changes and steady braking at lights and junctions. Still filter though...
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Current rides: '05 VFR800 VTEC, '57 Mondeo 1.8 TDCi #58LEGEND

[Fladdem]

My first pillion was my Dad, was his GS850's MOT a week after I passed my Mod 2 I offered to give him a lift back on the back, luckily he is a very good rider. By 'good' I mean sensible and safe and I would say he has Instructor potential. SO being a 'good rider' he was giving me tips all the way home and we got on OK, we had a tiny wobble leaving the station but after that we were fine. I still managed 60mph with about 30 stone on the bike, we bottomed the suspension out though and it took about 2 minutes to get to sixty.

You get used to the weight. I find the best pillion to have is a skinny stoner. You just tell them to relax but hold on and, being monged, they never panic mid-corner and straighten up when they tense standing the bike up. I find someone who doesn't trust you is horrendous on the back.
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Current:1991 Honda MT50 (Soon to be a H100/MTX/MT5 hybrid), 1976 Honda Cub C70, 2005 Honda Varadero 125, 1993 Yamaha TTR250 Open Enduro , 2010 Road Legal Stomp YX140, 1994 Honda CRM 250 MK III, 1999 Cagiva Mito 125, 1992 Honda CB400 Super Four, Stomp T4 230, 1984 Honda H100s, 2009 Sym XS125K
Past:2003 Aprilia RS125, 1982 Kawasaki GPZ550(FREE BIKE!)
I'm having more fun than a well-oiled midget.

[rideslikean00...]

[rideslikean00...]

[Nexus Icon]

[grr666]

Congrats on giving your first pillion ride, I was a child when I started riding bikes and if I'm honest a bit illegally.
But I had a mate on the back most of the time back then, I never had a licence so my view was 'what
can they really do'? we gave the old bill the run around a few times but I soon got used to having a
passenger on board.When I actually had a licence I used to take my L plates off and give mates a lift all
the time, this was way before ANPR, speed cameras and cctv. You only got caught if you got physically
caught until the bike was eventually registered to me at 17.
I got a few points on my provisional getting caught a couple of times with passengers on so I clearly learned nothing. LOL

Since I started riding again I've probably spent 50% of the time 2 up, my wife, her sisters, her brother,
my mate, wifes aunt have all been out for a blat with me and there are still rides I've promised to others
within the family where I haven't had an opportunity to take them out yet. My wife has just done her cbt
and one of her sisters is also looking into doing hers. The bug seems to be catching. Wifes little bro is 15 and
can't wait until he turns 16 as me and my mrs have told him we'll buy him a manual 50cc bike if he does well in his gcses.

It's good practice for when I upgrade to a larger bike as my main aim this time around is to take the wife
touring over to Europe. It's true you do tend to overcompensate and brake sooner and take more sensible
angles around the bends but I went to great lengths to explain carefully my pillion rules and thus far my mrs has not
slipped up once. It will be easier when we have comms as we use a selection of gestures and hand signals at
the moment. The good thing about having a pillion I think is it makes your rear brake more effective and useable.
She loves being my passenger, but I insist on her wearing full kit, just in case of an off.
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Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
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[rideslikean00...]

[Nicky-Jano]

I didn't notice a great deal of difference to be honest.
I took my son's grandfather and he weighs around 12 stone but the sv handled beautifully.
Hehe I could take a guy out on a date on my bike. Would be a role reversal!
He was a brilliant pillion. Didn't even notice him while moving. Though he didn't have much to grab hold of as I sit so far away from pillion seat to reach bars.
We looked well odd but was a good laugh

[kramdra]

I found completely the opposite. My CBR6 feels amazing with the extra weight of pillion (she wasnt a small woman either ). I would quite like to find another

I had no problems filtering or overtaking, bike felt perfect even in traffic. The only bad thing is I did need to abuse second gear a little to keep up with the others at speed and rolling off the throttle was harsh where normally it would be smooth. This made her lid smash against mine many times, rather uncomfortable. There was one corner I misjudged but bike behaved perfectly allowing me to brake very hard on the corner and tip in.

She did not tell me until after that she had never been on a big bike, having only ridden a 125 and just passed her test. The acceleration/speed/agility of a CBR6 scared her quite a lot

[blackbosh]

I took my missus pillion proper for first time today on a round trip to scarborough (~200miles) yesterday was first actual time but only to a helmet shop. On my triple 675 certainly didnt feel slow but front end was very light, riding with a mate on his daytona and 2 mates on smelly stroker 125s. I wasn't the slowest and found it was as much a learning curve for her as me. Made me realise how smooth have not been riding if you follow...

But the best thing was after she got off and I got to ride home, my little striple felt Like a ROCKET!!

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

Did about 250 miles two up this week. Was good.
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[Mario_Kempes]

I never gave it a second thought.

My ex had never taken a passenger on her scooter before I grabbed my helmet and jumped on. She was clearly tense as fuck riding around the city with me on the back.

First time I noticed that people considered it a "thing".

I'm not particularly a fan. I only do it on my commuter xt600e now as it's nice and upright and I don't go particularly fast on it. Filter a little bit less with ra burd on the back,I suppose. Not much less though.

[chickenstrip]

It's something you get used to. But like others say, it sucks much of the fun out of riding.
Twice I've carried pillions who seriously messed up the ride; once on an RG500 with a mate who was big and heavy and who's legs locked me into position, up around my ears. He bottomed out the rear shock as soon as he sat on it and the front wheel barely touched the tarmac for the whole ride And once more recently with another physically big and heavy mate (he stacked his on a ride out, and I offered my pillion seat to get him home) who would let me just commit to a corner and then suddenly decided to shift on the seat for a better view
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[Nicky-Jano]

I found I did like having some on the back a bit. Was a good giggle and talked at traffic lights etc.
I was still on tiptoes at lights though. Was hoping to reach floor better!

[esullivan]

Until I recently started training for the RoSPA test, I had rarely ridden outside of central London without a pillion. The only time I get to ride on country roads is on the weekends or holidays and, since we both work insane hours and rarely see much of each other during the week, I'm almost 100% two-up on Saturdays and Sundays. Now, on the odd Saturday morning or afternoon, I'll do a few hours with the RoSPA observer, so get some solo time, but it's still the minority.

I haven't noticed much difference, really. My wife is petite and bike I have is relatively heavy for its size. A couple of times I nearly tipped us early on from inexperience. For example, pulling up to a give way line on a steep upward slant, or turning slowly on a hill, can sometimes be tricky with the weight higher up.

What I found hard was the first time I took my wife along with me on my commute. I've done that a couple of times now: she needed to catch a very early train from Euston one day, and on another she was in town giving a presentation, so she met me at work and went home with me. Slow filtering is a bit trickier than I expected with the extra weight and have to keep her knees and elbows in mind when cutting it close.
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Current: '14 VFR800X Test passed 31/10/12.
Previous: '12 NC700S, '11 CBF 125, '04 SH 125.

[bikergurl]

Speaking from a pillion's point of view, my husband enjoys taking me out on the back more than going solo. Perhaps because he says I am the perfect pillion (not a boast by the way) & he loves my company. I have had no problems with his riding & he is always considerate. We have the intercoms which makes for lots of fun! Fortunately I am petite & I am not as young as I used to be so getting off is always a laugh.
He still goes for a blast, filters etc so it seems to make no difference in that respect. I recently got back into bikes after having to give up my horse so haven't been a pillion for long. It helps that he has a bike we both like, a Honda CBF1000.

[DottyDuck]

Good effort! I am 5"5 and a half lol and I am on tippy toes but when I am on the bike I tend to flat foot on one side which is usually the left and have the right one covering the break.. Or I just let it dangle and see the reaction of the driver behind in my mirrors lol but joking aside... Try flat footing.. It feels so much better and controlled
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CBT- 2012 Theory- 18/12/13 Mod 1- 07/01/14 Mod 2- 15/01/14
Old Bike: Zontes Panther 125cc - wrote off Current Bike: Kawasaki ZR7

[MC]