I had my first proper 2 up ride on the GS last night, and I found that it didn't cope too well.

I found that the suspension both in the front and rear really suffered from the extra weight, even though my passenger was one of the lighter people around.  I had to stop braking extra earlier to avoid the bike from diving and sending the passenger sliding down the seat into the back of me.  It's a good thing that I knew them because by the end of the ride it had felt like I had been wearing a backpack. .  I guess one way to stop this would be to add some velcro to the passenger seat and make them wear specialy designed velcro pants.

The bike just felt really heavy.  Anyone actually been on the back of the GS?  I wonder what it's like compared to other bikes.

Tops

I don't know... sure it's more sluggish, but that's to be expected when you increase the weight by 20%.  I take my gf all the time on the back and have a blast with it.

It's not the passenger...the stock suspension is crappy all by itself.

Upgrade the suspension front and rear and try to obtain an ignition advancer so you don't have to ride the clutch so much when taking off from a stop.

first teh stock suspension is crappy so replace it.

However replacing it wont be fixing the sluggishness.. any bike (barring those high powered V6 Honda's and maybe some crotch rockets) you should see some amount of sluggishness.

Lazy handling is due to the added weight.. its normal.. you cant get rid of that.

The seat seemed very slippery, although she did say it was comfortable. :mrgreen:

As for the slippery seat, get some of that non-skid drawer liner mat or the stuff you put in tool box drawers.  Put a layer of it on the seat before the passenger climbs aboard.  No more slipping.  

Yeah I'm going to have to think about getting new fork springs sooner or later.  They cost about $130 Aus plus fitting.   I don't want to do it myself, as it's still under warranty.

she...heck I would then add slip and slide material to the passenger portion, so she could slid into ya hehe!

Quote from: powrful1she...heck I would then add slip and slide material to the passenger portion, so she could slid into ya hehe!

but all I can say is "OUCH".

I remember braking hard once and vanessa slid on to me.. since then she now braces herself when i brake using her hand against the tank.

Quote from: glenn9171As for the slippery seat, get some of that non-skid drawer liner mat or the stuff you put in tool box drawers.  Put a layer of it on the seat before the passenger climbs aboard.  No more slipping.  

What about suction caps to the fuel tank  :lol:

Quote from: Crinum

Quote from: glenn9171As for the slippery seat, get some of that non-skid drawer liner mat or the stuff you put in tool box drawers.  Put a layer of it on the seat before the passenger climbs aboard.  No more slipping.  

What about suction caps to the fuel tank  :lol:

That would work if you rode your passenger around on the tank.

Talk about bring up the past!  

I found THIS post from my GS's previous owner from TWO YEARS AGO!  
I bought my bike from  richtersand  apparently. I'd be really interested in reading some of his old posts about my bike. But when I do a search I only come up w/ 2 or his 40 or so posts.  :dunno:  Were some of the older posts deleted??? Jon- Can you help here or any other ADMINS? Its just a funny thing to stumble upon.

Thanks,
Ash

I ride two-up all the time without any problems really.

Yeah the passenger slides foward when you stop - they don't have handlebars to push against or a tank to grip (tell them to brace on the tank with their hands).

Yes, the stock suspension isn't great. When you ride two-up you should take out your spanner and raise the number on the rear suspension. I have it raised higher than stock for solo-riding. If I'm going to pick up a passenger I kick it up a couple notches (I think it's on like 6 or 7 for solo... I'd have to look); it really helps a ton.

I do have to increase my stopping distances, naturally, because of the extra weight.

Yes, the bike is less maneuverable.

If you're thinking those are problems, you're wrong: those are the facts of two-up riding. I hope these tips help you out the next time you ride pillon.

Aside from that... the GS is no Goldwing  

I think once its deleted ... its gone ...
Cool.
Srinath.

I weigh 130 lbs and I took my gf's little bro who weighs about 80 on the back. Every time I hit the brakes he smacked into me and made me crush my man hood on the tank. No matter how lightly I stopped. The bike also felt extremely sluggish. The suspension was also like Jello. I didn't like it. I can't imagine what riding the GS for you bigger guys must be like. My combined weight with my gf's brother was 210. Some of you bigger guys probably weigh around that. I don't think the GS is a good bike if you weigh that much personally.

Thanks Srinath, thats what I figured. Others seemed to miss the point of bringing back to life this post from 2003  
Oh Well.  :lol:

-ash

Oh. Woops. My bad. I don't check the dates on these things.

Ehh, doesnt matter. There still is relevance to the original posted topic.

-ash

Oops, ditto. I feel smart now. I skimmed all the posts and didn't realise it was two years old...