Hey guys, long time no post

I bought the missus about $500 worth of gear ($200ish on helmet, leather gloves, leather jacket, kneepads) they didn't have her size in shoes or kevlar jeans but they're coming shortly, in the meantime sturdy regular boots and kneepads is what she's wearing.

Initially I had some trouble dealing with the extra weight (and the fact that it moves!), i found i was putting my foot down too early when stopping; expecting to be able to slow the bike that last little bit with my leg. We've had some practice and now she's hitting me up to take her out every weekend.

I took my Dad out for a spin on my bike (he's an experienced motorcycle rider) and found that the pillion rider's technique is really important to overall handling - for instance he was able to change my line through the corners a fair amount and really tighten up my line in some cases.
Despite my dad having something like 50kg on my girlfriend, I found that, due to his experience, it was easier to ride with him on the back.

What I've learned from advice from Dad; riding with alternately him and my girlfriend on pillion; and jumping on pillion while Dad rode is:

- Pillion's technique and positioning is crucial to proper handling, I found sitting back and keeping my head back (and away from clunking in front) was the best for me in terms of visibility and comfort. - I also have a luggage rack which almost perfect as a back rest.
- "look over my shoulder in the direction I'm turning" is great for high speed corners, not so much low speed turns at the traffic lights
- Wow, you suddenly do tight corners when your pillion is a) heavier than you b) used to going way quicker (I have only recently got back on my bike after it falling out of rego not long after I had my first spill so my confidence - and speed- isn't up to where it was)
-

Anyway I'm looking forward to practicing more with my girlfriend, hopefully we can get pretty good as a team and have lots of fun.

Do you guys have any pointers and advice on riding Pillion or taking a passenger which i can use, I'd also like to hear any cool stories you have.

Obviously it helps if the pillion rider has riding experience as they understand the lean and such a lot more.  An ignorant passenger will unwillingly cause all kinds of hassle with resisting a lean or leaning too much or shifting around while doing low speed maneuvers and such.

The times I rode an inexperienced passenger I didn't tell them to lean with me or look over my shoulder in the direction of the turns or anything like that.  I told them to stay upright and in line with the bike, and unless they are in pain don't adjust or move around until A) the bike is at a complete stop or B) we are at speed in the center of the lane going straight.  I also mention not to resist the lean because the lean is how you turn, and that if they were going to look over my shoulder to pick a side and stick with it while the bike is moving.

What you get if the passenger follows these instructions is just the feeling of a heavier bike.  It's more sluggish in turns and such because you alone are throwing your weight into the lean and needing to compensate for another 100-200 pounds or so.  What you gain is consistency and predictability, and as long as you ride according to your vehicle's now reduced handling you won't run into issues.
Yes, an experienced pillion rider who leans with you will make the bike more nimble and thus it won't feel as heavy, but until you both reach that comfort level and can read each other for movements and such what you want is to feel like you are 100% in control of the bike.  Giving 20% of your control to your passenger is a no-no.
I've also found that a fidgety passenger usually means it's time for a break.  Pull over and get a drink/burger at the nearest gas-station/restaurant.

Thanks for the advice, Watcher.

We've been practicing on some long straightish roads where all the corners can be done easily at 100kph.

I've found the best success so far with instructing her to lean back and upright against the luggage rest (most comfortable position for me when i was pillion) and only move her head.

This helps, like you said, where her body stays more rigid in this position, causing less shifting around. Leaning back means she only has to shift her head slightly to see over either shoulder.

I wanna bring her out to the drag strip and get her to practice leaning and seeing how much it changes the bike's line, but she's not ready for that just yet and just enjoys a more passive ride on the back for now.

Quote from: Toiletbooger on March 23, 2015, 10:05:50 PM
I've found the best success so far with instructing her to lean back and upright against the luggage rest (most comfortable position for me when i was pillion) and only move her head.

This helps, like you said, where her body stays more rigid in this position, causing less shifting around. Leaning back means she only has to shift her head slightly to see over either shoulder.

Yeah, it's best that the passenger just relax and go with the bike, and enjoy the sights and such.  If they focus too much on what you are doing and where you both are going then you'll get inconsistencies in handling, a nagging presence you have to worry about in addition to overall safety and road conditions and such, and you'll end up both getting more fatigued in the long run.

I remember as a child riding pillion on my uncle's big HD Heritage Springer, and at first I was holding on tight and always trying to see where we were going and it was making my uncle work harder to compensate for my ever shifting position as well as having to deal with some discomfort.  When I relaxed, rested against the "sissy-bar", and instead held onto the grab handles on the sides of the seat, we both had a more enjoyable ride.

I'm not an experienced rider, so just sharing a bad experience; I ride often with my girlfriend who is used to being a pillion and has a little riding experience, she's an absolute pleasure to have on the back, she sits fairly far back and keeps her hands to herself, she's great in the corners, I hardly notice her and she doesn't fidget unless we're at a stop and she lets me know on the intercom.

Earlier this year my cousin began pestering me to take her out, I refused on the basis she didn't have any gear, however, she managed to borrow some stuff and I found myself reluctantly taking her for a ride...

It was horrible. She sat right up behind me and wrapped her arms around me, putting all her weight onto me every time we slowed down, she constantly swapped which shoulder she was looking over and would shift everytime we slowed down, but hadn't yet stopped, to top it all she was trying to anticipate my movements, leaning too much in the corners. I was so glad to get home, I was exhausted and my wrists were killing me!

I believe part of the reason my girlfriend is so much better is that she's relaxed and trusts me, so do whatever you can to build that I'd say.

I ride with my wife on the back about 40% of the time I ride.  She has some riding experience herself; however, she much prefers pillion as she never got comfortable with a bike.  When we first started riding two up, she knew what she was supposed to do.... but didn't realize how much just moving her head affected the bike.  I made a little experiment so she could see it and feel it herself - we went on a steady straightaway, and I told here I would just let the bike steer as she moved her head left to right to left and so forth - she was surprised but thought I was just doing the movements to match it LOL, thinking I just didn't want her moving around.  She tried it again later when we were on another straight and realized it was her head moving the bike...  the rides have gotten better ever since.  I also put a top case on the back since then, and she is now very relaxed, and is an excellent passenger.

One thing she does and I have always appreciated - when we are coming to a stop or slowing down, she will put her hands against the tank to keep from pushing forward as we decel - it keeps us both in the same position as we slow and makes it that much easier for me to steer/handle any low speed manuever.

- Bboy


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So she falls off the other 60%?!? ... that must be annoying!

It was scary the first time, but we just made it part of the thrill of riding... You should try it with your ex, but maybe go for a higher percentage of falling!

- Bboy

If it was my ex on the back. .... I'd ride under a low branch and duck right down at the last second! .... very fast!