Riding with a passenger

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by EternalNewb

Ok, so having followed this thread for a while, I have a general question. How much experience do you think one should have before putting someone else on the back of their bike? Counted in distance and/or time? I'm re-reading the articles to look more at the skills to practice, but I'm also curious if you think there's a certain suggested level of experience?

That is directly related to the max speed you plan on riding with a passenger.

Reasonably slow riding: You can start right now.

[EternalNewb]

I was thinking of starting just practicing stuff in a large parking lot, then doing surface streets or coastal/scenic rides. Eventually, depending on comfort levels, I'd like to work up to slightly longer scenic routes like Angeles Crest highway, at an extremely conservative pace, but we'd have to take freeways to get there, so maybe up to 65mph max on the highways, though that's about as optimistic as the Ninja's speedometer.

I've only put over 11k on the Ninja in the last year, including lots of riding in heavy traffic, as well as a bit of canyon riding here and there.

[csmith12]

Here... If you can take your passenger around wal-mart parking lot on a busy shopping day, then you're ready. Otherwise, keep practicing. @Motofool is right, start on the slower end of riding.

[EternalNewb]

Thanks, guys. I'm trying to work on just being more smooth and all that jazz solo in the mean time. I don't think I could ever forgive myself if something happened and I could have avoided it. Making them buy their own helmet is part of my stall & give myself more time tactic, because I know they're also a broke post-undergrad like me.

[corksil]

no fat chicks.

[Worldtraveller]

Originally Posted by corksil

no fat chicks.

Can we not do the sexist body shaming, please?

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by Worldtraveller

Can we not do the sexist body shaming, please?

It's all about the handling!

[Ninjinsky]

Originally Posted by Worldtraveller

Can we not do the sexist body shaming, please?

Get real, for a light rider a 220 lb lard barrel (of any gender ) on the back is a real physical challenge, not a political issue.

[corksil]

^^^

I agree 100%

There is nothing political or 'body shaming' and absolutely no sexist agenda behind denying a fat person a ride on the back of your under-powered motorcycle.

Simple physics.

As a kid I always thought there was some conspiracy, something personal about me not being allowed to ride the amusement park rides because I wasn't tall enough. After gaining a brief understanding of physics, now I understand that the restraints are incapable of securely holding people under the height restriction, therefore they are denied access.

So I'll say it again. No fat chicks. If I were female, I'd say "no fat dudes."

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by corksil

^^^

I agree 100%

There is nothing political or 'body shaming' and absolutely no sexist agenda behind denying a fat person a ride on the back of your under-powered motorcycle.

Simple physics.

As a kid I always thought there was some conspiracy, something personal about me not being allowed to ride the amusement park rides because I wasn't tall enough. After gaining a brief understanding of physics, now I understand that the restraints are incapable of securely holding people under the height restriction, therefore they are denied access.

So I'll say it again. No fat chicks. If I were female, I'd say "no fat dudes."

as you're saying you'd ride with a fat dude!

[allanoue]

Originally Posted by Ninjinsky

Get real, for a light rider a 220 lb lard barrel (of any gender ) on the back is a real physical challenge, not a political issue.

CC I thought you had skills?

[corksil]

What is going on in this thread. I make one post and I disappear for ten minutes and all hell breaks loose. People posting pictures of death and destruction, people making ordinary print very oversized and bold.... this is madness.

No cc, no give rides for dudes. no two dudes on one bike. that's just *whispering-because-he-doesn't-want-to-use-a-politically-incorrect-word* AHEM.... gay.

[allanoue]

Please read the following with a lisp:


Seeing that I am secure in my heterosexuality, and having wrestled for 7 years and played rugby for another 10 years plus not giving a crap what other people think I have given and gotten rides from male riders. You guys need to stop being homophobic.
If you are afraid of unwanted feeling, you just need to man up.

[Ninjinsky]

gone

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by allanoue

Please read the following with a lisp:


Seeing that I am secure in my sexuality, and having wrestled men to bed for 7 years and played kiss the pee pee for another 10 years plus not giving a disease to other people I have given and gotten rides from wonderful male riders. You guys need to stop being homo virgins.
If you are afraid of that reach around feeling from a man, you just need to man to man up.

You tell them sweetheart!

[allanoue]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

You tell them sweetheart!

Now stop that.
No one will expect you to stop being homophobic.

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by allanoue

Now stop that.
No one will expect you to stop being homophobic.

I lived in Boston proper for years. I know many gays, queers, and faggots. They don't bother me in fact a few were close friends.

[allanoue]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

I lived in Boston proper for years. I know many gays, queers, and faggots. They don't bother me in fact a few were close friends.

I'm sure
Just trolling back at you

[ally99]

Originally Posted by corksil

^^^
So I'll say it again. No fat chicks. If I were female, I'd say "no fat dudes."

...or no dudes period. Any dude is like a "fat chick" when a 120 pound female is behind the bars. lol!

[dcj13]

It's good practice to carry a "well rounded" passenger every now and then.

[corksil]

A 50lb backpack is enough for me thanks. Then again with no rear seat and no pegs, passengers are unlikely.

[EternalNewb]

I'm guessing the bike will be fine, and that it's more about my skill level and them sitting still, given that our combined mass is just shy of 250lbs. Or is that giving the ninja too much credit?

[Sirref]

I just saw this video and found it fairly funny and it can be informative for how to ride with a passenger that's bigger than you, mostly a funny video though

Link to original page on YouTube.

[EternalNewb]

Oh man, that's so good! I'm still watching it.

[Sirref]

all of jamie's videos on the motogeo channel are pretty cool too

[EternalNewb]

Haha, I'll have to look into them.

More on topic, what suspension setting do you 250lb riders use? I know I should be adjusting the suspension depending on how much the bike is carrying, and don't know if it'll be necessary with another 110-120lbs on the back.

[Sirref]

I usually leave my 300's shock on the stiffest setting and am doing the same w/my 250 track bike. If you aren't using said setting then I'd say bump it up 1-2 notches. Unfortunately this means that I can't adjust my suspension for passengers but riding with a passenger is different in the first place so you may as well include it in your rider adjustment.

if you have an aftermarket suspension that's fully adjustable that's a whole different story, I'd say leave it the way you have it set up unless you want to memorize how it's set up each way

[EternalNewb]

How does the stiffest setting respond? I'm probably riding with the softest setting, but I'm not sure. I'll have to look into it/check when I get the chance. I only weigh 120ish with all of my gear on, so I don't know if the stiffer setting is a good or bad idea.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by EternalNewb

How does the stiffest setting respond? I'm probably riding with the softest setting, but I'm not sure. I'll have to look into it/check when I get the chance. I only weigh 120ish with all of my gear on, so I don't know if the stiffer setting is a good or bad idea.

It hates bumps but it feels nice and solid when I'm cornering and am hard on the throttle (I weigh ~150-160lbs with full gear (helmet/leather one piece suit/gloves/boots))

there are times that I wish it was softer but the majority of time I don't mind a bit of a harsher ride on my bum. I never expect a sports bike to be a comfortable ride and even on the stiffest setting my 300 is more comfortable that I expect.

[EternalNewb]

^Good to know. I may have to try fussing with the suspension settings myself then. I should probably fix that minor fork leak while I'm at it. Ugh. Headache. Keeping the question open though, for other riders, since you hardly weigh more than me. Still, it's good to know I may be able to get away with a bit more stiffness out of the rear...suspension.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by EternalNewb

^Good to know. I may have to try fussing with the suspension settings myself then. I should probably fix that minor fork leak while I'm at it. Ugh. Headache. Keeping the question open though, for other riders, since you hardly weigh more than me. Still, it's good to know I may be able to get away with a bit more stiffness out of the rear...suspension.

no such thing as a minor leak, unaddressed small problems become bigger problems every time given enough time

yea, I don't weigh much. My metabolism is too good at the moment

[EternalNewb]

^Point taken. I was only just made aware of it, and will get it fixed straight away. Alas, as my daily driver, the poor bike rarely gets any rests.

[Klondike1020]

Nice. I like that video. The only way I am going to have that kinda weight on the back of my bike is when two girls want to ride pillion together.

haha we did that in thailand… we ripped up some twisty sandy roads on Koh Tao to get to Shark Bay.

ATGATT in thailand is bikinis, flip flops and snorkels lol- lots of bandaged tourists.

It was awesome. Next time I need to rent a bigger bike than a 150cc 4 speed scooter.

[InvisiBill]

Originally Posted by Bigballsofpaint

If its a common thing, the best investment i have made is bluetooth communication between me and my gf. Being able to talk the entire time helps a ton. Mid turn i can tell her to lean more, less, how shes doing, etc. It really made taking trips enjoyable for us and she is no longer worried like she once was.

FYI, the latest firmware update for my SMH10 added the ability to pair with regular BT headsets. If the pillion happens to have something that will fit under the helmet you can chat via that, rather than having to buy a full helmet communication system just for occasional passenger usage.

Originally Posted by allanoue

If you are afraid of unwanted feeling, you just need to man up.

I think it's precisely the feeling of getting "manned up" that is unwanted.

Originally Posted by EternalNewb

More on topic, what suspension setting do you 250lb riders use? I know I should be adjusting the suspension depending on how much the bike is carrying, and don't know if it'll be necessary with another 110-120lbs on the back.

I just wanted to point out that the preload setting does not have any effect on how much weight the spring can support. The spring's rate is what does that. More weight will compress the spring more, meaning there's more room for it to then rebound. This excessive movement can make it feel squishy. With more preload, you're simply compressing it more ahead of time. The same amount of weight is still compressing it down to the same point, you're just starting lower so it squishes less to get to the bottom (and rebounds less to get back to the top).

Ideally, you'd have a set of springs matched to your weight and another set matched to your combined weight, and swap in whichever one you needed. That's not a very convenient setup though. You'll probably end up making a compromise of some sort. If you rarely ride 2-up, you'll probably just deal with the springs being softer than ideal when you do have a pillion. If you frequently ride 2-up (and depending on the weight difference), you may wish to get springs that are closer to the combined weight and a little too stiff for you alone. There's simply no perfect way to handle two drastically different weights on the same bike (just like a bike set up perfectly for a skinny guy will suck for a fat guy).


They don't seem to make them for smaller bikes, but I think http://www.motorcycle-grips.com/moto...nger-grip.html is a cool idea. Assuming it doesn't interfere with the front of the rider, it gives the pillion something to hang on to that's attached to the bike. They have their arms around the rider, but without pulling and pushing them around.

[DailyFloridaRider]

Originally Posted by corksil

I will sum this entire thread up in three words.

"no. fat. chicks."

I have been conducting research for quite some time. All evidence points toward one simple conclusion. 250cc is not enough displacement to tug around a human being at speeds capable of avoiding traffic accidents. If you try and tug around two humans with 250cc, you are asking for destruction by a larger vehicle.

INB4 someone says "elephants have been scientifically proven to communicate with each other through rumblings in the earth imperceivable by the human ear. please let me ride on your motorcycle."

I'm 150-160 lbs normally. My wife is 110 lbs. She's so comfy 2 up that I can do practically anything on my bike that I can do alone. Everyone forgets...the 250's power is in the higher rpms. Keep em 7000+ and all the power you need for any emergency is right there. We have zero issues and we've been 2up on bigger bikes too. Its about being a better rider, knowing ur bike and the passenger needs to be experienced and confident so there's no panic back there when danger appears. I can feel her anticipate my reactions to potential dangers and she follows my lead. Shes relaxed but alert. We are more like one bigger rider than 2 people. And again, learning how to ride the 250 is key. Plenty of power there if u know where to find it AND keep the in the right gear at all times. I learned this very quickly and I came from big bikes for over 20 years.

[DailyFloridaRider]

Originally Posted by DailyFloridaRider

I'm 150-160 lbs normally. My wife is 110 lbs. She's so comfy 2 up that I can do practically anything on my bike that I can do alone. Everyone forgets...the 250's power is in the higher rpms. Keep em 7000+ and all the power you need for any emergency is right there. We have zero issues and we've been 2up on bigger bikes too. Its about being a better rider, knowing ur bike and the passenger needs to be experienced and confident so there's no panic back there when danger appears. I can feel her anticipate my reactions to potential dangers and she follows my lead. Shes relaxed but alert. We are more like one bigger rider than 2 people. And again, learning how to ride the 250 is key. Plenty of power there if u know where to find it AND keep the in the right gear at all times. I learned this very quickly and I came from big bikes for over 20 years.

Research isn't experience....just saying.

[JohnnyBravo]

I almost miss my passenger pegs...

[Legengary]

Make sure they have the proper gear on meaning more than just a helmet. Be extra cautious when accelerating from a standstill and braking for stops.

[Milsparro]

I've been on the back of mine (restricted license, no 2 up yet), it really wallows going slow in corners (I'm 160 in gear, my brother is 185 in gear)