2up 250s

[JustRidin]

Ok, just from the looks, the pre-gen 250's would obviously be much more comfortable for riding 2 at a time. I'm just wondering what the relative comfort is for 2 people on both the new gen and pre gen bikes. I'm hoping to get my bike soon and I'd like to have my girlfriend ride occasionally after I get comfortable riding. Rides would be maybe 40-50 miles out, have a break and then back.

NOTE: We're both pretty light people. I'm about 5'9 and 125 lb, she is about 5'6 and 110 lb. So however that would affect how you guys see comfort working out.

[BFisher244]

My girl and I are heavier than you. 2 up sucked for us cause we were near the max reccomended weight! However you and your girl are well below the max weight. Just adjust your preload and you should be fine. Your 235lbs plus gear can be handled by the 250.

[Monkeytofu]

Your bike will do perfectly fine with you two on it. I've driven it with a combined weight of about 350 (me:150 fat ass friend: 200) and it was fine for a couple of miles.

Comfort wise the pregen is superior in every way. better seat foam and more room on the seat for you two to move around if you need to stretch on a long trip. It's also flat so you don't get that weird hump shape the new gen's have.

[93etgocart]

I am almost that weight myself and the pregen does fine. I really want to get a new spring though so I can take my gf but I will probably just end up buying a bigger bike to take her out on

[Sigma.40]

The 250 works fine for 2up. My wife and I took a 200 mile ride along Lake Michigan on Saturday night. I only stopped once to smoke. I'm sure a bigger bike would be more comfortable but it did fine.

-It helps if your passenger has arms long enough to push against the gas tank when you are braking, though. My daughter can't so all her weight is on me all the time. It works, but hands tend to fall asleep throughout the ride.


EDIT- Thought I'd amend this. My daughter CAN reach the tank, but I don't feel safe having her let go of me.

[choneofakind]

You'll be fine. Remember you'll have to slip the clutch a little longer at starts and you'll maybe want to drop a gear more often to keep it from feeling so lethargic. Also, every time she moves, it affects the balance of the bike. Before riding, give her the basics of looking through turns and leaning with the bike rather than fighting it. Then make sure to remind her as you're riding by pointing through the turns and getting her looking through them. You'll want her dipping her inside shoulder inside along with looking through. Until she gets more experience riding, don't let her shift her weight in her hips, just have her move her upper body and keep her hips square and even. (usually hips are the hardest part for a newbie passenger, so keeping them still is easier.) When both of you are in tune with the bike and the curves, its a really great experience for the two of you My gf loves going for rides with me and we've been riding together for 2 years now.

Oh final tidbit, have her put one hand around you and one on the tank during braking. That way she can hold her weight instead of just mushing forwards onto your wrists and back. Its hard enough to hold your own weight with your knees during braking, much less an extra 60+ lbs of dead weight from her upper body just leaning forward into you.

Have fun! Take it easy! And be extra cautious; you've got someone else's life in your hands.
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[JustRidin]

Thanks for the advice about making sure she is educated before hand. I'm not letting her ride on back for at least a couple of months for me to get some experience under my belt. However, she has been riding her dad's bike some recently so I'm hoping by that time she'll have her own, independent understanding of how a bike reacts in addition to anything I may tell her.

I'm fully aware of the responsibility I'll have for her when she rides along with me. Until I get that experience I won't feel comfortable taking on the responsibility. I'd never forgive myself if something happened because of my ignorance or incompetence.

None the less, cruising through the countryside outside my college town with my girl seems like a fine way to escape the horrors of academia (and roommates )

[Jiggles]

If you are hoping to have kids one day then save some sperm. When you hit the brakes she will fall into you forcing your nuts into the testicle compression chamber of your 250

[azimmer11]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

When you hit the breaks she will fall into you forcing your nuts into the testicle compression chamber of your 250

+1. Have also noticed this while riding 2 up.

[JustRidin]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

If you are hoping to have kids one day then save some sperm. When you hit the brakes she will fall into you forcing your nuts into the testicle compression chamber of your 250

Definitely noted. I'll be sure to avoid the testicle compression chamber as much as possible.

[choneofakind]

The compression of the male anatomy can be saved. Have her grip your hips with her knees to keep her lower body weight in check, just like you do with the tank, and have her keep one hand on the tank to keep her upper body weight in check. And just in case, grip the tank like mad with your knees

I haven't had issues with ball busting on the tank since I got my gf working on those two things.
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[alex.s]

i go nuts to butt on the 250 all the time. i even have been known to take passengers

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

If you are hoping to have kids one day then save some sperm. When you hit the brakes she will fall into you forcing your nuts into the testicle compression chamber of your 250

tell the pillion to put their hands on the tank and hold themselves up instead of pushing on you.

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by alex.s

i go nuts to butt on the 250 all the time. i even have been known to take passengers

insert fbook picture here
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[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by alex.s

tell the pillion to put their hands on the tank and hold themselves up instead of pushing on you.

I tried this with a girl once but she could barely reach. It would work with clipons though

[Miami_Dom]

2s up every morning to take my girl to work, the bike doesn't move as quick but it's absolutely fine, true about the passenger pushing up on you but I thought her to lean with me and it works fine
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[alex.s]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

I tried this with a girl once but she could barely reach. It would work with clipons though

make the girl drive and you can put your arms around her. gives you easy grabbing access.

[Joshua763]

what is the max load?

[Kscreations08]

Originally Posted by alex.s

make the girl drive and you can put your arms around her. gives you easy grabbing access.

[alex.s]

just find a nice road in the middle of nowhere. soccer moms dont like it when you fondle girls in front of their children.

[spooph]

In my experience, riding 2 up is a completely different game... All good advice so far!
Not sure about the modifications on your 250, but if you still have stock gearing you should be fine. If you've changed to taller gearing you'll have to finesse the clutch more...

Her leaning on the tank is a great idea! However, when my girl and I ride she usually sits pretty straight up with her hands around or on my hips. In the beginning we practiced a little bit. On a straight road I'd ask her to lean side to side, to show her how much she can influence the moto. I explained how everything for her happens through her legs. We practiced a few hard stops... I prefer her lean on me during a hard stop, as it makes her and I one solid mass to control concerning weight distribution, and for her to have something solid to lean against and not have to freak out about "why are we stopping so suddenly".

It is my responsibility to make sure we don't have to emergency stop though, and with the 250 being able to slow down so quickly, and engine breaking I've found the most important thing the rider needs to focus is shifting. Smooth shifts that you barely feel, if at all inspires a lot of confidence in passengers, helps them relax. The smoother the ride, the quicker you 2 become one.