Riding with a passenger.....

[me109g4]

Need a little guidance here,,, I have been riding off and on for quite a few yrs. but have never ridden with a passenger, new gf wants to ride on the back,, so any advice, common mistakes etc. would be much appreciated. Trying to avoid the newbie mistakes and hurting her. Current bike is a Kawi ZZr1200 or can use a kz1000 for a trainer.Thanks in advance. JT

[xrocket21]

tell her to hold on tight, and just lean with you. Make sure she knows not to lean opposite of you. When getting on the bike, you get on and get steady, then have her get on. Same for getting off, make sure she waits for you to get steady, then she can get off. Have a signal, like patting you on the side if she gets scared or something. Please, don't let her wear flip flops and shorts.

[imstuner]

1 make sure you have proper gear for her.

[me109g4]

I have gear she will be using, I am a big believer in gear,, no flip flops or shorts.

[AEG]

I found a very good and detailed info available on the internet. Also the Total Control by Lee Parks has a section covering just what you are lookng for.

[gadget]

Get a 100lb sack of potatoes and take it for a ride to get a better feel of how your bike wil react

If your bike has an adjustable rear shock you might want to stiffen it up a bit...(you're adding a fair amount of weight)

[jasnmar]

On and off procedure is important as xrocket21 mentioned. Over communicate on this. Tell her how you will signal for her to both get on and get off the bike in advance. Make sure your feet are absolutely planted, and your hands are solidly on the bars. Also plan on needing to keep the bike "vertical" with your legs.

The "signal" is a good idea. Coms would be a better idea, but isn't realistic most likely.

Ride as if you were riding in the rain. Easy on the throttle. Easy on the brakes. Ease into the turns. She doesn't know what you are about to do, so make sure everything is smooth and she has time to react to changes.

Talk about how she will be holding on. Have her place her hands low on your back / sides. You don't need her planting her hands between your shoulders when you are stopping.

Make sure the first trip isn't too far. Have a planned destination. Let her know about how long it's going to take to get there. Make sure that the path from wherever you are starting to wherever you are ending up doesn't involve either interstate or a bunch of traffic lights. You don't want to go to fast on the initial journey, but also a bunch of starts / stops in traffic or having to maneuver at "parking lot" speeds will be more difficult for you. At moderate speed, there's often little evidence there's even a passenger. In low speed maneuvers, as well as when you start pushing things this changes drastically. You don't want to be near either of those extremes until both of you are comfortable.

My wife has ridden enough with me that she often falls asleep on the back, but it took some time and miles to get there. We both learned along the way.

[gregp]

My advice - Both of you need to make constant, conscious efforts to be *smooth* in all that each of you does.
Driver: Accelerate slowly. Decelerate slowly, and well ahead of time if possible. Make no sudden direction, or velocity changes. Stop only on clean, level pavement.
Passenger: Lean slowly, and smoothly, with the driver. Make no sudden torso or leg movements. Mount and dismount only when told to do so by the driver.

[me109g4]

Guess some on and off practice in the driveway will be a good first step, I already keep the rear shock pretty firm. some good stuff so far,,

[Kurlon]

Depending on the passenger, it's sometimes easier to ask them to not try to "lean". Either stay perpendicular to the seat, or even easier, stay straight up and down. Had a couple passengers I had to switch to the later plan with, made for a much better ride for both of us.

[gregp]

Good point, Kurlon - Every passenger reacts to the leaning of the machine differently. You will have to figure that out on the ride.

[me109g4]

I think my biggest concern is low speed manuovering,, the zed is top heavy and does not like low speed turns, even the U turn coming out of bike night I need to keep speed up or it wants to drop,

[oVTo]

Before you start, let her know that the bike will lean as you go through corners - we riders know that, but it can surprise a new passenger and she could over-react.

Instead of telling her how to lean, just let her know she can look over your inside shoulder when going through a corner. That will keep her well positioned on the bike, minimize any weight shifting, and let her watch the road ahead.

[Jim]

have her ride on the back with me (pending photos).
then i'll give you advice on what she needs to know

[nhbubba]

"Lean with me" has always worked for me.

Books I've read recently advise the passenger try to look through the turn just as the rider does. Not always practical nor would I expect it. But an interesting opinion.

Grab handles are a big plus. IIRC your bike has 'em.

[me109g4]

she will be using me as a grab handle hopefully, lol. its her adventurous nature that got her interested in the back of the bike. Gotta make sure I don't damage this one,,,

[daisha]

... Gotta make sure I don't damage this one,,,

The bike or the gf?

[golden chicken]

Turn the bike around by yourself before you let her get on.

[gadget]

very important, make sure that you explain to her that when you look over your shoulder to see if it is safe to merge, you are not looking back at her.

She should keep her head out of the way and not look you in the face thus blocking your view.

I was merging onto a highway with a passenger and everytime I looked left to see if I could merge she thought I was turning to talk to her and moved her head to look me in the face.
I quickly shifted to using the mirror but it was a little tense for a few seconds.

[me109g4]

Both daisha, lol

[mzdagrl]

1. Gear. don't just have it, make sure it fits her correctly.

2. have her get on and off the bike when you are already aimed the direction you want to go.

3. "Look over my left shoulder when I turn left, and right shoulder when I turn right"

4. "No matter what happens, or what the motorcycle feels like it is doing, know that I am in control, and that's exactly what it should feel like."

5. "Don't wiggle, even if we are at a stoplight. if any adjustment needs to be made, it needs to be made symmetrically - equal weight on both passenger pegs"

6. She should be holding you on your waist near your hips if comfortable. She may find that stopping is uncomfortable/difficult due to having no control over her upper body. Leaning her hands (one or both) lightly on the tank in front of you will help with this.

7. Have fun. If she isn't having fun, it's time to go home.

[Sheppo]

7. Have fun. If she isn't having fun, it's time to go home.

Amen

[Chippertheripper]

Rev it and dump the clutch JUST as she starts to sit down. You won't have this problem again.

[nhbubba]

No joke, I basically did that once. My intent was to scare her just a little. Wheeling down W.Hollis Street in Nashua on your first 'motorcycle date' has a certain aphrodisiac factor to it.

Also a Bandit 1200 will clutch the front up while 2-up without complaint. Actually far easier than 1-up.

[RandyO]

fwiw, after my ex went to MSF, she became a better passenger