Riding with a passenger.....

[jayth]

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.

Lolz... Back in My Squidly days of yore The sign for wheelie comin' was two Quick taps on her left thigh...Imagine her surprise when she got the double tap about 80 feet from the garage... It's a bit of a blur now but all I remember is her feet above my ears and not in the good way... How she didn't come off I'll never know but I realized at that point even with really good communication and a fabulous passenger you gotta dial it back notch or two... We laugh about it...now...

[mzdagrl]

I got wheelied as a passenger once. It was not fun at all. It was 70mph of pure terror.

[nhbubba]

How she didn't come off I'll never know but I realized at that point even with really good communication and a fabulous passenger you gotta dial it back notch or two... We laugh about it...now...

I got wheelied as a passenger once. It was not fun at all. It was 70mph of pure terror.

Yeah. Weight distribution is obviously way different. You have more weight further back over the rear axle. This means way easier wheelies.. What is normally a hearty blip that will unload the front end instead puts you into real circus freak territory.

As with many of my stories, mine is once again not an example to follow. I am stupid. And in this case, my stupidity nearly injured a very lovely blond. Clearly, that would have been bad. .. To quote another, slightly less lovely blond: "The encounter was a victory, but we show it as an example of what not to do."

And doing it at 70 is just fuckin' wreckless!

[Rada]

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.

Great advice there... this is my method and it works great.

I also tend to exaggerate my signalling and rev match my down shifts to give the passenger a clue that we are slowing down. My wife can read me pretty well and is always in tune with what is happening next.

I also have a signal for when I am about to go ham and for her to hold on..

[OreoGaborio]

I can't really add anything that hasn't already been said, but as far as HOW I deliver passenger instruction, I keep things VERY SIMPLE:

1 - DO NOT get on or off w/o my signal.
2 - If we're stopped or going slow, try not to fidget. At speed, move/adjust all ya want.
3 - When rounding a corner, look over my inside shoulder

That pretty much covers all the absolute MUST knows for them in simple, easy to remember and understand terms. The rest comes in bits & pieces as the ride goes along.




And since I know Jackie will see this & comment... you would have gotten this very quick and easy to remember pre-ride brief if Steph hadn't confused the living shit out of you before I got there!




One more tip: If your jacket has pockets, open them up. Your passenger can put their hands in there for a good hand hold. Helps when both accelerating and braking.

[Stromper]

Yes wild ride to scare her to disabuse her of this silly notion before she ruins motorcycling for you

if you insist then

Just tell her to remain up right and DONT HELP !!!!! stay straight on the seat

[ZX11D]

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.

great advice!!! 1+

[me109g4]

yes,, lots of good stuff here, many thanks to all. You would think at my age I would have had a passenger on the bike before now,, just never happened till this one showed an interest.
Good point #1 on the gear Kiera,, she is a little shorter and slighter than me but the boobs tightened up the jacket, lol My spare helmet fits good. I forgot about footwear though,,
I think on choice of bike we will start out on the KZ1000,, the ergonomics of the bike will make it easier for both of us as beginers.
As to the request for pics,,, sorry, she wont let them in the public domain, lol

[RandyO]

On some very steep grades, going up Hurricane Mountain Road, some of the gaps in VT, be gentile on throttle as much as ya wanna hammer the throttle and go faster, its easy enuf to loop it solo if your not paying attention, lean into it especially if its one of those grades that feels like a wheelie in itself

[Cheese]

2 - If we're stopped or going slow, try not to fidget. At speed, move/adjust all ya want.

I'm glad Pete brought this one up as it has typically been the hardest one for my newbie passengers to learn. As you're riding they will slip a little on the seat from acceleration, turns, bumps and such. For a non-rider it seems safest to readjust when slowing down but for the driver that's when it's more difficult to balance the bike. Just go over it with them a few times, be prepared for them to forget and remind them nicely after you've stopped to reserve seat adjustment to moderate speed straight sections of the ride.

I also use the rear brake with a passenger as it's a smoother deceleration under normal stopping conditions.

[Legally Jackie]

Just tell her to remain up right and DONT HELP !!!!! stay straight on the seat

That's the advice I got before getting on for the first time. Pete was trying to turn and I was trying my hardest to stay completely upright (i.e., he was leaning to the right, and I was practically leaning the opposite way trying to stay upright because I was told not to lean). I learned to look over his shoulder on the on ramp to 93N by his hand gestures. Once I did that it went much better.

[Kurlon]

First couple of times I ever wheelied were due to my wife. We're on my ST3 behind a couple on a Harley, just putt-putting along on our way home from a friend's. The Harley moved to the outside lane while signaling setting up to turn into the grocery store up ahead while giving us a 'go on by' wave. Ok, I appreciate the gesture and roll it on a bit to go by while my wife decides to look back at the bike or something. What was supposed to be a polite pass turned into squids showing off for the cruiser... I got a thunk on my helmet for that one as if it was MY fault?! She liked to do that at intersections too, I'd blip the throttle to advise I was pulling out and she'd lean back to stretch or something? Wheelie.

And just incase you think I'm a closet stuntah having fun freaking my wife out... LRRS made me sell my KTM Motard because I couldn't wheelie on my own.

[me109g4]

There will be NO wheelies with her on the back, hell i dont even know how to do one! So thats a path we dont need to go down as i have no desire to damage a cute blond or my bike. Thanks for all the replies, I have some pointers now on how to do this safely.

[RandyO]

There will be NO wheelies with her on the back, hell i dont even know how to do one!

ya don't needs top know how to do one, weight distribution will take care of that for ya

everyone is pointing wheelies out cause you have to take care to avoid unplanned wheelies with a passenger

[nhbubba]

It is shockingly easy with a passenger. Shockingly.

[scubasteve]

Even my brothers crappy 01 600 had no problems wheeling accidently with a passenger.

Only other thing I either missed or didn't see mentioned was to tell the passenger to pay attention to surroundings. Watch the stoplights when approaching intersections, watch for stop signs, turning vehicles in busier area's, etc. so they can be prepared as best as possible for emergency or late braking.

[Billy]

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.

This X 10000. Sunday when I was at a stop light some couple was riding a Harley, dude had to make a turn and the chick was leaning the opposite direction that the guy was leaning. I was shaking my head......

[xrocket21]

ya don't needs top know how to do one, weight distribution will take care of that for ya

everyone is pointing wheelies out cause you have to take care to avoid unplanned wheelies with a passenger

I had an unplanned wheelie with a passenger once... she stayed on luckily