Joy rider ...

So one day in the next 1/2 year, my favorite niece is coming to visit, she is 19 in college. She said to me on the phone the other day, "when I get there, I want a ride on the motorcycle." I will do the basic instructions (lean when I lean, etc) but I would like some advice. What would you tell a new passenger rider before their first ride?

Mount & dismount signals.

Pat

I find the best advise for someone new is to hold onto the driver especially at stops. Sudden weight shifts are then minimized. And you can tell if they are getting nervous by their grip on you. Mike

I agree with Mike. For me, I tell my passenger that when we come to a stop, they don't move. Sudden weight shift can make it difficult to hold the bike upright. The leaning when you lean will be easy for them, but it is the sitting still when stopped that can prove challenging. Have fun

Steve

I would tell a new passenger that I consider their safety the most important thing and that I will take care of them and not scare them during the ride.

Pillions are last on, first off. Two brisk shoulder taps to mount (only after you nod to indicate you are ready), two shoulder taps to say she's ready to go, two shoulder taps to say she is ready to dismount when stopped. Five shoulder taps to say pull over please.

When mounting, have her step over the seat (hands on your shoulders) and not to swing her leg over risking marking up your beautiful cases.

Instead of "leaning", ask her to stay neutral/quiet in the saddle and to look to the inside (but not down) during turns. That should keep her from unsettling the bike, and she will enjoy the view more.

In "the unlikely event" of an emergency stop or turn, tell her to grab you around the lower waist, hold on like hell, and don't move. You will need use of your arms.

Tell her you expect her to bonk helmets a few times and not to worry about it.

Remind her that she is your favorite niece, but not to tell anyone else about that.

So one day in the next 1/2 year, my favorite niece is coming to visit, she is 19 in college. She said to me on the phone the other day, "when I get there, I want a ride on the motorcycle." I will do the basic instructions (lean when I lean, etc) but I would like some advice. What would you tell a new passenger rider before their first ride?

Good for you. Some of my favorite rides were when my daughter was in her teens and ask to go with me. Yes, no sudden moves on her part, especially when leaned but you can make the ride more enjoyable too by being really smooth on your shifting and braking. The few times I ride a passenger, makes me try and focus hard on Reg Pridmore's Smooth Riding techniques.

Think of it as an opportunity to work on your skills as well.

RPG

All good advice. I tell passengers to lean with me and ask them not to fight the turns, which seem to freak out most who are new to riding pillion. If you have an intercom, it's helpful . . . you can tell the passenger what's coming up before it happens.

And while you might want to zoom a little bit, my advice to you would be to take it easy on that first ride. It might be mildly boring for you, but scaring the bejeezus out of a passenger can turn them off to motorcycles forever.

All good advice. I tell passengers to lean with me and ask them not to fight the turns, which seem to freak out most who are new to riding pillion. If you have an intercom, it's helpful . . . you can tell the passenger what's coming up before it happens.

 

And while you might want to zoom a little bit, my advice to you would be to take it easy on that first ride. It might be mildly boring for you, but scaring the bejeezus out of a passenger can turn them off to motorcycles forever.

Great advice Mike.

It's easy to forget that a novice might not enjoy our activities as much as we do. I really enjoy sailing in heavy winds. I took some folks out for a night sail and I had a fantastic time. One girl, who had never been on a boat before, jumped off the boat, kissed the dock and said she would never get on a boat again.

I felt terrible that I had unwittingly caused a person to hate boating. I still look back at that moment with regret.

Depending on your suspension setup you may have to add preload to the rear shock. Keep in mind that braking should be smooth and stopping will take longer.

I would tell a new passenger that I consider their safety the most important thing and that I will take care of them and not scare them during the ride.

 

Pillions are last on, first off. Two brisk shoulder taps to mount (only after you nod to indicate you are ready), two shoulder taps to say she's ready to go, two shoulder taps to say she is ready to dismount when stopped. Five shoulder taps to say pull over please.

 

When mounting, have her step over the seat (hands on your shoulders) and not to swing her leg over risking marking up your beautiful cases.

 

Instead of "leaning", ask her to stay neutral/quiet in the saddle and to look to the inside (but not down) during turns. That should keep her from unsettling the bike, and she will enjoy the view more.

 

In "the unlikely event" of an emergency stop or turn, tell her to grab you around the lower waist, hold on like hell, and don't move. You will need use of your arms.

 

Tell her you expect her to bonk helmets a few times and not to worry about it.

 

Remind her that she is your favorite niece, but not to tell anyone else about that.

 

Brilliant & spot-on. I have only one thing to add, and that is to consider purchasing Love Handles. It's basically a padded belt cinched by an old school seatbelt buckle that you wear outside of your riding jacket, with ergonomically shaped rubberized aluminum grab handles on the sides for the passenger to hang onto. The buckle is offset, so that when the handles are properly positioned, it won't scratch your tank. This nifty device (now called "Passenger Safety Handles" in recognition of the fragile male ego) has improved my wife's sense of pillion security tenfold, and accounts for her willingness to ride with me on an occasional basis, as opposed to not at all.

No personal affiliation with the product manufacturer or seller, but here's a link... http://www.2wheelride.com/llove_handle.html

Good advice.

Gear?

Got something? If not set up a borrow from a friend.

Cover mount dismount showing where to step/put hands for support.

Practice the stop before getting in traffic.

Go over hand signals and communication methods.

Back rest/top case?

Don't assume anything. Go over step by step what you expect and what you will be doing. The view from the pillion is different.

If you haven't done it there are a lot of interactions added to the regular data of solo riding.

Preparing before, gear/bike, instruction/explanations, even pratice w/a passenger, can help.

Should be fun for both of you.

For what it's worth.

Much diversity of opinion on telling pax to lean or not. Kind of depends on how comfortable you are on the bike and how experienced your pax is. My personal choice is, have them stay still relative to the bike. The reason for this is two fold. One, the bike will always balance the same for you as opposed to varying from turn to turn as the pax leans too much or too little . Two, it allows the pax to relax and not focus on your riding style, what type of turn and how much to lean. She can just sit back , enjoy, which is kind of the point. Of course if you are taking her to a race track, disregard everything I just said. Enjoy

Remind her that she is your favorite niece, but not to tell anyone else about that.

My wife has 8 siblings. Her father would tell each of them "You are my favorite daughter...named Jan", or "You are my favorite son...named Tom", etc. Worked well to make them feel special until his memory started slipping and he got the names mixed up.

This tactic will not work very well with your wife....

Remind her that she is your favorite niece, but not to tell anyone else about that.

 

My wife has 8 siblings. Her father would tell each of them "You are my favorite daughter...named Jan", or "You are my favorite son...named Tom", etc. Worked well to make them feel special until his memory started slipping and he got the names mixed up.

This tactic will not work very well with your wife....

Check to see if your passenger is covered for medical or other insurance on your bike. In Michigan, this is not a given, but something you have to ask for and add on.

I've noticed that some new passengers tend to want to put their feet down at stops so I tell them to keep their feet on the pegs at all times unless I tell them different.

So one day in the next 1/2 year, my favorite niece is coming to visit, she is 19 in college. She said to me on the phone the other day, "when I get there, I want a ride on the motorcycle." I will do the basic instructions (lean when I lean, etc) but I would like some advice. What would you tell a new passenger rider before their first ride?

It isn't lean when I lean. On the way back from DVD, my pillion almost put us into a rock wall trying to be helpful. The right advice is to imagine you are a sack of potatos on the back seat. There should be no "helpful" movements from the passenger other than tilting and leveling their head in a turn. My passenger quickly started believing what I was telling him and settled down. The riding went much smoother after that.

Afternoon Sonor

As above, with NEW passengers I just tell them to sit still & DON'T lean.

Nothing worse than a passenger that is moving around all the time trying to keep up with my movements.

Sit still dammit, you can move your hands & head all you want but don't lean of shift your weight around.

The only time I will tell a new passenger to lean (& I say it very specifically to their face when needed) is when I need them to counter lean with me for a very tight U turn.

I just tell them to sit down, hold on and relax. You are not running motogp, you are taking them for a pleasure ride. If the passenger continues to ride with you, than teaching will be necessary but for a run around the block/town or even a half day ride, sit down, hold on. I'll tell them everything they need to do via Sena before I need them to do it.

I have to disagree with advise to not lean. Do you really want your passengers sitting vertically (leaning opposite of you) when cornering? I want my passengers to do what I do. If I lean, I want them to do what I do. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing different.

Don't lean when I don't. Don't lean more than I do. Don't lean opposite of what I do. Do what I do. If you want to shift your weight in any way while we are in motion, do it when we are vertical.

... Do you really want your passengers sitting vertically (leaning opposite of you) when cornering?

No one has used the word vertical or suggested the passenger should lean opposite the rider. The suggestion was that a first time passenger should not move for corners, so that they lean neither more nor less than the bike.

"Do what I do" is the ultimate goal, but I would not expect to achieve that on a passengers' first ride. They are busy learning how a bike accelerates and maneuvers, how to hold on, how to brace themselves for stops and bumps. They are looking at how close their feet are to the rough road, and thinking how hard the fenders look on the cars whizzing past in the opposite lane. That's a lot to take in for a first ride. They cannot yet judge how much to lean or how smooth they need to move to avoid upsetting the bike. They literally have no experience to make judgements, so let them learn gradually, while their movements take place only when travelling in a straight line.

As a passenger accumulates experience, they may wish to participate more and not be a "sack of potatoes." Then, if they are willing to actively watch the road, I tell them to maintain their view in one position over my inside shoulder, so that my movement controls their position. If they get tired or just want to sight-see, they've been instructed to go back into spud mode.

For what it's worth.

Much diversity of opinion on telling pax to lean or not. Kind of depends on how comfortable you are on the bike and how experienced your pax is. My personal choice is, have them stay still relative to the bike. The reason for this is two fold. One, the bike will always balance the same for you as opposed to varying from turn to turn as the pax leans too much or too little . Two, it allows the pax to relax and not focus on your riding style, what type of turn and how much to lean. She can just sit back , enjoy, which is kind of the point. Of course if you are taking her to a race track, disregard everything I just said. Enjoy

+1

I have to disagree with advise to not lean. Do you really want your passengers sitting vertically (leaning opposite of you) when cornering? I want my passengers to do what I do. If I lean, I want them to do what I do. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing different.

Don't lean when I don't. Don't lean more than I do. Don't lean opposite of what I do. Do what I do. If you want to shift your weight in any way while we are in motion, do it when we are vertical.

Morning Red

Yes, I want them sitting vertically & not moving around (just like my camping gear does).

There is just no way a NEW passenger can follow my upper body leaning, amount of lean, rate of lean-in, rate of un-lean, etc . I have tried it many ways & by the far the best is to just have the NEW passenger just sit still (just like luggage does).

The only time I might ask for a weight shift (counter lean) from a new passenger is, as I mentioned above, for a very tight U turn & only then if I need to keep the U turn on an 18'-20' wide road surface, or on a loose gravel road.

Once the passenger is at ease riding in a semi upright position for a few rides I might tell them to lean with me a little. Or if I have communication hooked up might take my hands off the handlebars & talk them though keeping the bike on-line with body weight shifts (that usually helps them understand the what/why of weight shift & it's importance to motorcycle handling).

I agree with DR. I ask my passenger to remain neutral, just turn your head into corners. The best passengers I've had become part of the bike and I almost don't know they're there. My idea of the passenger not leaning means the passenger should generally remain vertical to the centerline of the bike at all times, including when the bike leans while cornering. I'll do any independent leaning if needed, as around a sudden pothole. Then again, the occasional passenger I take is only interested in a leisurely non-scary ride, not knee-puck GP stuff.

I would tell a new passenger that I consider their safety the most important thing and that I will take care of them and not scare them during the ride.

 

Pillions are last on, first off. Two brisk shoulder taps to mount (only after you nod to indicate you are ready), two shoulder taps to say she's ready to go, two shoulder taps to say she is ready to dismount when stopped. Five shoulder taps to say pull over please.

 

When mounting, have her step over the seat (hands on your shoulders) and not to swing her leg over risking marking up your beautiful cases.

 

Instead of "leaning", ask her to stay neutral/quiet in the saddle and to look to the inside (but not down) during turns. That should keep her from unsettling the bike, and she will enjoy the view more.

 

In "the unlikely event" of an emergency stop or turn, tell her to grab you around the lower waist, hold on like hell, and don't move. You will need use of your arms.

 

Tell her you expect her to bonk helmets a few times and not to worry about it.

 

Remind her that she is your favorite niece, but not to tell anyone else about that.

 

Great Recommendations, Jake. Covers the gamut of what's been said ... and very clearly. I ride 2up about 60% of my riding. We've evolved over time, but these are exceptional guides for beginners (presuming no intercom, of course).

Thanks Pal!

Thanks y'all - this is extremely helpful.