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Wethead Passenger access.


AndyS

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My wife is 5'1".

She finds the back of the Wethead very comfortable, however getting on, and particularly getting off, she finds very difficult.

The Wethead seems to be a very short bike (in the accommodation department), so access appears to be more limited.

We have been riding forever, and this new bike is the hardest to get on and off for her. Unfortunately, we always ride with the top box fitted and so there is nowhere to 'swing' the leg. it has to get through the gap between me and the top box.

Has anyone else experienced this and if so, have you come up with any solutions?

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My wife has exactly the same problem on the RT, and has led to one or two funny incidents in car parks etc. She's very particular about not wanting to mark the bike, so finds the whole process challenging. She's about 5' 3", not very agile and at 46, not getting any younger. We persevere and other than that she finds the RT very comfortable.

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Hi Pickaxe, hopefully we can find a solution. My wife is 60 and I love having her with me on the bike. So finding a solution is quite important.

I have even been toying with replacing the lefthand footpeg plate with some kind of linear servo motor to lift her another 4" or so. If I could find a powerful compact servo I'd consider it.

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Well, I can tell you youngsters that our experience on the previous bikes as well as the '14 Wethead has been somewhat different.

 

We both are in the age group about 10 years so ahead of you... but that has little to say about the question other than we've been there-done that.

 

Our solution was to let her mount the bike with me standing off on the left side adding a bit of support and stability by holding the left-side grip as she uses her left foot on the left rider/driver's peg and sort of stands up and swings her right leg over the rider's saddle and lands her right foot on the rider's right peg. Once she settles there she then slides back to the passenger's spot. Seems like its easier to use the driver/rider pegs first, then shift to the passenger pegs.

 

(Harder to say/describe than for her to actually do-though)

 

Then I sort of hop my right leg over the saddle and then stand the bike up and off the sidestand and ride off. She's been riding my earlier bikes as well and the '05 since before '05 and so far we've not had a drop while mounting.

 

Alas, time has taken its toll and she no longer rides at all...

Edited by hopz
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When we had the LT sidecar rig what Hopz describes was my wife's prefered method for mount and dismount as well. She certainly could get on with me already in place, but it was just easier that way (especially having to get her right leg in between the bike and sidecar and avoid the strut that was right by her right peg.

 

Obviously easier with a rig since it's level/stable, but not hard to do on the sidestand either - especially, as Hopz says, with the rider holding the bars (and brake!) to keep the bike from flopping to the right off the stand.

 

You can practice this with the bike on the centerstand, but I don't know that you'd want to rock it off the centerstand with both of you on the saddles and geared up for touring.

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Whatever works.

 

Firm believer in rider being mounted securely and providing stable base that assures mc won't move or tip.

 

Her flexibility can be worked with.

Leg length not so much.

 

We had topcase on when she rode (or Upak) and Beth could stand on peg, hand on my shoulder,

then stand and fold leg over seat.

Some movement but I had bike stable with feet planted and expecting her to use my shoulders as handgrips.

 

To eachtheir own but I'd be worried about a breaking side stand or ground giving way, bike wobble/tip, but people do it.

With her on the pillion seat, it is a maneuver to get on the rider seat and I felt more chance for untoward outcomes.

YMMV

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Whatever works.

 

Firm believer in rider being mounted securely and providing stable base that assures mc won't move or tip.

 

Her flexibility can be worked with.

Leg length not so much.

 

We had topcase on when she rode (or Upak) and Beth could stand on peg, hand on my shoulder,

then stand and fold leg over seat.

Some movement but I had bike stable with feet planted and expecting her to use my shoulders as handgrips.

 

To eachtheir own but I'd be worried about a breaking side stand or ground giving way, bike wobble/tip, but people do it.

With her on the pillion seat, it is a maneuver to get on the rider seat and I felt more chance for untoward outcomes.

YMMV

 

Morning tallman

 

I totally agree with the rider being on the bike first (if possible). Especially with the BMW 1200RT's having such a weak side stand that bends fairly easily.

 

BMW side stands bend easily, & as of late, BMW has sort of quit replacing bent side stands under warranty.

 

BMW riders manual even states-- "Do not sit or lean on the vehicle while it is propped on the side stand".

 

I never really understood BMW's putting such a weak side stand on a touring motorcycle that is meant to carry extra gear & passenger.

 

 

 

 

 

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I was looking at replacing the lefthand pillion footpeg with a 150mm linear actuator. The pillion would stand on their peg (which is attached to the actuator), and I would press the raise button. It would lift them up by 150mm. They would then step over the seat, and I then press the 'lower' button, for the footpeg to return to the lower position. The actuator needs to be something along the lines of this:

 

 

 

https://gimsonrobotics.co.uk/categories/linear-actuators/products/gla650-trk-12v-dc-150mm-travel-sliding-track-actuator

 

The trouble is, the load rating is very marginal and the time taken to complete the stroke length is a bit long. (something in the order of 25 seconds).I could do with it being somewhere around 10 seconds max.

Also, it could do with being rated for at least IP65.

 

If any of you know where there is a similar thing. please let me know.

Edited by AndyS
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Whatever works.

 

Firm believer in rider being mounted securely and providing stable base that assures mc won't move or tip.

 

Her flexibility can be worked with.

Leg length not so much.

 

We had topcase on when she rode (or Upak) and Beth could stand on peg, hand on my shoulder,

then stand and fold leg over seat.

Some movement but I had bike stable with feet planted and expecting her to use my shoulders as handgrips.

 

To eachtheir own but I'd be worried about a breaking side stand or ground giving way, bike wobble/tip, but people do it.

With her on the pillion seat, it is a maneuver to get on the rider seat and I felt more chance for untoward outcomes.

YMMV

 

That's always been the technique for my wife and me. I brace the bike against my left inner thigh, then she uses my shoulder as an assist to step up on the passenger floor board and put her right leg through between me and the top box. Keeping the bike in a neutral, upright position yields very little pressure on my leg. I"m 5'8", she's 5'5" and we've never had an issue with her getting on the pillion seat.

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That's always been the technique for my wife and me. I brace the bike against my left inner thigh, then she uses my shoulder as an assist to step up on the passenger floor board and put her right leg through between me and the top box. Keeping the bike in a neutral, upright position yields very little pressure on my leg. I"m 5'8", she's 5'5" and we've never had an issue with her getting on the pillion seat.

Hi Powwow, can I just point out that there is a BIG difference between 5'5" and 5'1". That is compounded even more if the legs happen to be short as well.

 

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My wife is 5'. I'm over 6'

 

Old way of getting on/off- I would get on and she would use my shoulder to swing her leg either over or through.

 

New way- M/c on side stand in gear. She uses the riders foot pegs grabbing the handlebar and sits in the drivers seat. Then she slides back. I then put my leg through the opening .. The bike can even be running as she knows not to hit the shifter.

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My wife doesn't have a problem getting on, It's getting off that's comical. I'd swap her for a newer model but it would be another type of mounting that may be a problem ;-)

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