Want tips on passenger comfort

[greenrider]

Hi

This will be the first time my wife is coming with me on a week long trip. And would love to hear any tips to make it enjoyable for her. Riding isn't on the top of here list but doesn't mind it. We are riding with 3 other couples. My bike is a 1997 R1100RT

All input will be appreciated

Thanks in advance.

[John Ranalletta]

Get a back rest or use a top case w/ backrest.

 

Make frequent stops.

 

If you have an entertainment/communication system, provide the passenger with a separate volume control.

 

Engage her in trip planning and navigation.

[Peter Parts]

Discuss cramps and how to ignore them.

 

Reduce needless issues for example by booking motels ahead of time or phoning a motel conglomerate at 2 PM each day. Eat well but in moderation during the day.

 

Ensure she sees the value of an adventurous trip.

 

Ben

[Matts_12GS]

Get a back rest or use a top case w/ backrest.

 

Make frequent stops.

 

If you have an entertainment/communication system, provide the passenger with a separate volume control.

 

Engage her in trip planning and navigation.

 

wise words there!

 

 

[Jake]

Get a small back pack for you to wear for her stuff. Put books on tape on an IPod, and she can run it herself while on the road and keep herself occupied. This is really not for her, but for you.

[John Bentall]

Airhawk seat - in medium cruiser size.

[Claudio]

There is already some fantastic advice (John's tips on backrest and engaging her in the planning are top notch).

 

Some additional ideas....

 

1. Doe she have decent gear for a wide range of weather?

2. If she has bad or pain-prone knees/hips, consider a footpeg relocation kit for the passenger that moves the pegs down and forward to reduce the angle.

3. Remember that the passenger generally fatigues more quickly than the rider. You tend to be able to move around and shift your weight / position more readily. Avoid "pushing thru" and riding longer than she can tolerate.

[Antimatter]

Make sure that her helmet is comfortable and that she has decent rain gear. And take lots of breaks. Does she have any hobbies or things she enjoys doing that you can incorporate into the trip?

 

If it works out, you get my congratulations. My wife has zero interest in touring with me.

[Damian]

And get her some foam earplugs to eliminate fatigue caused by constant wind noise. They don't greatly interfere with the Autocom.

[TEWKS]

Rent the ladies a minivan with GPS? Whaaat!

 

 

Pat

[SageRider]

On the 1100, the only passenger grab points are the rail behind and below her posterior. Terrible ergos for staying in place in the seat. So expect the wife to have to hold on to you to maintain position. If your riding gear does not have a belt that goes all the way around, you might consider adding one that will give the wife an easy grab point.

 

Something similar to this (which, unfortunately, is out of production):

http://www.buddybelt.com/

or the very bulky Grip-N-Ride

 

[tallman]

Practice the "simple" things.

 

Mount/dismount (use signals for it is OK to get up/off)

you'll have to decide wrt fueling whether she gets off before

the pump or at it.

Stop signs, your foot down, hers on the pegs.

Same with parking lots.

Signals for stop in X, XX, or ASAP.

 

Stay hydrated, shorten seat time, increase comfort if needed such as AirHawk.

 

Co-ordinate w/other riders pit stops and "range" issues if

those are different than the RT.

 

Gear.

Important to fit right and provide protection.

 

Have fun.

 

 

Her "comfort" will increase with your skill at avoiding issues.

She will feel engaged rather than just baggage if you work on pillion skill set.

[Albert]

With lots of years of 2 up riding I can't emphasize enough the importance of stopping frequently and planning travel days that are shorter than what you might plan riding solo. If you reach a point where your passenger starts to complain about discomfort you've waited too long and you're going to be fighting an uphill battle (and don't expect her to want to do it again).

 

Look for places that hold some interest for her. If she's into craft stores or quaint shops, try to stop at one or two and browse around. I think my wife now feels that our riding is really just a 2 wheeled shopping trip. Remember, motorcycling is your passion. If you want her to enjoy going with you you've got to give her some incentive. This of course is a double edged sword. If you do it right, you'll rarely get to ride solo (DAMHIK).

[Matts_12GS]

Look for places that hold some interest for her. If she's into craft stores or quaint shops, try to stop at one or two and browse around. I think my wife now feels that our riding is really just a 2 wheeled shopping trip. Remember, motorcycling is your passion. If you want her to enjoy going with you you've got to give her some incentive. This of course is a double edged sword. If you do it right, you'll rarely get to ride solo (DAMHIK).

 

This is great advice Al.

since I started riding two up with my girlfriend last year, the days are fewer miles and I don't expect her on the saddle every day we are away as her definition of vacation differs some and actually includes a down day in the hotel sometimes. Fortunately, getting a solo day of riding on a trip makes it a pleasant treat.

 

If we don't do a down day, we'll go to some small town and window shop main street over coffee or lunch.

 

 

[elkroeger]

Make sure she spends some time on the bike prior to the trip. If you ride all the time and she never does, she will fatigue easily, then both of you will be sore and frustrated. Take several day trips and make sure she can tolerate being on the bike all day or all afternoon. Find out specifically what bothers her (neck, butt, the view, temperature, boredom...) and fix those. She may not have any. LUCKY YOU! But you don't want to find out on day two that her back hurts and she can't put up with it - especially if you have a group that you feel obligated to travel with.

[WestyLancs]

With lots of years of 2 up riding I can't emphasize enough the importance of stopping frequently and planning travel days that are shorter than what you might plan riding solo. If you reach a point where your passenger starts to complain about discomfort you've waited too long and you're going to be fighting an uphill battle (and don't expect her to want to do it again).

 

+1, but probably nowhere near as many 'two up days'.

 

If you haven't got any form of intercom, I'd consider getting one. Although Carol (my better half) is by no means

a chatterbox on the back, at least she can speak, comment, swear etc at / or to me if she wants to.

 

Surprisingly, she also commented recently on the fact that miles on the bike seem to go much quicker than in the car

(and no, I don't ride faster than I drive, on an open road. )

She couldn't explain why but presumes it's the more involving experience, rather than being sat in a 'cage',

except for when the weather turns very wet or cold .

 

 

[Peter Parts]

Help her enjoy the special delights of biking such as sights and smells and the visceral experience as well as more spiritual (never thought I'd ever use the word) aspects. Share your enthusiasm.

 

We tried intercoms. I feel it jars too much with my concept of biking. True, any two-up riding is something apart from one-up biking so maybe I shouldn't be such a purist. Easy enough to communicate what needs to be communicated without an intercom buzzing in your ear.

 

Interesting thread. Helpful to me even after 52 seasons. Dunno about you folks, but I hate to be apart from my sweetie for too long............

 

Ben

[philbytx]

What is this "wet and cold" of which you speak ! LOL

[Albert]

We tried intercoms. I feel it jars too much with my concept of biking. Ben

 

We first used an intercom a few years ago on our first trip west. We planned on visiting lots of national parks and seeing lots of (new to us) scenery. I felt the tried and true "head slap and yell in the ear" techniques we had honed over the years might be distracting. We were really glad we had them on that and other similar trips. Other than that we don't use them much but it's handy if we're contemplating a food stop. After we've discussed the choices, she can tell me where we'll be eating.

[philbytx]

+1

After 12 years of signs, slaps and squeezes, we've just ordered our first intercom kit This is the new lower priced kit specifically for our Nolan N103's.

 

Last weekend, we rode and stopped for breakfast and Deb said, "you know, we should get an Intercom". Now I'm trying to figure out exactly why !

 

 

[Albert]

Phil, I don't want to be a wet blanket but, before you get your hopes up, the intercom won't completely eliminate the slaps. Trust me on this.

[marcopolo]

I've done a fair bit of long-distance, two-up riding over the last number of years. I'm pretty confident that my wife would say that the item that made the biggest difference for us was purchasing an intercom. We started with a wired Autocom system (it's still installed), but switched to Bluetooth Sena intercoms two years ago. Autocom had better sound quality, but we both believe that the convenience of wireless trumps that.

[Peter Parts]

No one seems to be disputing the facts posted here.

 

But a nice social communication from the spouse is also an unbikerly intrusion. Depends on the ride, the comment, the people, etc.

 

We were glad not to be burbling to one another on our pass through Zion Park and other wonders in Utah, such as cattle wandering about on the road.

 

Another factor is that we wear 3/4 helmets and so direct talk might be a bit easier to hear.

 

Ben

[realshelby]

Most worthwhile "must haves" for passenger comfort and pleasure in order of importance:

 

1: Top case. This gives security to the passenger. Whether needed or not, feeling it there imparts a feeling that they are not going to fall off the back of the bike. It is good for the rider since they don't have to cling to you.

 

2: Russell Day long seat fitted for the passenger. Simply allows 100 or 200 miles at a time without butt pain.

 

3: Intercom. That has added more to our trips than I would have ever imagined. Not just to say "I need a break" but to talk about the scenery, and what I am doing with the bike and why. A good quality intercom makes all the difference, we had tried some that were not worth using....

[Boffin]

What is this "wet and cold" of which you speak ! LOL

 

You may be an ex-pat but you're still a Brit - you remember what they are

 

We use an intercom to share the beauty of the countryside we are riding through, and to ask for stops for comfort - and comfort stops - as needed.

I concur with the need to involve ones pillion with the ride, both planning and execution.

When we are on a two-up ride, I stop more often and in more comfortable places - sometimes even giving her "retail opportunities"

 

Andy

[Albert]

How positively unbikerly!! Hi Andy

[philbytx]

Hi Andy

 

Only too well mate LOL! Living in Texas now, we have (non-polar!!) opposite temps to the UK. However, my aching joints don't miss the damp and cold one bit mate.

 

Funny thing. I still have my trusty Barbour jacket in the closet. Used it to commute for many years. It is now over 45 years old and the only armour we had back then was extra fabric sewn on the shoulders and elbows!

 

Got the N-Com B1 unit installed in our N-103's today. Synched them up and tested it out in the house and also got our mobile to synch with the Bluetooth. We are going on a breakfast ride tomorrow morning and it will be our first ride ever with an intercom. After 35 years of rib punching and helmet slapping, I am hoping technology will open up a less violent era in our riding lives LOL!

 

 

[tallman]

also, practice wearing the helmet around for a while...

 

builds endurance and makes the neighbors wonder.

[philbytx]

Ok Tim, so the neighbours already thought we were a "bit" strange LOL!

 

Well, this particular Luddite and his lovely missus actually enjoys the Nolan N-Com Intercom!

 

Worked flawlessly on the ride today and, after some fine tuning, we had amazing clarity even at speed and with a noisy windshield on the R1100R (it's noisy on crosswindy days like today).

I also wore my earplug (I'm deaf in one ear) and had no problems hearing Deb at all. FYI - Nolan has an app wherein you can FINER tune the audio on the N-Com B1. So I upped the BT volume on my helmet which helped me a lot.

 

Albert, just in case I actually miss our occasional motorcycle S&M interludes, I discovered how to use the pillion "Off" button on the system LOL!

 

All in all a good day. A great day to ride with friends plus new technology that actually works !

 

 

[R & R]

If you find you two are helmet bonking, try easing off the throttle a bit before you shift so the bike isn't accelerating quite as hard.

 

+1 on the intercom. Don't wait 30 years like we did.

 

You are most going to notice the extra weight in slow maneuvering and stopping hard. A little parking lot practice is time well spent.

 

And just enjoy the hell out of being on the bike on the road together. They are some of our favorite memories.