Going Pillion

[PZR]

My bike is getting a winter overhaul at present and I am suffering withdrawel symptoms. A friend offered to take me out on the back of his the other day but as I was off sick I passed on the oppurtunity. It did however start me thinking and it occurs to me that except when I first learnt to ride when I was 15 :argh: I do not think I have ever gone on a bike as a pillion. This convoluted thought process brings me (yawn) to the subject.

How many of you ride as pillion? If you refuse to pillion (but expect or assume your partner will) then why won't you ride the rear. Whats your excuse other than the fact you have your own machine. Does it make you nervous going with someone who is possibly more insane than you?
Are you chicken or sensible.
Perhaps you do not like being in close proximity to another male. Ooooeeer! hold tight thweety here we go!!!
Or are you a real KIWI BLOKE, nufin' scares you eh mate you'll ride with anyone
Go on...... share your fears with Aunty PZR:niceone:

[Redstar]

there are two types of pillion. Them that help,and them that hinder.
them that help are usually bikers in their own right,they read the road like the rider and apply the right amount of body steer at the right time and apply the pressure to the rear on a corner at just he right time to provide the traction for the back tyre. and allow the rider to do what they would normally do. like a counter balance sidecar rider. but then there are the hinder pillions who think they need to correct the centrifugal stupid rider by sitting upright through the corner. As they rider we are responsible for the pillion and their actions. the best policy is Koala bear. hang on to me tight and do what I do.
pillion riders skill is an underated art and anyone who can professionally ride pillion with skill deserves some credit for it.

[MikeL]

Pillion? No way will I place my life entirely in the hands of someone else (except when I fly, of course, and even then I'm ready to rush into the cockpit and take over at the first sign of incompetence). Motorcyclists? They're all mad, suicidal bastards...

[Marmoot]

I only rode pillion 5 times in my life yet. 2 of them because I crashed. Bloody Scary :gob:

[SPman]

Been on the back twice, both on RD350's, 30yrs ago.

:eek:

NEVER again.! Scariest thing in my life (and that includes low level, illegal aerobatics!)



  :eek::eek::eek:

[Antallica]

I've had the missus on the back of my FXR, it was hell... she was pointing to things and moving around so the bike was damn unstable.

Just make youre you are helping eh ;)

[Duke of Rogan]

I took my wife for her first ever pillion ride about a month or so ago, and she really liked it (but not the corners)
If she liked it enough then I'll have to buy a bigger bike!

unfortunatley since my little scate she isn't in a big hurry to get back on :(

but then its too slow with two!

[Motu]

I haven't been a pillion for many years...and when I do I don't like it - I don't like putting my crutch up against some guys arse,or having my lips inches away from his hairy neck.I have never liked to carry pillions,just too much responsability.

But when I was younger we practicaly lived on our bikes...and sometimes my license was unavailable for use.Pillions were just part of the life,I never liked to have one,but I've sure carried my share,good and bad.Without a license I would have to jump on the back of any bike that was going where I wanted to go - I've had some fun rides...some I thought were my last! We used to ride hard and it's surprising how much in tune you can get with a rider you trust...working with him to get the best out of the ride - I have some good memories there.

[Coldkiwi]

been pillion once... on the back of the ZX-6R I'm riding now and it was SCARY! I couldn't hold on to the guy in front (camp hairdresser in a tight shirt? I think not) so I was forced to use the grab handles at the back to stop myself falling forwards or back. Given that he was giving it a reasonable thrashing, staying on was no mean feat and I was only too gald when we got to greenlane to pick up his car! Lane splitting between trucks was quite terrifying and the only way I managed to not have a mental breakdown/stop to change pants was by closing my eyes and hanging on for grim death (note closing  of eyes makes one a n EXCELLENT pillion passenger because you can't lean the wrong way.. you just go with the bike like luggage!)

if I ever go pillion again it will be with someone I know who I can hold on to...very very scary (I think I'm much better with the g/f on the back though cause she quite enjoys going out riding... although she does complain when I get too excited into corners and she slides forward under brakes!)

 

[bikerboy]

When I was younger I used to ride pillion with my brother all the time. He was older and SEEMED responsible to mer at the time so it never really bothered me.

Was a pillion only once as an adult, I had no problem with it but the guy "driving" got annoyed with the constant helmet butting every time we stopped. :o

As for hanging on to another guy, I don't care what they think, I'm not falling off a speeding bike for the sake of anyones phobias. Besides with all that gear on it could be anything under there.:eek:

[Firefight]

Only once, never again, don't mind admitting to being scared shitless, :argh:

[Duke of Rogan]

my scariest pillion ride was on the back of my uncles KX250, in the dark, and on a farm track, and very very drunk, which made it not as scary as it was crazy.
a short time before this I was being dragged around his lawn behind his ride on lawn mower on a piece of carpet.
:blah:

[Motu]

Hey,girls ride too y'know - and I've ridden pillion behind a few of them as well.When my bike broke down in Putararu going to the 1978 Cold Kiwi,I pillioned there and back on my wife's Tiger 100.

[Andrew]

The only time I'll pillion is when my old man is riding. This is cos those Mack trucks pull away from lights faster than he does. With a solid steel back bar to hold on to, on an old british bike I feel totally safe! :)

[bluninja]

Hmmm....pillioning

Dad's C90 in the back yard...Mick giving lifts home after judo on hi 175 (no helmet then either), Pillion on Andy's LTD 250 from Newcastle to Doncaster...arse so numb it almost slid off the back without me noticing. Other than that I haven't but then I'm so big now the bike would be in permananet wheelie mode if I sat on the back.

Given a few pillion rides (wife, neighbours 16 year old daughter....steady KK she's now 21, even my own bro) but prefer riding solo. Wouldn't mind taking pillion on a touring bike, but never owned one (yet)

TTFN

[Marmoot]

Pillioning on a Valkyrie is fun, I tell you :rolleyes:
I like that really much

[Big Dog]

Only been a pillion a few times all while hitching except for my first ever ride on a motorbike (hooked first time).

Wee tip for the poor when hitching #1 take a helmet. I have never seen a motor cyclist go past a hitcher with a helmet, not even when they are in tin cans or trucks.:D
Wee tip for the poor when hitching #2 take spare undies. if you tell a harley seated rider you ride a "rice strainer"or "rice rocket" they will pull out all the stops in an effort to prove how fast American steel really is.

Tips for passengers #1 Don't sit bolt upright the whole time:angry2:
Tips for passengers #2 I'm riding not you:angry2:
Tips for passengers #3 g-stings are for looking good but resemble a guilitine during a unexpected slide across a seat.:o
Tips for passengers #4 mount or dismount only when rider is ready for you:angry2:
Tips for passengers #5 if you don't lean on the first five corners don't start halfway round the next:angry2:
Tips for passengers #6 DO listen to your drivers instructions:niceone:
Tips for passengers #7 Make like a back pack and follow me religeosly, smoothly and predictably and you will be asked again
:niceone:
Tips for passengers #8 if your hands are in my lap you better not have y chromosones and be willing to change gear:love: :love:

[Kwaka-Kid]

haha, great topic!  my 2 cents...

I started going pillion as a 2yo around the back yard doing motorcross on a '78 Z1R, which by 3yo turned into road riding as pillion, but apparently my old man had to often ride 1 handed and with the spare hand hold onto my hands as they barely fitted around his damned beer belly! :p But anyways i TOTALLY enjoyed it right up untill.... i turned 15 and learnt to street ride myself.  scince then i still go on back with the old man, however i often think "argh, i woulda done that corner different" or "argh, sitting a bit too close to that car" or somthing like that, however i just tell myself hes 10x the rider i am and to go with it... and it all works out good... oh and the last time on the 270º onramp @ point chev, i was thinking "oh fuck, oh fuck we are gunna slide out, shit dad im sure these tyres aint ment to be leaning this far?!" which i mean, im scared of the tyres on that GS1000 as i slide on them putting on very little power.. yet he leans them way over doing approx 90 on that onramp? not my cup of tea, but i always just say to myself "no sweat, he knows what hes doing"  Anyways so its all good, and he is one of these ones that HATES riding pillion, as he says he would always do somthing different.  However didnt mind on both ocassions i have pillioned him,  no problemo's on teh GPZ750.  And i was aloud to give it a thrashing as it was my "test to see if i can handle the bike even with a 2nd persons weight b4 i took it to tracktime". yay. Anyways yeah, ive taken ex gf on the 750 and she hated it :( but shes the only one that reaaaally didnt like it so far, rest have been all good, that only includes 2 other chicks and my mum tho, oh yeah, and my mum didnt mind my riding too much apart from the speed down the Te Atatu Peninsula backstrieght!  all good, im tired, and need play soccer soon, cu's

[Racey Rider]

Originally posted by Big Dog
....Wee tip for the poor when hitching #1 take a helmet. I have never seen a motor cyclist go past a hitcher with a helmet, not even when they are in tin cans or trucks.:D


How many of you would pick up some strange guy, on your bike, who was hitching with a helmet in hand? Would it help if he was in full leathers?

I probably would if he wasn't to heavy, (sorry Si), and my bike was a decent size.
I have hitched on occasion with helmet, which didn't seem to help.
(Maybe if I was wearing the helmet while hitching to cover my ugly mug I may have had a better result!).:confused2

[Kwaka-Kid]

i think thats it for sure racey rider.

[Big Dog]

Originally posted by Racey Rider
How many of you would pick up some strange guy, on your bike, who was hitching with a helmet in hand? Would it help if he was in full leathers?

I probably would if he wasn't to heavy, (sorry Si), and my bike was a decent size.
I have hitched on occasion with helmet, which didn't seem to help.
(Maybe if I was wearing the helmet while hitching to cover my ugly mug I may have had a better result!).:confused2

I would unless they look like a "chuck norris" type would think twice:gob:

I have picked up a magog before on my old gpx 250.

:niceone: Gave him a bit of a fright too:p

I have been picked up by Bmw's, Harleys, and motoguzzis. the scaries by far was a fzr 150. a bit like a pushbike with a motor.

but also lots of rides in trucks cars etc. all of whom said they could not leave a fellow motorcyclist in distress.

Hell i have snapped a chain in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere only to have a group of about 30 magogs pull up and one of them got off came over assesd the situation went back conferred with some mates came back chain in hand and fitted it and sent me on my way. Just because a man wears a patch and rides a hog does not make them a bad bastard
:Offtopic:
Though I felt in need of a change of undies my only regret was I never got to say thank you.:rolleyes:

[wkid_one]

Originally posted by Antallica
I've had the missus on the back of my FXR, it was hell... she was pointing to things and moving around so the bike was damn unstable.


That's most likely because your bike weighs as much as a soaking wet jockey!

[wkid_one]

Originally posted by Big Dog

Tips for passengers #1 Don't sit bolt upright the whole time:angry2:
Tips for passengers #2 I'm riding not you:angry2:
Tips for passengers #3 g-stings are for looking good but resemble a guilitine during a unexpected slide across a seat.:o
Tips for passengers #4 mount or dismount only when rider is ready for you:angry2:
Tips for passengers #5 if you don't lean on the first five corners don't start halfway round the next:angry2:
Tips for passengers #6 DO listen to your drivers instructions:niceone:
Tips for passengers #7 Make like a back pack and follow me religeosly, smoothly and predictably and you will be asked again
:niceone:
Tips for passengers #8 if your hands are in my lap you better not have y chromosones and be willing to change gear:love: :love:

ROTFLPMPL

Biggest tip - sit as close to the rider as possible, use one hand against the tank to prevent sliding forward and if you are scared to lean - atleast stay in line with the rear wheel

 

[Marmoot]

Ever heard about pillion falling off the back of a bike?

[Big Dog]

Originally posted by Marmoot
Ever heard about pillion falling off the back of a bike?
Ja, Me:gob:

Not as bad as it sounds.

I was being pillioned by much smaller rider so I put my feet down at the lights.

The rider on a zxr400 must have been suffering from penis envy or sonething as he took off from the lights about a second before the change, front wheeloff the ground smoke pouring out the back the whole shebang:eek:

Only problem is that left me standing in the middle of the intersection in full leather with no bike in a typical riding stance. Felt a complete twat.

Still better than dumped uncerimoniously on the pavement:angry2:

[Racey Rider]

Originally posted by Big Dog
Only problem is that left me standing in the middle of the intersection in full leather with no bike in a typical riding stance. Felt a complete twat.
:Oops:

LoL! (Laugh out Loud) On behalf of everyone me thinks!

:p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p

[fergie]

i remember way back in '73 or there abouts,asking a guy on a brand new suzuki triple(750) watercooled(so hi tech back then)to take me for a ride. to my surprise he said hop on,also remember helmets were not required and i was only wearing t shirt,shorts and jandels, but hey, this was friday night,middle of summer in the main street of gisborne, anyway i climb on the back with all my pimply faced mates looking on . then he gave that suzi an absolute canning until the first intersection. then stopped ,told me to hang on,(as if i wasn't) then popped a wheelie for 2 whole blocks!

i absolutely crapped myself! but for a spotty 14 year old it kindled a desire that has stayed with me ever since, try as a might, i just cant seem to gather the balls to pop a wheelie, but for some strange reason im not keen to ride pillian!

[Big Dog]

Originally posted by Racey Rider
:Oops:

LoL! (Laugh out Loud) On behalf of everyone me thinks!

:p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p

Great a fan!

I was only put on this earth to entertain others with my actions:niceone:
lmao

[wkid_one]

Originally posted by Big Dog
Ja, Me:gob:

Not as bad as it sounds.

I was being pillioned by much smaller rider so I put my feet down at the lights.

The rider on a zxr400 must have been suffering from penis envy or sonething as he took off from the lights about a second before the change, front wheeloff the ground smoke pouring out the back the whole shebang:eek:

Only problem is that left me standing in the middle of the intersection in full leather with no bike in a typical riding stance. Felt a complete twat.

Still better than dumped uncerimoniously on the pavement:angry2:

 

I am going to need depends to keep reading this thread

[Kwaka-Kid]

ahh its my 39th hour awake in 5mins... wokeup saturday 6am and have not slept scince.. played soccer in that time (injured right calf muscle) and been downtown on sat night to meet some mates, and nearly get runover by another piss poor driver in a boyracer skyline.  Been to TWO afterballs :) in the same night, switched between then both twice aswell, within 5mins of eachothers drive, was wicked as fun, and so didnt bother to sleeeeeeep... then today kinda chilled did sweet f-all work on RVF, went to work @ 5ish just got home b4, and after not remembering half my journey home, not as in my eyes shutting and sleeping, but just not paying attention to remember, i have concluded im too tired to ride, hahah, and its wet and my tyre tread suchs - to bring this all back to the topic, i think i would have far preferred being a pillion on a bike today after work as i was soo tired, all i wanted to do (and still do) is clsoe the eyes. so night people.. yay 1min till its been 39hours awake.. ill just wait it out

countdown   10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, YAAAAAY

fuckme, night all, im too old to still be skipping nights of sleep :(

[Marmoot]

Originally posted by Marmoot
Ever heard about pillion falling off the back of a bike?

Ever heard about pillion falling off the back of a bike in excess of 100kph?

[georgedubyabush]

Originally posted by Big Dog

Only problem is that left me standing in the middle of the intersection in full leather with no bike in a typical riding stance. Felt a complete twat.



who amoung us wouldve felt the urge to make pretend motorbike noises and then run through the intersection like a 4 year old pretending to ride?:D

[Duke of Rogan]

LOL!:p

2 stroke:
waaarp! waaarrrp! WAAAAAAAARP!

4 stroke multi:
zaarp! zaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrp!

v-twin:
vraarp! VROOOOM!

hog:
bla-blaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrp!

[Motoracer]

Ever heard about pillion falling off the back of a bike in excess of 100kph?



LOL, you must be frustrated by now Marmoot. No one asked about it. Well.. go on then, unfold the story. It was a sad incident indeed.

[Coldkiwi]

I have heard of a guy who nearly came off at high speed. He was loosing grip on the back of a 916 that was pulling a wheelstand down the southern motorway... the rider landed just in time apparently.

Successful pillioning is about the rider and pillion trusting each other not to do something stupid

[Marmoot]

Originally posted by Motoracer
LOL, you must be frustrated by now Marmoot. No one asked about it. Well.. go on then, unfold the story. It was a sad incident indeed.

what are you talking about??? sad??? it turned out happy ending, didn't it? :niceone:

[Motoracer]

what are you talking about??? sad??? it turned out happy ending, didn't it?

Oh yea, it did but I was saying that at the time it was sad for both rider and pillion.

[Big Dog]

Originally posted by Marmoot
what are you talking about??? sad??? it turned out happy ending, didn't it? :niceone:

Would any you or anyone else care to elaborate?:p

Would hate to be the only person sharing embarrasing stories for the entertainment of others:eek:

[Marmoot]

Originally posted by Big Dog
Would any you or anyone else care to elaborate?:p

Would hate to be the only person sharing embarrasing stories for the entertainment of others:eek:

Guy invite girl for a ride.
Girl rode on back of guy's mate.
Girl fell off in excess of 100kph.
Guy took care.
Girl fell in love.
Guy and girl now happy.

[Big Dog]

Excellent real mills & boon stuff:done:

[Misssy]

Pillion, no problems. It ain't that bad really. I have been on the back of many a different bike with many a different rider. The hardest part is getting used to the person's riding style, everyone is so different.

I am pretty comfortable with the back seat, i have even fallen asleep a couple of times. :Oops:

Have you ever tried sitting on the back facing backwards taking pics at 100km now that is cool.

:niceone:

[Kwaka-Kid]

now that is somthing i have never liked the idea of! but i bet its a rush... im keen!

hahaha are you going to name names on who it was riding when u fell asleep? hehehe

[Big Dog]

The biggest reason I don't pillion anymore would have to be the difficulty finding a rider that I don't outweigh.... sometimes by three times:o lol

Seriously though I have to say the biggest thing from my point of view is communication, work out a comms system ie taps / hand signals if you have a regular pillon!:niceone:

[duckman]

My GF rides pillion with me all the time. We do regular trips to roto-vegas to see friends. Once you've got the hand/body signals down it's sweeeeeeeet.

Like:

1. If she sees me starting to duck down behind the screen, that means hang on.
2. If I start to slide of the bike (attempting to drag a kneee), that means hang on.
3. If another bike comes past (or is caught up), that means hang on.

Simple really.... :D

[SPman]

Mrs X, the ex Mrs, would read books, smoke and sleep on the back. The sleeping wasnt to good in the twisties though - sudden lurches from the back as you peel into a corner a disconcerting!

[Big Dog]

Originally posted by duckman


1. If she sees me starting to duck down behind the screen, that means hang on.
2. If I start to slide of the bike (attempting to drag a kneee), that means hang on.
3. If another bike comes past (or is caught up), that means hang on.

Simple really.... :D

4. If the back wheel is six inches off (under heavy breaking) the ground grip with your knees, and pray to any god that will listen:gob:

lmao