How do you treat new pillions?

[Big Dog]

just saw a ad for a 91 gpx low kms "ex cond" in AUCKLAND oooh i cant wait to see her ..!!!!!


Are gpx's good all i know is that they look like ninjas

Loved my 89' I decided agin trading up to a newer bike it was so good, from what I hear there can be a big difference.

The 4 cyl liquid cooled, twin pipe 16 valve rocks.
The 2cyl single pipe air cooled 8 valve is only any good for under 60 commuters (kgs not years) I could not coax the one I rode over 60kms! (120kgs at the time).
There are several configs in between.

You will pay more for an 89 than a 91, this is because the cat/fuel emmisions etc robs a lot of ponies. About half.

If you buy 91 expect to replace the exhast system before you can really enjoy the open road. The 91 I test rode could only just manage 120kms.

I have never known anyone to regret one. Mindless stunters aside, and even they loved them on the open road.

I would happily pay 6 for a good 89 but would only pay 3 for a 91, but thats me.

[The Pastor]

Loved my 89' I decided agin trading up to a newer bike it was so good, from what I hear there can be a big difference.

The 4 cyl liquid cooled, twin pipe 16 valve rocks.
The 2cyl single pipe air cooled 8 valve is only any good for under 60 commuters (kgs not years) I could not coax the one I rode over 60kms! (120kgs at the time).
There are several configs in between.

You will pay more for an 89 than a 91, this is because the cat/fuel emmisions etc robs a lot of ponies. About half.

If you buy 91 expect to replace the exhast system before you can really enjoy the open road. The 91 I test rode could only just manage 120kms.

Are you saying buy changing the muffler gives Back the horsepower?

I would happily pay 6 for a good 89 but would only pay 3 for a 91, but thats me.

this one is 2.5

[TwoSeven]

I dont really carry pillions - they upset the balance of the bike.

Do have a bit of a story from a long time back tho.

When I wuz one of londons finest (bike couriers) I got back to the dispatch room to find this chick waiting for me - some receptionist who had decided to turn up and ask if she could hitch a lift home on the back of the bike.

Now about 15 mins previous to this I had thrown the bike down the road after taking a corner on a patch of oil/water. So to say the fairing was slightly munted would perhaps be like saying chernobyl is in pristine condition. It had also been raining, so I was a bit dirty and scruffy as well.

So anyway she climbs on the back and I still had a couple of parcels to deliver. So off I go up the A10 drop a parcel, pick one up, nip back down to liverpool st, drop another parcel off, over to aldgate (rush hour now) drop another parcel off. Now I normally used my knees to get thru the gaps between the cars - if both my knees touch cars on either side, not enough space to get the bike thu. But for some strage reason it kept feeling like I was hitting things as the bike kept sticking in the gaps. I could still see daylight past the mirrors and they hadn't folded in - so it couldnt have been them.

After the last parcel I remembered I still had to drop the chick off out romford way (east london) who was still sitting on the back nice and quiet like. Hadnt heard a peep for about 20 mins, so figured she was ok.

Nipped up a couple of main streets and there is this one section of road that has an overbridge on it. At rush hour you only get about 3 feet on the center line and at the top I like to lift the front wheel a bit - usually you have to hit it about 80mph or so and you can stand up too. So this was a bit of fun, clipped a wing mirror on a car down the other side just before the lights but all was ok.

Got to romford about an hour later and chick was still there. But still rather silent (did I mention you can lift the front end quite well when someones on the back). I think it took the lass 15 mins before she was able to free her hands from the pillion rails and she was shaking like a leaf when she walked thru her front gate - poor lass. Never saw her again - not quite sure why

So I dont carry pillions any more.

[The Pastor]

Nice story mate nice and long I hate short posts.

[Storm]

Well done that man class effort

[Two Smoker]

Generally i ease pillions into riding on the back of a bike, so start off slow, then work towards balls out.....

But when i took my mate for a ride on the CBR1100XX..... it was balls out straight away at 200kmh plus, fighting to keep the front wheel down.... got upto 240kmh a few times, and did some high speed corners, lifting the front slightly when exiting, and lifting the front in the first 2 gears...... My mate (who rides bikes) said he was fearing for his life when ever i opened the throttle lol (well it isnt exactly a slow bike)

Havnt done stoppies with pillions......... yet.....

(just a note, dont ever get on a bike with Death or MR.....)

[dhunt]

But when i took my mate for a ride on the CBR1100XX..... it was balls out straight away at 200kmh plus, fighting to keep the front wheel down.... got upto 240kmh a few times, and did some high speed corners, lifting the front slightly when exiting, and lifting the front in the first 2 gears...... My mate (who rides bikes) said he was fearing for his life when ever i opened the throttle lol (well it isnt exactly a slow bike)

It certainly is a lot scarier riding pillion than being driver. I think it is mainly a control thing, not feeling in control etc... feels perfectly fine when you are in control.

[Storm]

Have taken the missus for a couple of short rides around town, and caution and slowly are definitly words to live by

[cycosis]

I take them on a ride they never forget.if its a female i kike to scare them a little so they grip tighter,LOL.

[Big Dog]

Are you saying buy changing the muffler gives Back the horsepower?




this one is 2.5

Nope I am saying there is a big differnce between a single pipe model (2 cylinders into 2 pipes into 1 vs 4cyl into four into 2). There are also several configes in between.

At the end of the day if you don't know yourself take somoen who rides like you do (or want to) and get their opinion.

[avgas]

my normal pace scares me

[MSTRS:Me]

It's gotta be whatever you are both comfortable with. The pillion has gotta be the weak link & a scared pillion is downright lethal. Esp if they can't figure weight changing
A few months ago I took my 75yo MiL on the 1100. She's so short that she had to be lifted on! Told her to keep her head etc in line with mine at all times. Around town & out on the open road, kept the beast on the leash, no problems. She's still dining out with her friends on the thrill of her life.

[jonnyrr1]

honest buddy jump on, il go slow and wont speed or do wheelies....

well thats what i let them think, till they are the back and we are going down the road,

then the fun begins....
nail it in first, lift the front a lil,
put it down click 2nd and then were off.....
then leave it till the last min before grabbing the break at the light, and feel them tense up..... its so funny...
but its all in good fun and if they didnt want to have a little scare they wouldnt get on the back....

any 1 up for a ride..... :cool2:

[moko]

On another note, I used to not mind going pillion when I first got into bikes sitting on the back of my mate's old GSX-R. These days, it scares the piss out of me for the first few minutes...Anyone else get that?
"....must...grab...handlebars...not...in...control. .....unsafe...too...homophobic...to...grab...rider ...arghh!!"

Yep,when you`re not in control always seems like bike is going too fast,rider is braking too late,leaning too far,or not enough e.t.c. and this on the back of a guy who is a very careful and safe rider.I dont like carrying pillions either as I reckon that if I hurt myself then that`s unfortunate,hurt someone else then I`d have trouble living with that.In fact here you get an insurance discount if you dont carry passengers as otherwise they load on compulsory (in Europe)cover in case of you being sued by someone you`re carrying in the even tof an accident.

[TwoSeven]

I wont generally carry a pillion, mainly because I'm not fussed if I munt myself, but i'd be gutted if I crashed and mangled someone I care about.

Having said that - I read an article in one of the bike mags that I disagreed with is was talking about teaching the pillion to lean and all that.

The pillion has more controll over the bike than the rider has.

One of the many dispatchin tricks is to jump on the back of peoples bike as a pillion and stear the bike on them by leaning and the like - sometimes you have to reach round and push the bars the right way. Its funny watching someone trying to lean into a left turn and you make the bike go right.

So in general I just tell pillions to put their arms on my waist, rest their lid on the back of my neck (stops them head butting me when I brake) and keep as inline with me as they can (so when i lean they go with me rather than trying to guess it all and upsetting the balance).

Sometimes you have to check to see if they are still there.

As you can see, this is for sports bikes, as far as I can make out for touring bikes they can sit there and bugger em