How to get wife on bike?

[car]

Perhaps she might be more interested in riding her own?

That's a great idea. I need to get my missus off the pillion and onto her own bike soon as; she pretty much tries to climb into my leathers with me when she's on the back seat and it's darned distracting.

[car]

I took a diffrent approach - I got my wife a basic handling skills course and an RG150 - never looked back - despite the fact she's binned it 3 times.

She's on her Restricted now and looking forward to sitting her full in a couple of months - at which point she plans to get a 600 4 cylinder sports bike.

And at that point, you'll be letting me know how much you want for the RG, yes?

Ah, go on, ye will!

[car]

if they don't try it, how do they know if the don't like it...

Heheheh. That line, and much fine champaggen, and you can get *anything* you want.

[ynot slow]

Am about to join local clubs adjunct for bikers,didn't mean to imply I will let her use my hand me downs re gear,just that I've bought a new jacket to go with my not so new(feb 06)jacket.

Will not push the issue on major trips etc,but we have done the odd 10-40km ride and lunch thing,can't say latte(too much Ponsonby),so it's just a time factor,and agree it sure feels great when you have special person on behind you.

Still when decent weather returns we'll go out more,gradually increase the rides.

[oldrider]

Ladies I need your help.
My wife will come with me for rides about town,but not keen say for longer rides.She came off years ago from pillion on her brothers bike so I can understand her apprehension.
I try to get her confidence up by not being a dickhead with speed etc,slowly she is learning to lean with me.
Just bought a new jacket for myself so now have a good jacket for her,and helmets etc.Any ideas welcome,it's great to be together on the bike and enjoy the comraderie of other riders.Also am thinking of going to Queenstown next year for a wedding and thought the bike could be ideal,maybe not but can dream.Like the idea of going away in summer with bike and tent and just relaxing together,cheers Tony.

For Ynot slow,

Some serious thoughts about how to get your wife and bike ready for the onslaught of a Southern trip to Queenstown. (and back)

Unlike your wife, mine has had a bike licence herself for over 36 years. Doesn't ride solo much now though.

My wife and I have been doing this for a long time now and we were having discussions about how much longer she can continue riding with me.

I think when she said I should buy the new Tiger if I want it, she was thinking I would be using it on my own. (bought it end of February)

When I got it home we looked it over and she tried it out, only to find it was really bloody uncomfortable for her.

After a lot of sitting and static testing and adjusting the top box here and there we went for a few short rides and changed a couple of minor settings and she felt better.

We then went on a longer ride, Lindis, Wanaka, Crown range, Alexandra, Pig Route, Oamaru and home again.

Verdict was, she felt safe, seat and backrest on top box very comfortable, pillion pegs are too high and legs cramped, especially over longer distance.

Made up some extensions, 400mm down and forward, bolted them on, checked for length and comfort static and short rides, she reckoned that it felt good.

Often only small adjustments and alterations are nessessary!

Next Step:

Off to Nelson to pick up the new Triumph side boxes and to test her pillion position and comfort out for real.

Nelson via, Mackenzie, inland road to Rakaia Gorge, Christchurch and Kaikoura.

So far she says, the day ended too soon! (Motel over night, final of dancing with stars)

Next day Kaikoura to Ruby Bay via Blenheim, Havelock, Nelson and Richmond. (Thunderbikes for boxes) (visited Jen, Mygsfx and kids)

Comfort of her on back, excellent!

Following afternoon/evening, Ruby Bay to Greymouth in extremely heavy rain, still happy with her pillion setup, got to Greymouth late, not wet or cold. No complaints!

Tiger lights are not up to much, will have to remedy this sometime soon.

In the morning, rode from Greymouth to home via Moana, Arthur's Pass, Darfield, Rakaia Gorge, Geraldine, Timaru, Waimate and Kurow.

Her volunteered conclusion on arrival home in Otematata and all settled in!

That was a lovely ride and I think that the Tiger is probably the most comfortable bike we have ever had. 's it!

Not too bad for a 64 year old eh!

What I am trying to say is, get her involved, work with her on how to get the bike ready for her so that she wants to see how the ride to Queenstown will go!

Get her involved and she will own the result along with you, listen to her suggestions, make the changes that she needs.

She will be thinking about it and working on it every kilometer of the way.

It probably "will" be the trip of a lifetime.

If it is, it will soon become just one of many.

Best of luck, I hope this is of some help to you. Cheers John.

[sarahtvet]

[QUOTE=ynot slow;1138460]it sure feels great when you have special person on behind you.QUOTE]

I totally agree with all the suggestions that have been given and as you so rightly say, sharing the experience with a special person infront of or behind you is out of this world

I rode a bike 15 years ago and used to go pillion all the time too but was always fussy about whose bike I got on. A close friend had a serious accident and the pillion could easily have been me a week previously, the pillion involved got serious physical injuries and brain damaged, gave me pause for thought and made me even more choosy.


Had not been on a bike in 15 years then planned to get one when I came to NZ and my brother gave me his CB750F the week I left the UK.

I have recently been fortunate to go out pillion with GSXR86 on his new Daytona and have never felt safer.At the beginning 86 stopped regularly to check that I was OK and the speed and cornering developed over the course of a number of rides.

I am sure you do all that with your missus too but maybe when you have been together a while it gets forgotten.

It definately helps if other people are pillioning too because we feel less like we are holding you back from having a good time. Also tell your pillion what does and doesn't work in terms of braking , holding on etc. It is strange but we find it harder to ask you than just about anybody else sometimes, thats people hey!!!

It is also fun to meet up with a regular group plus or minus extras who have a similar riding ideas on speed and safety etc and look out for each other. Also to be honest, I love the bikes and sometimes enjoy just drooling over them and discussing all things mechanical when we stop at a cafe. Other times I leave the guys outside and I go for a cuppa, it's nice to have somebody to chat to during those times.

I would also ask your lady what sort of rides she enjoys, short and windy and fast, slow and straight, a mixture etc. Maybe mixing in some interesting stops to visit will give her anticipation of fun to overide any negative memories she may have.

I am really looking forward to riding my own bike when it arrives but hope to continue pillioning with 86 too because it is such a great feeling to both be part of the bike, experiencing the ride, road and environment in exactly the same way. When it is good it is almost a surreal combination of the two of you and the bike in your own world.


To finish, maybe let your missus read your post and the replies so she realizes how much you want her to be happy and comfortable on the bike and that whatever she decides it will be Ok

Good luck to you both

[Panther]

try being pillion on a superbike whilst its doing a 270 plus runner from the fuzz, caught in the wind tunnel, thats what pillioning is alllllll about

[Bass]

While there have been some good strategies given here for encouraging your lady, I don't think that there are any hard and fast rules - people are too variable for that.

In my own case it was easy because my wife has for some reason, been pushing herself. e.g.

1. She's scared of the water but has been scuba diving several times.

2. She's about as fit as a week old dumpling and scared of heights but has done an outward bound course.

3. The job she had done for 30 years had deteriorated to the point where it was driving her nuts, so she's chucked it in and has decided to train for something utterly different.

So when I went out and bought a bike, while reticent a first, she gave it a fair try. It's now got to the stage where, if we are going anywhere (e.g visiting her siblings which we both enjoy), her call is, that if we can't take the bike, then we're probably not going.
One of our life's highlights was 2 weeks on the bike around the South Island last year.
She realises that I ride differently with her on board (for me, it's a responsibiity thing), but coming home e.g. through the Hunua Gorge, the width of the grin on her face is in direct proportion to how hard I push it.
She believes that we will probably come off at some stage, so she has got all the right gear, but simply refuses to put aside something she loves because of an event that may never happen.

I don't know how you get your lady to this stage. I think much of it has to do with her innate joy with the act of riding. If that is lacking then for you, getting this far may be impossible. However, some lesser level of mutual satisfaction is definitely possible and some good ways to getting there have already been given.

[klingon]

After reading the posts on here I just want to congratulate all those kind, considerate riders who are so aware of what their pillion needs to be comfortable. It's really encouraging. And I love the stories about the long rides you do together.

For those in the early stages of taking a pillion, consider it a long term investment. A few weeks or months of taking it a bit slow, stopping often, asking your pillion how it's all feeling will likely pay off with many, many years of mutual enjoyment.

Also be really clear with your pillion/partner that sometimes you might like to go and blow off the cobwebs with a long, fast, twisty ride all on your own. That's fine too! If she* shares your passion, she's more likely to understand.

*I've been trying to avoid the assumption that all pillions are "she" but I've finally given in to the law of averages

[slowpoke]

Initially I could get her on there ok....but keeping her there was proving to be a problem until I discovered the kind people at 3M: DUCT TAPE IS YOUR FRIEND!
After much trial and error I have found a stealth approach works best rather than spoiling the suprise. You should see the look on her face, she's so happy she really struggles to find the words to describe her feelings.
Sometimes she gets a lil' too over excited, like when you say the "beach" word to a puppy, hence I found it best to restrain her for her own safety. Duct tape has proven particularly effective, with it's incredible strength (my missus isn't big but she just get's soooooo excited!). I've also found duct tape to have superb sound reducing qualities if applied directly to the offending orifice, useful for when she just can't keep her excitement to herself and tries to vocalise her excitement to others who may not share her enthusiasm.
So there you have it, with the right approach and some basic planning you too can share smiles for miles.

[Sanx]

How to get wife on bike?

Have you tried Rohypnol?

But seriously, I was having this very discussion with my other half this morning. She likes the 'idea' of motorbikes, but being only 5' tall, finding a sportsbike she can sit on could prove a problem. Except, I've now managed to get BabyBlade and she can get her feet down on it.

I've almost managed to persuade her to give it a real go. Get her a decent jacket and a pair of gloves and go down to a quiet car-park to learn the basics. If she doesn't like it, fine. If she does, then start saving for a CBR600RR, as she'll end up wanting one.

[ynot slow]

Agree with consensous re trust of rider,years ago a mate and I went to manfield for 6hr,left Hawera at 9.40,Wanganui by 10.20 40mins and through goat valley we scraped pegs by the toilets and swimming hole,we were going great,through to Sanson and slowed as a few cops were out,still sitting at track by midday.Had confidence in rider so enjoyed the trip.

Went out to Opunake another time different rider,was ok till some dick pulled out from side road and we were nearly hood ornaments,stopped so hard although not locking up that I pushed rider onto tank,the seat came up as we found out the catch was faulty.Not as much trust with this one lol.

Gently does it is your truly moto,will just be patient.

[Bullitt]

Hopefully Ill be going through this soon. My gf loves bikes and has been one of the driving forces for me to get another one. However shes the first to admit shes incredibly accident prone so only wants to pillion.

Ive never ridden with a pillion before so will be something new, Ive told her I wont do it until I get abit of recent practice and feel confident on a bike again though.

[_Shrek_]

I think the bike makes all the difference!
I couldnt get my mrs on the R6 or the TL but she would willingly get on a harley or the ST due to the comfortable pillion riding position.

TLMAN has it right my wife loves going away on the BMW but hates being on a Fizz bike where she has to have her legs up round her ears

[_Shrek_]

I think the bike makes all the difference!
I couldnt get my mrs on the R6 or the TL but she would willingly get on a harley or the ST due to the comfortable pillion riding position.

TLMAN has it right my wife loves going away on the BMW but hates being on a Fizz bike where she has to have her legs up round her ears so it would be worth taking her for a test ride on another bike