Who's been a pillion when the riders binned it?

**mitchilin** · 14th November 2007, 18:06

My experience is that as a rider I'm a real crap pillion.I look and if I don't agree with the line I change it and as a pillion I can and do.Girlfriends just hang on but mates don't.They hang on to the back grab rail and look.I've felt guilty when we have fallen off but have always felt"Hell dude, you're driving."I hate being a pillion and warn people that I'm a bad one.Anyone else experienced this?

**Trudes** · 14th November 2007, 18:12

YES!!! I used to be a great pillion (I was told many times), but since riding myself I am now a terrible pillion, I do the same thing, lean in when I feel like the corner needs a little more, get shitty when the hubby revs my hornet like it's his GSXR etc etc. Sucks, but, just a good excuse not to ever pillion and ride yourself eh!

**mitchilin** · 14th November 2007, 18:21

My show off mates were always leaning in too far so I would lean out.Now my son does the same thing to me.He was great when he was four,now he's 100 kg and dictates the lines we take.I realise now that I used to do the same.

**kevfromcoro** · 14th November 2007, 18:28

Was on a mates bike a few years ago.pillion
Binned it in a corner on the way to Kawakawa Bay.
Horrible feeling.lucky we ended up in a padock with the cows.
Nobody hurt.
Being pillion isnt a lot of fun.......
its a bit like flying on an aeroplane...going fast and no control
had a few nastys being a pillion.....

**sweetp** · 14th November 2007, 18:30

The first time I went was a pillion I was told I lean to far. Since then I just try to mold my body to his and emulate what he is doing. Since I started riding myself I haven't gotten on the back as much, but now appreciate what he does, and hey what girl wouldn't want to wrap herself around a guy on a throbing shinny red bike? But yeah, I appreciate my technique may not work if you are out with mates....

**Katman** · 14th November 2007, 18:41

Back in my teenage years, me and a close mate (who was reasonably good at the little bit of circuit racing that he did) never seemed to be able to synchronise our motorcycle ownership. When he had a motorbike and I didn't, I'd jump on the back of his to head off for the weekend. When I had a motorbike and he didn't, I'd jump on the bike of mine to head off for the weekend. He was a prick on the back of a bike.

**Mental Trousers** · 14th November 2007, 18:47

A really good rider won't let a pillion control the bike. That sort of stuff used to be taught as part of advanced riding skills that the local pro trainer did. Was fantastic stuff. We'd pair off and take turns being pillion. As pillion we'd lean way the hell off 1 side when doing slalom through cones and alsorts of shit like that to try and put the rider off.

Not only did that teach us how to ride with a difficult pillion, but it also taught us how to be a pillion without being an annoying/dangerous prick. These days when I'm on the back I consciously make sure I don't try to control the bike. I'll even go so far as to close my eyes if I think I might try to.

If you're not going to totally trust the rider and their abilities then don't get on the back. If you want to control the bike then ride it.

**Unit:Me** · 14th November 2007, 18:48

Started as a pillion and was great at it, but since riding myself always had my own bike so no need to be a pillion. I've never been a pillion when the rider has binned so cant really comment on the reason for this thread.
Interestingly just before I sold the RSVR recently, Chris had to pillion me into town. I loved it and this was one of the reasons for buying the ZX14, that Im keen to spend some time as a pillion enjoying my partners riding. Part of that is overcoming my fear of being on the back, but I also want to get back to enjoying being on the same bike together, appreciating Chris' riding and enjoying the scenery, (plus the added bonus of fuel economy not running two bikes all the time). Thus far I have to say I have not found myself on the back of my own bike, but Im looking forward to it.

**Trudes** · 14th November 2007, 18:48

As a side note, I won't pillion anyone on my bike either, I just don't like having anyone elses life that much in my hands. No probs in the car, there's a bit more lei way for mistakes as well as a large cage for protection. Can't believe the people I used to pillion with as a teenager and not think twice about it, and the lack of gear too!!!

**mitchilin** · 14th November 2007, 19:04

I'm ,now a "sack of spuds" on a bike.I just sit there but being a good pillion is an art.My ol' GPz used to headshake at 160 in a straight line but with the missus on the back was dead stable over 200 klicks.As a male I don't think I could handle that.Even as a passenger in a car I've told people "lucky you saved that ,I was about too smack your teeth down your throat".And it's not an idle threat.

**Oakie** · 14th November 2007, 19:08

I let Mrs Oakie ride my 400 while I pillioned a few times before she became Mrs Oakie many years ago. While it did have it's good points (a couple of them I believe) it was always good to get back in front.

I would probably pillion for her again but no-one else.

**discotex** · 14th November 2007, 19:43

Originally Posted by Mental-Trousers

If you're not going to totally trust the rider and their abilities then don't get on the back. If you want to control the bike then ride it.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Same applies to cars. If I really don't trust someone's driving I'll do all I can to not get in the car with them.

**NotaGoth** · 14th November 2007, 19:48

Have only gone pillion six times. No bins. I hope there is never one.

**tri boy** · 14th November 2007, 20:08

Ummmm, Kanny knows what it feels like to slam into a ditch while being a pillion.

(I still feel a bit upset about that)

Neither of us was seriously hurt, and she was very calm throughout the whole incident

**craigs288** · 15th November 2007, 10:08

Near the end of 1987 I was on the back of an SR250 a mate had borrowed from a neighbour. Unfortunately he was trying to ride it like his previous bike, an RG400.

So we're taking a left hand bend in Peachgrove in TeAtatu Nth (sorry, 'The Peninsula') in the wet and start doing this mean drift. My mate keeps the gas on and the drift gets bigger and becomes falling over to the left. Just before we hit the road he kicks ground with his left leg and we pop back up, into another big slide, still following the bend but on the wrong side of the road this time.
Then the bike falls again and pins my left leg under it, but with my lower leg bent back underneath. Two people on an SR250 on top of my leg going 70km/h on rough chip surface was not too pleasant and ate through my jeans, skin, cartilage and into the bone in the 1 or 2 seconds before I kicked myself backwards away from the bike. At which point I slid across the road on my ass until my right hip slammed into that bit of curb where the driveway stops and the raised bit of curb starts and I stopped instantly.
I clearly remember lying there running my tongue around my teeth to see if I had chipped a tooth but it turns out that I had just knocked out a filling. That was marginally less painfull than thinking about the damage to my legs.
I had a gaping open wound in my leg for about 3 months where I could see all the purple cartilage (it got infected) and also in the top of the knuckle where the big toe joins your foot. The bike had also managed to melt and grind my running shoe into the cartilage in the knuckle. My right hip and ass cheek was the size of a basketball a couple of months from the nice bruise to my hip bone and pelvis.
That fun event happened the night before my 7th form end of year calculus exam so about 12 hours later I was sitting at Rutherford College on my left ass cheek for three hours, bombed out of my head on Digesics, alcohol and pot trying to ignore the pain. Still got 65%.
Being a pillion in an accident sucks ass.