Tips carrying a pillion?

[Kinje]

Hey Kinjey, good stuff dude!!
Having sat for years as a pillion, most important word to remember is smooth..... on the gear changes, braking, throttle, cornering etc etc.
I know you're a good boy, so I know you will remember that she's on the back, I've riden with people who have forgotten, so please remember, you have another person's life very much in your hands.
Take care out there, and make sure she wears the gear!

I'm working on being smooth, but room to improve. Yeah, shes gotta wear all the gear before I pop the pegs down.

[jrandom]

Just a thought on the 'lean with me' thing.

I'm fortunate enough to have recently inherited a well-trained pillion, who'd been coached up along those lines.

Unfortunately, this meant that she was loading up her footpegs, waving her upper body around and generally working quite hard. She's only a wee thing with little girly muscles, so it didn't help the steering much, but it sure as hell tired her out fast. There's nothing fun about having to stop 90 minutes into a ride while your pillion hobbles around trying to get the lactic acid out of her quadriceps!

So we had a little chat, and I assured her that it was perfectly fine to just relax on the back, stay in line with the bike, ignore whatever odd upper-body movements I was using to get it around corners that day, and generally just be a sack of potatoes while looking at the scenery.

Dunno about the rest of you, but I'd much rather ride a bike that's 60kg heavier on the back in a neutral fashion than ride a bike with an extra pilot adding weight-transfer inputs to the steering half a second after I do.

We went out and did some practice rides using the new 'passive pillion' style, and we're now noticeably faster and smoother on the road, not to mention the fact that she doesn't get sore legs and hips.

[MSTRS:Me]

... not to mention the fact that she doesn't get sore legs and hips.

Of course, regular practice is the key....

[Kinje]

Hmmm. That could be why her feet and legs were getting sore and numb if shes putting heaps of pressure through them (along with being squished up like a bansai kitty with her knees round her ears).

[skelstar]

Brent: ride in a higher gear than normal will keep things more smooth (I think, worked on the Hornet). Just ride more conservatively I guess. Let her get used to it, she'll get to the point where she will be able to anticipate whats going to happen so things will become smoother.

M is very good at pillioning and its now got to the point where she would just rest her hands on legs and not have the need to 'hang on'.

[Lissa]

I'm working on being smooth, but room to improve. Yeah, shes gotta wear all the gear before I pop the pegs down.

I might see you two out and about aye!! Awesome shes enjoying it... be safe!

As I have been pillioned quite a bit I totally agree with Trudes, just remember when she starts thumping you in the back, it usually means something (like 'slow down', 'stop', or 'I have cramp in my foot or a sore arse'!)

[Coyote]

Try not to jam on the brakes or you'll hear a twack and the paint on your helmet will start to dissapear.

Though it's a good way to wake them up.


Protip: If you get a punch in the kidneys you've done something wrong.

And don't let you helmet point in the direction of a hot girl on the footpath.

[skelstar]

...it usually means something...

...like 'you are an awesome rider and that was a great passing manouvre'?

[Lissa]

...like 'you are an awesome rider and that was a great passing manouvre'?

Did the screaming give you that impression??

[Stickchick]

Hmmm. That could be why her feet and legs were getting sore and numb if shes putting heaps of pressure through them (along with being squished up like a bansai kitty with her knees round her ears).

As jrandom said I used to get very sore legs and tire very quickly because I was weighting myself on the footpegs to help him go around the corner instead of just chilling and relaxing and enjoying the ride. Now I'm a lot more relaxed, don't do any work and I'm not so sore.

In regards to her sliding forward into the abyss between you, tell her to use her thigh muscles and her knees to hang on and also hold onto the tank. The more you ride together the more she will get to know the bike as much as you and will position herself accordingly (braking = tighten of thighs or bracing of hands on the tank)

[scracha]

Wouldn't advise sitting pressed up against the tank...otherwise your pillion shoots forward and you get squashed nads :-)

Use a lot more back brake than you would when solo riding.
Roll off the gas gently before upshifting, it'll stop the headbutting.
If your pillion aint leaning with the bike then tell them to close their eyes and just hold on to you instead of the tank, grabrail, etc.

[Dodger]

Well I've carried a few people on the back of the Hyosung with no problems.

I now have a pack rack fitting, with grab handle when the racks not in place so this makes the squashed nads a thing of the past.
Best advice is talk to the pillion beforehand, even more so if they have never been on the back before as some freak out with the leaning, before I had the grab handle I would tell them to lean forward when we accelerated and lean back when we stopped (avoids the nads thing)

As a mate of mine says "Become one with the bike, or become one with the road"

[Marmoot]

Just wondering if there are any little tricks people have discovered to help make it a bit more comfortable for the passenger. I've got a CBR600RR, and when I sit in my normal riding position (at front of seat by tank) theres a huge gap between me and the start of the rear seat. I've tried pushing back a bit so I'm sitting further back on the seat which seemed to help. Other ideas?

Backpack with a pillow or soft (fabric/normal) jacket in it.

[sugilite:Me]

I use 3 styles, Race, Road and pillion.
My pillion technique in a nut shell - As you approach a corner, roll off the throttle well before, so you don't even need the brakes, your balls and pillion will thank you on that one. Roll the throttle on smoothly from the apex on. If you need to down change for the corner, leave it late as practical, so the revs will be lower at the point of gear change. Thinking faaar ahead in city traffic will see this technique working as well.
An advanced version of this technique is to come into the corner on the right line and speed to be able to roll on the throttle before the apex, this helps your suspension and thus composure of the bike, and feels sublimely smooth to do.

Gear changes - Get into second gear as soon in the rev range as your bike will allow, rev it too high and the change will be jerky. 3rd gear on up, clutchless shifts are smoothest and higher up the rev range the better(smoother).

I just tell newbies to go with the flow, point out emergency braking hold points and say nothing more really. I like pillions to have their hands lightly at my sides, the bike just seems to handle better that way, just use grab handles for braking. If the bike has no grab handles, then hands on the tank if braking forces dictate that be necessary (should be rare).

Hope this helps.

[Tank]

see if she can reach the tank, so she can place her palms on the tank.

Only if shes hot.