Pillioning. Is it discussed enough?

[russd7]

Thanks gents. What's the downside of setting the preload too stiff (such as leaving it stiff when riding 1-up)? Is this only for comfort (meh), or does affect how well the bike stays on the road?

when i bought the zzr new it was set up for an 80kg rider, first trip out of the shop was to the glenorchy rally fully loaded and two up, handled like a dog, took it back and told shop it was terrible and give me my old zzr back, instead we stripped the front and put heavier springs and oil in (under warranty from kawasaki nz) and tightened up the rear, man what a difference, i had a slightly smaller wife and i was a portly 120kgs back in those days so tho it was harder when riding solo it was not to bad, since then have changed wives and not bikes with the new wife being taller and heavier so had to tighten the rear up some more, got it handling sweet two up which was fine as most of the riding i was doin at that stage was two up, then i lost 20 or so kg (anyone finding it please let me know) and started to ride solo a lot more again and thats when i found out about having the suspension to bloody hard, what a pig, damned near broke me back and couldn't keep up with a friend on his 998 in the twisties, next day the suspension got backed of and just ride slower with the wife on the back now.
not easy to adjust the suspension on the zzr as i need to take back wheel out so just found a compromise

[Tazz]

That's a good habit I'll be developing from now on.

Another habit that would be great to develop, is not tensing up on those "oh crap" moments. As said tensing generally results in the "oh crap" moment becoming an "OH CRAP" moment.
I'm guessing the answer here is just putting in more hours on the road (and not being a pussy fair-weather-rider)

At speed on the road more often than not it will be better to tense and make small adjustments than to have a knee jerk reaction and give things a good yank or blast.

Freezing completely is not ideal if that is what you're doing though =P

The stiffer suspension without the extra weight isn't great for your bike (or your body) as the forces are not being absorbed by the shock and are being transferred to the mounts/your back instead. You'll probably just flog out the bushes on your shocks a lot quicker to begin with however?
I think you could find your bike bouncing/skipping a bit in a corner if you hit a nasty bump that shouldn't be there depending on how extreme you have things set too.

Also putting the power down you might find the back kicking out more as the bike wouldn't 'squat' down as much to absorb some of the kick and shift more weight to the rear (could be a bitch in the wet)

I'd take all this with a grain of salt though as it fully depends on your setup, and I am still a noob (as you can tell with my lack of technical vocabulary haha)

[GravelRashKid]

As Maha said, think about the position of your foot. Seen plenty of people say oooh, I got my boot down, but it's dangling from the peg... more likely to get it tucked under the peg if they're not careful.

Well it didn't take as long as I thought to get used to a new foot position. After one ride to Taupo (all very sexy backroads!), I seem to have found a better riding groove than ever.
More weight on the pegs and less on the seat, the lower centre of gravity feels more stable, yet gives more freedom to drop a knee or hang off (out of fun not necessity). It feels natural to push the old girl harder than previously.
No scraping anything, although the tyres started sliding when they got too warm (learned I need to tune tyre pressure for the extra heat - thanks Mark)
Now really keen for track open days, so I can ride harder than 80%

My new pillion tank handle turns up next week, so be interesting to see how all this affects 2-up riding.

[Juniper]

Well it didn't take as long as I thought to get used to a new foot position. After one ride to Taupo (all very sexy backroads!), I seem to have found a better riding groove than ever.
More weight on the pegs and less on the seat, the lower centre of gravity feels more stable, yet gives more freedom to drop a knee or hang off (out of fun not necessity). It feels natural to push the old girl harder than previously.
No scraping anything, although the tyres started sliding when they got too warm (learned I need to tune tyre pressure for the extra heat - thanks Mark)
Now really keen for track open days, so I can ride harder than 80%

My new pillion tank handle turns up next week, so be interesting to see how all this affects 2-up riding.

I'm kinda chuffed that I'm learning these good habits now rather than in 20 years.

Looking forward to the new accessory!!!

[Flip]

I usually run a little more air in the rear shocks. Other than that the bike handles just as bad 2 up as 1 up. Her on the back just sits there like a (small) sack of spuds. I have practiced emergency stopping 2 up it actually doesent make that much difference also. I guess her 55 kg on the back of the 350 kg Harley and my 95 kg is not enough to change the balance much.

This was taken at an advanced MC skills course at Ruapuna race track.

[GravelRashKid]

This was taken at an advanced MC skills course at Ruapuna race track.

Advanced MC skills course 2-up... hmm
NASS is really good, but a course would be awesome!

[Flip]

Her on the back and I have worn out 2 bikes together. When I booked the course I asked if I could do some of it 2 up, Carol said no prob so we did it 2 up.

It was a really good thing to do because we did discover that my big old touring bike is not affected by a pillion much at all and that when I brake hard she is going to crash into me no matter what she does. Also that the HD can stop almost as fast as any other bike. (My road king has dual front brembo rotors.)

It was cool to be on the track with Busa's and other fast jap bikes and not make a dick of myself.

[nzspokes]

I usually run a little more air in the rear shocks. Other than that the bike handles just as bad 2 up as 1 up. Her on the back just sits there like a (small) sack of spuds. I have practiced emergency stopping 2 up it actually doesent make that much difference also. I guess her 55 kg on the back of the 350 kg Harley and my 95 kg is not enough to change the balance much.

This was taken at an advanced MC skills course at Ruapuna race track.

Is that zip together or a 1 piece denim suit?

[Flip]

Is that zip together or a 1 piece denim suit?

The jacket had a belt loop inside at the back and you hold the thing together with a belt.

[acorn]

So I'm not a rider - in fact haven't been on a bike in 20 years, but planning on being the pillion with an experienced rider. I'd be interested to hear some thoughts and tips - I read the other threads but they seem to be more for people who are already riders, or who are pillioning rather than being the novice on the back..
thanks

[phill-k]

So I'm not a rider - in fact haven't been on a bike in 20 years, but planning on being the pillion with an experienced rider. I'd be interested to hear some thoughts and tips - I read the other threads but they seem to be more for people who are already riders, or who are pillioning rather than being the novice on the back..
thanks

Always start a ride with a large glass of wine actually if you search youtube the NSW transport authority have a series of videos including one on pillion passengers (you could find the link via ProRiders facebook page.)

[Juniper]

So I'm not a rider - in fact haven't been on a bike in 20 years, but planning on being the pillion with an experienced rider. I'd be interested to hear some thoughts and tips - I read the other threads but they seem to be more for people who are already riders, or who are pillioning rather than being the novice on the back..
thanks

From pillion to pillion: do the sack of potatos and lean with your rider ie not the other way when he turns.
If he's an experienced rider he'll tell you what to do. Where he (or she) wants your hands etc. make sure they tell you what their signals are, like how to tell them that their going too fast or you want them to stop.

If you need to reposition yourself don't do it on corners. And try not to bang helmets, it hurts both of you.

Does that make sense?

Remember to relax and have fun. Being pillion is great!!

[GravelRashKid]

From pillion to pillion: do the sack of potatos and lean with your rider ie not the other way when he turns.
If he's an experienced rider he'll tell you what to do. Where he (or she) wants your hands etc. make sure they tell you what their signals are, like how to tell them that their going too fast or you want them to stop.

If you need to reposition yourself don't do it on corners. And try not to bang helmets, it hurts both of you.

Does that make sense?

Remember to relax and have fun. Being pillion is great!!

Always move your head slightly to the inside of the rider on a corner (unless there's a good reason not to . It's a smooth subtle movement. Normally only just enough to look with one eye past your rider's helmet.

To reduce the wind thrashing both your helmet and your rider's helmet (Yes if the pillion is feeling it, the rider is also feeling it), experiment with keeping your helmet close and to the side, 1 to 3 inches from theirs (at about 45 degrees?).

The one hand position to avoid is that ridiculous "pillion" grab bar (bitch-bar) behind you. If your rider accelerates slightly too enthusiastically, you will be warming your feet under their armpits - take it from one who knows, this is not the adrenalin buzz you are looking for.

Agreed that an experienced rider will tell you where to place your hands. Some options for both of your consideration.
If gripping the rider, then keep your hands low (e.g. hip bones are one option). If your hands, or torso, are pushing on the rider's upper body when braking or cornering, this is a lot of load through the rider's hands - which is not good for controlling the bike.
If you can easily reach the tank, then play with that option, again especially when braking.

Getting on and off the bike, wait for the rider to signal you that he/she is ready (they will need both feet planted on the ground). Then give them a signal that you are settled on the back and ready to roll.

Being a pillion who isn't a rider can be advantageous. If a pillion has developed their own riding style, it can affect the lines etc.

[Maha]

A few times (not of late though) Anne used start the corner before I did (only by a second or two) which would cause the bike to act before I wanted it to. I guess that came about because of two points ...
1) being a rider herself and would normally tip in before I would on any given corner.
2) looking to the left/right and in turn, causing the effect of point 1.

Only happened a couple of times, until I pointed it out.

[Juniper]

Well the pillion handle has arrived. Now lets hope he has a bike to put it on!!!!