Riding a motorcycle is an exhilarating experience, one that you want to share with others. However, riding with a passenger is a completely different experience than riding solo. You need to be prepared and experienced to safely carry a passenger. Here are some tips and advice on how to ride with a passenger:
1. Clothing – not optional.
Your passenger needs just as much protection as you. So all the same rules should still apply – helmet, body armor on all major points, gloves, foot and ankle protection.
2. Quotes to live-by:
-“Just sit still. If you have to move around, do so while we're cruising at a steady speed; moving our body weight is what steers the motorcycle. Especially when we're going between cars, just sit still.”
-“Hold on tight. Whether it's the grab rails or my waist, all that matters is that you feel secure. Support your weight under braking with a hand on the tank.”
-“In corners, just pretend you're a sack of potatoes. Don't jump around, just try and stay in-line with the bike's lean angle.”
-“If you're scared, tap me. If you want to pull over, tap me.” Then, really do pull over if they tap you. It's up to you to make them feel safe.
3. Practice the mount.
Sit on your bike and put in neutral. Stand up, with the bike held between your thighs, while holding the front brake. Your passenger should always mount on the left, without using the passenger peg as a step stool. However, be prepared for that because most passenger will use it anyway. Tell them to always wait for you to okay their mount or dismount.
4. Hold on.
The passenger should hold you around the waist or hips while riding. This is a good idea because it will encourage the rider to lean into corners with you. If your passenger can reach the tank, they should wrap one arm around your waist and use the other hand to hold onto the tank. Some rider's may prefer to hold on to the passenger's grab rail if the bike is equipped.
5. Dismount.
This should always be to the left, just like mounting. Make sure the passenger waits for you to okay the dismount. Tell them not to use the peg for a step stool. While stopped on a firm, level surface, brace the bike between your legs while standing to balance the bike while your passenger dismounts.
Passenger Rules:
- The passenger should not get on the bike until you have taken it off the stand and are secure in an upright position, using the front brake lever to prevent it from rolling.
- The passenger's feet should be kept on the foot pegs at all times, even while the bike is stopped.
- The passenger's feet should be kept away from all hot parts, especially the exhaust pipes.
- The passenger must sit behind you, on the passenger portion of the seat. If there is no passenger seat, there should be no passenger.
- Never seat a child on the gas tank in front of you: basically, a kid who can't reach the pillion foot pegs shouldn't be on the bike.
- Finally, the maximum capacity of a bike is two people.
More Tips:
- If you ride with passengers often, you may want to purchase passenger hand holds, either to wear or to attach to your motorcycle.
- Ask your passenger not to turn around or make any sudden movements
- Avoid high speeds or dramatic lean angles.
- If your passenger is able to reach the tank, they should use it to brace themselves when stopping or slowing.
- Keep in mind your stopping distances greatly increases with additional weight, and stopping will require extra effort on the controls.
- Agree on hand signals before you depart. One for, “Pull over.” Another for, “You're going too fast, slow down.” As well as one for, “I'm good, keep it up.”
- Drag your back brake to smooth out the ride at low speeds.
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