Riding with a Pillion

Found this online somewhere and thought it was worth sharing. Author credited below, but please remove if there are any issues with posting it here.

Riding Two Up: Tips for Safe Pillion Riding

June 7, 2013 by madmoto

Riding your motorcycle alone is fun, but sometimes it’s fun to share. Or you might just need to bring someone somewhere. But whatever the reason, riding with a pillion behind you has its own set of rules and customs.

Remember when you have a pillion, you are the captain of a vessel and the safety of your passengers is in your hands. So always, and I mean always, be responsible. When I travel with a pillion, I do pretend I am the captain of an airplane. I give my passenger a safety “lesson”. Not the kind that says “this is where the emergency exits are”, and “this is how you put on your life jacket”, but more a do and do not.

Before Riding Off, always ensure that your pillion is properly equipped; helmet andjacket are the minimum, gloves would be very nice as well.. Do remember that in a situation, your passenger probably doesn’t see it coming so can’t brace. The better their body is protected the safer it is for them.

Tell them the following:

1. Getting on or off the motorcycle, always check with the rider first. The motorcycle is suddenly going to get or loose weight which will destabilize the bike. If the biker is not prepared, everyone is going to go down.

2. Sit straight, not sideways.

3. When going into a curve, either sit straight, or look over the shoulder that is inside the curve. By moving your head to the biker’s shoulder that is on the inside of the curve, the center of gravity remains the same, doing the opposite means the bike will wobble.

4. When riding at low speeds, or in between lanes, do not fidget in your seat. Until you have reached gyroscopic speed, the bike will not be stable. Fidgeting will cause the bike to wobble, and you will all fall.

5. No sudden movements. Moving is fine, but no sudden or jerky movements because the rider will not be prepared to counter. You can turn back, but only from the waist up.

6. Explain some basic signals and communication. It’s up to you to “invent” them, but you can say “two taps on the shoulder means slow down” or “a shoulder squeeze means I need to stop”. They are allowed to wave at other motorcycles, but all other communication to other vehicles is up to the captain (i.e. you).

7. Do NOT try to impress or scare the pillion.

8. Do not accelerate like a madman. The pillion’s head is going to be whiplashed since they don’t control the bike.

9. Do not brake strongly (unless you need to for emergencies). Strong braking is not only uncomfortable for your pillion, but the pillion will most probably slam into you.

10. Speed kills, especially when you are a pillion. It’s also very uncomfortable for them.

Things To Check Before Riding Off

1. Check the tire pressure. Usually when you have added a pillion, the weight of the bike will be such that you need to add air to your tires. Check your manual, it usually says what the tire pressure should be for pillion riding.

2. Adjust your mirrors.

3. If you’ll be riding a night, check your headlights. The extra weight might be moving the headlights upwards, so you will be blinding oncoming vehicles.

4. Riding with a pillion can be fun since it’s two people sharing something nice. But always remember you are responsible for the pillion’s well being.

5. If you will be riding often with a pillion, and if you bike allows it, get a sissybar. Your pillion will thank you.

First (and only) time I ever rode pillion was a bad experience for both of us. My dad needed to give me a ride to pick up and renew registration on my car (he was storing it while I was in Germany). The only briefing he gave me was "You can hold onto the seat back behind you or wrap your arms around my waist." Then proceeded to accelerate everywhere at what would be the equivalent of WOT in any car I'd driven, and got frustrated with me for fidgeting at stops when I realized I had not double-knotted the rather long laces on my boots.

I've always had my passengers wrap their arms around my chest. They feel secure, they lean with me, and communication is easier. I've found it to work very well.

On sportbikes where the seating position of the rider and passenger is canted forward, I prefer to have a passenger wrap one arm around my midsection (the lower the better, as that will destabilize my upper body the least) and have one hand on the gas tank ready to help brace under braking. That helps keep some of their weight off me.

It's also wise to have a basic system of taps worked out beforehand. Usually one to just say, "Hey stop that" is sufficient.

I actually used to commute to classes as pillion with my college roommate, since parking on campus in Chicago was basically impossible and we often didn't get up early enough to make it on time with public transport. Let me tell you, two dudes getting off a vintage motorcycle gets you some weird looks. Couldn't care less.