data.3news-bydate.train.rec.motorcycles.105079 Maven / Gradle / Ivy
From: [email protected] (Curtis Jackson)
Subject: Re: Need advice for riding with someone on pillion
Keywords: advice, pillion, help!
Organization: Adobe Systems Incorporated, Mountain View
Distribution: na
Lines: 61
In article [email protected] (Bob Wert) writes:
}I need some advice on having someone ride pillion with me on my 750 Ninja.
}This will be the the first time I've taken anyone for an extended ride
}(read: farther than around the block :-). We'll be riding some twisty,
}fairly bumpy roads (the Mines Road-Mt.Hamilton Loop for you SF Bay Areans).
Unless she is really adventurous, do NOT take her on this route for her
first extended ride! That's kinda like taking someone on a no-show 10-way
speed star competition as their first skydive.
}This person is <100 lbs. and fairly small, so I don't see weight as too much
}of a problem, but what sort of of advice should I give her before we go?
}I want her to hold onto me :-) rather than the grab rail out back, and
}I've heard that she should look over my shoulder in the direction we're
}turning so she leans *with* me, but what else? Are there traditional
1) If the Ninja has adjustable suspension, adjust it to a stiffer
setting so you don't bottom out in bumpy curves.
2) Tell her the 3 cardinal rules are:
a) NEVER EVER EVER EVER put her feet down. Not when you stop at a STOP
sign, not when she thinks you're gonna crash, never. Keep them on the
pegs until you tell her to get off the bike.
b) She is to hold onto your waist. She should hold on tightly enough
that she won't slide off the bike if you twist the throttle a bit. And
(added bonus for you here), she should keep as close to your butt as
possible so quick stops don't make her slide into you and knock your
balls up onto the gas tank. You decide how best to word this.
c) Just stay perpendicular to the bike; straight up in the seat. Don't
lean your body into curves, just go with the bike and stay perpendicular.
Don't look over your shoulder.*
3) Remember at all times that you have a passenger on the back. That
means don't pop the clutch, and try to corner and stop smoother than
usual. Be aware that if you jump on the brake, you're going to have
the equivalent of a 100 lb. dead weight crashing into you from behind,
so be prepared for that.
4) Make sure she pisses before the ride even if she says she doesn't
have to go. No anti-women stuff here; I have a tiny bladder myself.
5) Remind her to look around while you're riding. Point to things
of interest. It makes the ride more enjoyable to her (she won't get
so focused on just looking at the back of your helmet), and it gives
her ample excuse to squeeze you to show she saw what you pointed at.
* My wife and I tried the MSF-recommended "look over the rider's
shoulder in curves" bit, and it just didn't work. The timing of
her weight shift was unpredictable (especially on the Maxim because,
unlike the Ninja, the upright riding position really restricts the
pillion's view of the road ahead). Next time I had her just remain
perpendicular to the bike, and I could hardly tell there was someone
else on the bike in curves, and she weighs substantially over 100 lbs.
--
Curtis Jackson [email protected] '91 Hawk GT '81 Maxim 650
DoD#0721 KotB '91 Black Lab mix "Studley Doright" '92 Collie/Golden "George"
"There is no justification for taking away individuals' freedom
in the guise of public safety." -- Thomas Jefferson