So i‘ve been riding for about a year, and I‘ve put about 2K miles down, so I‘m very comfortable with riding.Now my girlfriend is about 5‘4 and about 100 pounds at mostI ride a 1994 Yamaha FZR streetfighter, stage 2 jet, mods etc.Now her area is full of blind and very sharp turns where i actually have to turn, backup and turn to complete it, like they are at a 140 degree turn.Now I‘m a little nervous, because she dosent have insurance.AND my dick roomate keeps saying how difficult it is.I would LOVE tips, concerns, and ideas on this question. How difficult is riding with a passenger? How much harder is turning going to be? Shes riddin on the back of other bikes, so shes not to nervous but I‘ve never given a ride before.Any help is great help, Thanks!
To start with, you do not have enough experience, to ride a passenger. You don't even have enough experience, to ride safely solo yet. Now, that being said. When you are riding with a passenger on the back, you have to account for the extra weight. Your low speed balance will be harder to control. You will accelerate slower, you will brake slower. Your tiers have only a limited amount of traction, added weight means you will have to corner slower. It will take more effort, to control the bike. The ride, will be a lot more ruff. Start with a short ride around the block, till you get the feel of her. Stay off those 140 turns and blind spot turns. Backing up with a passenger, is a pain in the a$$. Over all, if you remember to take it slow. A passenger is no big deal. Granted, I ride a big Harley. But at 100lbs, I'd have to reach back, to make sure she was still there. Now try riding with a 200+lbs passenger, now that's a challenge. But not a hard one.
those two are nothing alike, except the fact that they both have two wheels and you need to balance. in a motorcycle you need to be able to lean properly on corners or your tasting asphalt. and a motorcycle goes 100x faster than a bicycle will every go. a motorcycle also weighs a lot more than a bicycle. if your only experience is a bicycle and you want to get on a motorcycle (expecially anything bigger than a 500) you'll be dead in no time.
There's more to riding a motorcycle than a bike. Your sense of balance, speed, gear shifting and rules of the road/safety all contribute to your safety. Both offer fun and a sense of freedom.
Firstly, where the hell does your girlfriend live? In a maze? Your bike should be able to turn around in about a 10ft circle. If you can't steer your bike around even the sharpest corner that a car could fit through, then you ain't ready for a pillion. Secondly, a lot depends on the passenger themselves. An experienced pillion will be virtually invisible. The only time you feel them is when accelerating or braking. A good pillion is relaxed but the catch 22 is that, the relaxation comes from having confidence in the riders ability. I feel that you would be nervous, which will make her nervous and it will go downhill from there. When you can ride your bike in a circle the size of your living room without putting your feet down, you might be ready for a pillion. I would like to add, that although I have scraped the pegs many times with a good pillion, I hate being on the back. It scares the willies out of me.
As a motorcycle instructor, I recommend to my students that they ride SOLO for two years, and a minimum of 5,000 miles. Frankly, if you're nervous about riding double, you're probably not ready to do it. -I would also suggest installing a backrest on your bike. -The most important thing is to make sure that you keep the bike very close to vertical when stopped. Other than that, you must tell your passenger to stay in line with the bike. If she wants to look where you're going, she must look on the inside of any curves. -You must accelerate and brake very smoothly, in order to avoid the dreaded helmet click, and allow for much greater stopping distances. -Make sure that she only gets on and off the bike when you say it is okay to do so. -Only move under power when a passenger is on board--no paddling, no backing up.
