Pillions

[Livia329]

Preciate it guys I've just got tapatalk on my phone and can't seem multicultural, bear with me.

Also if you feel you are about to drop the bike let them know so they can aim to stabilise it with you. I can recount several times when we both ended up on the deck whilst stationary.

Yes dropping it does worry me a little although at least I know low speed drops won't do anything to the bike (thank you engine bars!) but still you don't really ever want an embarrassing drop on traffic (although I'm sure it happens to everyone eventually).

Isn't it tough to tell them in time? Last time I was pillion I couldn't hear a thing he said and he deffo couldn't hear me with my full face helmet on.

 

[Livia329]

get a side on picture of a bike with rider. Draw a line from front wheel spindle to back wheel spindle. Now drwa two lines, from the top of the riders head, one to each spindle, thus forming a triangle. You'll prob find that most of the pillion rider will fall inside this triangle. That's good. Anything carried outside of the triangle will have some sort of detrimental effect on the handling, depending on how much weight you're carrying.

Interesting, thanks for sharing! And you were nuts carrying that on the back lol!

 

[Livia329]

Hi Livia

I'd agree with the above - the danger zone is below walking speed - above that and the bike will be more stable than solo. The back end will sit lower so you might want to adjust mirrors before you set off. Also whats been said previously about practising with an experienced pillion is spot on.

Don't forget you've got a pillion on the back. It can cause arguments if you pull up, hop off the bike and try to roundhouse kick your unsuspecting pillion under the chin. :smile:

At Maw and doggy. And yeah haha poor pillion wouldn't be too please at that but at Least they're wearing a helmet :P

That reminds me I need to buy that tool which adjusts the shocks too.

 

[Chief]

Re: Pillions

Resurrecting this post back from the dead a bit but it reminded me of when I took the Mrs on the back of the Night Rod for the first time...Back in the day, I used to go on rally's with my old man. The pillion seat was much higher than his so I spent the majority of the time reading the DOT sticker on the back of his lid. Whenever he slowed down at a pace that would impress the abs system, I used to tw@t my lid off his, wafting for the"fcuk sake, sort your life out!" Accidents happen, I always said.Well now I sympathise completely because as funny as it was reminiscing of those good old days, its now really annoying. I now hunch forward when stopping so her lady chest cushions the forward momentum. Good technique I think

 

[Dazzlin]

Re: Pillions

I probably do 90% of my riding with a Pillion.

The critical times that challenge the bikes balance are; a) Pillion Getting on the bike; b) Pillion getting off the bike c) slow speed filtering; d) approaching a stop with uneven surfaces.

If you can get both feet on the ground you will be in a far better place to counterbalance the above.

Once on the move you will be fine and as mentioned by others, the pillion that tries to sit up when you enter a corner can be a challenge as the bike will want to go straight on. If you are familiar with 'counter steering' this will easily overcome even the worst pillions.

Slow speed manoeuvres though (ie filtering) need to be precise and smooth as you have a big lump of loose weight on the back so any quick movements will be sent to your pillion after the move and they can cause the bike to become a little wallowy as you straighten up and they are still catching up.

Tell your pillion to stay still at junctions/lights and not to put their feet down and you will be fine.

Check your insurance though as to carry pillions is sometimes not a given by some insurers.

Finally, never take anyone on the back who is drunk. It's a recipe for disaster, not matter how fun it may seem at the time.

 

[Livia329]

Re: Pillions

Forgot this thread was here!

You'll be happy to know I started riding with a pillion quite quickly and we have an an awesome time on the bikes even if she does constantly twat my helmet like chief mentioned. I saw little helmet bumpers you stick on at motorcycle live [emoji23]

At the super rally My boyfriends stepdad wanted a ride so I took him on, he's fairly tall but it was a breeze actually.

Biggest issue is the space between my pegs and theirs. As I out my foot down I often touch their shoes and it kinda stops the smooth feet on the ground thing.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Livia329]

Re: Pillions

Why does every photo I upload via my phone come out really shite?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[casbar]

Re: Pillions

All good advice. Size does matter. On my Road King, there is a noticeable difference between my wife who is a light weight and when I carry my 14 stone son. Just need to pay attention, especially mounting and dismounting

 

[Paul P.]

Re: Pillions

Just stumbled onto this and in the spirit of not helping at all I will recall a past girlfriend who often fell asleep on my shovel Electra. I used to wedge her hands under my bum and hold her helmet peak with my left hand over my right shoulder. One time when I needed both hands she lolled backwards over our (large) luggage and woke up looking at sky - had a brief freak out then! She must have got over it as on a later trip she shuffled back onto the rack and turned round with her feet on my indicator bar for quite a few miles, lucky we didn't pass any cops it would have made their day. (Liv - you can see her in that black and white pic of me doing the beer tent at Shipley on the club boards?) Not to be tried on anything less than an FLH!
Do enjoy a little wry smile when you find yourself advising a novice in years to come!