Passenger issues

[Jack Sawdayee]

TIPS FOR THE MOTORCYCLE PASSENGER
(Or How To Get Invited To Go Riding Again)
By Chuck Hawks

Riding on a motorcycle with a friend is one of the most fun things you can do. It can be an even more enjoyable experience if the passenger understands and follows a few simple rules. To be the kind of passenger riders want to ride with, remember the following:
1. Wear clothing that will give you some protection in the unlikely event of a spill. As a minimum, you should wear the following to protect yourself:
•   Footwear that protects your feet and your ankles (hiking boots are good).
•   Durable pants--leather is best; lacking leather, you will have to make do with jeans, work pants, or something similar.
•   An abrasion resistant jacket that zips or buttons up close to the neck (again, leather is best if you have it; a nylon flight jacket or parka are satisfactory, and a Levis-type jacket will do in a pinch).
•   Durable gloves.
•   Eye protection--ideally, the helmet you borrow or own should have a face shield for comfort as well as protection. If it does not, goggles are good, and glasses (dark or prescription) will do.
2. You should also attempt to dress appropriately for the weather. If you have not ridden very much, you probably do not realize how hot or how cold it can be on a motorcycle. If it is hot, it will feel a lot hotter while you are riding; if it is cold, it will feel a lot colder while you are riding. Ask the rider for advice about dressing for the anticipated conditions, but don't compromise your minimum level of protection as described above.
On hot sunny days, one trick is to wear an extra large white shirt over your jacket. It will reflect a lot of heat and help keep you cool. In general, it is easier to dress safely and comfortably for a cool day than for a hot one. Lastly, don't wear anything loose and floppy (like a long scarf or bell bottom pants) that could get caught in the rear wheel, sprockets, drive chain or belt, or any other moving part of the motorcycle. You could injure yourself, and might cause an accident.
3. Wear a securely fastened helmet that fits properly. Most riders have extra helmets and will be glad to loan you one. A helmet should be a snug fit; it should not be possible to twist it around on your head. The strap should be pulled as tight as you can get it. You can test for fit, and to see if the strap is tight, like this: grasp the chinbar of a full coverage helmet, or the edge of an open face helmet directly over your forehead, and try to pull the helmet backwards off your head. If the helmet winds up on the back of your head, tighten the strap or get a helmet that fits.
The rider can show you how to put on your helmet properly and easily (you kind of roll it onto your head from the front). If you ride often, you will eventually want to buy your own helmet. Just about any motorcycle shop can help you pick out a suitable helmet that fits you correctly.
4. Before you attempt to mount the motorcycle, make sure that the passenger footpegs are down. (They fold up when not in use, and it is easy for the rider to forget to put them down for you.) If you don't know where the footpegs are, have the rider point them out to you.
Also, beware of the hot exhaust pipes. Make sure you know where they are, and don't let your leg or any part of your body touch them as you mount or dismount the motorcycle. They can give you a severe burn right through the heaviest pants.
5. It is customary to get on or off the motorcycle from the left side. Always wait for the rider to tell you it's okay to mount or dismount. If you start to clamber on (or off) when the rider does not expect it, the sudden motion of the motorcycle will be disconcerting. You could even pull the motorcycle over, a big no-no.
6. Here is the best way to get on a motorcycle, and the method almost all passengers should use: extend your right leg over the seat, and then slide gently up onto the seat. Put your feet on the footpegs and you are onboard!
If you are not able to do that because you are a tiny person or a child, this will work: put your left foot on the left passenger foot peg, lean your body way over the motorcycle, and gently step up until you can swing your right leg over the seat and ease yourself down. You must keep your body low and lean over the motorcycle as much as possible while you get on, to help the rider keep the motorcycle balanced. The weight of your body, if it is too far out of line with the weight of the motorcycle, could pull the bike over, still a big no-no.
A person reasonably close to normal size (male or female) should not need to use this method to mount a motorcycle, and a heavy person should not attempt it under any circunstances. It is all a question of balance; the rider is not strong enough to force a big motorcycle to stay upright if you cause it to get out of balance.
To dismount, just reverse the process you used to get on. With a little practice, getting on and off will become second nature.
7. Once you are on the motorcycle, plant your feet on the passenger footpegs and keep them there. You absolutely do not want to bring your foot into contact with the rear wheel, drive chain or belt, or the hot muffler. Never attempt to help the rider hold the bike upright when it is stopped. Keep your feet safe by keeping them on the foot pegs at all times.
8. Place your hands on the rider's hips. That is the best way to hold on to the rider, and it keeps you in touch with the rider's movements. Keep your weight centered over the motorcycle. Try not to move around any more than is necessary, particularly when the motorcycle is stopped, as it affects the balance of the motorcycle.
9. Motorcycles turn by leaning (banking like an airplane), not by steering like a car. So don't be alarmed when the motorcycle leans over to go around a corner. To position yourself perfectly for a turn, just look over the rider's shoulder in the direction of the turn. If the motorcycle is turning right, look over the rider's right shoulder; if it is turning left, look over the rider's left shoulder.
You don't have to do anything else; looking naturally over the rider's inside shoulder will automatically put your weight right where it belongs in a turn. Keep your body in line with the rider's body to prevent the motorcycle from leaning more than the rider intends. (When going straight, it doesn't matter which shoulder you look over.) Never lean out of a turn; you could cause an accident that way, which is another big no-no.
10. When the rider puts on the brakes, it causes a forward weight transfer. If the rider is forced to break hard, as in an emergency, this forward weight transfer is very apparent; you will be forced against the rider, and you will start to slide forward on the seat. Don't panic. Try to keep back, away from the rider. Resist sliding forward by pressing your feet against the footpegs; use your thigh muscles to control your position on the seat.
If you slide forward, you force the rider forward, reducing the rider's control over the motorcycle. It also moves the weight distribution of the motorcycle forward, reducing the weight on the rear tire and therefore the traction of the rear tire, making it more likely that the back tire will start to skid. Obviously, none of this is desirable.
11. You can be an active participant in the ride by staying alert and being prepared. Help the rider look for potential danger, and be prepared to hang on and hold yourself back if you anticipate a need for sudden braking. Likewise, if the rider is forced to swerve the motorcycle to avoid a hazard in the road, you need to be prepared for the sudden lean and change of direction.
You can also help the rider scan for animals that may run into the road. Dogs and deer are particularly unpredictable, and you may see a deer on a hillside above the road, or a dog in somebody's front yard, before the rider. (After all, the rider is concentrating primarily on the road.) If you spot a hazard of any sort that you think the rider is unaware of, rap the rider on the appropriate shoulder, and point at the hazard in a way that brings it to the rider's attention.

[Menno]

AT seat vs Varadero seat

is like

a Thong vs a Boxershort!

Varadero Rulezzzzz when it comes down to comfort for your pillion.
Everything else: KTM 1290 Super Adventure T 

[MrKiwi]

AT seat vs Varadero seat

is like

a Thong vs a Boxershort!

Varadero Rulezzzzz when it comes down to comfort for your pillion.
Everything else: KTM 1290 Super Adventure T 

ah, no. Perpetuating a myth is all you are doing. Unless you have ridden both for some distance you have no ability to fairly comment.

The AT seat is marginally longer than the Varadero from front to end. The pillion has plenty of room. the seat design is quite different though. At the end of the day my wife prefers the AT seat to sit on over the Varadero. But she found the Varadero easier to get on and off.

[zebulon]

Right David  Menno loves to troll the forum 

[Bønne]

Varadero Rulezzzzz when it comes down to comfort for your pillion.

Yeah, seems like that, though I´ve never tried it myself.

But, I´ve got this girlfriend... well, not a girlfriend in that way, but a very nice and close female friend who´s riding a Yamaha with sidecar.

A couple of years ago, we were at a meeting in Sweden, and one of the days we went for a ride on my Varadero to look at some attractions in the area. This was the first time she tried the backseat on the Varadero, and when parking at a view, I got of, but she stayed on the bike, and I said: get of, we´re going to look at the view. But she said: no, I´ve never sat so comfortable on a motorcycle seat before, I´ll be sitting here for the rest of the day! And I said: ... well, no you´re not... we´re going to look at the view. And she said: you go, I´ll be sitting here!!!
Finally I had to lift her down from the backseat, fortunately she´s not that big, but back at the meeting, same thing happened, I had to lift her of the bike again

As said, she´s not that big, and having her as a pillion... well, I could feel her physically sitting behind me, but compared to the Varadero, I couldn´t feel her, she just followed the bike and me so perfectly, that i could easily forget she was there, no doubt, the best pillion I´ve ever had!

[Menno]

Right David  Menno loves to troll the forum 

No trolling... simply my honest opinion.

Since you guys are all vertically handicapped  and I posess the biggest arse in this community I am convinced the Dero is the best bike to ride on with a pillion. When you have not reached your maximum vertical potentiial (minimum of 2 meters) you might find the AT to be a big bike. I simply do not agree.... Its a beautiful small (as in narrow) bike.

Unfortunately bikes are getting more compact lately and even the waterboiler from BMU got smaller. Still miss my wifey when riding my bike, but from the day she got pregnant over 6 years ago she decided to never ride as a pillion again. So I got me something big, loud and fat (like me!) and ordere the KTM.

[Two Plugs]

I'll stay quiet now... No vertically handicap and a behind within proportions. But I double the remarks regarding the Varadero's passenger- and riders comfort!

[Snurrepus]

Varadero Rulezzzzz when it comes down to comfort for your pillion.
Everything else: KTM 1290 Super Adventure T 

AnneGro and I tried a friend's 1290 once.
After 100 meters she told me her opinion about the comfort.
Usually she doesn't use words like that 

Last year the same friend started to ride with a pillion.
Now he has ordered a new saddle from Top Sellerie.

[Two Plugs]

Since Mulders (my Honda agent) is also KTM agent, I had a go on their 1290. I love the bike, the way its power unfolds, the power-range, the sound, the handling.
But every thing else (ergonomics, seating position) felt sooo unnatural...

That stunning KTM handling and engine integrated in a Varadero... that would be my dream bike!

[Jyrays]

Since Mulders (my Honda agent) is also KTM agent, I had a go on their 1290. I love the bike, the way its power unfolds, the power-range, the sound, the handling.
But every thing else (ergonomics, seating position) felt sooo unnatural...

That stunning KTM handling and engine integrated in a Varadero... that would be my dream bike!

When I had XR650R and KTM640 at same time I was planning to put Honda engine in KTM
If you want power CT has enough 

[Two Plugs]

When I had XR650R and KTM640 at same time I was planning to put Honda engine in KTM
If you want power CT has enough 

CT what? 😂 Lets act if that bike never was build. 😀

[Jyrays]

Why?

[MrKiwi]

When I had XR650R and KTM640 at same time I was planning to put Honda engine in KTM
If you want power CT has enough 

CT what? 😂 Lets act if that bike never was build. 😀

It is a fabulous road touring machine, so no, can't agree. It would have been perfect on the roads we traveled in June since we did not gravel. Would not have been OK for the day I spent with Jrays and Bodgan though.

[Jyrays]

When I had XR650R and KTM640 at same time I was planning to put Honda engine in KTM
If you want power CT has enough 

CT what? 😂 Lets act if that bike never was build. 😀

It is a fabulous road touring machine, so no, can't agree. It would have been perfect on the roads we traveled in June since we did not gravel. Would not have been OK for the day I spent with Jrays and Bodgan though.

Well, it could do all but the miserable death end It was hard enough to turn the AT, imagine if you had CT there

[MrKiwi]

When I had XR650R and KTM640 at same time I was planning to put Honda engine in KTM
If you want power CT has enough 

CT what? 😂 Lets act if that bike never was build. 😀

It is a fabulous road touring machine, so no, can't agree. It would have been perfect on the roads we traveled in June since we did not gravel. Would not have been OK for the day I spent with Jrays and Bodgan though.

Well, it could do all but the miserable death end It was hard enough to turn the AT, imagine if you had CT there

indeed...