[SirWompus]

So I've been wanting to see what it would be like to ride two up. Yesterday I got the girlfriend geared up and we talked over some of the ground rules like no sudden movement, where to hold on to etc. Then I put the bike on the SW-Motech centerstand and had her get on. First thing I noticed was that the front wheel barely stayed on the ground. She is `110lb so I was surprised about that. Anyway so we take around a 30 mile ride in the hills without any incident, it wasn't as hard as I'd have expected. When we got back she said her legs were tingling. So my questions are

-any thoughts/suggestions on the center stand not properly supporting the bike with a passenger

-what other ground rules should we establish for safety's sake

-since the passenger's pegs can't be moved are we basically stuck with the fit or is there something I can to do make things more comfortable.

FYI the bike is a pretty much 100% stock '06 nude and our total weight is somewhere around 270lb

 

[asnydes]

The only things I have are:

-If you both ride at night, adjust your headlight down a touch.

-Tell her to look over your inside shoulder around curves. That way she's helping, but not leaning too far.

-Maybe increase the rear tire pressure 2 or 3 p.s.i.

Andrew

 

[Rappie]

me and the GF ride 2up all the time,
i would say about 75% of my riding is with her,
one thing i noticed is that you mentioned having her on the back while on the center stand....
my bike doesn't have a center stand but i will say i never have us both on the bike without my feet being on the ground (while stopped)
i would probably say having both of you on that center stand isn't a great idea....
another thing is, careful with the throttle in first and maybe sometimes into second...if it isn't already obvious the extra weight on the back is a recipe for an uncontrolled wheelie.!!!

another thing I always tell her is that if she wants to stretch out her legs a bit she's more than welcome,... just not 1. while slowing down or going slow, 2 while turning..

 

[groundhogday]

I have a SW Motech centerstand, and I'll tell you that it doesn't take much downward pressure on the back seat to raise the front wheel off the ground. I generally let my wife climb on after I'm already on so I can balance the bike, plus the rear seat's a tiny bit lower that way (not on the centerstand and w/ my weight on it). Oh, and if you've still got a stock shock w/ the ramped preload adjuster you might wanna play w/ tightening it down a little bit to compensate for her weight. My 636 shock is a PITA to up the preload on for just an occasional 2 up ride, but I know if we rode together more often it'd be worth it to dial in some more preload.

 

[sagvr4]

shell get used to it. once she gets more comfortable she will relax and be as tense and lots of symptoms will most likely go away. and if they dont then she can experiment readjusting how she sits once its all familiar to her

 

[Dstritt]

Just a question that me and my brother were discussing.

How much experience should someone have on a bike before the decide to ride 2 up?

 

[mschaff1]

I don't know if it is so much an experience thing as it is a comfort issue. I only have 3400 miles under my belt, and I recently took my gf for her maiden voyage. I think if you know that things will be different and start things off slow, you will be okay.

 

[SpeedisaVirus]

Why should the front wheel stay down with 110 pounds counter weight on the rear of the bike?

 

[asnydes]

I don't think it's necessarily experience either, but comfort. Once you are thoroughly comfortable on the bike, give the potential passenger precise instructions and start off slow.

I learned to ride my 100 enduro, which was my first "full-size" bike, with my dad on the back! lol Needless to say, it was easy for me to ride solo after that!

 

[navy8ret]

So I've been wanting to see what it would be like to ride two up. Yesterday I got the girlfriend geared up and we talked over some of the ground rules like no sudden movement, where to hold on to etc. Then I put the bike on the SW-Motech centerstand and had her get on. First thing I noticed was that the front wheel barely stayed on the ground. She is `110lb so I was surprised about that. Anyway so we take around a 30 mile ride in the hills without any incident, it wasn't as hard as I'd have expected. When we got back she said her legs were tingling. So my questions are

-any thoughts/suggestions on the center stand not properly supporting the bike with a passenger

-what other ground rules should we establish for safety's sake

-since the passenger's pegs can't be moved are we basically stuck with the fit or is there something I can to do make things more comfortable.

FYI the bike is a pretty much 100% stock '06 nude and our total weight is somewhere around 270lb

Ok this will be just my $.02 as you will choose what works best for you:

You board the bike first and start it - you support the bike (you can leave the side stand down just in case) Have her board the bike from the left side (always) she starts with left hand on your left shoulder and left foot on the peg - she then stands up on the peg and at the same time her right hand goes to your right shoulder while swinging her right foot over to the right peg and then sits down. She will depart the bike after you've stopped and have the bike supported (you can also have the side stand down here also) by standing and swinging her right foot to the left and stepping off - while keeping her hands on your shoulders where her right hand leaves your right shoulder as she is stepping down - right back to the same position as when she was climbing on.
Now while riding she does not (and I mean NOT) lean the bike or try to lean the bike in any direction at any time - YOU do!! You control the bike she just sits there but she also has to pay attention to what is going on she can't be twisting around in the seat as this will upset the handling. While going through a right hand corner have her look over your right shoulder through the corner and same for a left hand corner as this will help you have better control. Now as the understanding becomes better with more seat time for you both, she can get to the point where she leans forward and supports her weight with her hands on the tank in front of you while her body is against yours. And this will enable you to gain some speed through the twisty stuff as long as she remembers to look over the shoulder going through the corners.
I used to ride with several friends and while taking our SOs with us we could rail through the twisties with our wives on the back and even drag a peg or two ;D Oh by the way I've been riding for over 34 years.

Ok so maybe this was more like $.10 ;D

 

[Maviryk]

I think I need to lower my bike to near stock height... I can't flat-foot even with a passenger.

Hehe.

 

[Dstritt]

Ok this will be just my $.02 as you will choose what works best for you:

You board the bike first and start it - you support the bike (you can leave the side stand down just in case) Have her board the bike from the left side (always) she starts with left hand on your left shoulder and left foot on the peg - she then stands up on the peg and at the same time her right hand goes to your right shoulder while swinging her right foot over to the right peg and then sits down. She will depart the bike after you've stopped and have the bike supported (you can also have the side stand down here also) by standing and swinging her right foot to the left and stepping off - while keeping her hands on your shoulders where her right hand leaves your right shoulder as she is stepping down - right back to the same position as when she was climbing on.
Now while riding she does not (and I mean NOT) lean the bike or try to lean the bike in any direction at any time - YOU do!! You control the bike she just sits there but she also has to pay attention to what is going on she can't be twisting around in the seat as this will upset the handling. While going through a right hand corner have her look over your right shoulder through the corner and same for a left hand corner as this will help you have better control. Now as the understanding becomes better with more seat time for you both, she can get to the point where she leans forward and supports her weight with her hands on the tank in front of you while her body is against yours. And this will enable you to gain some speed through the twisty stuff as long as she remembers to look over the shoulder going through the corners.
I used to ride with several friends and while taking our SOs with us we could rail through the twisties with our wives on the back and even drag a peg or two ;D Oh by the way I've been riding for over 34 years.

Ok so maybe this was more like $.10 ;D

More like $0.25 :thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[eclark53520]

Get some signals down if you are going to be riding two-up for a long time...

I have my g/f pat my left leg if she needs to go to the bathroom, right leg if she is cold(two of her main complaints), left chest if she needs a break, right chest if we need to pull over right now...

This way i know what she needs therefore i dont have to stop somewhere just to have her tell me this place doesnt have a bathroom, or whatever...saves time and agrivation as i ride with earplugs in and its very hard to hear anything said by her at speed.

Make sure she knows she needs to be paying attention. The last thing you want is for her to be falling asleep back there and you take some evasive maneuver and off the back end she goes...

Other than that, look over in the inside shoulder and the boarding tips by navy8ret are good.

Have fun!