passengers

[vincent]

Well, after a year of owning the busa I finally let my wife get on back. I explained the basics to her (placing her hands on gas tank while braking, looking over my inside shoulder while leaning, etc...) but I am not convinced that she listened to me at all. Did have a decent ride but had to stay on the straight roads. The highlight of the day was when we got on the freeway and a viper got right behind us and then backed waaaaay off. We were both laughing about that. Guess the question is what would you guys do to get a passenger to relax or what advice should I be giving her. Her only experience so far riding pillion is on cruisers so I know that I have to get her to relax but thats about as far as I am right now.

 

[rob t]

just keep riding with her! my wife has been riding on my cycles with me for 20 years .had busa up to 160 with her on it she even knows when to tuck.just ride with her the more the better.4 sets of eyes are better than two.

 

[TIMMYDUCK]

When I ride with my girl, and we are about to go a little vertical or sudden speed bursts.
I tap her left knee with my left hand to let her know to hold on tighter and be ready for the change.
It really helps us two -up and it makes here feel better.

 

[RaiderDm]

Basicly you seem to be doing it right. Give her some basic signals so she knows what you are up to. Also some signals so she can let you know if she is uncomfortable with anything. Go EASY. Not just at 1st but the whole time. Gradually work up (over several rides) to "normal" riding.
Listen to her feed back.

Oh yeah, prolly not a good idea to makr her fall off!

 

[Cookie]

Get a communication radio so you can have a more intimate involvement with her and your riding.

Just make sure you know where the mute button is. :tounge:

 

[justintime2]

Get a Corbin rear seat with the optional, and removeable, seat back. My wife said this gave her alot of confidence just having something behind her, weather she was leaning back or forward on me. Plus that gives you a good reason to get the matching front seat, assuming you don't already have one. They are the best for comfort.

 

[Mikey D]

Tell her not to lean, just become part of the bike.  Setting up signals is an excellent idea also.  These are ours:
2 taps = she is set & ready to ride
3 taps = go faster
1 tap & point = look there
Squeeze the sh!t out of you = going a tad to fast

Tell her not to get on or off until both of your feet are firmly planted on the ground.
Definately get her a good helmet w/ a really clear visor.
No wheelies or tricks until she asks for them.
Keep the initial rides under 20-30 miles so she dosen't get monkey butt!
Plan on going somewhere she likes so it is enjoyable for her.

One of the reasons I got a Busa was for the passengerability.

Good luck, don't scare her, and have fun!

 

[midnight02]

when ever i rod eon my buddies, I always placed my hands on the gas tank when braking and when he ducked, i flattened out my hands on the gas tank and held onto him. another good thing would be amek sure she has good gripping shoes, i can't imagine having your foot slip off the peg

 

[vincent]

Sounds like I am pretty much doing most of that. She knows that if I tap her leg with my left and start to tuck in then she has no choice, just tuck in and wait until its over! It would take a lot for me to do something like that until she is used to it but I figure its best to get her understanding the basics right off the bat. She says she might try it again but doesn't seem to thrilled about it. Took the babysitter for a ride after her and the babysitter loved it, she was so good on back that I barely even knew that she was there. I actually forgot about her a couple of times and only remembered when I started to enter a corner a bit hot and had to lean out and hit her legs. So far its just a comfort thing

 

[BusaboyCO]

Took the babysitter for a ride after her and the babysitter loved it, she was so good on back that I barely even knew that she was there.  I actually forgot about her.....

Man I dunno about the babysitter thing. Sounds ike the start of a movie to me I tried to let it go, but just couldn't....hehehehehe........J/K dude. My wife said she would never get on "the thing". After following me home for about 85 miles, she asked for a ride just around the block as soon as we got home. Now getting up some speed with her and getting over a bit in the turns. Now she's getting addicted too!!

 

[vincent]

Sorry, I couldn't do the "movie thing" with this one. She is definately cute enough but the both of us are married and I refuse to do anything that can get my kids taken away from me. Still can't get the wife to get back on though

 

[dezzy7]

WARNING WARNING DANGER WILL ROBINSON DANGER! When me and my wife got married I wanted her to ride with me sometimes as well so I did everything to make her feel comfortable on the bike..Corbin pillion seat for a lot more comfort, backrest -lasted all of two trips..

Now she comes home and says "ARE WE RIDING TODAY", and last night she wanted to go for a night ride... Start saving the money for her own bike now . LOLOLOL

Just keep taking her out she'll get more comfortable the more she rides.. and just keep coaching her along on the finer points of riding and the importance of body positioning. Give it time and she'll have you on the pillion seat looking over HER inside shoulder in the curves lol

 

[artnshel]

Tell her not to lean, just become part of the bike.  Setting up signals is an excellent idea also.  These are ours:
2 taps = she is set & ready to ride
3 taps = go faster
1 tap & point = look there
Squeeze the sh!t out of you = going a tad to fast

Tell her not to get on or off until both of your feet are firmly planted on the ground.
Definately get her a good helmet w/ a really clear visor.
No wheelies or tricks until she asks for them.
Keep the initial rides under 20-30 miles so she dosen't get monkey butt!
Plan on going somewhere she likes so it is enjoyable for her.

One of the reasons I got a Busa was for the passengerability.

Good luck, don't scare her, and have fun!

That all makes sense.

The Busa is a decent passenger sport bike and that was a big factor that drew me to it. However I did get the Corbin seat and back rest for my wife and both of us like knowing she isn't going off the back.

I just do a left leg tap if I'm going to accelerate hard. My wife never complains about cornering speeds on the bike, seemingly always while in the car.

I hate when she starts to get off while I'm still parking. We just about got that one solved.

On the other hand if someone doesn't like it, I don't think there's much you can do.

 

[WarBaby]

It all sounds like good advice to me, especially "don't scare her". I did a small, accidental (really) wheelie once with my wife behind me and, after she changed her panties, she was understandably reluctant to ride with me for a good while. I've gotten to the point that I tell new passengers (new to me) that the safest way for them to ride double is to "surrender to me" when they climb on... or don't get on at all. It seems to help to explain that since they have no control anyway, they should be as neutral as possible--no sudden weight shifting nor attempts to compensate for their perception of "excessive" lean angles. Personally, I NEVER ride as a passenger. Trusting someone elses riding skills scares the hell out of me! Anyway, I like `em to tuck tightly against me so that both of us can feel what the other is doing. hehehe They soon figure out that, with their arms around you, they can easily grab you in a convenient, vulnerable spot, squeeze, and take full control!