Would you ever ride pillion with yourself?

[DNCN]

Prompted by the thread http://s1000rrforum.co.uk/member.php?7239-RacersEdge started I was curious if anyone here would actually be a pillion on their own bike?


My total pillion experience was on an RS125, friend called Ashley took me down the Ferrari Maranello Test Track [Egham A30 bypass] way before I had a licence. Great fun......... before we hit the back of a Peugeot 205 that another friend was driving. Now I have a bike and licence there is to zero chance of me getting on the back. Girlfriend is generally fine with it, silly speeds are ok, filtering not so much, wheelies are a no-go. Have mates who's Mrs is fine with a two-up 150 mph mono and even one who falls asleep on the back of a GSXR 600!

In my experience girls make way better passengers, they listen to what you say (lean with the bike, don't fight it). And when you pull up at a traffic light you haven't got your hairy 40-year-old-mate giving you a cuddle.


There are exceptions of course (not me!) - i'd probably have a go at this :

 

[MacRR]

Women make better passengers on sports bikes because most of them fit, if you're tall you'd be seriously unbalanced and I wouldn't go on the back whoever was riding. I used to ride pillion now and again in my early 20's but that was on a Z1000 which was comfortable and not that quick. I have been on an FJR1300 taxi bike through central Paris a couple of times which was great fun and surprisingly practical with a flight bag although a tad more expensive than the metro... As for my Mrs, she loves going on the back of the S1K and my GSA, her only dislike is me filtering on the GSA with metal panniers attached as there's not a lot of room for error..

 

[soofsayer]

When my wife dropped me off to collect my hp4 she pointed at the pillion seat and pegs on it and said there was no chance of her sitting on it as a pillion, which suits me just fine. I know a few bikers who's other halves always want to ride pillion and frankly it spoils the fun. I don't take my wife pillion on any bike because we have young children and its simply not worth the risk if something went wrong. I prefer riding solo anyway.

On pillion stories, I was on the Stokesely - Helmsley road a few years back when some dick went flying past us with a small child on the back. A minute later we caught him up on the side of the road, the kid covered in blood. A pheasant had flown out across the road and knocked the kid off, because of the speed he was going on the bike there was no chance of avoiding it (I doubt he'd seen it). Twat. Every now and then I'll get passed by someone riding with a pillion at speeds that are really pushing their luck 2 up, just makes me shudder, as often the pillion is only wearing jeans and some sort of non bike jacket.

I have lost count of the number of (mainly female) people I have spoken to who's only motorbike experience was being scared to death on the back of a friends bike once and being put off biking permanently. Why some people think it's great to scare the shit out of someone on their first pillion ride by showing off and riding dangerously mystifies me.

 

[Loupe]

Agree with everything you've said Soof.
I only ride solo and after my slide it's shown how easy it can be to lose traction and cross the path of anything in the opposite direction.
Bike time is me time.

 

[stuartb]

Yup.. I agree also.. I've had my youngest riding with me since she was 8, she's now 17, she's a brilliant pillion and the reason I put a grab rail and pegs on, the secret for a good two up spin is smoothness. I find if you treat the ride as though it was raining, easy and smooth acceleration and braking. Corners less so of course, if you get your self set up properly you can still fire it in and come out nice and crisply on the other side.

 

[stuartb]

Addendum to the above.. I recall the day my life almost ended, I was two up with her nicking on up thru the pass of Brander, when in a nanosecond I though shite, this bike feels too light, I turned round expecting the worst to find her firmly planted on the back with a big grin on her face, she was so light...thank fxck...phew... What a pillion she is !!!!

 

[MacRR]

Yup.. I agree also.. I've had my youngest riding with me since she was 8, she's now 17, she's a brilliant pillion and the reason I put a grab rail and pegs on, the secret for a good two up spin is smoothness. I find if you treat the ride as though it was raining, easy and smooth acceleration and braking. Corners less so of course, if you get your self set up properly you can still fire it in and come out nice and crisply on the other side.

Totally agree Stu, its all about being smooth and not doing anything sudden, while riding on my own is the best the fun doesn't detract too much when my other half is with me, I make good progress with her on board but as already said too much is at stake to behave like a twat and I certainly wouldn't carry a passenger without a grab rail fitted.

 

[Stephen]

I wouldn't personally get on the back of the S, largely because I couldn't fit haha! Our lass has been on the back of the S a few times but finds it uncomfortable.. She loves the VFR tho - she's actually mad at me for wanting to sell it!

On the whole I don't think riders make good pillions. I rode pillion on the back of my dad since as far back as I remember. I always had proper gear and as I'd been pillion for so long my dad used to say he couldn't tell I was back there. I've even done a few laps of the Nurburgring on the back of my dad, that was an experience!

But since I've been riding on the road I can't ride pillion, obviously once you get used to the feeling of being in control you don't want it taken away. I'm the same in the car aswell, I'd much rather be in the driving seat!

 

[Grumpyduck]

I would, but having said that, I doubt we'd both fit on.

*In no way could i be described as "svelte"

GD

 

[stuartb]

I would, but having said that, I doubt we'd both fit on.

*In no way could i be described as "svelte"

GD

Lol really laughed there