spring time, looking for 2up help

[Joel S]

looking to get my wife on the back of my c14 this spring. i have never driven, and not sure she knows how to ride. My concern is that the first stop sign we come to we tip over and push the bike home. on an occasion i must turn the bar slightly or get distracted and have to catch it leaning. other times i stop and can sit there with no feet. not sure what the difference is but would feel like a tard tipping over a few blocks from the house with her.
Can anyone advise or assist a pair of newbies trying to ride together ?? would her riding with someone experienced with 2up give her a feel for what to do, or is that a ton to ask for the driver ?? I got a butt cheek chewed slightly for her not riding with me since i got the new bike for "us"  just the other day.
I trust you guys and have learned quite a bit in the short time riding together. I am all ears on how to do this successfully so we can have fun together.

Thanks tons,
Joel

damn winters blow now 

[Mike Duluth]

How ya doin bud, first off I would get a smaller bike that she can ride herself, but if that don't work, as long as she sits strait on the bike you should have no problem at a stop sign. It's just when they start wigglin around that the bike gets tippy. It's not as hard as you think, you will be just fine. Just have her get real comfortable with riding before she starts lookin through the inside of the  corners with you, I like them to just sit strait with the bike till they get used to it.
Your pal in Duluth

[Chris]

there are some things

1st stopping, you will need to allow more time for the stopping
2nd cornering, if she has not ridden on a bike before she will LEAN the opposite of the why you do, this will make it much harder for you to turn the bike
3rd low speed maneuvering, this will be harder because the bike will be more top heavy with a passenger on.

When riding 2-up I always put both feet down, just because of the added weight.

For the first few rides look for some nice straight road, also make sure that you tell here just sit on the bike, you don't want her to lean at all.

have her ride with somebody might help her or not, that is really up to you to.. I would offer up my bike, but I don't think your wife would like to ride on the R1 at all..

[Elk]

It's been years since I have had a passenger.  You will get more complete advice from others.

A few tips from long ago experience:

Have her keep her feet on the foot pegs whenever you are stopped or moving slowly.  A passenger putting a foot down when you are stopped or stopping is more exciting than one would expect.

Ask her to keep her upper body upright, in-line with the  bike.   When she is comfortable, tell her to keep herself aligned with you, and then keep your body mostly in-line with the bike but starting to lean a bit.  Ask her to lean with you, no more, and don't counter lean.

Remember that having a passenger increases the amount you need to brake, and longer breaking distances when braking hard.  

Get out of town to practice a bit.  Perhaps have her drive and meet you somewhere close to your home but away from semaphores and traffic, but with some nice gentle curves and occasional stop signs.

Have fun!

[Mike Duluth]

I forgot, when braking you have to push back so she don't shuv you over the gas tank. That is probably the worst part of it when you first start out.

[Sanders]

No wiggling around at low speeds

[Ray916MN]

Have her:

- keep her feet up except to mount or dismount
- follow your body lean by keeping her head behind yours (everyone's body follows their head, so if a passenger follows your head with their head, their body will follow your body)
- avoid moving abruptly
- learn to stabilize herself by grabbing your waist on the sides (I generally wear a thick belt to provide passengers a good place to grab on me), never high up on the body and never hugging.
- learn to anticipate turns, stops and acceleration to minimize body movement and maintain a neutral body position relative to you and the bike.

[gdawgs]

also note that with a passenger, your ike feels more firmly planted in the corners and it give you more confidence to push it harder/faster.  don't do it. 


but when you are both comfortable, you can use that extra traction at leaned angles to your advantage.  rock on dude...you will be fine. 

especially with the questions you are asking.  she can ride 2 up with me if you are looking for some seat time. 

[Stinger]

I always will give a nod and a OK for getting on and off the bike.

To get on the bike.
- Hand on my shoulder
- Foot onto the foot peg
- Stand up on foot peg and put leg over bike to the other foot peg
- Sit down

Reverse for getting off.

Also very important she get the OK to dismount, if you're not ready you'll tip over or get very close.

[Aprilian]

+1 to staying still at slow speeds and move around when going straight at higher speeds.   I let my passenger steer to understand how they add input.  Go to a parking lot, you sit still at about 15 mph but have the passenger move around.  if your hands are loose on the bar the passenger will instantly get the understanding how they impact the bike. check the attached picture to see that I am in line with the bike and my son (at that point 200#) is doing the leaning for both of us.  We were prety fast in the twisties as a team.
-1 to advice to passenger not looking over your inside shoulder until later.  Start from day one or it will be a bad habit to break later.  Also, turning while looking straight doesn't feel good to the passenger.
Develop hand signs for OK, somethings wrong, need a break, and look at that cool thing.  I also use one for "hold tight".
Practice hard stops later and have her reach around you and brace herself against the tank.
My very first web page (more than a decade ago!) was on 2-up riding hints.  I just saw the files on my back up drive last week.