Taking the new Missus for her first spin on the beast!

[Senior]

Well, tonight is the night, going for a short ride tonight after dinner....

This will be interesting!

So how was it . . . . ? Nice and steady, I hope, lull her into a false sense of security for the first few rides . . . ?

I've not manged to convince the wife that it might be good for her to have a pillion ride, let alone get her into a bike shop to kit her out with all the gear

in her younger days she rode pillion loads with her brothers and their friends, so maybe she just don't trust me . . . . :shakehead:

and guess what, totally out of the blue, last Friday, my missus said "I think I'm gonna get a motorbike helmet" Woo Hoo, so I'm gonna strike while the iron is hot take a day off work and get her in the bike shop and kitted out ! :cheer:

 

[Wolfman]

Well, it's happened, been and done...

After Dinner tonight, i got out MP's leathers, helmet, boots, and gloves, and we did a fit up...Luckily, all of MP's gear fits Jess reasonably well...the Size 8 Leather pants where a tiny bit big, but not too big, the leather jacket, much the same...helmet, which is reasonably new, also fitted nice and snug..boots...all good, gloves, all good...

So off we went...It's a small drive...about 10km's to the twisties from my joint, and i took it real easy...at the last set of traffic lights before we hit the hills, i turned and asked how she felt...Jess replied, "I like it"....

So i gave her a quick reminder to not sit up, or lean over in corners, but just to go with the bike....which she did for the next 10km's till we stopped...for a smoke, and a chat...

Well, when Jess got off the bike, she had a smile, a mile wide...and was more concerned that she was doing ok, rather than any fear of falling off, etc...

Yippee! I am one happy man at this point, so it was off to ride through a few more Twisties, and a little bit of higher speed stuff on the Freeway... An hour later we were home, and Jess's only complaint's were that her bum was a little sore, and that slowing down was hard to get used to....braking!

It only took her 10 minutes to stop holding me around the waist, and by the time we got home, she was using the pillion grab rails with confidence...

I even had time to teach her that when i tap her on the knee, or when i drop the bike back a couple of gears...to hold on, cause i am about to "gun it"...

Her feet only came off the pegs once...her helmet only smacked into mine a few times, and at no point did she feel as if she was an "Alien" being on the back of my bike...in fact, i hardly noticed her presence above the normal feeling of having a decent pillion on the back of the bike...

In short, it looks as if she is a "natural".....loving it!

:rockon::rockon::rockon::rockon:

 

[Coopdman]

That's awesome Wolfman! I know how nice it is for your lady to enjoy a ride too. It took my fiance about a year of SHORT rides in the neighborhood and a few tears before she began to enjoy it. I think the trick was her finding the guts to get over 20 mph, when it begins to stable out a little more.

Enjoy 2-up!

 

[Wolfman]

That's awesome Wolfman! I know how nice it is for your lady to enjoy a ride too. It took my fiance about a year of SHORT rides in the neighborhood and a few tears before she began to enjoy it. I think the trick was her finding the guts to get over 20 mph, when it begins to stable out a little more.

Enjoy 2-up!

First of all, cheers for the nice words!

Having my lady being a decent and happy pillion is very important to me, as I like to tour, and I like to do so with the lady in my life!

It means that I can tour with loving company, as well as meaning I don't have to rely on mates on bikes being available to tour with me on another bike, if I want someone to share my experiences with...

I reckon that "training" your pillion is a very delicate process, involving patience, sensitivity to their needs, and a balance between making it fun, thrilling for both of you, without scaring them half to death while your at it!

As your pillion has little control over what happens while riding, they do have the ability to either compromise, or enhance the safety factor considerably...

It is the riders responsibilty to make sure that the pillion understands both the riders and their impact on a good safe ride!

The "trust" factor is a massive issue! If your pillion does not trust the rider, they will tense up, and become a liability in terms of safety, and the riders ability to ride smoothly and safely!

Once you have your pillions trust, the ability to ride harder, and more like you do when riding by yourself, is far greater..

Also I reckon it's important to have the right bike...the FZ6 is well suited to 2 up riding to start with, with a decent seat to peg relationship for pillion comfort, decent grab rails, and a comfortable upright seating position, which puts the pillion more "in" the bike, rather than perched up high, and "out the back" like a lot of sports bikes..

It also helps to have suspension the can be adjusted to suit 2up riding...what is good for solo riding, can be bloody awful for 2up riding...especially if you like to push the bike a little whilst riding 2up!

But at the end of the day...no matter what, riding 2up is just behind going for a decent solo sports ride for enjoyment in my books!

 

[Coopdman]

True words of wisdom.

I should have mentioned she learned on my old R6, so that was already a point against us (much less comfortable for both). She loves the FZ6 and we're both glad I switched over to comfort. She even told me not to sell it when we found out we're parents-to-be.

I like how you call her your "pillion." :rockon:

 

[Wolfman]

True words of wisdom.

I should have mentioned she learned on my old R6, so that was already a point against us (much less comfortable for both). She loves the FZ6 and we're both glad I switched over to comfort. She even told me not to sell it when we found out we're parents-to-be.

I like how you call her your "pillion." :rockon:

Lol! I reckon Yamaha would of spent about ten minutes thinking about the pillion when designing the R6!!!

As for calling the Missus my pillion...that's a weird word for it isn't it...not as weird as the fact my Missus called the pillion pegs, "the pedals" tonight! Was laughing hard enough after that statement, that I nearly missed the next corner!

Another funny thing, she said she felt like a "ninja" in the leather pants....lol! I almost had to "pry" her out of them when we got home...I thought she was going to wear them to bed for a while there!

Was also funny when Mikey (ozzieboy) pointed out that leather pants have the reverse affect to tight jeans...observing that bike leathers tend to give blokes a "cameltoe", whereas they don't with the ladies! LMFAO!

 

[ozzieboy]

Pillioning is a horrible, unnatural thing and I don't like it one little bit.....as a pillion.

I never had any complaints from my ex on our many rides on my XS400. Probably because of the soft cruisey suspension, the lack of grunt making it all happen smoothly, the padded Gearsack rack to lean back on, and the custom seat, whipped up to my design that cupped and separated rider and pillion slightly to help with the pillion not "climbing the back" of the rider under brakes. She only ever touched helmets with me once in an emergency braking situation.

Definitely a more intimate way to tour than a car in my opinion.:thumbup:

 

[Wavex]

:needpics:

 

[FZ1inNH]

Definitely agree with David... WHERE'S THE PICS!?!?!?!?!? :BLAA:

My wife is a HORRIBLE passenger and that is why she took the BRC, got her license and her OWN bike. She understands lean but only when SHE has control of the bike.

I *might* take another female on the bike but this guy? Oh no... no no no! NO Nuts to Butt! :spank: :Flash:

 

[Wolfman]

:needpics:

Oh c'mon....you know me, when I get round to it, there will be a bazillion pics...of her draped over the tank, standing in front of it, lying on top of it....:spank:

as for the nuts to butt thing...only ever done that once...and both parties have sworn to never talk of it again!!!! EVER!

In fact, unless the woman in question truely "gets my attention"...if you know what I mean...and I don't mean screaming in my face, then said woman ain't getting near my bikes back seat, or my butt either!!!!

I am a man of standards...it's my job! Literally!

 

[krid80]

subscribed for the pics. story is over, wolfman, all that is left is the PICS! :spank:

 

[Have2BeFree]

Congrats Wolfman but you better watch out, she may like it so much that she'll want to learn to ride her own bike!

 

[Kazza]

Cool. Glad she loved it and handled it ok.

I used to ride pillion with Mike on ZX6 and SP-1. The SP-1 had a pillion seat the size of a postage stamp and made me feel as though I was sitting 1 ft higher than Mike! Never tried on the Daytona 675 - that looked ridiculous for a pillion and the XJR - what do you think - Lazy boy on wheels.....

Being on the back is no biggie as long as you:

1 Don't force the lean - let the bike move you
2 Don't headbutt your partner
3 Don't grab around the waist - always preferred rear grab rails
4 Hold on when they tap your leg
5 Just ENJOY

These are the 5 simple rules to making a pillion a happy pillion !

Of course now, I could NEVER be a pillion - probably the same for most people who ride now instead of being the passenger.

 

[Wolfman]

Cool. Glad she loved it and handled it ok.

I used to ride pillion with Mike on ZX6 and SP-1. The SP-1 had a pillion seat the size of a postage stamp and made me feel as though I was sitting 1 ft higher than Mike! Never tried on the Daytona 675 - that looked ridiculous for a pillion and the XJR - what do you think - Lazy boy on wheels.....

Being on the back is no biggie as long as you:

1 Don't force the lean - let the bike move you
2 Don't headbutt your partner
3 Don't grab around the waist - always preferred rear grab rails
4 Hold on when they tap your leg
5 Just ENJOY

These are the 5 simple rules to making a pillion a happy pillion !

Of course now, I could NEVER be a pillion - probably the same for most people who ride now instead of being the passenger.

Great advice Kazza......And i reckon your right, the moment you have ridden a bike, it is impossible to do the pillion thing...

:thumbup: