Pillion-ing - any tips?

last SG · 2002-10-22T21:35:49+00:00

That is y dont corner too low when u dont know the pillion well lor. If the pillion counter-lean, it might cause u to be inable to pass through the corner sm...

visual SG

Im a new Rider, so my question is how do u improve pillion-ing skills?
cos ridin alone, is ok... ive got confidence, i can stop and move off, no wobbeling, and feels good.
once i have a pillion, my confidence level is really low... and at slow speeds its really really difficult to control the bike and worst is when i stop the bike, sometimes if i stop the bikr and the the handle bar is to the left just a little the whole bike will tilt to the left!!! and if its not for the pillion to put his legs down, i think.... i, the bike and the pillion would be on the ground!. this is very scary!! (bike sure scratch, sumore very malu....) Embarassed

i find riding with a pillion is extremely difficult esp at low speed, i believe with time ill get used to it, so am i the only one who has this problem?
any one has tips on better bike handling with a pillion?

thanks...

ducati SG

relax lar Very Happy .... the first few months is like that one... when stopping with pillion, put down both leg lar!! Razz

MoNsTer SG

its always gd not to pillion pple heavier then u…

milkshake SG

there is no easy way lor, i tell u hw i learn my pillioning skills:

i started by always pillioning thos guyz, heavier n bigger size than me. pillion them n train urself until u bery zai liao,then u can forget abt em Razz
now wenever i pillion ppl of my size, no kick liao Laughing

milkshake SG

ya, bike suspension easier to b spoilt by their fats Twisted Evil

but first few mths i need em badly to polish up my skills Laughing

after got e skills, no more pillioning liao

visual SG

wah lau way.... people heavier then me huh... sounds Quite siong man, i think i will try it lah but , only one thing i very very scared...

scared the bike fall on the ground ..scratch or smash the ferring lah...

aaron017 SG

ai zai leh…. u nber pillion people in school?

MoNsTer SG

if pillion pple heavier then u, when corner, chances of skiing is higher… especially if the pillion did not sit close enuff to u…

aaron017 SG

if pillion is heavier, on straight road, piston jam also wun skid….. very zai wor…..

milkshake SG

the heavy load behind me kup wif me Laughing

milkshake SG

i first time pillion heavy load also karung ka bo Laughing
2nd time, more sunz~
3rd time kup corner wif heavy load liao
4th time cut car Wink
5th time play e-brake wif him Mr. Green

Hitakogi SG

did u pass ur Tp? Mr. Green * jus kiddin*
after a few times u get use to it liaoz ..
the only i hate to pillar is those people whos weight is heavier then me ... got to drag my bike like mad ... Sad

milkshake SG

use them to polish skills not to transport them, dumb em after u got the skills Laughing

Ah^Huat SG

Dun pillion ppl lor, just tell them get a skateboard and tie to your tailboard!

aaron017 SG

then he become tow bike liao…..

nismoS132 SG

i 1st day get bike pillion my fren liaoz, somemore he quite big size, training sia Laughing

Nsr150 SG

Juz remember when you pillion pple, dun play. Coz you can't take the responsibilities when something happen. Very Happy

aaron017 SG

same.... first day get bike pillion.... a bit buey zai..... then ride very slow.... about 100km/h....

then sent him home liao.... ride alone around until morning.... haha..... too happy.... cannot slp.... haha....

jungleboy111 SG

I agree that you shouldnt pillion pple heavier than you, at least not all the time. Coz when the pillion is heavier, the balance is out, and you have lesser control over your bike. Any false or sudden movement frm the heavy pillion, will be dangerous. But to train up your confidence, getting someone heavier shouldnt be much of a problem.
I dont like to pillion those who are heavier than me, it feels as though the pillion is controlling the bike...dangerous.

I think the confidence will rise as you pillion more often, and get the hang of it.

l3stat SG

i noticed that no one talked about the pillion's riding posture... that's pretty important you know... if your pillion is a bored one, and if he shifts about quite often, it's going to affect your handling... it definitely sounds like your pillion is shifting about quite a lot..

get your pillion to sit close to you, guy or girl never mind, safety more important. have their thighs grip you tight, cos this will give them a more stable ride. usually, the pillion rider will try to sit comfortably and not grip you... then when you go over a bump etc, they'll be scrabbling to get a grip on something: not good.

i'm speaking in general, cos it varies from bike to bike, but tell your pillion these:

sit close to you,
grip you with their legs, TIGHT, esp during stops, or when you're lane-splitting,
anchor their feet on the pegs, such that in the case of mad acceleration, their feet prevents them from sliding backwards,
if possible, hold the hand rail, or your waist (NOT your shoulders pls!)

things i've noticed: i usually grip my tank hard when i ride... with a pillion, as he grips my body, his legs are gripping my hip area. so whenever i grip my tank, the pillion gets a signal that i'm trying to adjust to get a comfortable position, and so he loosens his grip to let me do that, WHICH IS BAD, cos i don't feel that the pillion is safe anymore, which is why i DON'T grip my tank... try it out.. with a pillion on, your gripping of the tank makes a big difference. so, tell your pillion in advance, that no matter how you shift, unless you EXPRESSLY tell him or her, not to loosen their grip. ask them to try to "kiap" you to death. unless your pillion is isabella scurupco, i think it'll benefit you la...

another thing: new pillions are VERY sensitive to your lean angle in a turn. some even try to counteract the lean of your bike... whoa.. super wobbly corners... brief your passenger in advance, to have trust in your riding, no matter how badly ground your footpegs are... Mr. Green get them to keep their body in line with yours. best way to do this is to have them place their hands on your belt, or hip as i've said above. another danger is taking a racer, who leans more than you need to, or in advance... so.. get them to lean with you, no more no less, and if they feel bored, just to put their head behind your left shoulder.

moot point: your bike has a higher ride height.. that MIGHT mean a higher CG... so... hmmm...