Pillions

[Trinity765]

Do you take them? Do you enjoy it? Any golden rules or pillion anecdotes?

I've done a lot of miles as a pillion and I like it. I liked it in the beginning out of ignorance of rider skills and with hindsight, I was lucky. Now I'd only get on the back of someone's bike if I knew they were a good rider, and when I do I really enjoy it. I've taken pillions and don't like it so for no great distance. I've given pillion rides to someone who was much larger than me and it was traumatic.

[Yorick]

Our lass will only go pillion with me. She loved watching me on track and trusts me 100% on the road.

Once in Spain on a motorway she tapped me on shoulder to stop.
Told me to give it full beans every gear.
1st 100 wheel up
2nd 120 wheel up.
3rd 140 full throttle.
4th 150
5th 165 still pulling
6th 180 I shut off.

I could hear her screaming the whole way.

Up from Bungalow I rolled it on in 6th and showed 180 up Hailwood rise.
She sort of enjoyed that

[Yorick]

Once a pal got a sponsored Harley race deal.
So took me out for a giggle. We had pegs down everywhere and hands down on fast corners.
Very silly but was only 28.

[Yorick]

She likes speed and acceleration but I'm not allowed to go silly on bendy bits.
But one day over on Fuertaventura she again tapped me to pull over.
She told me to give it full beans and show her what it can do.
Rode a few miles to my fave twisties and stopped to check ✔

She said yes.
10 minutes of proper insanity. Could hear her screaming.

When I pulled over she said " That was properly insane. Epic. Don't ever do it again though"

[Count Steer]

I'd guess most of my mileage has been with pillion aboard. I set the bikes suspension up for it. I'm happy with one provided they're not too heavy and they're relaxed. In that respect a non-riding pillion is probably best as they're not inclined to react, just sit there like a sack of spuds, which is

I don't like being pillion because, as above, I don't switch off and am looking at traffic, judging overtakes and thinking 'wrong gear!' or just thinking

[Trinity765]

My attitude to being a pillion is that you make all your decisions before you get on the bike. Once I'm on a bike as a pillion I'm trying to behave like a rucksack.

The only time I've really been scared is in the Pyrenees on a very, very twisty, high mountain road and for the majority of it my view was "blue, green, blue, green, blue green" but then I got a glimpse through the trees and I have never seen a view like that without being on a plane. I felt instantly sick. As a rider myself, I knew the worse thing I could do was tense up or react so I'm muttering "You're a rucksack, you're a rucksack". I also knew that the rider had no idea it was there or where we were - he was so focused on his vanishing point and I wasn't about to point it out to him

[Skub]

For years I mostly carried pillion,Mrs.Skub was always on the rear seat and my commute to work was shared with a mate,his bike one week and mine the next. In the Winter we bought a hack to get us up and down. Both regular pillions were small and light,which was good. Some heavy person on the back is a bit crap.

These days Mrs.Skub has retired from the co-pilot perch and I don't commute to work,or ride in salty Winter weather,so the pillion thing is done for me. One of the first things I do to a new bike is to remove the pillion pegs and seat.

If I had to state a preference,it would be to ride solo,I like how a bike feels and there's only me to please. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss some of the aspects Mrs.Skub and I shared on the bikes,but times move on.

I have the dubious honour of losing a couple of pillions in my past,so maybe it's all for the good.

[cheb]

Neither, bikes are one person vehicles.

[Trinity765]

Once a pal got a sponsored Harley race deal.
So took me out for a giggle. We had pegs down everywhere and hands down on fast corners.
Very silly but was only 28.

Two up on a Bonneville (me pillion) the rider overtook some young power rangers on a downhill twisty with exhausts scrapping. Very silly - combined age of 90.

[Skub]

Two up on a Bonneville (me pillion) the rider overtook some young power rangers on a downhill twisty with exhausts scrapping. Very silly - combined age of 90.

Since the rider was only 20,that's excusable.

[Yorick]

Two up on a Bonneville (me pillion) the rider overtook some young power rangers on a downhill twisty with exhausts scrapping. Very silly - combined age of 90.

Since the rider was only 20,that's excusable.

I was thinking 17.

[mangocrazy]

I hate being a pillion and will do everything I can to avoid it. I vividly remember having to get a lift on my mate's ZX10R when my 350LC broke down in the wilds of Derbyshire. He scared the crap out of me (deliberately) and I still haven't entirely forgiven him for it.

Taking pillions - no problem. I prefer riding solo but can still get my rocks off two-up. It's one of the reasons I fit a hydraulic preload adjuster to any bike I own. Mrs Mango really likes riding pillion and she's very good - I hardly know she's there. She also confessed that she likes it when I scare her a bit.

But not too much...

Too much is probably when the LC seized on me last year two-up and we were THAT far away from a double highside into approaching traffic.

[asmethurst99]

Took a pillion for the first time in 17 years a few weeks ago - it was odd for a few seconds then ok - the pillion was a little (a lot ) overweight which didn’t help .Only went from Tower bridge down to Bow where his KTM had packed in but it was an adventure -
Mrs Smethurst will go pillion when I get a Top box she can rest against (so that’s never ).
I hated going Pillion and would sooner walk .

[KungFooBob]

90% of my riding these days is two up. If you've got the right bike a pillion makes very little difference.

Can't remember the last time I went pillion. My dad used to pick me up from Cadets on his A65.

[wull]

6th 180 I shut off.

So in other words……..you shat it!

[Count Steer]

My attitude to being a pillion is that you make all your decisions before you get on the bike. Once I'm on a bike as a pillion I'm trying to behave like a rucksack.

The only time I've really been scared is in the Pyrenees on a very, very twisty, high mountain road and for the majority of it my view was "blue, green, blue, green, blue green" but then I got a glimpse through the trees and I have never seen a view like that without being on a plane. I felt instantly sick. As a rider myself, I knew the worse thing I could do was tense up or react so I'm muttering "You're a rucksack, you're a rucksack". I also knew that the rider had no idea it was there or where we were - he was so focused on his vanishing point and I wasn't about to point it out to him

I've had the other version of that. Pair of us on a fully loaded K12LT going down (never have a problem going up) in the mountains, lots of scraping going on. Me looking at the drop thinking 'dontmessthisupdontmessthisuodontmessthisup....' while trying not to grip the bars too hard, grip with the knees, relax, read the bend..... 'weregonnadieweregonnadieweregonnadie...'

We get off, me soaked in sweat and legs a bit wobbly. Wife says 'Woohoo! Epic!!'

Never took the LT abroad again. (Sold it, got a sports tourer, sold it got a GT ).

[Taipan]

Won't go pillion and don't take them either. That said, the wife has been on a couple of times, but would be very reluctant to go on again. She couldn't be less interested in bikes tbh. As she says, why ruin my hair to be uncomfortable and exposed to the elements when we have perfectly good cars. She really doesn't get bikes, which I certainly don't mind as its something I get for myself, although I don't ride for pleasure these days.

[mangocrazy]

My attitude to being a pillion is that you make all your decisions before you get on the bike. Once I'm on a bike as a pillion I'm trying to behave like a rucksack.

The only time I've really been scared is in the Pyrenees on a very, very twisty, high mountain road and for the majority of it my view was "blue, green, blue, green, blue green" but then I got a glimpse through the trees and I have never seen a view like that without being on a plane. I felt instantly sick. As a rider myself, I knew the worse thing I could do was tense up or react so I'm muttering "You're a rucksack, you're a rucksack". I also knew that the rider had no idea it was there or where we were - he was so focused on his vanishing point and I wasn't about to point it out to him

I've had the other version of that. Pair of us on a fully loaded K12LT going down (never have a problem going up) in the mountains, lots of scraping going on. Me looking at the drop thinking 'dontmessthisupdontmessthisuodontmessthisup....' while trying not to grip the bars too hard, grip with the knees, relax, read the bend..... 'weregonnadieweregonnadieweregonnadie...'

We get off, me soaked in sweat and legs a bit wobbly. Wife says 'Woohoo! Epic!!'

Never took the LT abroad again. (Sold it, got a sports tourer, sold it got a GT ).

Yup, don't do altitude and steep drops well. OK(ish) on the way up, not at all on the way down...

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Girls with big tits make good pillions

[Bigyin]

My attitude to being a pillion is that you make all your decisions before you get on the bike. Once I'm on a bike as a pillion I'm trying to behave like a rucksack.

The only time I've really been scared is in the Pyrenees on a very, very twisty, high mountain road and for the majority of it my view was "blue, green, blue, green, blue green" but then I got a glimpse through the trees and I have never seen a view like that without being on a plane. I felt instantly sick. As a rider myself, I knew the worse thing I could do was tense up or react so I'm muttering "You're a rucksack, you're a rucksack". I also knew that the rider had no idea it was there or where we were - he was so focused on his vanishing point and I wasn't about to point it out to him

My missus used to be referred to as "my little blonde rucksack" when she was pillion on my Zx636 as there was feck all on the bike for her to hold onto so we got one of the belts with handles and instead of having them at the back reversed it so they were at the front. This meant she could have both arms round my waist but on braking could put one hand against the tank to brace. Considering she had never been on a bike before she met me she is a superb pillion and leans at exactly the right time and just goes with whatever i am doing. We did a couple of tours with the VD lot and even with her on the back we could keep up and pass some of the solo riders.

On the bigger ADV bikes she has a topbox to rest against which makes things easier but she doesnt liek it as much and openly admits to missing the screaming noise of the 600 and always thought the 1150GS was never going to make an overtake as the engine sounded so gutless. The Multi is a lot quicker but she has barely been on it but has said she will join me more often to get back into it again

I havent been pillion on a bike for about 30 years so can barely remember what it was like although i used to enjoy it at the time, i doubt i would now