re need advice for riding with someone on pillion in article c t dsc well sf ca us rwert well sf ca us bob wert writes i need some advice on having someone ride pillion with me on my ninja this will be the the first time i ve taken anyone for an extended ride read farther than around the block we ll be riding some twisty fairly bumpy roads the mines road mt hamilton loop for you sf bay areans communication work out your own system or just slow down and holler back every once in a while at reasonable speeds even on my under muffled magna we can hear each other it s only above say mph that you can t really communicate balance new passengers are a real pain because you never know how they re going to react to steering some people catch on immediately and lean with me others are completely skittish about the leaning thing and keep their bodies perpendicular to the horizon this is a pain while turning but manageable the worst are the passengers who stay perpendicular to the horizon then remember in the middle of a turn and whip around until they re in the correct position this always screws up the line i ve picked out here s my personal checklist of things to tell passengers attire helmet long pants boots heavy shoes jacket keep feet on pegs at all times unless i say otherwise do not get on off unless i say you can i ve had people try to dismount in traffic just as i m pulling in to a parking space muffler gets hot nuff said we get good traction we re not going to fall over many first time riders are surprised by how tightly you can turn turn dynamics sit so that you feel like you re sitting upright and we re going straight trust your butt not your eyes if you re confused close your eyes for a couple of turns to get the feel of it or just hug me tight please no sudden moves shift your weight as desired but be gradual so i can compensate your faceplate is yours to open close as desired trust is essential trust the driver me to do the right thing i ve driven many miles on this thing and know how to operate it enjoy the ride this is important to stress for example one of my first time passwngers seemed to watch the speedo like a hawk i drove her to the beach down and whever we topped mph she d holler slow down i m scared i humored her for a while then simply covered the speedometer with the spare piece of duct tape i keep stuck to the top of the cluster problem solved she watched the scenery instead of the instruments and had a much better time based on her experience driving a lincoln continental she was unwilling to trust my ability to choose a safe speed for the bike usually i ll point out the controls engine transmission brakes tires etc and discuss motorcycle physics a bit too for first timers helps calm their nerves and gives the bike a chance to warm up watch out for gravel on the mt hamilton road there were lots of little mudslides after the last big rain by now many of the blind corners will be nicely covered with a carpet of little round nearly invisible stones it doesn t help build trust when you slide out on a blind corner on the first trip good luck have fun don t drink soap dilute dilute ok
