Are You Ready For A Passenger?
I can still remember the first time I had a passenger on the back of my motorcycle. I was riding a 1999 Kawasaki Nina 500R at the time (a classic beginner motorcycle- read our Kawasaki Ninja 500R review here), which was just barely big enough for me (I was 6’2″ and 265 lbs at the time). When my passenger, my 115 lb girlfriend, got on the back the motorcycle the suspension dropped a fair bit at the rear. It was like riding a completely different motorcycle.
Looking back on it, I definitely was not ready to have a passenger. It was my first season riding the Kawasaki Ninja 500R, and while I had been riding for a few weeks, I was not as comfortable as I should have been given the responsibility that comes with having another person on the back of your motorcycle.
“Am I Ready for a Passenger on my Motorcycle?”
This is the question you should be asking yourself before you allow another person to get on the back of your motorcycle. Regardless of what your riding (though especially true of any of the beginner motorcycles you’ll find listed on this website) you will find that the moment you throw a passenger into the mix it will completely reshape how your motorcycle accelerates, brakes, handles, and “feels”.
Obviously, this is due to the passengers extra weight. However, it is also due to the fact that having another person behind you changes the position that you are forced to ride in. Most bikes are designed with the rider in mind, with a passenger being an afterthought.
If you have never had a passenger on your motorcycle before, as a new rider you can expect a few things to happen:
- Turning the motorcycle becomes much more difficult - One of the biggest factors in a proper turn (the lean in) can become a huge problem if your passenger isn’t ready and comfortable with it. If you lean and your passenger doesn’t your bike won’t behave as you’re expecting.
- You will have oodles of traction on the rear wheel, but less traction on the front wheel - Having all of that weight over top of the rear wheel will give you excellent traction on the rear (great for accelerating), but it will mean that there’s less weight on the front wheel.
- Your fuel economy will suffer - More weight requires the engine to do more work. This will hurt fuel economy, though likely not by a dramatic margin.
- The motorcycle will react more “sluggish” than you’re used to - A motorcycle that is usually nimble and easy to manipulate will become much heavier – and harder to manoeuvre – once you have another person on it.
The Motorcycle Passenger Checklist
Assuming that you’ve been riding for at leastone full season, and that you’ve got plenty of riding time under your belt, there are things that you can do to ensure that when you finally take on a passenger that it doesn’t result in you dumping your motorcycle. The checklist below is a brief version of the one found in the MotoLearn.com riding guide.
- Both you and your passenger have full protective gear - Don’t skimp out to try and look “cool”. Make sure you’re riding ATGATT. At the very least make sure that you’re both wearing a helmet and a motorcycle jacket.
- Your passenger is aware of how to be a good passenger - Ensure that your passenger knows to lean into corners with you, to cling to you during acceleration, turning, and braking, and to not move around on the back of the motorcycle.
- Your motorcycle is ready for a passenger - Make sure that all of your fluids are topped up and that your tires are properly inflated. As well, never have a passenger ride on the back of your motorcycle unless you have a rear passengers seat installed!
Good luck, and be extra careful when riding with a passenger. If you go down on your own you only have to worry about yourself; if you go down with a passenger you now have two people to worry about.
Related posts:
Category: Learn To Ride A Motorcycle, Motorcycle Articles
