The Guide to the Pillion Ride
In this section you will find two guides that will help you with that ultimate pillion ride:
- The Guide to being a good pillion, with tips and questions to ask the rider
- The Guide to riding well with a pillion, with tips and a checklist for your bike
The Guide to being a Good Pillion
The secret to being a good pillion is to almost mimic the rider, relax and enjoy the ride. Riding with your partner or a mate can be one of the most fun things you can do, but it can be that much more enjoyable if you follow a few standard rules. The guide is all you need to become the perfect pillion ride
- ALWAYS wear a helmet that is securely fastened and fits properly. A helmet should be a snug fit; it should not be possible to twist it around on your head. The strap should be pulled as tight as you can get it. This is even more important on a pillion ride.
- Wear protective clothing (Read my page on pillion gear for more detail)
- Always ask your rider how they want you to get on the bike. Common practice is to extend your right leg over the seat, and then slide gently up onto the seat. Put your feet on the foot pegs and you are ready to ride!
- Straddle the bike facing forward, don’t try sitting side saddle or backwards
- Keep your feet on the foot peddles at all times. (Foot peddles are crucial to a comfortable pillion ride.)
- Always hold onto either the rider (waist strap or around their waist) or onto the grab rails.
- Do not hold on to the rider’s shoulders or arms, which can interfere with their control, and especially do not try to use any strap that may be attached to the seat. This will not be a steady grip for you and it will affect the motorcycle's stability.
- If you are holding on to the rider during acceleration then it is easier to steady yourself.
- Keep your body inline with the rider – find synergy with their movements to become the ultimate pillion rider.
- Try and stay as neutral as possible when leaning into corners, mimicking your driver’s position. It is important to not shift your weight suddenly in the corner. If the motorcycle is turning right, look over the rider's right shoulder; if it is turning left, look over the rider's left shoulder.
- If you do want to look behind you make sure you only move from the waist up, twisting your legs can make the bike unstable and difficult to control.
- Wear the right protective clothing.
- Only get on and off the motorcycle when the rider says so.
- Do not give hand signals to other drivers.
- Try not to fidget at low or high speeds.
- Expect the unexpected. Watch the road so your can anticipate acceleration or braking. Also act as another pair of eyes for the rider. This really can make the difference in being invited again to enjoy a pillion ride.
- If you are doing long distance riders make sure that you have upper and lower pillion pegs to rest your feet on.
- It is best not to move around too much as a passenger but sometimes after sitting still it is impossible not to. I find that the best time for a pillion to do so for the rider is when you’re on a straight as this is when the bike is most stable. You can also move once the bike has come to a stand still in traffic but the rider might not be ready for it and lose their footing. Do not ever move when cornering, going around a bend or when slowing down.
If you are serious about becoming a pillion rider, I would recommend reading "Motorcycle Roadcraft: The Police Rider's Handbook", used by U.K. motorcycle police for training. The narration forces the rider to observe what is happening, because, as the book says "if you do not know something is there, you cannot react to it."
| Highly Rated Books | See Also | |
Questions to ask the rider:
- Getting off the bike: Confirm who will get off first, which side you should get off and whether you should use the footrest as a step
- On the bike: Confirm where should you put your feet when riding (he should have pillion pegs or footrests), confirm that the rider can support the bike when stationary without your help. Also establish what you can hold onto (you should hold onto either the rider, the grab rail but your rider may even have grab handles which are great)
- Leaning for corners: Confirm what the rider wants you to do when leaning into corners
- Braking: Confirm where the driver wants you to support yourself during breaking
- Acceleration: If the bike does not have a passenger backseat make sure that you are both comfortable with you holding on tightly to the rider, as motorcycles accelerate more heavily than cars and you don’t want to fall off from the force
- Experience: Ensure that your rider has the right level of experience to be carrying a pillion. Check also that they are insured for carrying a pillion passenger
The Guide Riding Well When Carrying a Pillion
- ALWAYS provide your pillion rider with a helmet, and make sure the helmet is on correctly
- Make sure that your motorcycle is ‘pillion rider - friendly’. The seat should be large enough to hold the both of your comfortably and if it is not then you need to a get a detachable passenger seat. Your bike must also have foot pegs for the pillion
- Give your pillion complete instructions before you hit the road – no matter how experienced a pillion they are, every rider has a different style
- Confirm how you are going to communicate on the road
- If your pillion is inexperienced warn them about the hot areas on the bike like your exhaust
- Remember that with a passenger your motorcycle will most likely accelerate slower, take longer to stop and be more unstable slow speeds, when cornering and going round bends. Take extra care on a pillion ride
- Adjust to the passenger's weight before you accelerate too much. The extra load will change the way the motorcycle balances, turns, speeds up and slows down
- Keep more distance between yourself and vehicles on either side of you. Look for larger gaps whenever when in traffic
- Warn your passenger when you intend to start moving, stop quickly, turn sharply or ride over a bump, and direct them to hold on tight whenever you're approaching surface problems or are about to start from a stop
What must I check on the motorcycle before a pillion ride?
- Tyres – Check you motorcycle manual for the suggested tyre pressure when about to embark on the pillion ride
- Suspension – Adjust your rear suspension to balance the extra weight - Check your owner’s manual about this
- Mirrors – Your mirrors might have to be adjusted slightly for a view
- Headlights – With the extra weight the bike might sit closer to the ground so your headlights might need adjusting
I found an excellent article on the pillion ride, if you are interested in further reading. Good luck – sharing your view on a pillion ride can be the ultimate riding experience!
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