How to prepare your bike for a pillion

by MotoGusto Editor

We love riding and naturally we wish to share our passion with others. The feeling when we lean to take each bend. While we might be prepared to take a pillion rider, are our bikes? Iñigo, from Riding Time, shows you what to check when preparing your motorbike for pillion riding.

I can clearly remember the first time I took someone as pillion on my bike, on a proper ride. Before my pillion arrived, I prepared myself, telling myself it would be fine, she will enjoy it and it will be a smooth ride with no incidents. I had already asked her to bring boots, jeans and a leather jacket. I provided her with a helmet and some gloves. But there was something I didn’t prepare, something I didn’t even think of… the bike!

At that time, I had a BMW F800S. I never thought a bike like that would need anything done to it to take a pillion. Well, I was wrong. After years of experience, I have learnt that the minimum change of load on the bike needs to be taken into consideration.

A pillion at the back not only means you can share your experiences; it means there will be some extra weight that will affect how your bike behaves. Obviously, the bigger and more powerful the bike is, the less it will be affected, but absolutely any bike is affected when it carries more weight on it.

The bike’s geometry changes

Issue – Taking a pillion with you means having more weight at the back which results in a lighter front end. A light front end is more delicate, it means the bike will respond applying less force to the handlebars and this will affect the bike’s stability.

Fix – Most of the modern bikes, if not all, allow for the rear suspension’s preload to be adjusted. This is the most basic setting in a suspension and it is used to prepare the suspension for the weight that will be supporting.

The aim of the preload is to make sure the geometry of the bike is not changed. With more load, we have to make the spring harder to compress. Some manufactures will specify what adjustments you have to do to your suspension when travelling alone or with a pillion so check your manual. But I recommend to find the adjustment where you are more comfortable as we don’t all weigh the same, nor do we carry pillions of the same weight.

Mirrors will need adjusting

Issue – This ties to the previous point. A lighter front means the mirrors may need readjusting.

Fix – Adjusting the mirrors is a simple thing to do but that will make a huge difference. Make sure you check you can see properly through them.

Lights point upwards

Issue – This ties to the first point again. A lighter front means the lights will be pointing upwards. You may notice the road is less illuminated in front of you and you may blind other drivers coming towards you.

Fix – Adjusting the suspension is the first step as it will avoid the geometry of the bike from changing too much. However, some bikes will allow you to adapt the height the lights point to.

More weight means more distance

Issue – The bigger the load on your bike, the longer your bike will take to accelerate — take extra precaution when overtaking! The same applies when braking — bear in mind you will travel more distance when braking with a pillion. Also, when braking, more weight will be transferred to the front wheel and this can cause loss of traction on uneven or slippery surfaces, so the key is to be extra smooth when slowing down. Another important point thing to do, is to check your tyres pressure. The manufacture will provide you with the values for riding solo or with a pillion for optimal performance. Not only can it be dangerous to ride with the wrong tyre pressures but, it will also impact the wear.

Fix – This applies to any situation on a motorbike, look forward, anticipate and be smooth. We cannot magically make the weight disappear but we can anticipate a situation to prepare an overtake or to reduce your speed before a hazard. Smoothness is also key, bear in mind you know what you are doing but your pillion will be taken by surprise if something sudden happens.

So, just a quick recap.

  • Check your tyre pressures
  • Adjust your suspension, mirrors and lights
  • Ride smoothly
  • Enjoy!

Don’t forget that your motorcycle is a really advanced and complex machine but it needs adjusting to suit different circumstances. With a few tweaks you can make sure you, your pillion and your bike are ready to safely enjoy a ride.

Can you think of anything else? Let us know in the comments section!

This article was kindly supplied by the guys at Riding Time.

#howto #motorcyclesetup #pillion #ridingtime #motogusto

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