Riding 2 up
i was hoping for a pic of hubby riding b**** . lol sorry helping you practice. definitely start with some one around the same size as you or smaller. new passengers can get squirrely fast. i have a pre trip briefing that i run thru before the trip. that has been pretty much covered here.
one thing im not sure if it has been covered but under heavy breaking the passengers weight is not only going to effect braking distance. but be prepared for them to lean on you and your arms and hands are going to have to support the extra weight
does the harley training course have something for riding 2up?
one thing im not sure if it has been covered but under heavy breaking the passengers weight is not only going to effect braking distance. but be prepared for them to lean on you and your arms and hands are going to have to support the extra weight
does the harley training course have something for riding 2up?
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 4,777
Likes: 2,771
From: Out West
Thank you all for the responses.
Yes, I can flat foot the bike.
Yes, I have a passenger backrest.
I would be 2 up with women/wives. My poor husband would have the men/husbands with him 🤦♀️.
My husband is 62 230. I would love to see both of us going down the highway with him on the back...all joking aside, I have several friends that are women that are experienced passengers I can ask to ride with me. That is a great suggestion. I have been a passenger since I was 15. The experience of the passenger makes a world of difference. I will stick with letting my husband take the newbies for rides.
Thanks everyone!
Dana
Yes, I can flat foot the bike.
Yes, I have a passenger backrest.
I would be 2 up with women/wives. My poor husband would have the men/husbands with him 🤦♀️.
My husband is 62 230. I would love to see both of us going down the highway with him on the back...all joking aside, I have several friends that are women that are experienced passengers I can ask to ride with me. That is a great suggestion. I have been a passenger since I was 15. The experience of the passenger makes a world of difference. I will stick with letting my husband take the newbies for rides.
Thanks everyone!
Dana
I can count on one hand the number of men I would allow to ride 2 up with me. Three...and they're all my sons. Any other male will need his own motorcycle or he can call an Uber.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 4,816
Likes: 1,320
From: Good roads, cold beer
have not read whole thread.
Stopping distance w/ a passenger on board does not 'double' it triples.
Center of gravity of the bike shifts too, maneuvering can become significantly different (to me).
Also, if you carry a passenger who has no health insurance and you crash and they get injured, you can be liable. Worth getting ahead of as life happens.
Stopping distance w/ a passenger on board does not 'double' it triples.
Center of gravity of the bike shifts too, maneuvering can become significantly different (to me).
Also, if you carry a passenger who has no health insurance and you crash and they get injured, you can be liable. Worth getting ahead of as life happens.
Cruiser
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 106
Likes: 67
From: Indianapolis, IN
Make sure your tire pressures are set for the proper weight of rider and passenger (squashed tires are not a good thing; for proper grip) and also take into account longer acceleration and stopping distances. If you can, practice with friends that are experienced passengers.
Ride safe.
JS2
Ride safe.
JS2
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 6,185
Likes: 2,134
From: W. Texas
I was wondering about this as well.
The men for me 3 as well, 2 sons and 1 23 yr old grandson.
I'm not sure they would even ask nowadays.
WP
The men for me 3 as well, 2 sons and 1 23 yr old grandson.
I'm not sure they would even ask nowadays.
WP
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 9,980
Likes: 5,218
From: Michigan
While we were in TN we decided to go out for dinner and one of my cousin's b-i-l asked if he could come with us>
We'd had a couple of beers bby then and the b-i-l was ome of those guys that could NOT drink well at all and for him a couple of beers would be comparable to one of us having a 6-pack!
Anyway, when we got ready to go the b-i-l got on the back of my cousin's Super-Glide and we were off!
We were taking some scenic back country roads that were hilly and curvy and it was hilarious watching the b-i-l leaning over (to the right) and trying to look his b-i-l in the eyes as they were "puttin'" down the road! At one point, they his a pretty good bump and I thought for sure that the b-i-l was going to bounce off of the rear seat of that bike!
The thing that really made this ride so memorable was that when my cousin came up to a stop sign and was getting ready to put his feet down, his b-i-l quickly switched from leaning to the right over to the left and they almost tipped over! Me and my other cousin were laughing so hard that we had tears in our eyes
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 44,851
Likes: 29,823
From: PNW
You're obviously a skilled rider if you can handle a big bike. You should have no issues with a lightweight passenger as long as they know how to be a passenger. The toughest part is at parking lot speeds and stopping. What I did learn when riding with a passenger on a Harley is that the back brake is the one you want to use coming to a stop - no front brake once you are slowed to a crawl. Which means balance is critical and a strong left leg helps.
Cheryl used to ride on the back of one of her girlfriend's bikes. Never had an issue.
Cheryl used to ride on the back of one of her girlfriend's bikes. Never had an issue.
Road Captain
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 722
Likes: 374
From: Daytona
Lots of good info here but, let me add, riding with a passenger that is bigger than you can be a handful. I have brought my dad to or from 5be H-D dealer to pick up his bike from a service appointment. I’m 5’9” 170 and he was 6’2” 230. It was eye opening to say the least........WIDE open at times. 🤪
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Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 4,912
Likes: 8,987
From: SoCal
No personal experience, but the Ride Like A Pro video has some stuff about riding two up in it, might be helpful, and it's worth watching anyway. www.ridelikeapro.com. Best 20 bucks you could spend, and it is now downloadable so you get it immediately.
If you do decide to ride two up, make sure you get the t-shirt:
If you do decide to ride two up, make sure you get the t-shirt:
Last edited by crtfibl; Jan 11, 2021 at 02:08 AM.