How long did you ride single, before you felt comfortable to ride two up?

I've rode and race MX for over 30 years. I've ridden my bride numerous times on my dirt bike, but..............................................t his ain't no DIRT BIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

about 30 days.... any more...and I would have been running solo....permanently.....[sm=escape.gif]

 

It really varies from rider to rider. You've been on two wheels long enough to know when you're comfortable.

There will be a learning curve for both you and your passenger. There have been a number of very good posts regarding aclimating to two-up riding. You'll definitely want to spend an hour or two in a big EMPTY parking lot before you venture out too far. The time spent up front will prove invaluable later.

Do a search in this forum for riding two-up or riding with passenger or practice with passenger. THere are a ton of great tips and suggestions in this forum for your exact question.

Be careful & HAVE FUN!

 

My wife wanted on the bike right away, so I didn't have much time to practice. There were a couple of hiccups along the way. I've ridden bikes my whole life, but the Harley requires getting used to due to the enormous weight. It took me two months to where I really felt confident traveling at slow speeds with a passenger. AFter you get going, it's not a problem. Riding around in parking lots and stop and go traffic is a lot more challenging with two up. I practiced slow speed manuevers such as U-turns. DON'T use the front brake during slow maneuvers, esp. if you're turning the wheel. The bike will go down. Get the "Ride Like a Pro" video (do web search). It's got some good procedures to work on to get the bike under control. Don't put your foot down when the bike's moving or you'll risk knee or ankle injury.

When riding two up, concentrate on smoothness. My wife doesn't mind acceleration but hates jerky stops. Realize you need more distance to brake. Use front and rear brakes together and just before the stop use only the rear and come up to a stop nice and smooth. Practice makes perfect.

 

After you are comfortable/proficient riding solo.

She needs practise too...put her on a bar stool and rock her around for a while.
If she leans, throw her to the ground. Kinda like a team building exercise.

 

After you are completely comfortable riding on your own-that includes doing very slow u-turns in both directions. Like said above get the Ride Like a Pro DVD-invaluable info.

 

When I took the riders edge course I asked the instructor how long I should wait before taking a passenger. He told me 5 thousand miles. Now I am not sure if he really meant it, but that is what I told my wife. So now that I am at 2500 miles I am half way there. Since our bikes weigh so much it doesn’t hurt to wait.