need advice on two up riding
Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 155
Likes: 0
From:
RE: need advice on two up riding
ORIGINAL: BERRYP
She has to lean into the turns or your gona have trouble with the bike. You just have to get use to the weight change to the bike once you do that you should be fine.
She has to lean into the turns or your gona have trouble with the bike. You just have to get use to the weight change to the bike once you do that you should be fine.
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 447
Likes: 0
From:
RE: need advice on two up riding
My wife rides her own V-Rod, so she's not often on the back, but when she is, I always ask her to let me know when she's going to be moving around. One time at a stoplight, a female friend of mine was on the back, and when she reached down to adjust something on her shoe she nearly took us both down.
Road Master
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,121
Likes: 13
From: NWFL
RE: need advice on two up riding
YOu don't need anymore advice; but:
make sure she is comfortable
She leans the same way you do
My wife likes the full face helmet, minimizes wind in the eyes -- don't want to mess up the makeup
make sure you know when she's getting on and off.
Always lean left when stopping -- well, 99.9% of the time
We do a lot of trips, don't push for too many miles per day.
Join the local Goldwing Road Riders Assocation (GWRRA)- they have free Motorcycle Safety Foundation courses (versus couple hundred bucks!!) and it includes 2 up training.
make sure she is comfortable
She leans the same way you do
My wife likes the full face helmet, minimizes wind in the eyes -- don't want to mess up the makeup
make sure you know when she's getting on and off.
Always lean left when stopping -- well, 99.9% of the time
We do a lot of trips, don't push for too many miles per day.
Join the local Goldwing Road Riders Assocation (GWRRA)- they have free Motorcycle Safety Foundation courses (versus couple hundred bucks!!) and it includes 2 up training.
Intermediate
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 47
Likes: 0
From:
RE: need advice on two up riding
I bought an Ultra last summer. I wouldn't let my wife on it until I spent some serious time with water softner salt strapped to the back seat so I could get the feel for the added weight.I put 3 bags on. The neighbors thought I had a delivery service. I then took her around a parking lot until she got the feel of turning. She says it is a lot like dancing only this time she lets me lead.
Give her a serious talk about not slipping off of the foot pegs when she wants to shift weight. Wehaven't had the problem but I watched another bike go down because the passenger slipped off of the peg. She needs to be especially sure she is not moving around just before or at a stop.
Give her a serious talk about not slipping off of the foot pegs when she wants to shift weight. Wehaven't had the problem but I watched another bike go down because the passenger slipped off of the peg. She needs to be especially sure she is not moving around just before or at a stop.
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 382
Likes: 0
From: Long Beach, Ca.
RE: need advice on two up riding
kingtut73
i plan to ride the bike for a good month to get the feel.only until im ready ill ask her to ride with me.
to all you HD two up pros, im looking for any words of wisdom
btw heres my last bike and you'll see what i mean
[IMG]local://upfiles/27553/779B7AA562BC4DBB90D9BF5644E656F8.jpg[/IMG]
i plan to ride the bike for a good month to get the feel.only until im ready ill ask her to ride with me.
to all you HD two up pros, im looking for any words of wisdom
btw heres my last bike and you'll see what i mean
[IMG]local://upfiles/27553/779B7AA562BC4DBB90D9BF5644E656F8.jpg[/IMG]
Banned
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,301
Likes: 4
From:
RE: need advice on two up riding
By all means take the safety course and get some one up practice on bike to see how it feels and handles.
Also go buy a 70 pound bag of sand.
Wrap it in a towel or blanket to protect seat.
Lay it down flat on seat and practice turns leaning etc at slow speed
like in a parking lot. Tie it down of course.
Then do the same with the bag standing up.
I say this as even though the bag is lighter than her it is compact and heavy enough to change handling characteristics of bike, but it WON"T move around.
Be sure to readjust the rear shock pressure.
As far as her leaning into the turn.
I would say no to that, at least at first, untl you and her are both used to the bike.
You need to have a good feel of it with her on, you should control
how the bike should handle.
After you and her have a good feel, then try with her leaning.
My girl friends have always just stayed planted back in the back rest.
Let me control the bike. After all it's a touring bike not a racer.
Normally yourturns won't be that sharp or time sensitive or at high speeds.
If she happens to lean too far and throws bike off balance you will have to counter it.
So in the end practice, practice, practice
Also go buy a 70 pound bag of sand.
Wrap it in a towel or blanket to protect seat.
Lay it down flat on seat and practice turns leaning etc at slow speed
like in a parking lot. Tie it down of course.
Then do the same with the bag standing up.
I say this as even though the bag is lighter than her it is compact and heavy enough to change handling characteristics of bike, but it WON"T move around.
Be sure to readjust the rear shock pressure.
As far as her leaning into the turn.
I would say no to that, at least at first, untl you and her are both used to the bike.
You need to have a good feel of it with her on, you should control
how the bike should handle.
After you and her have a good feel, then try with her leaning.
My girl friends have always just stayed planted back in the back rest.
Let me control the bike. After all it's a touring bike not a racer.
Normally yourturns won't be that sharp or time sensitive or at high speeds.
If she happens to lean too far and throws bike off balance you will have to counter it.
So in the end practice, practice, practice
Tourer
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 475
Likes: 4
From: Trussville, Al
RE: need advice on two up riding
All very sound advice.
In the last 21 months a put over 20K on my Ultra. I would say 70 - 80% has been 2 up.
I NEVER give my wife a hard time or guilt her into riding. If she doesn't "feel" like riding, fine, she doesn't ride.
I'm more of the "stay put in the seat" school than lean. I actually can rag on myself here. One of her first rides with me I said, Stay put, don't be moving around. If something happens give me the chance to ride out oftrouble. I was almost joking when I said, "If we go down I want you still on the bike".
Not two weeks after that we are pulling into a bike only place with grass/dirt parking. As I'm turning to park the front-end washed out in what turned out to bewet soilbelow the grass. We were only going about 5 mph and stopped really quick. I looked back at her and said, you can get off now. She later told me she never knewanything happened until she realized she could touch the ground with her left foot before dismount.
She has ridden enough now to know that she too needs to be alert when we come to an intersection or stopping.
Most of all ENJOY the time with your wife!
In the last 21 months a put over 20K on my Ultra. I would say 70 - 80% has been 2 up.
I NEVER give my wife a hard time or guilt her into riding. If she doesn't "feel" like riding, fine, she doesn't ride.
I'm more of the "stay put in the seat" school than lean. I actually can rag on myself here. One of her first rides with me I said, Stay put, don't be moving around. If something happens give me the chance to ride out oftrouble. I was almost joking when I said, "If we go down I want you still on the bike".
Not two weeks after that we are pulling into a bike only place with grass/dirt parking. As I'm turning to park the front-end washed out in what turned out to bewet soilbelow the grass. We were only going about 5 mph and stopped really quick. I looked back at her and said, you can get off now. She later told me she never knewanything happened until she realized she could touch the ground with her left foot before dismount.
She has ridden enough now to know that she too needs to be alert when we come to an intersection or stopping.
Most of all ENJOY the time with your wife!
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Cruiser
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 158
Likes: 0
From:
RE: need advice on two up riding
Lets see, I am 6"4 and weigh 250 lbs. My wife is 5' ) and weight 100 lbs. Never know she is back there. The one thing I tell her is to hang on and always be in a position to be able to look over the shoulder that inside the turn.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
