Riding 2-up, how is it?

[itch808]

A little history on myself, been riding for ~10yrs+. Rode lots of supersports. Did some track racing and finally took a break from riding. Got back on a FZ-07 with no intentions of taking my wife with me. Surprisingly she took to the new bike better than I expected. She hated riding in back on SS. Now that we're doing more riding together looking for something that is still fun, comfortable (for two), good luggage, and can go the distance without killing your body. I'm very interested in the FJ-09 and was wondering how is life with a passenger?

[alejandro]

First, I'll say that in terms of space and seat comfort, the FJ-09 is IMO really very good. I think the pillion seat is almost TOO big--I like to feel my passenger snuggling against my back, that's half the fun, and there's just too much space for that! Although on a longer ride or at higher outdoor temps, I might have a different inclination...
 
I am 5'10" (I can flat-foot with just a slight bend in my knees), and weigh 180 lbs without gear. Add jackets and boots, and the topcase with maybe a laptop and shoes in it. Stock suspension calibration is too stiff in the back, and there's not quite enough weight over the front wheel. Slide forward on the seat and grip the tank like a sports bike, and things feel a bit more balanced front/back. The traction/wheelie control prevents the front-end lightness from being a real problem unless you are riding at eight-tenths+.
 
Add a ~150+ lb pillion and suddenly the rear suspension calibration makes more sense...but the rear weight bias becomes even more pronounced, and the front feels even more light. And again, wheelie control saves the day, unless you are determined to ride really aggressively.
 
In summary:
 
Lots of space for 2-up. Great for moderately-aggresive riding. Weight bias makes it not ideal IMO for aggressive 2-up riding--in this case you might be better off on a bike more like an FJR or something. But an FJR is a whole other ball of wax in terms of city riding, parking, etc.
 
These were my needs:
 
- powerful, torquey, easy to ride, not boring
- regular short highway trips/commuting (up to 45 minutes), sometimes in stop-and-go traffic
- regular bombing around the city, parking, parking garages, etc.
- occasional 2-up miscellaneous
- occasional 1-up touring (up to 6 hour riding days), including luggage
- low maintenance, not too fragile, easy service at any metric shop
- not too much of a theft target
 
After a year, I'm still convinced I got the right bike for me.
 
For occasional 2-up, it's great. Although for 2-up in the city, it's a little top-heavy and tippy for my relatively short inseam. Again, I can flat-foot but not with much to spare, and I always ride with a top-case.
 
If I were doing a lot of 2-up touring I might want more of a heavy-weight touring bike that would be less top-heavy and/or I might skip the top case and use the side cases more. But this would be WAY less fun in the city.
 
Hope this helps.

[alejandro]

PS all of this is with stock suspension calibration. Depending on your willingness/ability to change the calibration and/or lower the front end a bit, you might be able to tailor things to suit your needs better.
 
Opinions vary greatly on the adequacy of the stock suspension calibration and hardware. Read through this thread, for example:
 
http://fj-09.org/post/45022/thread
 
I ride a little aggressively in the city, but fairly conservatively on the highway, and to be honest, when I ride the twisties, I'm pretty mellow too. For me, the stock suspension is fine. But if I had road-racing experience, I might feel differently.

[xlxr]

The biggest mistake and most common complaint is from guys who load up with two up weight and luggage and then try to ride at triple digit speeds and complain about high speed wobbles. Based on reports of other guys, two up touring is fine, if you set up suspension properly to keep weight on the front tire, and keep you speeds close to legal speeds. I set up a sissy bar with back rest for my wife's comfort.

[britelitebob]

The biggest mistake and most common complaint is from guys who load up with two up weight and luggage and then try to ride at triple digit speeds and complain about high speed wobbles. Based on reports of other guys, two up touring is fine, if you set up suspension properly to keep weight on the front tire, and keep you speeds close to legal speeds. I set up a sissy bar with back rest for my wife's comfort.

If I tried to go triple digit speeds with my wife on board a speed wobble is the last thing I'd be worried about, she'd strangle me.

[itch808]

Thanks alejandro! Your post answers pretty much everything I was hoping to hear. It sounds like we are both looking for pretty similar things. And yes, with the wifey in back I don't attempt to it triple digit speeds. I ride pretty mellow on highways. I'm in NYC so I HAVE to ride aggressive in the city to avoid being killed. The FJR was on our list but we were both less interested for a number of reasons. We are planning to move soon to a city less crazy and buy our first house and some cars soon. A $15k+ bike didn't excite her. Secondly the heft and size didn't excite me. I wanted something agile and maneuverable. My FZ-07 is amazing in the city for this reason and I feel not much will be lost in this regard with the FJ-09. The FJR1300 will NOT compare in this regard but will probably be a dream on long highway rides. Adequate storage is a necessity! Currently I have two soft 21L saddlebags and 25L tank bag, hard bags with the FJ or more space with a top rack would be excellent. I'm definitely exceeding the weight limits of my FZ-07 fully loaded. It's too bad no dealers here in NY will allow test rides. I'll basically have to buy without every riding it.

[buz11]

This is the latest thread on 2up and just went for ride with wife using new Sargent backrest. It was terrific, much better handling than on my VStrom 650 thanks to lower seat height and more available power, never had to push. With Calsci medium windshield & Xcreen deflector wind protection was great. The Sargent backrest is pricey but easy to install/remove and fits bike style perfectly. Wife loved how adjustable it was, the rear seat provides more room than expected so she wanted backrest forward. One other detail--when she steps on the bike using my pegs, there's very little pull to that side which made her comfortable. 
 
 

[baretta]

i just had the wife on the bike for the first time since i bought it. on the backroads and higher speed stuff the bike was great. i found the stock suspensions settings caused a lot of dive and squat when in traffic. i also found due to the higher seat height compared to my last bike the weight shifting was much more noticeable and i needed to be extra careful when stopped at a light that she didn't move and cause the bike to shift quickly.
 
overall i think it would need some suspension adjustment to make it a better 2 upper, but it was pretty comfortable, at least compared to my sport bike.

[heffe]

I recently sold my 09' CBR1000RR to get a more passenger longer riding bike. The FJ-09 seemed to jump out as the only real option.
 
After a few rides, the wife didn't complain at all, I don't like the stock seat for longer than about 2 hours. The handling on stock settings is a bit soft, so I adjusted them and it's a big improvement. So far I'm only a few hundred miles on it and still in the break in period so I haven't really been riding super serious yet, but I have a feeling I won't be disappointed.
 
I went ahead and ordered the sargent seat from and rear. Should be here this week, I can update on that once I get a ride on them.

[upshift]

I just bought a 2015 FJ this week and took it out with a pillion passenger for a ~6-hour day ride through some twisty mountain roads (Whistler, BC) yesterday. The report from the rear was that the seat was quite comfy and the ride was much smoother than the Kawasaki Versys 650 that I owned previously. I found 2-up riding on the FJ really easy, with plenty of power and great balance, even at low speeds (nb: we rode in B-mode a lot, as I'm still getting used to the throttle response).
 
Overall, first impressions are that the FJ is a very functional bike for 2-up riding.

[zimbob]

I found a tribal seat cover on ebay. IT fits over the the rear seat.Its an anti slip cover that really helps the passenger stay in place especially when you need to hit the brakes.I also have the givi top mount luggage with the back rest.Its another thing to make the ride more comfortable.

[yamahafjrider]

The FJ-09 handles well 2 up. This summer, we managed to drag the center stand on both sides. My wife likes the rear seat and instructed me "do not change it". About 300 miles, in a day is her limit. The FJ-09 is her favorite bike so far.
 
Kurt

[alejandro]

This summer, we managed to drag the center stand on both sides.

I'm impressed. I haven't even dragged it solo. And I'm pretty sure my GF would kill me if we ever cornered that hard with her on board.

[steve4658]

Just completed a 2500 mile two up trip to France. Bike was superb. Carried me the wife and luggage no problems at all,around the Alps and handled really well. Great at motorway speeds 80 mph plus and in the twistes of the route napoleon.

[hawkeye]

This summer, we managed to drag the center stand on both sides.

I'm impressed. I haven't even dragged it solo. And I'm pretty sure my GF would kill me if we ever cornered that hard with her on board.

I did this about the 3rd time riding 2-up on the FJ. She's such a good passenger that I started cornering a little more aggressively than I typically do and was greeted with the unsettling (satisfying?) sound of metal scraping asphalt twice. To her credit, she said she was having a blast. She finds the FJ way more comfortable than any bike she's been on previously, thanks to the Corbin seat with passenger backrest.