Guest bmidd Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I may have to bite the bullet and remove them so she will continue riding with me.Wanted to also mention here that removing the grab handles is most likely illegal unless you completely remove the pillion and pillion pegs.Um, no. The pillion grab handle police will not show up on your doorstep. Have you ever in your life seen a sportbike? They don't have grab handles. Please limit your spread of misinformation on the Interwebz to other forums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dmizer Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Have you ever in your life seen a sportbike? They don't have grab handles. No grab handles, but the pillion has a grab strap. Having worked in the motorcycle production industry, I am not unfamiliar with these regulations. Furthermore, I also used the words "most likely", not "certainly". Most jurisdictions around the world require some method for the passenger to hold onto the bike, regardless of whether or not the local law enforcement decides to enforce the rule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member jimf Posted April 15, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted April 15, 2015 I had plannned to have Molly get on the bike before me and slide up to the passenger seat. That would also be a good way to make getting on with the top box easier as well.This is not a great idea. The only really good way to do this is with the bike on the center stand but since the rear wheel is off the ground, sliding from the driver's seat to the passenger seat will cause the bike to pivot onto the back wheel. An unsettling feeling, and potentially dangerous for your passenger. If you try to do this on the side stand, you could have disastrous (I'll never ride with you again) consequences trying to get the bike off the side stand with the weight of a passenger on the pillion. The correct, best, and safest method is for you to get on the bike, hold it steady, and have her mount the pillion like a horse rider mounts a horse, as root has described. This method works perfectly fine for my 155cm tall Japanese passenger on this bike. Hah! The "sit on the bike to support it while the pillion climbs on" approach really only works if you can get feet down on both sides of the bike. If you can't, you can't hold it with the weight shifts during climb-on. That makes your approach far more dangerous. I can only toe-down one side of the bike at a time. That means there are strategies I have to employ that may be imperfect, but still necessary. With my daughter (who is admittedly very light) I have her climb on with the bike on the sidestand, then I climb on and lift the bike. With her on the bike the lift isn't that difficult, her weight is fairly centered since she naturally balances vertically. She's not been on the FJ yet, but on the Daytona the added weight lowers the bike enough that I can foot down both sides and plant my foot pretty well for the lift. It works. If I were even a little shorter I think it would be trouble though. I've been doing this for years without incident. It takes some care, but it works out. 2015 FJ-09 (Mary Kate) 2007 Daytona 675 (Tabitha, ret.) 1998 Vulcan 800 (Ret.) 2001 SV650S (Veronica, Ret.) 2000 Intruder 800 (Ret.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
couter Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 I'll keep motivating her to go riding with me, I would never let her get on the bike without supporting it, ie, she got on the driver seat and slid up to passenger, I would still be hands on with the machine. I love my girl, and my bike, I prefer to avoid a bad situation if I can. I also try to think of how to explain things to my girlfriend that she "gets it" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
couter Posted May 7, 2015 Author Share Posted May 7, 2015 So riding two up has been really fun. Since my girl has started really getting into it, she egged me on to go for a ride with her to a local place that has a weekly bike night every wednesday. She questioned my manhood because its been raining in Denver just about all week, and I wasn't sure I wanted to. We did, and had a good time getting soaking wet. I gotta tell ya, riding this bike is just as fun with a passenger as it is without. Though if we start doing day trips together, I might have to get her some better gear. The rain was no fun, but the adventure of heading out to Quaker Steak and Lube for the first bike night of the year was well worth it. Its easy to tell who the die hard riders are when its raining and people still show up in the saddle., I was surprised there we about 30 bikes still. Yeah, so considering its not a pure bred touring bike like a Goldwing, I had no complaints at all. The fj rocks. Even in the rain. With a passenger. Hope yous guys are having as much fun riding twp up as I have Stay safe out there and keep the rubber side down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumbum Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 ...The correct, best, and safest method is for you to get on the bike, hold it steady, and have her mount the pillion like a horse rider mounts a horse...I always tell my passengers this. And whether or not they've ever been on a horse, they somehow immediately know how to get on the bike. *shrugs* Whatever works right? ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dmizer Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 I always tell my passengers this. And whether or not they've ever been on a horse, they somehow immediately know how to get on the bike. *shrugs* Whatever works right? ha Even if that doesn't work, a quick demonstration on your pilot pegs will suffice. Incidentally, since the bike is taller than all of my previous bikes, I've started to use this method for mounting the pilot as well. This helps me avoid that nasty knee crunch on the pillion grab bars and makes it loads easier when the pillion's loaded with luggage. On the other hand, it's been pointed out that it's not always possible to have the passenger mount the pillion on this way, especially if the pilot can't get both feet down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member johan Posted May 9, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted May 9, 2015 I always tell my passengers this. And whether or not they've ever been on a horse, they somehow immediately know how to get on the bike. *shrugs* Whatever works right? haEven if that doesn't work, a quick demonstration on your pilot pegs will suffice. Incidentally, since the bike is taller than all of my previous bikes, I've started to use this method for mounting the pilot as well. This helps me avoid that nasty knee crunch on the pillion grab bars and makes it loads easier when the pillion's loaded with luggage. On the other hand, it's been pointed out that it's not always possible to have the passenger mount the pillion on this way, especially if the pilot can't get both feet down. I don't like putting my weight on the side stand, but I might try this the next time I have my tail pack on. It makes it too high to swing my right leg over, and my knees are no longer flexible enough to fold my leg in half so my boot can pass in front of the tail pack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member johan Posted May 9, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted May 9, 2015 The first time is always kinda strange and something new to get used to. She's not keen on the idea, but I've got persistance! I hope this helps some of you guys and gals out there to at least try. Honestly, for someone who isn't sure... You never know until you try. Sometimes I scan through posts very quickly and my eyes caught the last few sentences of your post. Had me very worried for a moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
number8teen Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Could always get your gals the gift of an MSF course (or the equivalent riding course in other countries). . 2up is nice and all, but in my experience having your own bike is way more fun. Braaap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member jimf Posted May 9, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted May 9, 2015 Even if that doesn't work, a quick demonstration on your pilot pegs will suffice. Incidentally, since the bike is taller than all of my previous bikes, I've started to use this method for mounting the pilot as well. This helps me avoid that nasty knee crunch on the pillion grab bars and makes it loads easier when the pillion's loaded with luggage. I don't like putting my weight on the side stand, but I might try this the next time I have my tail pack on. It makes it too high to swing my right leg over, and my knees are no longer flexible enough to fold my leg in half so my boot can pass in front of the tail pack. I'm with you on that. Especially in full gear I have a lot of trouble getting my leg up and over, and with the bags on it's nearly impossible (and quite hilarious to anyone watching, I'm sure). I've been using the peg almost 100% of the time on the FJ, whereas on other bikes I only did it occasionally. 2015 FJ-09 (Mary Kate) 2007 Daytona 675 (Tabitha, ret.) 1998 Vulcan 800 (Ret.) 2001 SV650S (Veronica, Ret.) 2000 Intruder 800 (Ret.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumbum Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 I think getting on the pegs with the stand down is also bike dependent. My fz6 stand is incredibly short, it leans a ton, I'd never hop on that by the peg. My sisters zx6r is nearly level on the side stand and I don't mind standing on a peg with that guy. But since passenger pegs are higher up it MIGHT be more unstable. Im just thinking if the peg was a lever with respect to the side stand, there is a lot more length/torque so it would be more prone to moving the bike. Kind of like using a cheater bar when you can't undo a bolt, the extra length makes a difference. Maybe it would also depend on where the peg is with respect to the bikes center of mass.... ahhh this is all getting too technical, haha, use your best judgment lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member wessie Posted May 10, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted May 10, 2015 I can swing my leg over the Tracer without any difficulty - not tried with any luggage yet. On the Super Tenere, with side cases, I used the goose step & hop combination seen all across Europe by shortarses riding adventure bikes. As long as you do not raise your right arm too high it won't be misinterpreted... This signature is left blank as the poster writes enough pretentious bollocks as it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efjay Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 It's a slightly stretch but I can swing my leg over FJ fine. I always have sidestand on before I let my wife mount or dismount. Had no problem so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marind Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 I'm considering buying this bike and would love to have some feedback on overall feel of riding with 2 up and fully loaded side and top cases .. i mean, the two of us in full gear + luggage it's somewhere 200kg/450lbs? Not planning on changing/improving of the suspension, at least not now at the beginning .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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