Advice for Two up Riding ?

[bikerdude]

I have got myself a fatboy , 2009 stage 1.

Great bike , a lot heavier than I am used to though, & this leads to my question .

When riding 2 up I am fine with it all except at slow / walking pace speeds manouevering is a nightmare for me . Haven't dropped it yet , but been very close.

Do you guys have any advice for me , my pillion or both regarding how to handle the bike in these slow turns , slow corners , slow anything really

 

[ultrat]

me i picked up,, Ride like a pro. it made me a more confident rider. hope the plug is ok...

 

[The4opps1]

Some of the bigger HD's are heavy. I think the additional weight was the one, biggest factor when I moved up to my Ultra. My bride isn't a real two up enthusiast, meaning that 95% of the time, I ride solo. When she decides to join me, I recognize a few things: 1) although she is a petite gal, her weight on the tail end of the Ultra does make a difference. 2) yes, low speeds kind of make that bike just want to fall over. It's that whole Issac Newton thing, coupled with the centrifigal/centrepital force lecture that we all slept through in high school science. 3) It takes practice to master some skills, and a lot of practice to master others. 4) check out the self help section of this forum for some great ideas and suggestions. Good luck!

 

[TripleJ]

I would express the importance to your passenger about being very still while maneuvering slowly and while being stopped. No sudden movements by either the rider or passenger. Make the pillion as comfortable as possible as far as seating and footrest goes to eliminate the need to shift around while seated helps.

Also, in the event you do lose the war with gravity and the bike goes down the passenger should not attempt to put their feet down but should concentrate on not getting caught under the bike.

Take your time and you will be as comfortable with a passenger as without before you know it.

 

[horizonchaser]

I have an '03 Ultra. It weighs upwards of 900lbs. I weigh 220 and my wife has put on quite a bit of weight since were were married 32 years ago. With her sitting up high on seat it makes stopping and low speed maneuvering difficult. I am getting better at it but I'll be honest with you, I am nowhere near as smooth as I'd like to be. The absolute last thing that I want to do is endanger her welfare when we go riding. I just try to be super careful. I suppose you and I should take a riding course.

 

[dbmg]

One thing that is very important!!! Always look where you want to go. And try to stop in a straight line.
The safety course will definitely help and give you the confidence needed when riding a heavy bike which will also help carrying a passenger.

 

[R. Lewis]

I have got myself a fatboy , 2009 stage 1.

Great bike , a lot heavier than I am used to though, & this leads to my question .

When riding 2 up I am fine with it all except at slow / walking pace speeds manouevering is a nightmare for me . Haven't dropped it yet , but been very close.

Do you guys have any advice for me , my pillion or both regarding how to handle the bike in these slow turns , slow corners , slow anything really

As already stated - let your passenger know - " No sudden shift in position while back there and lean with me" . This may sound odd , but, if you can do this -
You pack a overnight / touring bag as full as you can - strap it on pillion seat as straight up and down as you can get it and practice in a parking lot or somewhere safe doing slow turns,stops,walking the scoot.

 

[Jim B.]

I would express the importance to your passenger about being very still while maneuvering slowly and while being stopped. No sudden movements by either the rider or passenger. Make the pillion as comfortable as possible as far as seating and footrest goes to eliminate the need to shift around while seated helps.

Also, in the event you do lose the war with gravity and the bike goes down the passenger should not attempt to put their feet down but should concentrate on not getting caught under the bike.

Take your time and you will be as comfortable with a passenger as without before you know it.

Also ask the passenger to lean with you in the direction of turns. And, the passenger should not get on or off the bike until you indicate that it is o.k. to do so.

 

[NEWHD74FAN]

The key is to practice with fully laden bike first...make sure you fill the top box and saddlebags (I even put my bowling ball bag securely on the passenger pillion) but everything fastened down. I then practice usually on Sunday in abandoned parking lot nearby and spend an hour practiceing tight slow speed turns. If the parking lot has some "hills" all the better. Do this once a month and especially just after taking your bike out of winter "hibernation". There are some videos showing the famous police officers doing their demo rides if you use the Search tab near the top of the page...plenty of good threads on the subject.

http://www.hdtimeline.com/general_harley_davidson_topic/19664-can_you_do_a_full_locked_turn.html

 

[Jimmy_k]

I have got myself a fatboy , 2009 stage 1.

Great bike , a lot heavier than I am used to though, & this leads to my question .

When riding 2 up I am fine with it all except at slow / walking pace speeds manouevering is a nightmare for me . Haven't dropped it yet , but been very close.

Do you guys have any advice for me , my pillion or both regarding how to handle the bike in these slow turns , slow corners , slow anything really

yes, a universal problem maneuvering at slow speed with a passenger. It seems to help some if she leans forward into me when we're crawling along, keeps the weight more centered.