best way for a passenger to ride a sportbike?

AquaPython · 11-13-2009, 05:15 PM

i have virtually no experience personally riding on the back of a sportbike, so for years i have gone by what others suggested to me for my passengers.

mainly,

a) dont hold onto me, rather reach around me and support yourself on the tank.
b) make sure not to head butt me from the back
c) lean with me , etc...

my GF seems to always complain that she has hurting hands / wrists because of the pressures applied when i brake. even when i take a long time to take a slow easy braking ride. because of this she doesnt want to ride much and doesnt enjoy it, and when she does, she cant handle distance longer than say, 10 miles.
what is she doing wrong? or what can she do?

neebelung · 11-13-2009, 05:17 PM

When I rode passenger, I braced on the tank, never on the pilot. So when he broke, I could tense my arms to keep from slamming into him.

I did have hand numbness; riding gloves with a gel palm (look at cruiser style gloves) will help with this.

Do keep in mind that the passender seat isn't at forgiving as yours, so she might need to stop and rest more often than you do (but with some vibration absorbtion in her hands, she should last longer than 10 miles).

pauldun170 · 11-13-2009, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AquaPython

i have virtually no experience personally riding on the back of a sportbike, so for years i have gone by what others suggested to me for my passengers.

mainly,

a) dont hold onto me, rather reach around me and support yourself on the tank.
b) make sure not to head butt me from the back
c) lean with me , etc...

my GF seems to always complain that she has hurting hands / wrists because of the pressures applied when i brake. even when i take a long time to take a slow easy braking ride. because of this she doesnt want to ride much and doesnt enjoy it, and when she does, she cant handle distance longer than say, 10 miles.
what is she doing wrong? or what can she do?

WTF?

If a girl is on the back...I want them to grab me around the torso. Best way for proper positioning of boobies on the back.

IF I have to get some dude riding bitch then HE puts his habd either on the tank or holds the exhaust can (for their own goddamn good. If they are pussy enough to not have their own bike AND be forced to ride bitch then the only way they can make up for it is to hold on to the exhaust pipe)

HokieDNA01 · 11-13-2009, 05:28 PM

If there are grab handles tell her to hold those as you break for lights etc. Also if it is a controlled smooth brake she can put her hands on your back. I do it all the time with Kerry and he has never said it hurts, bugs him. When riding aggressively or under hard breaking, I would always brace on the gas tank.

And for the record I do not lean with the rider, I lean with the bike. I try to stay in line with the bike because the rider may chose to shift his weight further to the inside.

AquaPython · 11-13-2009, 05:33 PM

yea i am on a GsxR 750 - not a great seat, and no handles.

i do tell her to keep in line with the bike - even though she can forget sometimes.

hokie, you put hands on his back like how?
how about regular position while under motion?

HokieDNA01 · 11-13-2009, 05:38 PM

Kerry and I both ride 750s so I am familar with the riding position. When riding casually, I just let my hands stay around the front of his hips or hold on to his sides, hell sometimes I dont hold on.

If he is braking towards a planned stop that I see coming, I will put my hands on his upper back (kind of like i'm pushing him) until the bike is stopped.

If there is any type of quick or emergency stop it is not difficult to go from the "hip hold" to the gas tank to brace for the stop. The big thing is that she needs to be actively scanning what is going on to know what the situation is.

Kerry also has a vanson leather jacket that I am very fond of because it has vents up under his arms/shoulderblade area that I can slip a hand it for casually riding just to feel more secure.

AquaPython · 11-13-2009, 05:41 PM

hrmm ok i will try these things. that slipping hand thing sounds kinky.

she def. already scans because she is pretty nervous about wrecking - which means she probably is tense because of this , adding to discomfort.

shmike · 11-13-2009, 05:43 PM

If she has her hands on the tank the whole time, that will put constant pressure on her wrists.

T will move her hands freely if we are just cruising. She knows to place them on the tank if I start to brake.

For the majority of riding, she doesn't really have to "hold on". Acceleration is truly the only time it is necessary.

I like my passenger to have at least one hand on me so I know they are alert and ready to grab ahold if necessary.

HokieDNA01 · 11-13-2009, 05:47 PM

that is most-likely her problem. She needs more seat time to learn to relax. Do you have a park near you that has less traffic so she can work on form while not worrying so much about her surroundings?

And the 750 is one of the most comfortable passenger sport bikes I have ever ridden so once she learns to relax and go with the flow she should be ok. If her butt is really hurting from rides, tell her to get some compression shorts (you can get underarmor-like ones from walmart for cheap) they really do increase your gluteous endurance. And leather pants is by far the best way to easy buttache...and they prevent you from sliding around on the seat. Textile can be bad at that.

Kerry_129 · 11-13-2009, 05:55 PM

I really prefer the hands be on my lower-back/sides under 'normal' riding conditions, since I think you both feel more 'connected' and it's easier to lean together. Like Kathy said, it's easy to shift one or both hands to the tank when necessary for harder braking/more aggressive riding.

Just don't let her get too comfortable, or she'll be nodding off to sleep - I hate it when dem bitches do dat!

11-13-2009, 05:28 PM	#4
HokieDNA01 WERA White Plate Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Nashville, TN Moto: 2007 Suzuki GSX-r 750 Posts: 1,404	If there are grab handles tell her to hold those as you break for lights etc. Also if it is a controlled smooth brake she can put her hands on your back. I do it all the time with Kerry and he has never said it hurts, bugs him. When riding aggressively or under hard breaking, I would always brace on the gas tank. And for the record I do not lean with the rider, I lean with the bike. I try to stay in line with the bike because the rider may chose to shift his weight further to the inside. __________________ XX>XY 2014 Honda NC700X 2007 Suzuki GSX-r 750 2000 Yamaha XT225 2004 Kawasaki EX250 (sold)

11-13-2009, 05:38 PM	#6
HokieDNA01 WERA White Plate Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Nashville, TN Moto: 2007 Suzuki GSX-r 750 Posts: 1,404	Kerry and I both ride 750s so I am familar with the riding position. When riding casually, I just let my hands stay around the front of his hips or hold on to his sides, hell sometimes I dont hold on. If he is braking towards a planned stop that I see coming, I will put my hands on his upper back (kind of like i'm pushing him) until the bike is stopped. If there is any type of quick or emergency stop it is not difficult to go from the "hip hold" to the gas tank to brace for the stop. The big thing is that she needs to be actively scanning what is going on to know what the situation is. Kerry also has a vanson leather jacket that I am very fond of because it has vents up under his arms/shoulderblade area that I can slip a hand it for casually riding just to feel more secure. __________________ XX>XY 2014 Honda NC700X 2007 Suzuki GSX-r 750 2000 Yamaha XT225 2004 Kawasaki EX250 (sold)

11-13-2009, 05:43 PM	#8
shmike Follower Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 5,549	If she has her hands on the tank the whole time, that will put constant pressure on her wrists. T will move her hands freely if we are just cruising. She knows to place them on the tank if I start to brake. For the majority of riding, she doesn't really have to "hold on". Acceleration is truly the only time it is necessary. I like my passenger to have at least one hand on me so I know they are alert and ready to grab ahold if necessary. __________________ Racing For Smiles

11-13-2009, 05:47 PM	#9
HokieDNA01 WERA White Plate Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Nashville, TN Moto: 2007 Suzuki GSX-r 750 Posts: 1,404	that is most-likely her problem. She needs more seat time to learn to relax. Do you have a park near you that has less traffic so she can work on form while not worrying so much about her surroundings? And the 750 is one of the most comfortable passenger sport bikes I have ever ridden so once she learns to relax and go with the flow she should be ok. If her butt is really hurting from rides, tell her to get some compression shorts (you can get underarmor-like ones from walmart for cheap) they really do increase your gluteous endurance. And leather pants is by far the best way to easy buttache...and they prevent you from sliding around on the seat. Textile can be bad at that. __________________ XX>XY 2014 Honda NC700X 2007 Suzuki GSX-r 750 2000 Yamaha XT225 2004 Kawasaki EX250 (sold)

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11-13-2009, 05:17 PM	#2
neebelung Ornery, scandalous & evil Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Jacksonville, FL Moto: 2004 Scarlet R1 Posts: 5,962	When I rode passenger, I braced on the tank, never on the pilot. So when he broke, I could tense my arms to keep from slamming into him. I did have hand numbness; riding gloves with a gel palm (look at cruiser style gloves) will help with this. Do keep in mind that the passender seat isn't at forgiving as yours, so she might need to stop and rest more often than you do (but with some vibration absorbtion in her hands, she should last longer than 10 miles).

11-13-2009, 05:55 PM	#10
Kerry_129 Semi-reformed Squid Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 531	I really prefer the hands be on my lower-back/sides under 'normal' riding conditions, since I think you both feel more 'connected' and it's easier to lean together. Like Kathy said, it's easy to shift one or both hands to the tank when necessary for harder braking/more aggressive riding. Just don't let her get too comfortable, or she'll be nodding off to sleep - I hate it when dem bitches do dat!