On our first date she put her long heeled boots on my new Slash Cut pipes and proceeded to ruin them. The boots melted all over my pipes.
The main reason that the passenger needs to keep their feet on the pegs or floorboards is for safety. Your passenger could suffer serious injuries to their feet if they put their feet down before you park the bike or if they try to get off while you are still rolling. It could actually cause you to drop the bike.
Proper Riding Attire for Passengers – It is your responsibility to ensure that your passenger is wearing the proper motorcycle riding attire and helmet, (discussed above) not only for their safety, but for you as well. If you get into an accident that is your fault, you are legally liable to the passenger for their injuries. If they are not wearing proper attire, you will be legally responsible for their damages.
I know it looks real nice to see gals on the back of Harley Davidson’s or Sports bikes, with little halter tops on, and skinny minnie shorts, however you need to think about what will happen to them in case of an accident. Is it more important to look cool or protect your passenger?
Do the right thing, make sure your backseat passenger has proper riding gear on.
How to be a Motorcycle Passenger – Now that you have taught your passengers the basics, you now need to teach them how to be a passenger on a motorcycle.
There are 3 types of passengers: (1) Naturals- they have no fear and seem to automatically know what to do, (2) Scardie Cats – no matter how many times they ride, they cannot get over the fear of riding on the back of a bike, and (3) Normies – they are afraid at first, but they eventually lose their fear except under certain circumstances.
My fiancé is a normie. She freaks out when I lane split, and no matter what I do, she freaks out when I lane split.
You need to teach your passenger to lean back into your sissy bar or backrest, and relax. There is nothing worse than a passenger who has a death grip on you while you are trying to ride. They may feel safe, but it prevents you from being able to operate the motorcycle safely.
Obviously if you have no backrest or sissy bar, than your passenger should scoot up as close to you as possible and hold on to your waist.
I am against taking a passenger on a motorcycle unless you have a sissy bar or backrest on the bike because of the danger that they will fall off if you accelerate too fast, or they lose their grip and fall off. I have seen it happen to other riders, it is a real danger.
Some are of the opinion that it is safer to not have a backrest or sissy bar on the back so that their passengers can fall off in case of an accident.
This is a matter of personal opinion and a subject of much debate. I recommend not taking a passenger on your bike unless you have a backrest or a sissy bar. It may not look as cool on your bike, but at least your passenger will have some protection from falling off of the back of the motorcycle. I feel that the chances of a passenger falling off of the back of your bike are greater than you getting into an accident.
You will need to explain to your passenger “before the ride,” that you will be accelerating, decelerating, shifting gears, and doing turns. You need to explain that on curves and turns that the bike will lean in whatever direction you are going, and that this is normal.
You need to explain to your passenger to not fight against the lean of the bike, and that they should lean into the turn with you. It is very important for balancing the motorcycle. Explain to them that if they shift their body weight away from the lean that it could not only make your ride much more difficult, it could also cause you to crash.
Another thing you will need to explain to your passenger is not to make sudden moves or shifts of the butt or body weight on the back of the bike, because this too can cause you to go out of control or crash the bike, especially at slow speeds or at stops.
There is nothing worse than holding up a 1000 plus pound bike at a stop light, not including rider and passenger weight, only to have your passenger jerk or shift their butt around. I have seen friends drop their bikes this way.
Rider / Passenger Communications on the Road – Although there are companies that make rider/passenger communications devices with in helmet microphones and speakers to allow you to talk while riding, most motorcycle riders do not have this kind of setup. I have tried this setup myself, but my bike is so loud, especially at highway speeds, it only worked at very slow speeds with low wind noise. It did not work for me and I removed it after our first 800 mile run with the system.
At highway speeds it will be virtually impossible to speak to your passenger and visa versa. Yelling in most cases does not work either and can be dangerous.
I highly recommend that you work out what I call a tapping system for communications. It’s real simple; let’s say your passenger needs to go to the bathroom. Work out a system where she will tap you 2 times in your shoulder. You will then give a thumbs up with your left hand to signal that you understand and will pull over at the next gas station. Let’s say that the passenger needs to stop immediately because they have dropped something, noticed something wrong with the bike, or for any other reason. Work out a system where the passenger will tap you on your shoulder 5 times. You give the thumbs up with your left hand to signal that you understand, and then pull over at the first “safe” place.
You get the idea. Part of the pleasure of riding a motorcycle with a passenger is “not talking” and just taking in the sights, smells, and sounds, in intimate closeness. With a tapping system you can communicate important things without risking turning your head to try to yell at each other through the wind.
Small Children as Passengers – I do not recommend taking small children on your motorcycle as passengers. I have seen other bikers do this on many occasions and I could only think to myself; what if that idiot crashes? What is even more upsetting is seeing somebody taking their small child for a ride with no leathers or boots.
What is the age at which I would recommend taking a child or a teen on a ride? I started taking my daughter out when she was 16 wearing full motorcycle attire.
I will not make any recommendations with regard to this issue, except to say that if a child cannot reach the back pegs or put their arms completely around you, than I doubt that they are big enough to ride as a passenger.
Take a Break, Fatigue and Other Considerations
Riding a motorcycle is fun, exhilarating, exciting, and downright tiring! Especially if you are the one operating the bike.
Unlike driving a car; riding a motorcycle requires physical excursion, and intense concentration. You will tire much more quickly on a motorcycle, than in a car, even though you may not realize it at the time.
I personally have taken many long rides. I am not sure which one was the longest single day ride without sleep, but I have driven from Los Angeles to Lake Tahoe, and back down to Reno, while taking the time in the middle of the run, to ride back and forth through the Yosemite valley. It took around 19 hours without sleep and I was ready to drop at the end.
I have taken many single day rides (riding with no sleep) that were 600 mile plus.
The key to enjoying your run and being safe, is to take frequent breaks. Luckily on most motorcycles you must take a break about every 150 miles or so because of fuel capacity. However, when you get to a point where your butt is going numb, your hands are going numb due to the cold, your legs are aching, or you feel yourself falling asleep. It’s time to pull over and take a break.
You know how dangerous it is to ride in a car while being tired and sleepy; on a motorcycle there are no second chances. You snooze, you literally lose, possibly your life.
Part of the fun of motorcycling is taking a break after rolling for 120 miles or so, especially if you smoke. You should not be in such a rush to get somewhere that you throw safety to the wind.
Wherever you are going will be there when you get there. The point is that you should take frequent breaks on rides to rejuvenate you body and your senses.
The great thing about being a biker is that you usually meet other bikers when you stop to take breaks. I have met many interesting people during what I call “Pit Stops.” The ride will be much more enjoyable and safer if you enjoy your ride rather than rush your ride.
Maybe one day our paths will cross in the wind. Until then stay safe.
“This article was orginally written and published by Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq. on May 20, 2006.” It may be updated from time to time.
Copyright 2006-2009, California Motorcycle Accident Attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer
This article is not meant as legal advice and should therefore not be construed as legal advice, therefore no attorney/client relationship is expressly or impliedly created by the publication of this article. The Safety Tips and opinions offered in the article are that of its Author Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., alone. The author shall assume no legal liability for the contents of this article. These Safety tips are provided for educational purposes only. This article may not be republished in any form without the express written consent of it’s author.
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