Vernon Motorsports Passenger Riding Tips
How to get invited to ride again...
Riding on a motorcycle with a friend is one of the most fun things you can do. It can be an even more enjoyable experience if the passenger understands and follows a few simple rules. To be the kind of passenger riders want to ride with, remember the following:
- Wear clothing that will give you some protection in the unlikely event of a spill. As a minimum, you should wear the following to protect yourself:
- Footwear that protects your feet and your ankles (hiking boots are good).
- Durable pants--leather is best; lacking leather, jeans are ok.
- An abrasion resistant jacket that zips or buttons up close to the neck (again, leather is best if you have it)
- Proper wrist tightened motorcycle gloves (very affordable).
- Eye protection--ideally, you should wear a full face helmet with shield that belongs to you. However if not make sure you have an appropriate pair of sunglasses.
- Don't wear anything loose and floppy (like a long scarf or bell bottom pants) that could get caught in the rear wheel, sprockets, drive chain or belt, or any other moving part of the motorcycle. You could injure yourself, and might cause an accident.
- Wear a securely fastened helmet that fits properly. A helmet should be a snug fit; it should not be possible to twist it around on your head. The strap should be pulled as tight as you can get it. You can test for fit, and to see if the strap is tight, like this: grasp the chinbar of a full coverage helmet, or the edge of an open face helmet directly over your forehead, and try to pull the helmet backwards off your head. If the helmet winds up on the back of your head, tighten the strap or get a helmet that fits, or else the wind will pull it and make you extremely uncomfortable, and unsafe.
- The rider can show you how to put on your helmet properly and easily (you kind of roll it onto your head from the front) pulling the straps outward to make it easier on your ears. If you ride often, you will eventually want to buy your own helmet. Just about any motorcycle shop can help you pick out a suitable helmet that fits you correctly.
- Before you attempt to mount the motorcycle, make sure that the passenger footpegs are down. (They fold up when not in use, and it is easy for the rider to forget to put them down for you.) If you don't know where the footpegs are, have the rider point them out to you.
- Beware of the hot exhaust pipes. Make sure you know where they are, and don't let your leg or any part of your body touch them as you mount or dismount the motorcycle. They can give you a severe burn right through the heaviest pants.
- It is customary to get on or off the motorcycle from the left side. Always wait for the rider to tell you its okay to mount or dismount. If you start to clamber on (or off) when the rider does not expect it, the sudden motion of the motorcycle will be disconcerting and might throw the rider off balance.
- Extend your right leg over the seat, and then slide gently up onto the seat. Put your feet on the footpegs and you are onboard.
- To dismount, just reverse the process you used to get on. With a little practice, getting on and off will become second nature.
- Once you are on the motorcycle, plant your feet on the passenger footpegs and keep them there. You absolutely do not want to bring your foot into contact with the rear wheel, drive chain or belt, or the hot muffler. Never attempt to help the rider hold the bike upright when it is stopped. Keep your feet safe by keeping them on the foot pegs at all times.
- Place your hands on the rider's hips. That is the best way to hold on to the rider, and it keeps you in touch with the rider's movements. Keep your weight centered over the motorcycle. Try not to move around any more than is necessary, particularly when the motorcycle is stopped, as it affects the balance of the motorcycle.
- Motorcycles turn by leaning (banking like an airplane), not by steering like a car. So don't be alarmed when the motorcycle leans over to go around a corner. To position yourself perfectly for a turn, just look over the rider's shoulder in the direction of the turn. If the motorcycle is turning right, look over the rider's right shoulder; if it is turning left, look over the rider's left shoulder. You don't have to do anything else; looking naturally over the rider's inside shoulder will automatically put your weight right where it belongs in a turn. Keep your body in line with the rider's body to prevent the motorcycle from leaning more than the rider intends. (When going straight, it doesn't matter which shoulder you look over.) Never lean out of a turn.
- When the rider puts on the brakes, it causes a forward weight transfer. If the rider is forced to break hard, as in an emergency, this forward weight transfer is very apparent; you will be forced against the rider, and you will start to slide forward on the seat. Don't panic. Try to keep back, away from the rider. Resist sliding forward by pressing your feet against the footpegs; use your thigh muscles to control your position on the seat
- If you slide forward, you force the rider forward, reducing the rider's control over the motorcycle. It also moves the weight distribution of the motorcycle forward, reducing the weight on the rear tire and therefore the traction of the rear tire, making it more likely that the back tire will start to skid. Obviously, none of this is desirable.
- You can be an active participant in the ride by staying alert and being prepared. Help the rider look for potential danger, and be prepared to hang on and hold yourself back if you anticipate a need for sudden braking. Likewise, if the rider is forced to swerve the motorcycle to avoid a hazard in the road, you need to be prepared for the sudden lean and change of direction.
- You can also help the rider scan for animals that may run into the road. Dogs and deer are particularly unpredictable, and you may see a deer on a hillside above the road, or a dog in somebody's front yard, before the rider. (After all, the rider is concentrating primarily on the road.) If you spot a hazard of any sort that you think the rider is unaware of, rap the rider on the appropriate shoulder, and point at the hazard in a way that brings it to the rider's attention.