| It's fair to
acknowledge that there are many ladies out there who are happy
never to own their own bike, but want to experience motorcycling
with a loved one, or even with any guy or gal who'll take them
for a spin. To ensure that you're asked again make sure you learn
how to be a good pillion. Being a pillion takes concentration
and experience. It may come naturally to you, but take a look
at these pointers anyway - your rider may be too shy to tell you
what you need to know or what you are doing wrong. |
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| Note: For ease of writing
I shall assume that the rider is male. It's not because I'm really
a closet chauvinist - it's just so I can refer to the rider as
HE instead of HE/SHE. Writing SHE just sounds too feminist / get
the dungarees on and shave our heads for my liking. |
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As
an experienced pillion you will be able to:
Identify the best grab points on a motorcycle.
Grip tightly with your knees to cope with all but the heaviest
braking/accelerating situations.
Identify in advance when to put a hand on the tank or the grab
rail for hard braking.
Identify in advance when to grab the rider for hard accelerating.
Realise when you need to concentrate hard, and when you can relax
and watch the scenery.
Know when there's time to shout a couple of words and when it
might risk distracting the rider too much.
Carry a rucksack without complaint.
Minimise knocking helmets together.
Withstand numb bum for at least 50 miles before demanding a cuppa.
Inspire such confidence in the rider that it improves his cornering
and he wants you there all the time. Believe it or not, bikes
can corner faster with a pillion weighing them down. |
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Have
a chat with the rider
Find out if he has taken a pillion before, where the best
grab points on his bike are, how he'd like you to hang on and
how close you're allowed to snuggle up. |
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What
to hold on to
The normal pillion position depends on the bike, the type of riding
you will be doing, your size and how well you know the rider.
Tourer/Sports Tourer:
As a rule the "default" position is with 4 to 12 inches
gap between you both on the seat (depending on the size of the
seat and if there is a separate pillion perch). Lean forward slightly
and try holding on gently to the sides of his jacket - if there
are straps there then use those. Grip gently to the sides of the
bike and his bum with your knees. You will very rarely need to
adjust your position for steady riding. If there is excessive
braking put your hand back and grab the aptly named grab rail.
If there is excessive acceleration move your arms further around
his waist and hang on (if you're not an item it may be best to
check before you get on whether this will be OK!).
Cruiser:
Usually these come with a huge soft pillion seat and a "cissy
bar" - which is a large metal contraption just behind the
seat which you can lean against and grip onto. You're very unlikely
to need any more help staying on.
Sports/Supersports:
This type of bike needs the most concentration to hang on. The
rider is likely to be zooming around showing off and even trying
to get his knee down. If you're daft enough to get on the back
then you're probably the one egging him on and asking him to pop
wheelies. I'm not knocking it! Get out there and have fun - it's
a hoot if you go with the flow and don't worry too much.
To fit onto these machines it helps if you are under 5 foot tall,
less than 7 stone with a Kylie sized arse, but us normal sized
females can have fun as pillions too!
The best position is tucked in as tight as possible and squeezed
up as close as you can get. If you're lucky and the bike has a
grab rail then hang onto it until your arm goes numb, then swap
arms at a suitable point (i.e. stopped at traffic lights). The
other arm should be tight around his waist as far as you can get
it to take the acceleration. If there is no grab rail (most supersports
bikes) and you can't persuade him that an aftermarket one doesn't
mar the smooth lines of his pride and joy, then both arms should
be around his waist as tightly as possible. Your knees should
be in a vice-like grip around his legs and bum.
If he's really going hell for leather then turn the "round
the waist" hand round so that your palm is towards the tank
- this is so that under hard breaking you can push against the
tank to stop all of your weight catapulting into him. He'll really
thank you for this because riding a sports bike is hard enough
on the arms without having to bear the weight of a pillion too.
He'll probably like the cuddling up feeling of it too! |
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Intimacy
You can't really get away from it as a pillion. It can be great
with a partner or someone you fancy, but you can keep your distance
if you want to. Make use of all the grab points, the sides of
the seat and grip on with your knees too. If you really don't
like someone, what are you doing getting on his bike? |
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The
lean angle
You should always move your body with the bike. When you get used
to it the flow will be natural and the ride will feel smooth.
NEVER be tempted to sit up because you don't think you're going
to make it round a corner. Rest assured that if you do this you
will NOT make it round the corner. Have a little faith in the
rider's abilities and recognise that bikes can lean to scary angles
- watch some bike racing and you'll see. If you don't trust the
rider then don't get on the back!
If you are on a supersports bike and adopting the position described
above, then you won't have any choice but to go where the rider
goes. Try this on other types of bikes too if you find you are
uncomfortable and keep trying to sit up - snuggling up to the
rider is the best way to "be in harmony" with him and
the bike. |
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The
intercom
This is a bit of a standing joke for the boys. Cue jokes about
turning it off and letting her "nag away to her heart's content".
But it's invaluable for whiling away long touring hours, giving
him directions if you are map reading, passing comments about
the scenery / state of the roads / how much you need the loo /
how numb your bum is / did you see that copper?
The good ones can be OK up to 50 or 60mph but you really can't
expect to hear much over that. Don't forget that you still need
to wear earplugs. |
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Communication
If you don't have an intercom then establish a rule for various
prods, signals and gestures before you set out, for instance:
Push the middle of his back = go faster, I'm bored
Bash on the right shoulder = take the next turn right
Bash on the left shoulder = take the next turn left
Bash around his head several times whilst gesticulating wildly
= I'm a little nervous, would you slow down now please?
Lean forward and wave to the side of his helmet = slow down so
I can tell you something
Pat his legs or a give big hug = I'm really enjoying the ride,
thanks, keep going (though watch out, it could be misconstrued
as "please stop in the nearest layby, I want sex")
Wave in front of his face when passing a sign = I want to go there
(e.g. service station, cafe, fine restaurant, Paris) - just make
sure you don't obscure his vision. |
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