[prczx6r]

Last night I came home from riding all day and my neighbors son (which is 16) wanted to take a ride because he had never ridden before. So I grabbed my spare helmet and told him he could hold on to me. He said he would rather hold on to the grab bars on the back because it wasnt cool to hold onto another guy.So took him down the road just a couple of miles and turned around, I didnt take off fast at all and the next thing I knew, he came off. As I was turning around I seen him running back toward me he said his foot slipped off the peg and he wasnt able to keep himself from falling back. To make a long story short, He's still in the hospital with bad road rash all over his back and in a lot of pain. I will never let anyone ride again without holding on to me. Thankful he had a helmet on.

Please make sure your passenger holds on to something other than the grab bars.....

 

[Strong Bad]

A girl I dated fell off the back at about forty and broke her arm upon pulling a wheelie.

Needless to say, we don't date anymore.....

 

[Pyro1]

Damn, that sucks man. At least he only had road rash, it could've been a lot worse. Personally, I only let girls ride, and I make sure they hold on to me. I bet he doesn't ask for a ride for awhile.

 

[prczx6r]

Until last night, I had only taken women riding on my bike and they always held on to me, so I didnt put much thought in the fact that it would be to hard for him to hold on to the grab bars.

 

[IslandZXR]

sucks... but I don't know... thinking about the geometry of the grab handles, it would make you sit more upright while holding on to (the driver) gives them a more forward position.. At MSF, the guy said also that a pillion should not hold the tank because that makes them turn with the bike, while holding on to the driver's waist would make them turn with the driver...

 

[greenninja]

Sorry to hear that, and it was his first time on a bike. Weird cause the other day I thinking/daydreaming wondering why kawaski really put those handgrabs on there.I just can't see the effectiveness of them, the passanger has place the hands behind them and if you don't have long arm you can't really lean forward,therefore the passanger is sitting straight up and imagen sitting straight up on your tail holding on to the back grabs and the bike accelerating its a diaster waiting to happen IMO.Is it because they have to have some sort of device to pass some sort of saftey rule cause the rear seat doesn't have one of those hold on straps like the 03'.[:M13]im rambling now but think bout they don't make sence do they?

 

[Speedvlaze]

I really don't believe that strap is meant for the passenger to hold on to.

 

[greenninja]

Originally posted by speedvlaze

I really don't believe that strap is meant for the passenger to hold on to.

Please explain what is it for?[:M74]if it does serve a purpose.

 

[Speedvlaze]

I am not exactly sure of its proper function. I am guessing it serves a purpose for some seat bag installations. I wouldn’t think that it is just for looks. Who knows…

 

[GreenEnvy]

Im always worried about that too, I used to give my sister a ride to work all the time since we work at the same place, and was always worried she'd fall off (almost did too one time I was at 170km/h and I forgot she was there,so I tucked under the screen...oops..)
Now Im seeing a girl who loves the bike, but her first time ever on a bike was last week when I took her for a ride on mine. Im worried about it but I just ride slowly, and she holds onto me.

 

[RedFinn]

Originally posted by greenninja

Originally posted by speedvlaze

I really don't believe that strap is meant for the passenger to hold on to.

Please explain what is it for?[:M74]if it does serve a purpose.

To have something to lift up the bike from after a crash/drop, maybe? I remember hearing something about some law requiring something like that, but I've never checked up on it, so don't quote me on that.

 

[RedFinn]

Oh, and if a passenger doesn't want to hold on to you, you can tell them to keep one hand around your waist and the other on the pillion handles, (02's got 'em, remember). If they won't even do that then no ride.

 

[Gareth]

I get quite concered when I ride with my Fiance on the back. She has almost fallen off once when we went over a bump at 130 km/hr(cruising), if I hadnt hit the brakes she said she wouldnt have been able to hold on. She doesnt seem to reliase that with someone on the back the whole dynamics of the bike is changed and it makes it harder to ride in strong wind etc, then again I dont think a lot of people reliase how much different a bike is with a passanger.

Gareth

 

[Andy_7676]

funny, my girlfriend would hold onto the 2002 grab handles and had no problems at all...she says she feels more comfy holding onto me, but never had any issue with the grab bars...you can lock your elbows when holding onto the grab bars to prevent you for going backwards...

ofcourse I never take off fast or anything and she also rides a bike so she knows how to position her weight and stuff which helps...

 

[rdandy5875]

I saw a COPS police chase one night where the guy was FLYING on a crotvh rocket with a passenger holding on to the rear handles. This guy was FLYing trying to get away from cops and the passenger didn't fall so I think the grab handles are effective if you use them properly.

 

[red_74]

I have riden many passengers, and from my experience it depends on the passenger themselves, I actually like the passenger to use the tank, it tends to keep them from slamming in to me when braking.If you have a passenger who has never ridden they have to hold on to you, till they get to know how a bike feels, or they will fall off.

 

[in-the-blood]

didn't see the police chase but if it were me, I would be hanging on to that driver like stink on shit!

 

[Lonwez]

If you've ever been on the back yourself, you would know that there is definetly a technique to holding onto the grab bars that is effective. I've done it before during a wheelie. By the way, (a little off topic) if you've ever been a passenger on your OWN bike... weirdest feeling in the world.

 

[Lonwez]

By the way, I forgot to mention that it is always a good idea to set down some ground rules for your passenger, especially if they are new to bikes. "NEVER EVER,EVER- EVER, put your feet down- NO MATTER WHAT!" That's the first thing I drill into their heads. When I got my first bike, I almost went down because of a chick that got scared leaning into a turn. Put her foot down in the middle of the turn and the bike popped right up. We went into the gravel on the shoulder and I was lucky to keep it from going down. Unfortunately, last summer a friend was killed when his passenger got scared, and put her foot down. His bike popped up and then slammed into a pole and tree. The girl survived. No one has the heart to tell her that it was her fault that they wrecked, as she didn't know any better.

 

[Soulreape]

Whenever I ride pillion on any bike .. I make sure and hold onto the rider .. I really dont care if it aint cool .. at the end of the day its my life .. and those Grab Rails dont half test your pecs out when going at any speed ... being a rider first before being pillion though .. I possibly have more knowledge *I should hope lol* about staying on .. mind you .. dont ask my ex girlfriend about my pillion abilities.. I got a right bollocking after getting bored sitting on the back on a long ride ,after ditching my 9R on my leg, and deciding to make my own fun .. not to be repeated I may add..

Touch luck on the little man .. hope the road rash aint too bad and clears up... on that note coming from Scotland .. I suppose its a bit easier with regards to the heat, but I never ride without full leathers on as knowing my luck .. the time I do would be the time I come off..