Advice: How to be a good pillion rider

Some people are naturally good pillions and others, well, it takes a bit more time. If you’re going to get on the back of a bike there are a few things to remember, and the first of those is that it takes both of you to properly control the bike.

1. Balance. The person on the back has to balance on the bike as well as the rider. You can’t expect the rider to balance for the two of you, so do your best to keep balanced on the bike.

2. Don’t put your feet down. The rider should be quite capable of holding the bike up with you on the back – that is if you keep you balance as described above. So there’s no need to put your feet down until you’re ready to get off.

3. Lean. You have to lean with the bike. If you try to sit up, the bike isn’t going to get around the corners. It’s as simple as that.

4. Anticipate. Concentrate on the road ahead and anticipate what is going to happen next. Prepare for braking and acceleration, be ready for corners and adjust your weight accordingly.

5. Hang on. It’s your job not to fall off even if the rider does something stupid or accelerates hard, so either hang on the rails or hang on to the rider around the waist.

6. Don’t wriggle around. Sit still, and if you need to move around on the bike, tell the rider before you do it. And on the same note, don’t hog the seat. Give the rider plenty of room and don’t squash him into the fuel tank.

7. Keep your ‘helpful advice’ to a minimum. Riders already knows how to ride and yes, they probably can see that truck coming out on the left, and they do know the speed limit on this piece of road, so you don’t need to yell into their ear and cause more distraction.

8. Have faith. Finally remember that riders aren’t going to intentionally crash and injure themselves, so they are not going to intentionally hurt you either. Try to have faith in their ability on the bike and just relax and enjoy the ride. If you haven’t got faith in their riding, you probably shouldn’t have got on in the first place.

I’ve got to admit that being on the back is not my favourite place on a motorbike, but if you follow a few basic rules, I’m told that it can be fun. So get out there and enjoy it, and who knows, you might even get invited back on.

This article was originally published on September 10, 2019.