2 up riding, what to expect.

[TicketBait]

I just read Lamonts post that his wife finally went riding with him and I think that is wonderful!:yes::2thumbs:

My wife has only sat in the passenger seat once for about 3 1/2 seconds. Not long enough for me to get a photo.

After that she said that if we got a living trust she would ride with me, Well last week we went to the attorney
and he is drawing it up. I ordered months ago for my wife Rosita the same helmet I have, can-am gloves and summer mesh jacket
in anticipation.

Another plus is a co-worker of hers husband has a Road king Harley that her friend has never been on the back
of. And now they are both talking about doing it hyea:

So I wanna do this right, and my question is, I haven't had anyone on the back of my RT before and is there a big
learning curve, any hints or suggestions, i should practice with her on. I like to take off quickly from stop lights,
so maybe i will pretend she is on the back and take off slower (sometimes)

oh and one more thing I had no previous rYding experience before owning the RT, It was easy to learn and felt
comfortable right away. So after having my front tires set
at 16 Lbs and the rear air shock at 70, the front shocks are at a four setting and my weight is 225lbs I have
an absolute great stable ride for me. In fact when i had my belt tension adjusted at the dealership they also reset my front tires to 20Lbs and I noticed a difference in the ride thinking at first it was the belt tension .....nope it was the air pressure :thumbup:which I corrected


Will the bike feel more sluggish or do I just take turns slower going in? :dontknow:

I have only developed one bad habit I know of so far, I like to have the ball of my foot on the front peg and my
heel on the passenger board. It is quite comfortable that way since i have been ryding solo, but may have to
change when her foot is back there.

I got the kewlmetal highway boards and those were a major plus when I went on a 1200 mile ride last weekend with
WestCoastSpyders to Carson City and South Lake Tahoe. My legs are extremely comfortable on the riding pegs but the boards allow me another position to
ride in.

If you are not using any sort of comm, you may want to try using it. I find that it helps
my wife when I can tell her what I am about to do. She cannot see directly in front of the bike...all she sees is
my helmet when she looks straight ahead. I let her know when curves are coming up, stops, yield signs, etc. This
is during highway driving...in town, she knows to be ready for anything at any time. Talking helps keep her mind
engaged and not focused on the hazards associated with not driving in a cage.

Just thought I would toss that out there.

Chris :spyder:

She wants to go to Las Vegas in June or July. Which for us is about 240 miles each way. I heard the Can-am helmets
are coming out in early Julyray: so maybe I will put it off till we get our can-am helmets so we can talk. Those are
some good points you mention Prense01

my wish is to someday have a picture of both my wife and me on our SpYder

ticketbait/steve

 

[MangoMike]

My wife has ridden with me on all my bikes (God bless her), and she'd the reason I am getting an RT. She loves the RT, says it's the most comfortable bike she's been on, and that includes our Goldwing, a Victory Vision, and a Harley Ultra Classic. The RT is incredibly stable. Now my wife can lean to either side, either while riding or stopped and I don't feel a thing.

Not necessary to slow down in corners, although an unexpected sharp turn can surprise your wife. If you have an intercom you might want to let her know what you intend to do.

For 2-up riding you can't beat the RT.

Mike

 

[Lamonster]

I don't have a lot of two up riding experience but I can tell you what I changed. First off drive the speed limit. It's real easy to go 20 over in a turn and when you're riding by yourself so make sure you you don't do that with the little lady. If you haven't done this already I would crank up the front shocks too.

I drive knowing that anything I do stupid could keep her off the Spyder forever. I just take it slow and enjoy the ride. Let us know how it went. :doorag:

 

[aubierules]

i just recently

took my friend jennifer on a ride....it was different....seemed to actually handle better in curves....except for right angle turns....when she leaned a bit WITH me it made it easier...when she forgot...not so much:yikes:

 

[Prense01]

I ask my wife to lean with me...just look over my shoulder as I lean when cornering. Other than that, anticipate longer stopping distances. I really cannot tell that she is back there...unlike any two wheeler I have had passengers on. Do not cancel cruise control without bringing up the throttle first...she will probably not appreciate it if you don't. Start however you normally do, get a feel for cornering with a passenger...it is a little different. Remember, she has that big backrest to lean against during acceleration.

Just communicate what you are doing. Hand signals, whatever works... Make her feel part of the ride; not just along for the ride. Lastly, she should hold on at all times. Abrupt movements induces a lot of lateral force to the rider and passenger. Make it fun and be safe!

Chris :spyder:

 

[Ken5517 / Wish Again]

I
So after having my front tires set at 16 Lbs and the rear air shock at 70, the front shocks are at a four setting and my weight is 225lbs I have
an absolute great stable ride for me.
my wish is to someday have a picture of both my wife and me on our SpYder

ticketbait/steve

Set the front to a five setting, you shouldn't even know she is there.

I have borrowed many a wife so I could ryde 2 up and get their opion on passengers stuff.

I actually grabbed for a leg once to make sure that I had not lost my borrowed wife, after all i wanted to give her back the way that I got her.

They have all be great sports and have been giving me good feed back - thank to them all.

 

[TwinPeaks]

My recommendation, buy your wife her own SPYDER and teach her to ride.:2thumbs:

 

[MouthPiece]

I'm not really sure how to respond to this question. There are two perspectives in dealing with this issue. There is the "ryder" of the spyder and then there is passenger.

I don't feel a significant difference between one or two up. Admittedly, it's a bit easier one up taking curves, etc., but the operative words are significant difference. I for one have gotten all the "Kenny Roberts" out of my system many years ago.

I've mentioned in a different thread that I felt that the passenger needs to participate in the riding. What I mean by that is that the passenger needs to be aware of what is going on and take measures, i.e., gripping the handle grips, etc., accordingly. As was mentioned though in an earlier response, this can be quite difficult in that the passenger doesn't or isn't able to see what is going on in front of them. I like the idea of hand signals, helmet communication, etc.

However, there are times which even then immediate action is needed to be taken by the "ryder" and doesn't have time to communicate to the passenger. In an earlier thread I mentioned that a 74 year old passenger was "slung off" a trike because the ryder was attempting to avoid a contstruction cone.

The above has led me to hope that we will have some after market arm rests which will assist in keeping the passenger confined and secure. I note that one of the companies has opted not to proceed further in this area. I can only hope that they may change their mind, but in any event, I hope that some other company can run with the ball on this issue.

Chris PE # 0004

 

[BumbleBee]

I have a 5'4", light weight ryding with me a lot. I feel no difference with him on the back of the RT.
"He keeps telling me to go faster, and wants to go on the Freeway all the time." :yikes: :roflblack:


Crank up the front shocks :2thumbs:

I take the curves a bit slower :2thumbs:

Enjoy your ryde and ryde safe :2thumbs:

 

[Ronsam]

Two up riding is more stable :2thumbs::spyder2:

 

[bikeguy]

Lamont's advice is perfect. Just remember that one scary experience may cause your passenger to give up riding forever. I don't really corner a lot slower when we're 2 up but I do try to be smoother. Over the years my wife has ridden behind me on everything from an RD350 Yamaha to a BMW R1100RT so she's an experienced passenger as well as a darn good dirt rider in her own right. But she is in love with our Spyder RT. She says it is by far the most comfortable street bike we have ever owned and she feels more safe on it than any other bike we've had.

Cotton

 

[2manycars]

My wife rode along

My wife has her own Honda Silverwing with a trike kit added (tow-pac). For the short time I had the RS she said no way was she getting on the back. After sitting on the RT seat once, she was happy to go for a ride, in fact she says maybe she will ride with me instead of on her own trike sometimes. She is an avid reader, and claims with the right book and music she could read-Of course I need to find a way to mount the electronic book so she can hold on.

My next step is to take her a a parking lot and let her get the feel for driving (riding) it. This would be a great way to do a long trip and we could switch back and forth if one of us got tired.

 

[VaughnCat]

My next step is to take her a a parking lot and let her get the feel for driving (riding) it.

Yep, that's how it all started for me! I'd been off of 2 wheels for 30 years. We spent last year with me riding behind Vaughn on our 1500 Suzuki. But once we test drove the RT, I knew it was only a matter of time.

And it was . . . nine days later, I did the first parking lot 'test drive' . . . . . and less than 6 weeks later, we brought home the RS.
Cat:yes:

 

[scudrunner]

My wife and I swap off riding and "passengering". Each of us knows what it is like to be a passenger. I see her clutching the handles, I ride more at ease but know where the handles are when she does a panic stop. We each try to anticipate turns and lean, but I will say that riding alone is a lot more fun! Don't tell her I said so.

 

[dave01]

What to expect?

I will start by saying you can expect someone hitting your helmet, saying SLOW DOWN
A familiar voice in your ear saying I TOLD YOU WE WERE LOST, and it wasnt your GPS
That same voice saying, HOW MUCH SHOPPING CAN WE DO WITH THIS BIKE?
And you will be loving it all the time.:2thumbs::2thumbs:

 

[jeuchler]

All I have to add is that if your lovely bride ends up enjoying it, don't be mad if the back of your helmet gets banged up.

From her hitting it with the front of hers.

When she falls asleep.

:yikes:

Yup.

Wife, daughter, and son ALL fall asleep on the back of the Spyder.

Her excuse was she often used to ride horses all day, and would often doze in the saddle. Same, same, she says.

I guess the kids have it in their genes, 'cause they haven't ridden much.

(Makes me crazy.)

Anyhow, I will say that it's why I got the jetski passenger belt so she has one more thing to hang on to beside the passenger grab bars, and I can tell when she starts to snooze.

 

[dadof4]

Wife, daughter, and son ALL fall asleep on the back of the Spyder.

I thought my wife was the only one who could fall asleep on the back of the Spyder. She will be happy to know she is not alone. She says she is so comfortable falling asleep is easy. I've got to tie her down somehow!

I really can't feel a difference in handling when she is on the back. Combined weight is ~325 lbs. I'm no expert, however.

 

[jeuchler]

I thought my wife was the only one who could fall asleep on the back of the Spyder. She will be happy to know she is not alone. She says she is so comfortable falling asleep is easy. I've got to tie her down somehow!

I really can't feel a difference in handling when she is on the back. Combined weight is ~325 lbs. I'm no expert, however.

...See how spyderlovers.com brings people with similar...issues...together? :thumbup:

 

[Jornie1]

Amen...

Then she won't be yelling at you because of your own personal riding technique... Get a CB or equivalent so you can comm with her and hit the road... No stress no strain.. Len

My recommendation, buy your wife her own SPYDER and teach her to ride.:2thumbs:

 

[TicketBait]

WOO HOO!! 2 up
Thank You All for your comments and suggestions!

my wife (Rosita) went rYding with me today for the first time an hour ago, :yes:I had to miss the first quarter of the Lakers basketball game, but it was worth it.

She liked it except for when we were turning she had a sensation of being scared cuz she thought we would tip over. My feeling was totally opposite. The bike felt more stable with her on, I stiffened the shocks as we were ryding. And tried to ride like I had the Queen of Sweden on the back.

We never once bumped helmets:thumbup:

She had just gotten her nails done, and didn't wanna wear gloves, "OK honey" I said.

She can't wait for the helmets to come out with the radio piped in her helmet. She likes news channels like " Hannity" :shemademe_smilie: whatever, hey can we listen to two different programs at the same time?

I told her we have to practice everyday if we are gonna take a trip to San Diego first week of June.hyea: