| Q. |
What must your bike have to
allow you to take a passenger? |
| A. |
A proper seat |
| |
Foot rests for the passenger |
| |
You could also add that the passenger
must have a European/British Standards Approved helmet |
| |
|
| Q. |
What would you tell an inexperienced
person who was going to be your pillion passenger? |
| A. |
| The correct attire to wear. |
| Hold on to the grab rails or the bottom of
your jacket. |
| Straddle the bike - don't sit 'side-saddle' |
| Put their feet on the foot rests. |
| Don't look behind or make hand signals for
the rider. |
| Lean with you as you take corners or else
the bike will want to go in a straight line. |
|
| |
|
| Q. |
Before carrying a pillion passenger
what would you consider adjusting on your bike? |
| A. |
| Tyre pressure - inflate the tyres according
to the makers recommendations |
| Suspension - increase the pre-load
on the rear suspension to allow for the extra weight |
| Headlights (with a passenger the headlights
will point slightly higher) |
| Mirrors |
| Even the chain for a heavy passenger. |
|
| |
|
| Q. |
How would the handling of a bike be
affected by carrying a passenger? |
| A. |
| Longer breaking distance. Also, under heavy
braking all the weight is transferred forward and the pillion
may push into the back of the rider resulting in control difficulties. |
| Slower acceleration so look for larger gaps
in traffic when pulling out at junctions and roundabouts. |
| Steering becomes lighter because there is
less pressure on the front tyre. |
| Cornering. The motorcycle may lean into a
corner more than you think, so you must compensate for this. |
| Balance. Especially at low speed, balance
is affected. |
|
