Two-Up Riding: A Collaborative Effort

Riding two-up is a rider with a passenger seated behind, also known as a rider and a pillion. We have ridden exclusively two-up for 12 years and have learned a lot of tips and tricks to make our adventures safer, easier, and more comfortable.

There are two different yet equally important aspects to successful two-up riding. 1. Responsibilities of the rider 2. Responsibilities of the pillion. There are other considerations for successful two-up touring such as choosing the right motorcycle, getting the motorcycle ready for two people, two-up safety, and many more. We'll cover those topics in separate posts, but this article is all about successful collaboration for a successful adventure!

Responsibilities of the Rider:

1. Keep Your Pillion Involved

The whole point of riding two-up is to share an adventure together, and the best way to share an adventure together is to plan the adventure together. Plan the route together, decide together the number of stops you'll be making and the time in between those stops. Together you can plan interesting activities and attractions you want to check out along the route. You can research wonderful boutique hotels and secluded mountain lodges together. Give your pillion the responsibility of documenting your ride through pictures and videos, things that will be impossible for a lone rider to do without stopping and dismounting the bike to snap that beautiful mountain vista. After 11 years of our own two-up adventures, we have developed a routine for planning our trips that works really well for us. Nonny roughs out a route based on interesting towns, stops, and activities we are interested in, then Allan fine-tunes the route to find great roads using our Garmin and the Base Camp program.

2. Communication Is Everything

If you and your pillion use helmet headsets to communicate, this point may seem less crucial until (like ALL technology) the headsets fail and you're left trying to interpret your pillion's wildly flailing arm signals. Assume that you'll have no connectivity, understand that your pillion is not a mind reader, and set some non-verbal signals that you can always rely on. For example, mounting and dismounting your motorcycle is a dance that can end in disaster if the rider is not aware of the pillion's plans. When it's impossible to "hold it" any longer, rider and pillion need a signal to indicate they need to pull over for a bathroom break. A bug in the helmet, a beautiful photo op, stiff legs, dying of thirst...there are hundreds of reasons for an impromptu stop and you want to make sure both rider and pillion are aware of each other's needs. We don't ride with a headset system (that's a whole other post!) so we have developed a pretty extensive repertoire of non-verbal signals which keep us riding safely and in harmony.

3. Smooth Operator

It's the rider's job to ensure that the pillion has a great experience on the back of the motorcycle. As we have already mentioned, your pillion can be a valuable asset to you on the road, and it's in your best interest to make sure that the pillion feels safe and comfortable. Being a great pillion is all about trusting their rider, and jerky accelerating, clunky shifting, or sudden braking will undermine that trust. To be sure, there are situations where sudden braking, swerving, or sudden acceleration is necessary in order to avoid an accident, but this should not be the usual way of riding. As we have mentioned, we communicate through non-verbal signals. If Allan can see a need for sudden acceleration, he will squeeze his elbows to his sides signalling Nonny to lean in and hold on tight for a sudden thrust. Your pillion has agreed to give up all control and has placed all their trust in you as a great rider. Being a smooth operator will keep your pillion feeling safe, comfortable, and having fun so you can enjoy many more two-up adventures!

4. Accessorize

No, we don't mean buying Louis Vuitton jackets or Prada gloves. We are talking about accessories that make the two-up riding experience better for your pillion. Consider a top case to make your pillion feel safer and give them something to lean against when the road stretches for miles in front of you. As we've mentioned, in-helmet communication devices can be a real game changer for some couples (the opposite is true for us, but that's a whole other discussion 😃). Ensure your pillion sits comfortably on the motorcycle and can reach the foot pegs. We have had to modify the pegs on our two Ducatis as Nonny is only 5' and struggles to reach the pegs with the pannier cases in the way. To begin with, your pillion may feel more comfortable using passenger grips attached to the rider rather than simply relying on the bike's grab rail. Another accessory to consider for your pillion is a heated seat or an after-market heated seat pad. Most motorcycle brands will offer this custom option as part of their touring package. Decide together what would make the pillion's experience better - if there is a need, there's probably an accessory out there to make the adventure safer and more comfortable.

Responsibilities of the Pillion:

1. It's All About Trust

The most important thing to being a great pillion is trust - you must agree to give up control and trust completely in your rider. Not trusting that your rider has your best interests to heart will end in certain disaster. Gripping on to your rider for dear life, yelling for your rider to stop, leaning away from a curve, or jerky movements to try and avoid a perceived collision will make your rider anxious and negatively affect their riding.

2. Position

The pillion's position on the motorcycle affects the safety and comfort for both the rider and themselves. Different styles of motorcycles will force the pillion into a certain position. For example, a pillion will be in a forward crouched position holding on to the riders waist on a sport bike, whereas a touring bike will allow the pillion to sit up straight and hold on to the bike's safety rails. Whatever style of motorcycle you have, the pillion should be relaxed, keeping their mass close to the rider, and going with the movements of the rider and bike.

3. Go With the Flow and Look Where You Are Headed

For those who are new to pillioning, it takes some time getting used to the movements of the motorcycle, particularly when cornering. As your rider leans into a fantastic curve, your first instinct will likely be to lean away from the curve to counteract the feeling of tilting. As a pillion, keep your eye on the road ahead by positioning your head only very slightly laterally from the rider's helmet, just enough to see what's coming up and prepare for a corner. When you feel your rider begin to lean, mirror their movement and lean in the same direction, looking over the rider's leaning shoulder. A good pillion's goal is to move as your rider moves, acting as one object on the motorcycle. Fighting the lean will result in disaster as the rider struggles to make the corner instead of crashing into the guardrail. Neither, though, do you want to over-lean into a curve. A motorcycle's lean limit is not something to be tested as you're carving mountain roads. Keep your shoulders in line with your rider's, hold on to their waist rather than the side rails, and go with the rider's flow for a safe pillion experience.

4. Dress For The Slide, Not The Ride

We cringe every time we see a pillion wearing a tank top, cut off shorts, and flip flops. Sure, riding in Sicily when it's 32C wearing full leathers and the exhaust feeling like a blast furnace under your seat is no one's idea of fun. But neither is weeks in a hospital subjected to severed toes, skin grafts, or worse!!! Wearing a protective jacket and gloves, Kevlar riding jeans, and proper riding boots or shoes will give a pillion an extra sense of safety and confidence, making them an excellent two-up partner.

Most of all, have a good time together! After a long or challenging day of riding it's easy to be short-tempered and impatient with each other because the rider didn't stop when the pillion wanted, or the pillion always takes too long getting ready to ride after a lunch stop. Try to remember that the whole point of two-up adventures is to enjoy the journey, enjoy the motorcycle, and most importantly, enjoy each other!