How To Be A Passenger On A Motorcycle Ride?

Riding a bicycle alone demands balance and control. Riders on motorcycles need more than two of these qualities to ride them.

A motorcycle’s weight usually exceeds that of your own. Those who operate heavier motorcycles like the CVO Streetglide, need to be confident before attempting a ride.

How to be a passenger on a motorcycle ride? As a driver, it becomes more challenging especially with an additional passenger on. Putting people on their bikes is a great experience for motorcycle passengers!

You’ll be surprised to know that it requires careful planning to be a good passenger. This article will show you what to do and what not to do as a driver and a passenger along with useful things to keep in mind before starting your ride.

The Best Tricks And Tips For Riding As A Motorcycle Passenger

If you are invited to ride a motorcycle by motorcycle riders, they must have the experience of riding motorcycles as well as the ability to carry passengers on their vehicles. You should expect your rider to ensure that you use protective clothing.

The rider must explain how the bike is mounted. Your safety is at stake. They should describe everything together to make it clear what you should expect from the ride.

• Always Wear A Helmet

It may seem obvious, but most people don’t wear helmets. Helmets have the same importance for the passenger as for the driver. The headband should cover the head. Wearing a full-face and properly fitted helmet is advisable for increased protection.

If one wants to be an indefinite motorcycle rider, buying a helmet is a very good choice – specially designed for them.

• Wear Ankle-Covering Shoe

Ankle-covered footwear is opportune while riding motorcycles and particularly as passengers. Our femur bones are slightly weakened and they can easily be bitten or hurt by things while riding.

When traveling on a motorbike, your feet will be next to a tire rotating hundreds of times a minute. It hurts a little (or much) when you’re a little closer to the wheel, or when the rocks hit your ankle after bouncing from the road.

Your feet could be close to hot exhaust tubes. Therefore, to protect your feet and ankle bones it is a must to wear ankle-covering shoes.

• Wear Long Pants

If your goal is to ride in an automobile, wear long trousers. The safest protection pants you can wear are leather pants, but honestly, most people do not have them.

You can opt for jeans as an alternative. The reasons for wearing long pants during riding are similar to ankle-covered sneakers, to protect your feet and legs.

• Let The Driver Know If You’re Uncomfortable

An uncomfortable motorbike will never make your passengers safer. When the position of your body changes and your adjustment changes frequently, this can easily cause unsafe conditions.

If you are ever a passenger who becomes uncomfortable – either for safety or for other reasons – it is advisable to tell a friend that you have to go.

Riding a motorcycle is a huge joy and you do not want to ruin your ride unless you feel unsafe. It is acceptable to tell your driver to slow or stop to catch up with your breath.

• Tie Your Hair Back

For women, it’s better to keep their hair in a ponytail or have the hair tied back. Using helmets is not the best way to tame your hair.

Wearing your hair tied back can also keep your hair from swaying towards your face or blocking your views. Even though you won’t be driving, this is incredibly uncomfortable and dangerous.

• Wear A Jacket

If you plan to travel on motorcycles as an adult you should always wear an appropriate jacket. A true leather jacket can be used on a motorcycle because studies prove that it provides the best protection against an accident.

However, you may not have a jacket or motorcycle companion whose jacket you can take out.

If you have denim jackets, wear them and if you don’t then wear an extra layer of protective clothing or shoes, you could be injured a great deal in an accident if you don’t wear a protective layer of clothes.

• Don’t Ride If There Aren’t Foot Pegs

You might get caught in a situation where a motorcycle passenger has no foot straps. It could just be due to the design of the motorcycle, or the owner taking the foot pegs out. If you are stranded in such a situation, don’t ride such an automobile.

It is very dangerous as the tires spin at high speed and hot pipes are located in that area. You can’t hold the foot and the legs together in the air for longer rides.

• Sit Close To Your Driver

If you plan on becoming a passenger on a motorcycle, hopefully, it is safe for you to be physically closer to a motorcycle rider when you travel. You should get closest to your driver if possible. You don’t have to be pinned onto them.

You just have to get closer enough to see how they move and this will allow the motorist to drive safely.

• Wait Until The Driver Gets On

The motorcycle operator must always start by mounting the motorcycle in the front to ensure stability while his passenger goes behind him. It is difficult to stabilize motorcycles with handles so far forward that it is almost impossible to move them.

Trying to balance the bike with legs can be very tricky and it is not recommended to do so if you are less familiar than the person who is riding the bike.

• Go Where Your Driver Goes

Whatever the driving process is you have to take part in if you don’t it could result in a bicycle being imbalanced.

Just follow the driver’s body language and lean in their direction and follow them exactly. The driver should be able to know what they are doing so that they have a safe ride.

• Hold The Motorcycle Rider When He Accelerates Or Brakes

At high speeds, you can press into the driver. You can hold onto the rider’s shoulders by grabbing the back of their shoulders, then simply rest your head on their back.

Motorcycles accelerate much harder than cars, resulting in accidents in the absence of the backrest for passengers.

• Be Prepared For Curves And Braking

Braking and going through curves are usually what scares scare someone new to motorcycle riding. It’s not difficult but you have to be careful. Curves can be scary, especially when riding motorcycles.

The bike can be shockingly close to your base and your instincts are either to sit as upright as possible or push hard against the curve, this should not be done. It is best for a bicycle to naturally curve into its curve and look to the shoulders of the rider as he does.

• You May Get A Few Cramps

When this is your first motorbike rodeo your body may not feel comfortable sitting on the bike seat. The way the legs are placed may seem awkward depending upon the motorcycle design.

If you feel cramps, communicate with the rider and express your fears. They’ll be helpful to explain the best way to stay on a motorcycle, especially as they have more experience in this field.

• Wrap Your Arms Around The Driver

As stated above, riding motorcycles will make the trip much easier for motorcycle passengers as long as they can be carried by the driver. You should hold hands around the driver’s neck and hug them from behind.

If your ride isn’t comfortable then put your fingers under your hip or perhaps grab on the belts in your pants. If you ride motorcycles with more luxury there are special grip bars designed for passenger use. Never hold your hands as this does not guarantee safety.

• Don’t Wiggle

You must keep your balance when traveling on a motorbike. It’s simple to move around in a vehicle without any consequences. Any kind of moving will surprise the driver and it may result in losing balance or even tipping the bike.

• Help Direct The Driver

When you can determine where you should be going, it is helpful to assist a motorcycle driver. Riding on a motorcycle can be fun, and sometimes it can be very dangerous because of extra security measures that have to be taken.

The rider should be aware of the risks if he adds another person to his rider’s list. It’s also nice to give a little additional assistance to the drivers even though it seems like the driver knows where they’re headed.

• Use Hand Signals

If you have an emergency on the ride, it is recommended that you shout. However, if you do not want the hassle of shouting during a motorcycle ride then hand signaling will be the most efficient means of communication with motorcycle drivers.

Before stepping onto your bike and starting to travel talk about hand gestures and the way they indicate them.

Some motorcycle enthusiasts are given hand signals to communicate while they’re traveling but they’re both capable of creating their hand signals, particularly if they’re just getting started.

• Brace yourself when stopping

You must have heard of Newton’s first law of inertia, an object will move at a constant speed unless and until an additional force is applied to stop it.

Similar is the case in riding bikes. When a bike stops, your body is still moving at that speed which may result in a slight jerk as your body stops with the bike.

Braking is a way of avoiding a helmet collision, which is likely going to happen anyway due to the Newton’s first law of motion.

• Know The Rider, Know The Bike

When you ride the bike, you have taken the responsibility for your bike and your own life. Adding a passenger makes the driver responsible for their life as well.

If you ride with someone you have never ridden before then you should check them thoroughly. The bike is a vital part of your ride therefore check it as well.

• Keep An Eye Out For Danger

It is of great help that the driver can get a new perspective on potential hazards through the eyes of their passenger. If you want to ride a motorcycling vehicle, be prepared that there will be other vehicles and bikes on the road.

The rider does his best to avoid danger, but the drivers should keep their eyes fixed on the road. Meanwhile, passengers can keep an eye on merging cars, approaching stops or lights, and pedestrians.

• Be Prepared To Yell While Riding

It is difficult to talk between drivers and passengers while driving motorcycles. Don’t expect to hear anything until you hit the stop lights.

The idea of talking to someone while driving is very difficult and extremely frustrating. You must be loud enough for a motorcyclist to be able to hear what you want to say.

Guidelines To Help A Motorcycle Rider While Riding With A Motorcycle Passenger

Above we have discussed the tips that a passenger can follow while riding a motorcycle. Now here are a few tips that can be used by the driver of the motorcycle.

Your first kilometers having a passenger along can often feel sloppy, especially when trying to adjust the added weight to the vehicle.

• Your Job As A Passenger Host

Often motorcycle enthusiasts bring the passenger on their journey, scaring them and completely turning them away from riding.

It should also be the responsibility of motorcycle drivers to ensure their own safety along with the safety of their passenger riders ensuring the rider remains as comfortable as possible.

• Communication and the First Ride

Before taking a longer trip around a neighborhood, you need to establish some basic communication skills with the passenger for them communicate your needs.

A tap on your right shoulder may mean: “Stop as soon as you can .” One could refer to urgency. Whereas tapping the left shoulder can tell the rider to ” Stop right now!”

Taping either of them could mean that there’s something wrong. A thumbs-up indicates that I enjoyed my day. A thumb down indicates the reverse. The verdict is sideways way.

If you can speak with a voice at low speeds, or when the vehicle stops, you can simply communicate your needs by your mouth.

• Start Small

Generally, it is not logical for you if you are riding a cross-country trek with a passenger. A long ride on a motorcycle takes time to develop. Start with short, low-commitment rides. Gradually progress through longer trips, such as weekend excursions to a nearby town.

• Gear Up Or Don’t Ride

As a driver, you must ensure that you and the passenger are properly geared up. A helmet and jacket are not only necessary for the motorcycle rider but the passenger as well.

Since the driver is responsible for both riders, it is his responsibility to ensure that they both are suitably geared up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do You Lean With The Motorcycle Rider As A Motorcycle Passenger?

Having closeness will make it easier to sync for both the rider and the passenger. When you don’t ride a bike with passenger handlebars, you will want to wrap around your driver.

Is Riding With A Passenger On A Motorcycle Hard?

It’s common law that carrying heavy passengers around a motorcycle will take time. In general, large and stronger motorcycles can generally take up occupants relatively easily.

Aside from determining your vehicle’s capacity, it’s also important to judge your ability as a driver if you can handle the additional weight on the bike or not.

Is Being A Passenger On A Motorcycle Scary?

If it’s your first ride as a passenger riding a motorcycle then things may be scary at first but if you have confidence in your motorcycle rider then things will get very fun for you soon.

The Final Word

Wondering how to be a passenger on a motorcycle, the best way to be a motorcycle passenger on a bike is to be in sync with your motorcycle rider’s body movement.

It is essential to check with the driver if he can withstand the extra weight. If he can then start with a short ride and then work your way towards longer rides.

Before you start riding a motorcycle as a passenger, you must ensure that you are properly geared up for it. Wear a face helmet that has an accurate helmet fit according to your face. Cover your body with additional layers to limit injuries in case of an accident.

It is advised to cover your legs with suitable leather pants, if not available then denim jeans along with suitable ankle boots to protect your feet and legs from hot parts located at the back of a motorcycle.

The back of a motorcycle consists of hot exhaust pipes therefore the back seat should have foot pegs to ensure passenger safety.

As a motorcycle rider, you can help motorcycle passengers enjoy their ride by avoiding sudden movements and making the motorcycle ride fun for the motorcycle passengers. The best passenger and rider is the one who ensures one another’s safety during the ride. For more information, please refer here to know how to be an ideal passenger on a motorcycle ride.