Don't know if this is better in NMC or the General forum, but I'll start here...
A bicycle advocacy organization here in town is holding a fund-raiser gala next month; I'm a volunteer on the board of directors and we're trying to pull together silent auction items for the event. Our event organizer is pushing for more "experience" items -- rather than a thing, the auction winner gets an experience that's very hard for the average person to duplicate. For example, one of the things I'm donating is a guided full-moon canoe or kayak trip on a local lake.
Which got me thinking... We live right in the middle of some of the finest motorcycle roads anywhere, and bikes are constantly all over town. I suspect a significant number of the folks here who don't ride see it all around them and would love to experience it, but don't want to learn to ride, get a license & pay for a bike. What I'd offer would be the back seat of my ST2 for a loop of the some of the best local roads, and throw in breakfast or lunch at the Skull Valley Cafe or Yarnell Bakery, or maybe up Oak Creek Canyon to Sedona. That it'd be on an "exotic" Italian bike (humor me) would probably be good for an extra few $$$.
So everything's straight, here are the relevant bits: Non-profit group takes $X from a supporter, in exchange for an experience as a passenger on a motorcycle. As a licensed, insured rider, I take that supporter on a ride around the area on my also insured motorcycle. I do not receive any compensation for any of it; in fact I'm donating time, gas & a meal.
Here's what I'm wondering: though I wouldn't plan on tearing it up, random bad stuff can happen even when you're riding very carefully. Does this idea expose the organization to more risk than the $100-$200 or so I'd imagine this could fetch is worth? I wouldn't even be wondering this if we were talking about a car -- or for that matter my canoe.
as a human.... I say this is an awesome idea.
but.... I bet the lawyers would say nOOOOOOOOOO!
that's not to say lawyers are inhuman [laugh]
as a motorcycle enthusiast brilliant idea, however like u said so many things can go wrong, and always remember no good deed goes unpunished.
Who provides the gear?
What happens if the person is too large to fit on the bike?
this is an example of how shit can go wrong even when being very careful
Last year at the Jolly Jeepers Back-to-Basics rally
Some of the forest service folks overseeing the event jumped into a couple of the jeeps to get a better idea of how things worked.
the drivers they were with were just observers and not participating in any real obstacles
at one point a jeep with a forest service observer had catastrophic brake failure and it went tits over tail 6 times
The FS lady panicked and threw her hands up trying to brace herself
She shattered both arms, both shoulders, and both hands.
The legal rammification both between organization, government, and civil are a nightmare.
So
IMO I wouldn't put a non moto person on a bike
either pillion or on their own
no matter how careful you are trying to be
Now if you had a motorcycle tours business with the proper legal documents and business insurance for properly trained, documented, and insured motorcyclists to participate then by all means
but
inexperienced folk and a volunteer organization donation
<shudders>
I can hear a lawyer getting a hard-on already