Hmmm... Tips for taking a "cupcake."
Caveat: I'm not exactly what you'd call experienced in that area. I've taken my mom out a couple times, and my bf a few times, and that's about it.
Take someone (relatively) light. It really is harder if your passenger weighs a lot more than you do.
Mostly I think that the coaching I gave my friend about what to expect and how to be a good passenger really helped. I also made sure that she understood the inherent risks and was OK with it -- that helped me relax, too.
One of the big differences was that she really held on (to me), which actually was better. At one point we were on the freeway going up a hill and the cross-winds were fierce. She just tucked in tight behind me, which was perfect -- it was like I was wearing a backpack.
Take it easy at first; the handling will be completely different. Allow extra space for braking! One helpful thing that people don't think of because it's kinda counter-intuitive, tell your passenger to be very still and balanced when you're not moving or just starting or stopping, because that's when it's easiest to tip the bike. If they need to shift around, they should do it when you're at speed, because the bike is much more stable then.
Speaking of which: Two feet down! The only real pucker moment came as we were starting up a pretty steep hill, with stop signs and lights going up. We were waiting at a red light, so I put her in neutral, put my left foot down, put my right foot on the brake, and turned back towards my right (taking my right hand off the front brake) to tell my gf to hold steady on the hill ahead... And she leaned forwards to better hear me. SH!T Bike started to tip to the right, I put my right foot down (of course!), and we started to roll backwards down the hill. SH!T some more! Quick grab the front brake and hold on! Whew. Laugh with relief. Change pants.
It really was fun! A great way to "share the love" ... [moto]
Anyone else have any tips...?
