Off road 2 up virgin
 

I've done quite a bit of dirt / gravel stuff and am quite at ease doing so. But i have never done it with pillion. Is it much harder? What are the biggest things to be aware of? I will be seriously in hot water if we go down, which is quite possible :eek:

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Hi Tim,

I take it you will be on your V Strom 650?

We ride 2up on a DR650 and my wife is 115-120 lbs, obviously if can carry less gear on the bike it will make it much easier.

The main thing that makes it harder is when you are riding slow on something technical or you hit soft patches of deep gravel, mud or sand, I generally stand a lot more when Im riding 2up, over bumpier sections I get Lisa to lift her butt off the seat and let the bike move around under her, she braces herself with her hands on the panniers, I never get her to stand, though some people do.

The other thing to do if something looks a bit sketchy ask your pillion to walk it and meet you on the other side, I asked Lisa to do this a few times on tricky steep descents off camber with loose rocks and tight turns or on steeper climbs when its loose, it also means they can video you riding so its not all bad !!!

Im sure you are on top of this but make sure they have as good riding gear as you and that they can walk ok in their boots.

I hadn't ridden 2up on dirt/gravel that much before our SAmerica trip either, but you soon get used to it. After a while you will almost forget they are there!!!

You can use a more aggressive front tyre it will help a bit too for softer terrain and deeper gravel, I like the TKC80 front, but more important than the tread pattern is the pressure - air down your tyres to ~ 20 psi and it will make a big difference, but watch those cast rims!

Yes vstrom :D
We have done plenty of on road miles 2up so all kitted out with the works.

Interesting that you dont get your Lisa to stand, sounds like a good work around. That was a concern I had.

As for 20psi; yes it shocked me when I first did it solo. Amazing change!

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Ooh I like this question! I'm a pillion & we've done lots of off road. For the really rocky stuff I will actually be the one standing up, mostly to stop my ample ass from constantly slamming down and potentially wearing out the shock (stock bmw & it is still all good after 80,000km). For the really unstable stuff like deep sand & mud or ice I get off and walk it, sometimes spot or push. I think if your pillion is experienced and it sounds like she is, she can adapt more easily. You can experiment with different speeds and positions to see what's more comfortable & stable. You may fall over, we have many times, but wear your gear. Y'all will be just fine;)

Hi Tim,


It actually does not make much difference is she stands or not, as long as the majority of her weight is OFF the seat, Lisa felt more comfy not standing, if her weight is off the seat the bike can move around easier and as most of her weight is on the pegs this lowers the CofG and improves handling, figure out what your partner is most comfortable with and try both!

Thanks for the tips, I will let you know how we get on. If however you don't see any follow up it means it didn't go well.

I ride 2 up on a KTM 1190, this was very helpful information!

-Another Tim

update on how it went?
 

It was ok, the ankle fracture was just a small one. We fell off !
Made a mistake but learnt a lesson.

TIP:If you go the wrong way, up a narrow, rough mountain road and have to turn round ASK YOUR PILLION TO GET OFF ! Shunting back and forth on the rough is a great way to fall off. I knew that but still did it. :oops2:

Apart from that minor problem it was a blast, no standing up from my wife just weighting the pegs.

The bike bottomed a lot though due to lack of ground clearance on the vstrom, but once I got to know which bits caused it, I could pick a better route. This meant going in holes but avoiding bumps as a preference.