short pillion wife says help

[russ]

russ' wife

I love riding out as a pillion, but I find after xx time I suffer with backache, general stiffness and have trouble getting off the bike afterwards.

any hints/tips would be greatly appreciated by a long suffering wife

[PHIL FAT]

why not get your own bike simples

[Locky]

Do you have a topbox fitted to the bike ?
Do  you find the seat comfortable ?
Are you tense when on the bike or relaxed ?

[Tusker]

of you are    like me just get used to it....

I was like a plank when I got home today  

[Keith Cross]

The first thing is to make sure that you are warm and dry.  Any discomfort will be multiplied if you are cold or wet.  Your gear also has to fit properly, not tight, or again this will make things worse.
After that its a matter of looking at how you are say, do you have enough room for example.  The top box could be moved back, and adjustable pillion pegs are also available.  Also are you being buffeted then a new screen might help
All worth a look.

Keith C

[russ]

russ' wife




 thank you to all who have replyed to me,  I am 37 years young and warm and dry on the bike, Nice and relaxed.  Yes there is a top box, But if I move it back I will fall between the seat and the box, Which I may say is a pain in the arse haha.
just short of haveing a bumper seat down there for me I don't know what to do
well think I could be a bit fucked oh well thanks for the help

[Gassoon]

Maybe you could get one of these ...
http://www.bumbags4bikers.co.uk/3um3ags ... 49631.aspx

and stuff/arrange it in the gap comfortably? Or a gel pad?

[IanP]

As a tip for getting off (or even on for that matter), let hubby get off first then you can slide forward and get off a lot easier. That's how we do it.

[Andy M]

Ideas:

1. Back protector: strap the muscles and stop "bits wobbling". This gets my now underused and abused back from a standing 150 mile range up to 3-400 again.

2. Heated vest. Same as the above but works in the cold (restrictive clothing make syou cold).

3. Practice; I used to ride a lot. I've done 1000 miles in 24 hours and still went to the disco on the ferry. This however was at the end of a 6 week trip into Scandanavia/Russia. Train muscles gradually and without straining them and they work better.

4. Move on the seat. My wife slides forward on the seat and was then afraid to shuffle back. Tense and uncomfortable isn't good. Shuffle, move about as you need to, just do it on a straight bit of road, not some off camber set of traffic lights while your rider is trying to filter.

5. Stop before it hurts. Our first decent trip out was Leeds-Cambridge. This is the sort of hop I'd do before breakfast when on form. Karen was actually happy when it started to rain as we stopped to put rain suits on as her bum had had enough. If we'd kept going I don't think bike touring would have caught on with her. An intercom helps when I switch into "lets go to Prague for a beer" mode and Karen is thinking more of McDonalds coffee on the side of the A-64.

Andy

[Swazi sean]

Hi from the sun. I had two small cusions made at The place who built
My seat after my jack russel dug through trying to get to the rat living underneath. They used Velcro to my tip box.
When lee not onboard we just take them off as they catch my foot getting on.
I also think that if there is any tension
In your back or shoulders you'll have a crap ride.
It's meant to be fun so try relax and read your book.
Good luck but best is to get your own boni I recon.

[doboy]

I agree with andy , get a good back support belt on ..my wife had a bad slipped disc a few yrs ago but since then with the help of a good back support belt & an airhawk we've been as far as morocco without problems. I'm fine but wouldn't think of setting off on a long trip without a body belt on it makes all the difference ..

[Steve33]

+1 for the back support. I got a cheap one from a Lidl special offer years ago. On a long ride it makes all the difference.

I get mild lower back pain & stiffness from my desk job. I've found these exercises a few years ago:

http://www.backcare.org.uk/CMS/files/70 ... 220910.pdf

As long as I do the first page of these a few times a week, no back pain or stiffness - even on a long motorway ride.

You might want to try plugging the gaps between bike & topbox. On my Vee with a Givi Monolock topbox, my wife found a draft was hitting her lower back.

[russ]

russ' wife

thanks all for your help, I will definateley try them out

ps - I have found the best way to get on and off is: hubby puts the stand down just in case , front brake on and braces himself (fnahh), as long as I don't shift my bodyweight to far to the right - all is splendour

[Tusker]

have you tried putting both hands on his shoulders then leapfrogging him doing a double tucked somersault over the front fairing to land facing forwards on the flags ????

It looks cool  

[Andy M]

... braces himself (fnahh)....

Not Australian is he?  

I find the trick with getting on and off is speed once you've got set up (rider slid forward on the seat, bars weighted and front brake on, left foot firmly planted, right foot ready to push on the peg, pilion pegs unfolded). If the pillion goes left peg, over, sat down as fast as you can say it, any resulting wobble can be corrected. If they are  hopping up and down on the left peg, while trying trying to get their fingers in your ear and symultaneously kicking the top box (another reason to dislike the things), the rider has a lot less chance of holding it together.

Andy