sprocket i/o

Dallas riding pillion on the Dakar

This week I’ve doubled the amount of miles I’ve spent two-up with Dallas. Her 2001 Accord needed some service because the front pads were gone and I overfilled the A/C refrigerant the other week. Since I no longer had a car, and I’m terrible at driving her 1971 VW Bus, she hopped on the back of my bike to drop off and pick up the car this week. The Honda dealer is only 7 miles away, but that’s the furthest I’ve taken Dallas anyone on my bike before.

While picking Dallas up the first time, I was in a bit of an uncomfortable panic. She didn’t have proper pants on (I forgot to bring them), nor proper boots, and I wasn’t very used to the change in sensation with a passenger aboard. I didn’t tune the suspension for a pillion, but it seemed to still be fairly pliant. Every motion I made felt magnified, and each sensation heightened. I tried my best to be slow and smooth with everything, though on this bike, slow acceleration is a given with two people aboard. I thought hard about making each shift as smooth as I can be, although 1st to 2nd is always rough on my bike. In a sense, I did everything I could to make her feel comfortable and relaxed. This time, I told her to be neutral in turns, which actually caused my cornering to run wide.

In dropping her off, I felt a lot more confident, and could be smooth without any sense of panic. This time I had her wear a pair of my Olympia Ranger overpants, which made me feel a lot safer. The weather was cooler, traffic was light, and other than her dismounting before I put the kickstand down, there was no drama. Toward the end I had her look into the turns with me, which makes a huge difference when turning. Dallas did mention that she needs to wear some kind of glasses when riding into the sun, which I can agree with. Her helmet has no built-in sunshade, and I only have a clear lens for it. I mentioned that you can tilt your head town to keep the sun above your lens line, but I think sunglasses are the way to go for her.

Dallas falls asleep really easily on car rides, which makes two-up riding a bit of a concern with me. A backrest would help in this case, but I don’t see us riding together enough to make it worthwhile. Still, I really enjoy doing it. Riding two-up is like the best, longest, cuddliest hug you could ever get.