Pillions don’t get the credit they sometimes deserve; they’re often referred to as just “passengers.” But after riding through the Americas for 20 months, I can confirm that the person riding behind me is much more than a stowaway. She helps to lift the bike after falls and allows me to experience the world and all of its wonders with the one I love. It can also be challenging at times. But, with patience, and maybe a bit of compromise, you and your pillion can be a powerful team able to overcome any challenge.

• Why Have a Passenger/Pillion?

There’s nothing better than feeling the wind on your face and the sun on your back as you pass through incredible scenery, especially with someone you care about.

Do you really know the person you love and/or married? Try spending 20 hours a day physically touching each other. Marisa and I used to spend about four to six hours together a day while awake, and now we are front to back or side by side from the moment we first open our eyes to when we close them to sleep. This may sound like a romantic Disney movie, but in reality it can take some getting used to. Still, it’s something I wouldn’t change for the world.

There’s nothing better than feeling the wind on your face and the sun on your back with someone you care about.

What many don’t realize is that having a pillion can be wonderful for the pilot as well. Sharing the ride can be a rewarding experience, and in many ways, it will strengthen your bond. You will go through every dip and bump and curve in the road together, you will both feel the same rain and the same wind. Plus, if you have a Bluetooth comm system, your passenger will be able to point out things you may have missed, or express the beauty of the landscape in ways you had not noticed. You might even find that having company makes the journey more enjoyable.

• A Few Practical Benefits of Riding 2-Up

While the pilot’s hands are firmly gripped onto the handlebars, the pillion can be taking photos and videos, paying tolls or other entrance fees, and confirming GPS routes. When the pilot wears a small backpack, important items are easily within reach for the pillion. The backpack can also provide a bit of a cushion between the two of you as well as support for the pillion.

Meandering down a side road in Malawi.

Another benefit is that if your bike decides to suddenly take a nap, it’s much easier to have another person there to help right it. Motorcycles do not have a reverse gear, which would come in handy if you need to back up a steep incline, but, I sometimes call my wife Marisa “my reverse.” She pushes the bike while I make beeping backup sounds. She also helps push us out of sand and provides an extra pair of hands while making repairs on the side of the road.

A Few Tips…

Tip No. 1—If You’re the Pilot, Be a Pillion at Least Once

I strongly suggest that the pilot take the backseat at least once, to experience the thrill of being a pillion. I’d never ridden as a pillion until a year into our journey through the Americas. In Guatemala, the bike was in for repairs and I had to ride pillion on a friend’s bike to get home. This was an awful experience of bumping around, having no control at all, and one that required blind faith that the pilot wouldn’t kill me. The result was that I respected Marisa a whole lot more after that short ride.

Tip No. 2—Discuss the Pillion’s Position

Before hitting the road, have a conversation with your pillion about what is expected of them. For example, I prefer that Marisa remain as still as possible, fighting the urge to lean with me, or to counterbalance any movements I might make. This may seem like common sense, but because some passengers have no other motorcycling experience, they may feel the instinct to lean into corners, or try to counterbalance by leaning the other way, or they may think it’s helpful to turn around to check the traffic behind. But these unexpected movements can take the pilot by surprise and be dangerous. Simply informing the pillion that in most scenarios they should remain as still as possible, and to not make any sudden movements, will avoid counter-balancing that could potentially throw you off (hopefully not literally).

Communication before the ride helps to avoid unexpected movements that can take the pilot by surprise and be dangerous.

Tip No. 3—Get a Bluetooth Headset

A great piece of gear for two-up riding is a Bluetooth comm system that links the helmets. Conversing is a wonderful way to enjoy the ride on a new level. Having another pair of eyes to assist with navigation can also help get you through nasty traffic or confusing turnoffs.

These systems also connect to phones and other digital gadgets so you can receive calls or listen to music, podcasts or audio books, and navi directions, and you can do it individually inside your helmets. That means Marisa doesn’t have to listen to my Guns ’n Roses and I don’t have to listen to her Mozart. And when we want to talk, we just click the button.

Tip No 4—Make the Pillion Comfortable

There’s an old saying, “A happy wife makes a happy life,” and the same can be said about your pillion. Most motorcycle manufacturers have not put much thought into passenger comfort when designing their rear seats. More often than not, it’s way too narrow for anyone’s actual human-sized rear end to be comfortable. No one wants to be sitting on a balance beam for hours, so we invested in an AirHawk (AirHawk.net). We also stuck a wide plastic plate under the cushion to give Marisa a little more support for her derriere.

Passenger footpegs are another critical component. Marisa’s biggest complaint was that her pegs were about half as wide as mine. The narrow pegs would make the arch of her foot hurt after standing for only a short amount of time. We installed a wider set, which have added a noticeable amount of comfort for Marisa both while sitting and on the occasions that she stands up.

And, finally, outfitting the bike with a sissy bar and or a cushioned back is guaranteed to make your passenger extremely happy.

Upgrade passenger seat and footpegs can noticeably increase the passenger’s comfort.

Tip No. 5—Practice Standing Together on the Bike

One of the great advantages to standing on a motorcycle instead of sitting is that it lowers your center of gravity to the footpegs. The trickiest thing about having the pillion stand with you is knowing that they’ll be using you for balance. It’s important to be on the same page when you’re off road. I don’t expect Marisa to always stand whenever I stand, but usually she does when we’re going uphill. Some couples love standing up together and find that it helps a lot, and others do not. By practicing, you will find your own ideal balance.

The trickiest thing about having the pillion stand with you is knowing that they’ll be using you for balance.

Tip No. 6—Practice Picking Up the Bike Together

There are lots of techniques that make righting a bike much easier with an additional set of hands. One can tackle the front and the other the back, you can both try to lift it while facing away from it and using your legs, or you can even do the “baby monkey” approach with someone on the other side as a counter weight. Many of the more workable and easy-to-do methods are presented on YouTube. Have a watch and then go out and practice in a grassy field.

Tip No. 7—Mount and Dismount in Different Ways

If the two of you learn to get on and off your bike in different ways, you’ll familiarize yourselves with the various ways of gaining balance in new positions or circumstances. You might find a technique you like better, but there may be instances when you’ll need these alternatives.

A short break in the only shade for miles in Namibia.

• In Conclusion

I believe that riding two-up has not just been an incredible experience for Marisa and I, but that it has strengthened our relationship. A lot of trust has been built. We’ve learned to think in unison, to pay attention and predict each other’s every movement, and we are now more in tune with one another than ever before. I hope that more people out there learn to ride together in this way and that they find the same enjoyment that we have from it.

Tim Notier was born and raised just west of Chicago, Illinois. For his first three decades he rarely explored more than an hour away from the hospital he was born in. But now things have changed. He sold all of his possessions and traded his behind-the-desk job for a full-time behind-the-handlebars adventure. Tim and wife, Marisa, have published numerous books about their travel and related experiences. Check them out on Amazon.