Motorcycle Touring with a Pillion: Making It Good for Both of You

Start with the passenger

The single biggest factor in a good two-up tour is whether the pillion is comfortable and feels safe. A rider can enjoy a long day on great roads that leaves a passenger cold, bored and sore. Agree the kind of trip first: how many hours a day, how many stops, and what you both want to do off the bike. A tour planned around the riding alone rarely works for two.

Setting up the bike

• Payload. Check the maximum payload in the handbook. Two adults in riding kit plus luggage can reach it quickly on many bikes. Weigh the luggage before you leave.
• Suspension. Add rear preload to the two-up setting. If the bike has electronic suspension, select the passenger-and-luggage mode. Without this the bike sits low, steers slowly and grounds out.
• Tyres. Use the loaded pressures in the handbook, and set off with plenty of tread. A heavily loaded tourer wears a rear tyre much faster.
• Headlight. Check the aim once loaded; a low rear raises the beam into oncoming drivers’ eyes.
• Comfort for the passenger. A backrest on the top box, grab rails they can reach, and footpegs at a height that does not cramp their knees. A gel or sheepskin seat pad is worth trying on long days.

Kit for the pillion

A passenger gets colder than the rider because they sit still and catch the wind over the rider’s shoulders. Give them the warmest, most waterproof kit you can, heated layers if the bike can power them, and good gloves (certified gloves are compulsory for passengers in France too). An intercom makes a big difference: the passenger can point out a café, ask for a stop, or just chat on a long motorway stretch. Our touring packing list covers the rest.

Packing for two

Space is the hard part. Two people’s off-bike clothes, two sets of waterproofs and a shared wash bag fill panniers and a top box fast. Share what you can: one tool kit, one first-aid kit, one charger with several ports. Each of you can have a soft bag that goes into the room, so the panniers can stay on the bike. If you are staying several nights in one base, you can unpack properly and ride light day loops.

Riding two-up

• Smoothness is everything. Every jerky gear change and late brake sends the pillion’s helmet into yours. Roll the throttle, squeeze the brakes early, and change gear gently.
• Allow more distance. The bike takes longer to stop and to overtake with the extra weight.
• Low-speed control. The bike feels heavier and higher at walking pace. Take hairpins wider and slower than you would alone, and use the rear brake to steady the bike.
• Getting on and off. Agree a routine: the rider is on, both feet down, bike upright and front brake on before the passenger climbs on, and the passenger gets off first at the end.
• Brief the passenger. Look over the rider’s shoulder in the direction of the bend, lean with the bike, keep feet on the pegs at a stop, and hold the rider or the grab rails, not the rider’s arms.
• Signals. Without an intercom, agree simple taps: one tap for “slow down”, two for “stop when you can”.

Practise before the trip

If you have not ridden two-up with full luggage before, do a day ride at home with the bike loaded exactly as it will be on tour. Ride some tight bends, a steep hill start, a U-turn and a slow walk-pace manoeuvre into a car park. You will learn how the bike feels, where the luggage rubs, whether the passenger’s knees fit around the panniers, and whether the intercom works. It is far better to find out on a familiar road than on a hairpin with a queue behind you.

Stops and comfort

A passenger stiffens up faster than the rider, because they cannot move around as much. Stop every hour or so, even briefly, to stretch, drink and take off a layer or put one on. Dehydration creeps up on both of you behind a visor, especially in the heat of a southern valley. Earplugs for the passenger make long motorway stretches far less tiring. Give the passenger a job if they want one: navigating, picking the coffee stop, taking photos, or keeping an eye on the fuel and the time. A passenger who feels part of the trip rather than luggage enjoys it more.

How far to ride each day

Shorter than solo. A good two-up day for most couples is three to five hours of riding with a stop every hour or so. That gives time to walk around a village, a proper lunch and an arrival in daylight. Plan more rest days than you would alone. Our guide to how far to ride per day has the detail.

Choosing routes

Routes that mix good riding with things to see suit two-up touring best. Hairpin-heavy passes are fun for the rider but tiring for a passenger, while a flowing valley road with villages and viewpoints works for both. Good picks:

• The Mosel Valley: flowing river roads, wine villages and plenty of short stops. See stays on the Mosel.
• The Black Forest high road: easy, scenic and well served with cafés. See stays in the Black Forest.
• The Dolomites: for experienced riders, the scenery works for both of you, but keep days short and the bike light. See stays in northern Italy.

Where to stay

For a two-up trip, the stay matters to the passenger as much as the garage matters to the rider. Look for somewhere with a good restaurant or walkable evening, a comfortable room and a drying room for both sets of kit. Basing yourselves for two or three nights in one biker-friendly hotel and riding day loops is often better than moving every day. Our biker-friendly hotel checklist has what to ask.