Rider Education

	Riding Together Safely Passengers Are NOT Helpless Should something happen to the rider By: James R. Davis The general impression amongst motorcyclists is that a passenger would be totally helpless when it comes to controlling the motorcycle should something happen to the rider. Nonsense! An accident occurred in Ohio, I believe, some years ago where a deer attempted to jump over a motorcycle from the side and hit the rider, knocking him completely off the bike. The man's wife was a passenger at the time and she managed to take control of the bike and get it off to the side of the road and slowed it down so greatly that it simply fell over (into the grass.) Well, you argue, since there was no rider in front of her she was able to reach the controls. In fact, even if the rider was still there having, for example, simply collapsed from a heart attack, the passenger can almost always still gain control of the motorcycle. Two controls that the passenger usually cannot reach are the gear shift lever and the rear brake, but the three that he/she CAN reach are the clutch lever, the throttle, and the front brake. (And, not incidentally, the engine cutoff switch.) Thus, the passenger can steer the bike as well as control its speed. Even with a rider backrest, a passenger can stand on his/her pegs and lean over the rider to gain control of the bike. Cash and I have practiced this maneuver and demonstrated it to several motorcycle groups at rallies and other gatherings. It does not take a rider (or anyone at all on the bike) to balance a motorcycle moving at any reasonable speed. Because of trail there is an automatic attempt by all motorcycles to get vertical and steer in a straight line. In other words, though there will likely be some wild gyrations of the bike as it finds its way to a stable posture, there is TIME available to the passenger to get control of that bike. First order of business is to slow it down. Second order of business is to steer it to as safe a place as possible before it falls over, because fall over it will. Before it falls over that engine cutoff switch should be turned off. The passenger is certainly not helpless. Perhaps it would be a good thing to let him/her know it and even practice (at a dead stop, engine off, on the side stand) assuming control, no? This article was taken from http://www.msgroup.org/Tip.aspx?Num=165&Set= Ride Far***Ride Safe Uncle Willy

The general impression amongst motorcyclists is that a passenger would be totally helpless when it comes to controlling the motorcycle should something happen to the rider. Nonsense!

An accident occurred in Ohio, I believe, some years ago where a deer attempted to jump over a motorcycle from the side and hit the rider, knocking him completely off the bike. The man's wife was a passenger at the time and she managed to take control of the bike and get it off to the side of the road and slowed it down so greatly that it simply fell over (into the grass.)

Well, you argue, since there was no rider in front of her she was able to reach the controls.

In fact, even if the rider was still there having, for example, simply collapsed from a heart attack, the passenger can almost always still gain control of the motorcycle.

Two controls that the passenger usually cannot reach are the gear shift lever and the rear brake, but the three that he/she CAN reach are the clutch lever, the throttle, and the front brake. (And, not incidentally, the engine cutoff switch.) Thus, the passenger can steer the bike as well as control its speed.

Even with a rider backrest, a passenger can stand on his/her pegs and lean over the rider to gain control of the bike. Cash and I have practiced this maneuver and demonstrated it to several motorcycle groups at rallies and other gatherings.

It does not take a rider (or anyone at all on the bike) to balance a motorcycle moving at any reasonable speed. Because of trail there is an automatic attempt by all motorcycles to get vertical and steer in a straight line. In other words, though there will likely be some wild gyrations of the bike as it finds its way to a stable posture, there is TIME available to the passenger to get control of that bike.

First order of business is to slow it down. Second order of business is to steer it to as safe a place as possible before it falls over, because fall over it will.

Before it falls over that engine cutoff switch should be turned off.

The passenger is certainly not helpless. Perhaps it would be a good thing to let him/her know it and even practice (at a dead stop, engine off, on the side stand) assuming control, no?

Ride Far***Ride Safe