Carrying Passengers; And Cargo; Carrying A Passenger - Vermont Castings MOTORCYCLE Manual


• Pull off the road — Get as far off
the road as you can. It can be very
hard to spot a motorcycle by the
side of the road. You don't want
someone else pulling off at the
same place you are.
• Park carefully — Loose and sloped
shoulders can make setting the side
or center stand difficult.

CarrYiNg PaSSeNgerS

aND CargO

The extra weight of a passenger
or cargo will affect the way your
motorcycle behaves, requiring extra
practice, preparation and caution. For
this reason, only experienced riders
should attempt to carry passengers or
large loads. Before taking a passenger
or a heavy load on the street, prepare
yourself and your motorcycle for safe
operation in traffic.
Preparing Your Motorcycle
Tire Pressure – Check the air
pressure of both tires. Refer to the
owner's manual or the label affixed
to the motorcycle for the correct
inflation specifications. Though most
of the added weight will typically be
on the rear wheel, don't forget to also
check the pressure on the front tire.
Correct inflation pressures will maintain
maximum stability, steering precision
and braking capability.
Suspension – With a heavy load,
the riding characteristics and balance of
the motorcycle will change. On some
motorcycles, it will be necessary to
adjust the suspension settings (spring
preload, compression/damping settings,
etc.) to compensate for the lowered rear
of the motorcycle. Refer to the owner's
manual for adjustment procedures and
specifications.
Headlight – Prior to loading, position
the motorcycle about 10 feet from a
wall in an unlighted garage and mark
the headlight beam location on the
wall with chalk. With a full load and
passenger, recheck the headlight beam
location. Use the adjusting screws on
the headlight to lower the beam to
the same height. Check your owner's
manual for adjustment procedure.
Equipment for

Carrying a Passenger

• Be sure your passenger is properly
attired, wearing the same level of
personal protective gear as you.
• Be sure your motorcycle is equipped
with passenger footrests.
• Your motorcycle should have a proper
seat, one large enough to hold both
you and your passenger without
crowding. You should not sit more
forward than you usually do.
• Check that there is a strap or solid
handholds for your passenger to
hold onto.
Preparing Your
Passenger to Ride
Ensure your passenger is able to reach
the passenger footrests, and is able to
hold on to your waist, hips, belt, or the
bike's passenger handholds. Children
should be placed immediately behind
the rider. A child sitting in front of the
rider will not be able to properly balance
him/herself and may interfere with the
rider's control of the motorcycle.
Passenger safety begins with
proper instruction. Riders should not
assume that passengers are familiar
with motorcycle handling, control, or
balance. As a routine practice, always
instruct your passenger on cycling basics
prior to starting the trip, even if your
passenger is a motorcycle rider.
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