A Note About Riding Two-Up

But before you get into the list below, I’m going to offer a few words of caution. First off, riding with a passenger is not recommended for beginner motorcyclists. When someone gets on the back of your bike, they’re putting their life in your hands. Please avoid carrying passengers until you’ve got at least one (1) full riding season under your belt, unless it’s an emergency situation.

Putting an extra person on your bike changes everything. It adds more weight and spreads it out differently across the machine, changing your riding style and requiring you to adjust your lean angles. Your passenger will also have to learn how to lean with you and avoid squirming or fidgeting so the two of you can ride safely. And of course, they’ll need full protective gear. ATGATT!

About Our Selections

These selections considered ease of use, rideability, price, and how effective each motorcycle was in helping the beginner or newer rider learn the intricacies of riding. We are confident that any of these bikes will be superb second bikes for most riders.

We will reinforce that some of these bikes are not pure beginner bikes, and that you will need to instruct your passenger on the correct way to move, lean with you, hold on, and the like. That is why we don't recommend carrying passengers until you have at least one or more full riding seasons of experience.

Honda Gold Wing

A legendary tourer for those that are expecting to go long distances with a passenger

BMW R1250 RT

One of the smoothest engines on the planet in a bike whose initials stand for "Reise-Tourer" (Travel Tourer)

BMW F750 GS

An adventure tourer for those that want to keep it on the pavement and make the miles disappear

Yamaha MT-07

A junior streetfighter "hyper naked" that is actually quite capable of two-up riding

Honda CBR650R

A sport bike with the soul of supersport but the comfort of a sport tourer

Ural Gear-Up

A Soviet-era-style sidecar bike that can go all day, can be fixed with a hammer, and is surprisingly comfortable

Suzuki Burgman 400 ABS

A maxi-scooter in a motorcycle list? When it's as good as the Burgman is, you bet!

Suzuki V-Strom 650

An ADV bike that is more of a pure tourer, but can still go off-road without issue

Triumph Bonneville T120

A superb adventure tourer for the beginner that will be staying mostly on pavement

Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic

A classic "American" cruiser that is great for a newer rider with a few seasons under their belt

Harley-Davidson Sport Glide

The only pre-owned cruiser bike on this list that we recommend, mostly because of it's do-it-all nature

Honda Rebel 500

Not only one of the best beginner bikes of a generation, also a great way to learn two-up riding

Kawasaki Ninja 650

A comfortable sport tourer that has a surprisingly plush pillion seat and more than enough power to ride two-up

Yamaha XSR700

Classic British style meets Japanese tech in a neo-retro that is perfect for two-up riding