Hey, I’ve been reading as much as I can in preperation for getting back into riding… I saw this and decided I had to stop lurking
My Dad was really into motorcycles, so I’ve literally been riding two-up since about 6 years old, or whenever I could fit into the smallest helmet we had – when I was real little my Dad would be put me on the tank in front of him, but that would probably be frowned on now-a-days.
I’ve had to run through “the list” with people who are new to motorcycles, and I think you should go through this with every potential passenger:
1. Get on/off the bike from the bike’s left side.
2. Get on/off the bike only when the driver tells you it’s OK
3. Keep your feet on the pegs at all times – only the driver puts their feet down at a light for instance
4. Hold on to the passenger handle or the driver
5. Lean with the bike -or- stay straight up in relation to the bike, not the road
6. When you’re doing 130 down the back straight of Mosport, don’t stick your head up (your helmet strap will choke you)
Okay, maybe #6 isn’t for everybody…
You should also come up with some kind of tapping system in case of an emergency, etc.
Other things you might not want to scare people with right away are: if the driver stands on the pegs, you probably want to as well, and if the bike goes down, get off.
It’s stuff that you might not think of with only driving experience, but it makes for happier passengers in the end