Two-Up Report - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

nicocorea · 07-06-2008, 10:48 PM

I finally threw my wife on my VZ800's rear fender and went for a day trip.

Bottom line: The VZ800 did great, but a passenger can only handle short doses due to the uncomfortable accommodations that the VZ800 offers to passengers.

The ride lasted about four hours, broken into as many segments (one stop early on for coffee, another to pee, another to hike up a river and get caught in a massive thunderstorm, and another on the way home for apple pie and root beer). About 1/3 of the time was on an interstate highway at speeds between 70 and 80 mph, and the remainder was spent ascending and then descending steep, twisty mountain roads at speeds ranging between 30 and 65 mph. Temperatures were in the mid 90s.

I weigh 155 lbs, and she tips the scale at around 110. We also had about 15 pounds of gear in her backpack.

If it wasn't for our helmets bumping when I shifted or braked, I wouldn't have known she was there. Climbing hills was no problem. Curves were no different than when riding by myself. I even made a few U-turns with her on the bike, and again, it was like she wasn't even there.

The only thing was the rear end seemed a bit soft. My rear suspension is at the second softest setting, which is just right for me alone. Next time we go on a long ride, I'll put the setting on 3.

Overall, my wife enjoyed the ride immensely. She said the bike felt stable, solid, and sure-footed at all speeds, on all the various road surfaces we traveled, and with the moderate crosswinds we experienced on the interstate returning home. But she complained about the comfort the VZ800 offers to its passenger. My wife is 5 feet, 2 inches tall. She found the pillion seat barely tolerable, and only in short doses (no more than 1 hour). Her butt went numb while riding, but was fine immediately after dismounting. She also felt that the pegs were way too high, putting her knees too high to be comfortable. The height of the foot pegs are probably what caused her numb butt. There's unlimited room to lower the left peg, but the right one's possibilities are limited by the upper exhaust pipe. I think the kind of ride we did today is about the max that she'll be able to handle unless I do some mods to increase her comfort.

Anyway, just thought I'd post this report of my first VZ800 2-up experience for the benefit of the forum.