Riding with a pillion takes a little adjustment – for both the rider, and the motorcycle passenger!

These ground rules for riding safely with a pillion come from the founder of IJustWant2Ride.com, Warren Massey…

Let’s start by assuming you have the motorcycle skills necessary to ride with a passenger.  If you’re scaring yourself when you ride, you don’t need a pillion to scare as well. You want your passenger, especially if they are your significant other, to want to ride more … not be put off motorcycles forever…

Back in the day, in the wild west of Australia, motorcycle rallies were downright primitive.

You really had to man up.
Even if you were a woman.

These motorcycle events were completely no-frills.
A bunch of riders would meet up, on a Saturday, in a paddock.
And that’s where the plan ended…

Where is it written that the garage is the right place for motorcycle storage?

I never got that memo.

So there’s a Triumph Scrambler in my living room right now.
It’s her turn for a little indoor visit.

Why hide a bike this gorgeous in the garage – when there’s plenty of room in the house for motorcycle storage?

A motorcycle exhaust note is like your bike’s voice.

You don’t need it to let out a deafening roar every time you turn the key. But you also don’t want it to whisper so quietly you can barely hear it.

I reckon a strong rumbling purr is the ideal.

When we finally got our hands on our new Indian Scout, we knew she’d look amazing. But we really wondered how she’d sound.

Pat fired her up for the first time … and … hmm. She mumbled away in a boring murmur that had no personality at all. We rode her for a little while, and nothing changed.

Right. We need a better motorcycle exhaust, said Pat, heading for the internet with his credit card already out.

When the sun is shining, you can’t fit enough motorcycle rides into your week.

On a sunny day, everything goes more smoothly.

You arrive at your destination sun-warmed, relaxed, and grinning like an idiot. No car drivers tried to kill you. No trucks splashed buckets of cold muddy water all over you.

All is well.

The bike gleams happily by the kerb.
You smile right back at her, sip your coffee, and chat to your man.

On days like this, riding a motorcycle is the best idea ever.

But not every day is so perfect.

Bearded men used to be in the minority.

Back in the day, if you were partial to men with beards you had limited options.

You could hang out at Harley dealers.
You could knock hopefully on the doors of remote mountain shacks.

Or you could check out the local bearded men, and just marry the best one.
(That’s what I did, and I’ve never looked back…)

Riding a motorcycle in New Zealand just might blow your mind.

New Zealand is about the same size as California, and you’re never more than 170 km from the sea. The population is just over 4 million (not counting the hobbits, elves and dwarves you’ve seen in The Lord of the Rings).

When you look at a map, the travel distances in this country seem tiny. But a map doesn’t tell the full story. A map won’t prepare you for moving through entirely different worlds over the course of an hour. It won’t explain why it can take most of the day to ride 200 km.

Indian motorcycles are easy to love, let’s face it.

And the Indian Scout motorcycle is no exception.

Glowing reviews have flowed in, as this beautiful, iconic motorcycle has been discussed from every possible angle.

Well, almost.
No-one has offered a view of the Indian Scout from the pillion seat.
Until now, that is…

For me, a comfortable pillion seat is non-negotiable.

Normally, I’m not that much of a princess.
I don’t need a glittering crown.
I don’t need my own castle.

But I will stamp my foot, and demand one must-have royal accessory…

The right motorcycle passenger seat. 

There are 2 ways to approach shopping for womens motorcycle helmets.

The easy way, and the hard way.

The hard way makes you feel like a frustrated three-year-old, seconds away from a spectacular public tantrum.

You try on a dozen female motorcycle helmets while the salesman grins, and offers useless advice. All the helmets seem the same.

And after trying on so many, now you look like you slept on a park bench.