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Off Road Riding with a Passenger

4K views 19 replies 14 participants last post by  Jimbo60 
#1 ·
Has anyone ever gone off road riding with a passenger?

I have ridden a lot with a passengers and I have done a lot of off road riding but I have never combined them. I would like to get a Vstrom 1000 to go camping with my girl but I am not sure if that is possible to ride offroad with a passenger.

If any one has done this please let me know. How bad of terrain can you go on with a passenger.

thanks,
 
#2 ·
what do you consider "off road" I've been 2up on some pretty rough roads, that many people would not consider roads

it really depends how good you are with a pillon on back, anywhere I would take my Vee, I would also do it 2up, but that's me,



 
#3 ·
I am a pretty good rider with a passenger. I have been riding for along time and have ridden hundreds of different motorcycles. Have you ever ridden witha passenger and gotten into any sand? I just did a couple hundred miles today out near Barstow in the sand and rocks and I would love to bring my girl with me but I would think that it could be dangerous to ride with someone on the bag in the sand.
 
#4 ·
here in New England, we don't have a lot of sand, most of my off road is rocky compacted soils, I can't say that I have been in a lot of sand when 2up

I'm also a pretty big dude, almost 300 lbs, so I don't notice passengers twitching around much. the added weight of a pillon is behind you so it balances weight away from the front, so the added weight really doesn't make the front end any harder to manuver the most likley problems are acrually getting off balance when you stop and put your feet down, that's about the only time I've come close to loosing it, when you have stopped fr some reason in a precarious position and your stretching a toe to one side and your pillon shifts weight around just dismounting

I have never been in mud 2up, but I think I would avoid it



 
#5 ·
here in New England, we don't have a lot of sand, most of my off road is rocky compacted soils, I can't say that I have been in a lot of sand when 2up
Lots of sand at this end of N.E., Randy.....mixed in with the rocks. :mrgreen:
 
#6 ·
The plus side of having a passenger, is you always have someone to help you push, lift and/or retrieve the bike.
 
#8 ·
I ****ed up my centerstand mounts beyond all hope of repair getting offroady with a passenger. I won't be doing that again, as I dislike the bike's behavior while doing it, and I don't like having to worry about the passenger.
 
#9 ·
V-strom off road foolish V-strom off road with a passenger STUPID. WHAT can some of you be thinking to take a top heavy 500 lb bike plus all the amenities of home hung off the back truly off road? Buy a truck and trailer haul the bike to where ever then unload it and enjoy.
 
#16 ·
What Mort said.................get a real dirt bike and forgo the passenger. You will have a much better time.

I crash and scratch my dirt bikes all the time. If I damaged my Vee like that I couldn't afford to keep it.

my $.02

...
 
#10 · (Edited)
I have to keep smiling with all this talk of "off roading" a 500 lb street bike, I don't care what Suzuki calls the V it aint no dual sport, unless dumping a nice street bike onto rocks is your idea of fun.....especially with all the crap some people hang off these bikes, Christ a tent, sleeping bag, and clothes will all fit on the back seat ya know, you can put knobbies on anything that doesn't mean its dirt/offroad worthy...better buy those crash bars you will be testing them out ASAP especially with stock tires....
 
#20 ·
I don't think that anybody really considers the Strom a true off-road bike.

However we are in the era of highly specialized bikes. Back in the day of the venerable UJMs, most any motorcycle could at least take you down a fire road.

Now in the age of the 700lb Cruiser and the 100+ h.p. "bend over and grab your ankles" sport bikes, the Strom is an alternative that will let you explore a little bit off the beaten path with a bit of comfort and confidence.

Those who want to do technical single track, or any challenging off-road scenarios will probably buy a different bike.

I think that a 'Strom can likely do anything that a BMW 1200GS can do (maybe even better and certainly cheaper) and I would never call a GS a "Dirt Bike" .

BTW the term "Dual Sport" is a bit of a misnomer IMO I prefer "Multi-use"

Just my $0.02

:cool:

............... Jim
 
#15 ·
Question

What is your passenger going to hold on to when (s)he is standing on the pegs? Any kind of offroading worthy of the title is going to require that you, the rider, get your butt off the seat to help soak up some of the roughness that a 500 lb. bike with relatively short suspension travel is unable to absorb. Sure, riding down a dirt trail at low speed would be possible, but any kind of rough terrain would be out of the question. Certainly the road tires are already traction-compromised in dirt. Adding another hundred (or more) pounds isn't going to help. Most off-road riding requires considerable forward/backwards/side-to-side weight shifting to address various obstacles. Got the signals worked out for your passenger? Actually, I've been considering getting an off-road bike with passenger accomodations. It is a Ural sidecar rig with optional two-wheel drive (the sidecar wheel can be engaged to the drive train). Probably not up to several miles of sand whoops, though.
 
#19 ·
The passenger make alot of difference too. I can tell the difference when I rode with my son and with my wife. They are both about the same size and weight but riding with my son you don't even know he is back there. He has been riding with me since he was 5, he is now 14. Been through the gambit of bikes, dual sports, dirt bikes, and now the Vee. I will take much rougher roads and trails with him on the back than with my wife. Fire roads are about the limit with her.
Matt
 
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