Re: Pillion back pains
 

On the other hand it could just be muscles she doesn't otherwise use very much and therefore a perfectly "normal" ache considering the activity. The solution therefore being to do more of it.

Re: Pillion back pains
 

Well, I don't really know her well enough to comment on that.....;)

Re: Pillion back pains
 

I think the best is to get the pillion to relax as much as possible, good gear seems to at least make my girlfriend feel safe.

The even better trick is to get a mate with an adventure bike with you so your pillion can switch for a bit :) Let's face it the SV probably isn't as pillion friendly as some other bikes!

Re: Pillion back pains
 

I go pillion on my bike quite often if the wife and I don't want to take both bikes for some reason and I too used to suffer with horrible back pain even before I got hurt.

I don't know why or how, but the SV seems to transfer road shock to the pillion pad making road bumps feel more harsh than they do when piloting the bike. The cure I found was to adjust the rear suspension and ask the wife to ride more carefully.

The pillion pad is also painfully thin in places and makes moving around on the seat awkward at best. Even with my fat back side I find that I end up sitting on the front of the pad, which increases back pain due to the angle I end up sat in.

Using the grab rail does help a little, but if the pillion is larger than say a small bunny rabbit, it is hard to find a comfortable place to hold it when making progress. At slower speeds or when steady, the pillion can sit upright and not have to hold on that much at all. I think that I have even managed to read text messages when cruising like this.

Giving your other half time and space to move around will help her, if she is continually squatting behind you out of the wind, fighting to hold on, you will find very quickly that back ache leads to a lack of enjoyment and before you know it, she wont want to come anymore, which is a shame.

Finally get a rider to pillion radio, that way you can tell her to hold on when she needs to and to relax when you are steady. It also means that she can feel more involved and not just like a piece of luggage. Communication is great and although the back pain may never fully go away, she can at least warn you when she needs a five minute rest to stretch out.

Good luck.

Re: Pillion back pains
 

Same as for back/arm pains as rider, you don't need to use arms... grip with the legs.

OTOH, go faster, the adrenaline sorts the aches. Always worked for us!!

Re: Pillion back pains
 

My wife used to like these too, we don't bother anymore as my explorer is more pillion friendly.
She hated the SV pillion seat tbh.

They will definitely help, I think I've still got mine I could sell you cheap?

The SV is not the best for pillions, most pillions will find them tolerable at best.

Re: Pillion back pains
 

Both the SV OEM seats are like planks, so any shock from the road is going to get shoved up the spine & cause aches and pains.

Along with the other suggestions, why not have a gel pad, or more foam put in the rear seat.

I bought a pair of SV seats for my curvy which had more foam incorporated by the trimmer. I haven't used the rear, but the front transformed my comfort on long rides. So it could do the same for your girlfriend.

At least it might help with one set of aches

Re: Pillion back pains
 

Thanks for all of the reply guys, very useful.


The problems are more when I am braking than when I am accelerating, she struggles to push off against the tank without having to contort her neck/back.
That's the issue when we have been riding fast, the change from power to braking.


Special One - yes what have you got in mind?


Janye - the coms set is a really good idea and something that I want to get, just so we can chat really lol Not sure how useful it will be in communicating that I can about to brake as usually I am concentrating on keeping it shiny side up. P.S. she is a little bunny, hence the short arms lol