Biker Chick Philosophy
Riding a motorcycle is a state of mind. Here’s some advice for pillion riders.
Surrender. You can do nothing else. Breathe. Look at the sky. Relax.
A biker friend said to me, a while back, that riding a motorcycle was like being in a movie rather than watching a movie (which is what you do from inside a car). I completely understand what he meant.
You are out in the weather, under the sky, exposed — a vulnerable road user. You are doing something dangerous. Riding a motorcycle carries some risk. Around 15% of all traffic fatalities are motorcycle riders, in both Europe and the United States. Fatalities are overwhelmingly male, and you are much more likely to die in your 20s or 30s, on a weekend ride on a long stretch of rural road, in dry conditions. You’ll be happy to hear that passengers on a motorcycle are much less likely to be killed than riders.
But as a pillion rider you have no control over any of that. None at all. You must trust completely.
The experience of riding on the back of a motorcycle is quite different from driving one, in the same way that being a passenger in a car is different. Even if you only plan to ride pillion, I suggest that you take a motorcycle safety course or basic rider course. You will learn a lot, improve your skills as a car driver, and have an appreciation for what…
