These are some simple questions and my Google-fu is failing me.
These are specific to Harley Davidson touring bikes, set up for touring.
The containers on the sides behind the riders calf = “Side Saddle” - is this the right name? Would you say “He folded up his jacket and put it in the side saddle.” or would that be phrased differently? I’m talking about the hard sided style that are often painted to match the bike. Not leather or any other soft sided style.
The matching hard sided container that sits center-back (behind passenger) is called the _____ ??? All I can find is something called a “tour pack” but I think they’re referring to a package for sale and that might not be how they refer to the box/container that sits above/behind the rear tire as a general term. Again, this is a hard sided / fiberglass box that would sort of be a trunk for the bike. What is the common name for that thing?
The style of the raised passenger seat with the tiny short wing arms and back rest is called what? I can’t seem to find a common name for this style seat.
When a passenger sits in that style seat, their feet stay on the running board? Or are there separate pegs for the passenger? If there are separate pegs, where are they located on the bike. I can’t seem to pick them out from photos.
If two people are going to ride on a touring bike, how do they get onto it? Does the passenger get on first, scoot to the passenger seat, then the driver gets on in front?
When a new rider is riding as a passenger, is it correct to tell them that in turns, the passenger should look over the drivers shoulder on the inside of the turn? So, if they are going through a turn to the left, the passenger should look over the drivers left shoulder.
The passenger has their own place to put their feet, but the running boards or pegs fold up when not in use. If you’re looking at pictures, you need to find one with two people on the bike to see it.
Usually the driver will get on first and stand the bike up then the passenger will climb on. It’s easier to right the bike with 150+ less pounds on it. OTOH, some passengers prefer to get on without having to climb over the driver AND with the steadiness of the kickstand. It’s up to the riders, but driver first is more common and I think that’s technically the ‘right’ way.
Yes, the need to lean with the driver. As I told someone that was riding with me, that’s a bit, um, flinchy (youngest sibling syndrome), “You need to lean with me, I’m not going to do anything to ‘scare’ you, I’m not going to try to hurt us, the bike is supposed to lean around the turns, so if I lean to the left and you freak out and sit straight up, you’ll flip us over”
Thanks for any help.
In that picture, yes. It folds down so it’s perpendicular to the bike. On the bigger bikes (Ultra Classics, Electra Glides etc) that have running boards, they’ll flip up and out of the way as well. Here you can see a flipped up floor board for the passenger. It’s the trapezoid shaped thing directly below the driver’s seat.
Well, you have to tell the passenger something otherwise the first time you go around a curve they’ll panic and try to stay upright so you tell them to lean with the bike. “When I go left, look over my left shoulder, when I go right, look over my right shoulder”.
The bags on the sides are called saddlebags. They come in hard ABS plastic or leather on Harley’s. The big touring bike can have either; Street Glide, Road Glide and Electra Glide usually have hard bags while the Road King can have the more classic leather. The rear container is generically called a travel trunk but Harley calls it the Tour Pak. Harley’s have a side stand called a Jiffy stand.When parked the Harley leans to the left. This is called the low side. Many people choose to mount from this side, but I always mount from the right high side.This was part of our Motor Officer training to mount opposite the traffic passing by. I always mount first, sit the bike vertical and raise the jiffy stand, then the passenger mounts.
On the big Harley’s you don’t even feel the passenger at speeds above 20mph. The bikes are very big and stable so a passenger would really have to be doing something funky to have much input into stability. That same heavy weight works against you at low speeds. I tell a passenger to sit completely still when we’re coming to a stop, are stopped or moving under 10mph. My wife used to use the time stopped at a red light to grab stuff out of her purse, brush her hair and readjust her position. She didn’t realize I was working hard to keep the 940 pound bike upright and balanced while she was flailing around. At low speeds and stops the passenger should try to become one with the bike; lean back and sit still.
The Harley touring models have Floor Boards. These are much more comfortable than pegs on long trips. The seats are big and comfortable on a Harley. The passenger back rest and arm rests are part of the Tour Pac.
This is what model I have:http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Content/Pages/2012-Motorcycles/touring/electra-glide-ultra-limited/electra-glide-ultra-limited.html
My bike is small and not a Harley. The first time I took a big Harley out for a few miles I got back and was amazed at how comfortable the floor boards are. I mean, I know that after a half hour on my bike I start readjusting my feet on the pegs, but with those, I could tell right away they felt nicer.
I’ve taken those types of bikes (I think one was a Classic Glide and one was an Ultra Classic or Electra Glide) out only a few times and I’m still not sure about the rear controls. I’m sure you get used to it after a few days, I tried shifting with it, but more often then not I found my foot/heel getting tangled up in it.
I always called the side containers “saddlebags,” and the rear container the “top box.”
I don’t have that much experience on big touring bikes (I prefer a sport tourer, like my (now somewhat aged and decrepit) BMW R1100 RS). But I’ve put a few miles on the big bikes, and there are some good observations in this thread.
As to leaning, the passenger just has to relax and go with it (and definintely not try to fight it). Baxer’s Dad is right that on one of the big Harley touring bikes (or on a Gold Wing or a BMW K1600 GTL), you won’t even notice the passenger at speed. At low speeds, it’s a different story. And, like he and Joey P say, it’s best for the rider to get on first, stand the bike up, and then have the passenger get on. I always found it easiest for the passenger to just swing his/her leg over the seat, but shorter passengers may have to get on the footpeg (usually the low side peg) first.
Yes, this. I don’t think I’ve put more than a hundred miles on Harley dressers, but I couldn’t get used to that heel-and-toe shifter, or the automotive-style rear brake pedal. I probably would have over time, but I’ve never owned a bike like that. As I get older and less flexible, though, and less inclined to ride at adventurous speeds, they’re starting to look pretty good.
