If you decide to take a friend or family member along to enjoy the experience, remember this is a serious responsibility. The implications of crashing with a passenger can be twice as tragic. Adding a passenger dramatically affects handling by increasing total weight and locating the added mass high and rearward.

When braking consider that the passenger will be forced into your back if you attempt to brake hard. The extra weight will also increase stopping distances. Both of these factors combined will make stopping short of an obstacle more of a challenge than when riding solo.

If your motorcycle has limited ground clearance, cornering with a passenger can be challenging. To minimize this problem, enter turns at slower speeds. Don’t forget that more weight at really slow speeds can be especially unnerving. Sometimes its best to have the passenger dismount before negotiating a difficult parking maneuver or a particularly tight turn on a loose surface.

Riding with a passenger can be very rewarding for both parties but remember the extra responsibility that goes along with it.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a motorcycle accident, contact a Michigan motorcycle accident attorney today to discuss your legal options.