Do sleeping pillions fall off??

w00kie

w00kie

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OK you lot. Here's something that's been puzzling my brain for a while and I couldn't figure a way to get the answer without somebody getting hurt. Then it came to me: maybe one of you knows the answer!

I remember ages ago reading about a bike taxi service, in London (Virgin summat I think). Anyway, the guy said that he had some regulars who would get on the back of the bike for a spin through London and promptly fall asleep :eek:

Now, my missus sometimes says that she nearly nodded off on the back of my bike and I got to thinking - Is that really really dangerous, or is there some force or instinct keeping a pillion on the seat if they go asleep.

I know lots of you will have opinions on this :thumb and some of you will have experience of this :rob I can get the former in any pub in Ireland in exchange for some :beer: but I'd really love to get some of the latter.

Whatcha think?
 
My wife used to sleep on the back too which I thought was really strange. I know I wouldn't be able too. I hate being a pillion.

I managed to cure the problem by crashing the bike into an armco barrier over a year ago with her on the back! She's been on the bike twice since then and I doubt I will ever see a third attempt :(
 
being a night shift worker my wife spent more time asleep on the back of the bike than awake. I ended up putting a good backrest on the bike behind her just for my peace of mind knowing that i could speed up if need be without losing her.
Ed
 
My Ex slept a lot on the back as well......she was well wedged in with topbox and very high lidded Vernatechs, so no way was she ever going to fall off unless I did first.

First roundabout...{clunk} on the back of my helmet.....second roundabout {clunk clunk} and there she stayed, sparko.

As long as I could hear her snoring, I knew she was still there :thumb
 
Fanum said:
My Ex slept a lot on the back as well......she was well wedged in with topbox and very high lidded Vernatechs, so no way was she ever going to fall off unless I did first.

First roundabout...{clunk} on the back of my helmet.....second roundabout {clunk clunk} and there she stayed, sparko.

As long as I could hear her snoring, I knew she was still there :thumb
Click to expand...
:D


My wife rarely goes on the back anymore, years ago she used to though.
She'd fall asleep on the way home if it was late evening, she used to rest the
jaw of the helmet on my shoulder and fall asleep, when it started sliding I'd
have to give her a nudge to wake her. I'm convinced she would have been
off the bike before she woke, scary stuff.:eek:
 
My wife falls asleep on the back regularly, even when I had sports bikes, never fell off, even on the windiest roads - amazing but true.
 
they all do that sir!

Late night run to Bol'dor, When at Paul ricard circuit:thumb
Just outside of Beaune[sic] peage mate asked me to pay all tolls as his missus had fallen asleep on back of his FJ1200.
She never stirred till Avignon and did not believe she'd slept that long:thumb
I was going at speeds of up to 130 mph:eek: :eek: always playing catch up.

AHHHH those were the days:D :rolleyes:
 
mrs cookie used to regularly fall asleep on the back of bikes as diverse as guzzi le mans to GS1000.

she'd wake up when her foot vibrated off the peg :)
 
My favourite logo on the back of a bikers T shirt is ...

"If you can read this, the bitch fell off":eek: :D
 
Mrs Og has been pillion on my bikes for 27 years. all kinds of bikes, all types of riding conditions. She's done nearly as many miles on the back of my bikes as i've done on the front. she has often dozed off. haven't lost her yet.

obviously a backrest / topbox is handy - but in the past its not stopped Mrs Og from sleeping - with a pillion i can be verrry gentle on the throttle and brakes, (but i've no intention of backing off for the twisties!) so no headbutting or sliding off the back.

however
- i knew a guy a long time ago, quite a Dublin character / now lives in the Isle of Man - had the unfortunate nickname of Paddy Kinevel:rolleyes:
he turned up one night in the pool hall i worked in in D.2., on his very shiny bike.
stopped the bike.
got off.
looked around - kinda bewildered.... realisaton dawned and he cursed!
got back on bike and raced back to Leeson St. canal bridge.

when he returned a few minutes later - he had a red face and a furious girlfriend.
he'd polished the saddle of the bike with a new silicone based polish.....:eek:

yup.... he'd gone over the canal bridge...rapidly... and girlfriend had slid off the back:eek:
:D

i wouldn't have believed it - but i saw the look on her face....and the skid marks on the arse of her leathers!.... and witnessed the abuse she gave him for the entire evening!:D
 
Guy I knew, after a long day and a late start from Belfast, fell asleep on the bike only to awake when travelling through loose gravel in roadworks outside Athlone. Fortunately, he didn't have a pillion with him.
 
In the cold my girlfriend sticks on her heated jacket and gloves and her iPod and she's away. The only time she wakes up is petrol stations when we clash helmets and I turn to see her visor completely fogged up and a her looking grumpy as if I should be taking more care when stopping so as not to wake her. I've only felt her start to go once which required a swift arm out and squeeze of the knee though that was without all the panniers and top box.
 
Proff, is your "Foxy Lady" wearing festive foot wear ?
Strange, I never noticed before, eyes never wandered down that
far I suppose. :mmmm

First prize for best avatar:thumb
 
Years ago,one of my mates girlfriends used to fall asleep as soon as the bike started to move.One time when we were all going camping,we stopped for a smoke,he used to leave Karen asleep on the back of the bike,with the bike parked on the side stand,still fast asleep,she never woke up when he started the bike(kickstart 750 commando)We were all having a smoke,when there was an almighty CLUMP,followed by lots of words none of us had ever heard before,and there's Karen climbing up off the floor.OOpps.

So yes,you can fall off the back of a bike when you're asleep
 
My ex used to fall asleep on the back regularly - she was only ickle so I kept having to reach back a check she was still there! Once pulled up to the queue for the Severn Bridge toll and was disturbed to see the family in the car next to me laughing. Then I saw the reflection in their window of my missus on the back, comfy as you like, reading a book and shoving a sandwich up the front of her helmet!!
 
About 6 years ago, returning from a very wet le Mans 24 hours, I had my mate on the back of my Africa Twin.

You know when you fall asleep, then suddenly 'jump' awake? He did that right on the apex of a greasy roundabout. It felt like we'd been hit by another vehicle, the whole plot lurched hugely (he's about 95kgs) he just managed to stay on is seat and we just managed to stay upright. It's without question the closest I've ever been to falling off.

Up until that point he had been moaning about the discomfort of sitting his big arse half on the Af's seat, and half on my chain lock. It couldn't have been that uncomfortable, could it?

PG
 
my daughter regularly falls asleep on the back shes not fallen of yet she wedges herself round the inside of the panniers and against the topbox.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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