2-up on a 750

[noobie]

I'm from a dirt bike background and this year I got my first Street Legal Bike
I waited until I was comfortable riding on the street before I tackled a passenger. Well, this weekend, I took my first passenger out for coffee in the hood. Holy poop… my 750 Shadow acted like it had noooo power. Maybe I just need to get used to massive throttle to start from a stop and whoaaaa… stopping was like I had a Mac Truck pushing my bike.
Anyway, we're gonna go for a ride every weekend until I'm good at it. My passenger is used to being a bike passenger - I'm grateful for that.
I want to plan a bike trip this summer but, I'm concerned that my 750 won't be able to handle a long haul (like 150 mile each way).
Any words of wisdom?

Ciao,
Noobie

[Gummiente]

Not much you can do about the lack of power issue, a 750 only has so much grunt before it runs out of steam and loading it up with two people and luggage is not going to make it very happy. You'll need to make adjustments in your riding habits when carrying a passenger; you've already doscovered that it takes more clutch slipping and more throttle to get the bike moving, hopefully you've also noticed that you need to start braking for stoplights much earlier and taking corners at lower speeds. You'll also need to loosen off the drive chain adjustment to allow more slack in the chain, with the added weight on the back of the bike the suspension is compressed more than usual and it has the effect of tightening the chain - this is hard on the chain, sprockets and bearings. You'll need to check the slack adjustment with both you and the passenger seated on the bike and then adjust it to spec. You'll also need to bump up the settings on the rear shock absorbers to the maximum. This will stiffen up the back of the bike and allow for a bit better handling and less bottoming out over bumps and potholes.

Long trips are going to be uncomfortable on this bike when riding with a passenger, there's no way around that. The only thing you can do to make the experience a bit more enjoyable is to take frequent rest stops to keep you and your passenger relaxed and refreshed. But really, if you want to ride 2-up a lot and over long distances you should seriously consider getting a bigger bike.

[Johnj]

Or get your pillion passenger a bike of their own.

[noobie]

Thanks Gummiente,
So if I change the suspension on the shocks - how will that effect single riding? And is that something I can do myself - or do I have to bring it into the shop?
Noobie
Peace Out

[jstark47]

You should be able to change the preload settings on the rear shocks of your Shadow yourself. There's supposed to be a five-position setting - check your owner's manual. I'm looking for a picture on the 'net for you, but haven't found a good one yet.

[Gummiente]

Thanks Gummiente,
So if I change the suspension on the shocks - how will that effect single riding? And is that something I can do myself - or do I have to bring it into the shop?
Noobie
Peace Out

Like Jon says, there should be details on how to do that in your owners manual. Usually it involves the use of a special wrench that comes with the bike's tool roll, it's an odd looking thing with a curved body and a little tab at the end. Looks a lot like a scythe. You hook the tab in one of the holes near the bottom of the shock absorber collar below the spring, wrap the curved end around the shock absorber collar and then rotate the lower part of the shock up to the next setting - you'll see a sort of ramp stop with 5 settings on it, you want to put it at or near the highest one. Be advised that it will take a bit of effort to operate the tool and you can end up with skinned knuckles if it slips, causing you to bang your hand into various hard and sharp bike parts and inventing new swear words in the process. Make sure that both shocks are set to the same setting when you're done, or it will cause handling problems! And don't forget about the chain slack adjustment; for that you might want to get your local shop to do the dirty work.

In answer to your question about single riding, youhave two choices; leave the bike as is, which means the chain will run with a little more slack than usual and the ride will be a bit more harsh because the shocks are set higher, or you can adjust the chain and shocks every time you switch from single to double riding. Obviously, the second choice will be time consuming and a pain in the arse, so you might find it easier to leave things set up for 2-up riding.

[totalmotorcycle]

Here is your shock under the chrome cover and the tool you should use to adjust it:

[noobie]

Thanks jstark47 - I'll check it out!

@ gummiente Hehehe… so that's what that tools for! My bike doesn't have a chain - it's shaft driven (ok, yes… that's funny). I think I'll try to set the shocks for 2-up this weekend. Wish me luck

Thanks (totalmotorcycle) for the diagram… that's awesome!

Peace Out,
Noobie

[Gummiente]

My bike doesn't have a chain - it's shaft driven (ok, yes… that's funny).

My bad. Last time I looked at a Honda ACE 750 it was chain drive, I guess they change somewhere along the way.

[sunshine229]

Hmmm... a 750 should be easily good enough for two people... When I started on the back of Mike's bike he had an old 550 (1978) and although it wasn't stellar it was fine. His next bike was an early 80's 650 and it was much better. His V-strom 650 was awesome two-up. I would expect that a modern 750 like yours should be okay.

I've never doubled anyone but I would assum that riding alone and riding two-up would make the bike seem like two completely different bikes.