Thought Overflow

So I recently bought a second-hand motorcycle from a senior at a wonderfully knocked-down price. It’s perfect because though I’ve learnt how to ride, I don’t have much practice. An old bike is really perfect since if I fall off or something, a few scratches and dents would probably give the bike more personality than they would take away from it.

Anyhow, I was sitting behind Varun the other day when we went into town, and I realized something. I get slightly nervous when I sit behind someone on the bike, because I’m always thinking things like “I would keep the bike a little more to the right”, or “That was dangerous!”, or “Why doesn’t he just accelerate and overtake this guy quickly?”. Before I knew how to drive, however, it was much simpler, because I just put my life in the hands of the driver and enjoyed the ride. This realization led me to some of the “golden rules” of bike-riding. Here we go:

For the pillion-rider

1. Trust the rider. He (or she) is in complete control of the bike, just the way you would be were you riding.
2. If you do not trust the rider, then don’t get on the bike.
3. If you do trust the rider, then realize that you are going to put your life in his hands, and there’s nothing you can do to control the bike now. So relax, sit still and don’t do anything to distract the rider.

For the rider

1. Your passenger has trusted you with his life. You are now responsible not only for your own life, but also the life of the person sitting behind you. Drive carefully.
2. People can sometimes get scared or nervous sitting on the back-seat. Deal with it, or try driving a little more conservatively to put them at ease.
3. Your pillion-rider will more than occasionally want to indulge in some “back-seat driving”. This is natural. Learn not to get irritated and take it in your stride.