Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: Passenger, center of gravity, passenger safety

Question
I have been riding for a year on my bike.  This year my girlfriend would like to ride on it as well.  I have yet to have a passenger on my bike.  I am a little nervous.  I took a safety course and I can not find the paperwork for it.  My first question is do you have any tips for riding with a passenger and what they and I should do?  Also I love my bike and I want to keep it simple, no add-ons.  Should I purchase a backrest for her?  Is that more for comfort or safety?  I am excited for her to be on it.  We shopped for her coat and helmet and she is excited as well.  Let me know.  Thanks.
-Jesse

Answer
Greets Jesse,

Riding two-up is a great way to share your passion. In a nutshell, just remember that your bike will behave differently because you're adding weight and changing the center of gravity. It will feel quite unstable, especially at low speeds, until you get used to it. It is also very important that the passenger sits still--any movement from back there will add to the instability.

Years ago I built a Web page for passenger safety tips. You can find it here:

http://www.dps.state.mn.us/mmsc/latest/MMSCHomeSecondary.asp?cid=5&mid=83&scat=2...

or go to www.motorcyclesafety.org, click on "Safety Tips," then click on "Passengers." There is good advice there written by a good friend of mine. Also, there are two sets of safety tips there: one for the rider, and one (a great big one) for the passenger themselves. I encourage you to look it over together fully, discuss it, and then go have fun!

Regarding the backrest, I'd say it never hurts to have one, but I have never felt that they're necessary for safety. They're pretty much there for comfort only, which is not a bad thing in itself, but if you're trying to keep it simple, skip it...unless she requests one. Then, by all means, have her help you pick one out!

Pat