Fat Bloke Travels: My Pillion Passenger

One of the other main reasons for buying a bike as big as the Honda Varadero was that it not only had to munch the miles and be reliable, but it also had to be able to carry a full set of luggage and a pillion passenger.

Not many lower cc bikes would be able to accomplish this so easily.

But first I had to get used to riding the bike myself!

I was a little nervous, not but half as nervous as Kiera on her first outing.

Before Kiera went out on the bike we made sure that she had all the protective gear, to keep her as safe as possible.

She is particularly fond of her brand new W2 boots!

So one Sunday we got all kitted up with the aim of going for a trip around the New Forest.

But first a few practice goes of getting on and off. With the centre stand up I got Kiera used to just climbing on and off. Then I sat on and she got on.

We found it easier if I lent right over the tank as due to a skiing and then a trampolining accident, she suffers when twisting of her knee.

Then I dropped it onto it's side stand and she got on. We found that as long as she does everything slowly we are fine, just don't sit down hard with a thump as it really does upset the balance of the bike!

We eventually set off and I took it nice and slow, taking it steady as I wasn't too sure what to expect myself.

Mind you, the bike itself almost felt as if it enjoyed having the extra weight, it seemed to handle better. With my limited experience I found this rather strange!

We had an hour out and about and through the forest, and on returning it was evident that Kiera was really enjoying the experience.

This was just as well, as a couple of days before we had booked the ferry tickets from Portsmouth to Le Harve as we are planning a trip to Florence Italy for our honeymoon on the motorbike!!!!!!!!