Issues fitting my wife on the back.

I'll come right out and say it, I married a big girl. Tried to get her on the back of the bike the other day, we were both uncomfortable and I could hardly reach my knees back to the controls. Any thoughts about "extending" my seat? I already tried asking about removing the grab bar, she "needs" a little something behind her to feel safe and likes the little stock grab bar. I've also thought about a sidecar, but they get expensive.

 

I have seen a bike with a lugage rack modifide to form a extention for the seat.
It used a solo seat with padding between it and the actual seat with a maching
strip of matirial to cover the gap. It looked good and had a back rest on it.
Hope this gives you a usable idea.

 

I'd vote for the sidecar route (and an upgrade of the rear shocks to new ones with heavy-duty springs) - trying to move (more) passenger weight closer to or rearward of the rear axle will wreak havoc with the bike's handling.

 

Try this.

 

Dude,

That's just not right. 8O

 

Maybe you could do two seats.

 

Get a bike for her to ride. Or a bigger bike you both can fit on.

 

Wizard, she has a troubled past and currently has a Lapband in. Mlew, I'm looking at maybe a bigger bike, but she has balance issues and a bit of fear that keep her off her own bike. Everyone else, thanks for the input.

 

Then try a trike...

Also note the max weight for the bikes. There's no use in struggling to get your wife on the bike, only to find out that your combined weight poses a riding hazard.

 

This is one of those things that will probably require a different bike. I have run into this problem before as both of us have gained a *little* weight. You can get a larger V twin of some sort that's a few years older for just this sort of thing. Nobody really wants to spend the money these days but it'll be worth it for both of you to be comfortable.

 

A coworker let me ride his '81 Goldwing yesterday, really thinking about a different bike now. It's just going to be a pain swapping out.

 

The comfort of a Goldwing compared to an xj for two up riding has it beat hands down.

 

Try a Yamaha Venture if you can find one - preferably 1987 or newer with the 1300 engines. All the comfort, with better power, acceleration, and handling - especially in corners. Nearly bulletproof engines too. (87 and newer anyway)