Load, pillion passenger and trailer operation
Loading changes a motorcycle more than it changes a car. The exam tests whether you know the limits, how to distribute mass, and what to adjust before the pillion gets on.
Mass, distribution and securing
- Stay within the zulässige Gesamtmasse and the axle loads shown in the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I.
- Heavy items low and near the centre of gravity, not hanging behind the rear axle where they unload the front wheel.
- Everything tied so it cannot slip, flap, mask the lights or be caught by the wheel or chain. Anything projecting more than 1 m past the rear must be made visible.
- Adjust tyre pressure, rear spring preload, and if possible damping; reset the headlight so you do not dazzle oncoming traffic.
Carrying a pillion
- The machine must be registered for two people and the passenger must have footrests, a helmet and reach the rests securely.
- Brief them: get on after you are braced, keep feet on the rests, lean with the rider, do not put a foot down in a bend.
- Expect slower steering, longer braking paths and a lighter front wheel under acceleration.
Trailers
- A motorcycle may only tow a trailer where the machine is approved for towing and the trailer is roadworthy with lights and mudguard. Reduced maximum speeds apply; check the entry in the papers.
- Load the trailer nose-heavy but within the permitted drawbar load, and remember it widens your line and lengthens your stopping distance.
Worked example
Two adults, 30 kg of luggage, handbook pressure 2.5/2.9 bar solo. Correct preparation: raise the rear to the two-up figure (say 3.2 bar), increase preload to the two-up setting, lower the headlight beam, put the heavy bag in the tank bag or on the seat ahead of the rear axle, and ride with longer gaps because the stopping path grows. Ignoring the pressure and preload gives a wallowing bike that bottoms out in fast compressions.
Traps that cost marks
- Loading only behind the rear axle and losing front grip.
- Believing a pillion does not change braking distance.
- Straps loose enough to reach the wheel or the chain.
- Forgetting to reset the headlight after loading.