I’m on the fence with this product. There’s an element with the Moto-Grip “passenger safety harness” that strikes you with one of those “now why didn’t I think of that” moments. The idea is a simple harness that a rider wears, which provides hand grips on the rider’s chest and back that a passenger can hold onto as they are performing their various pillion duties. Looking like one of those baby backpacks that helicopter parents employ to lug their child around in, the Moto-Grip is fairly straight-forward with its $179 design.
My other inclination with the Moto-Grip is that it’s an expensive piece of kit that one could approximate with about $10 of hiking webbing, but before I’d even get that far, I’d have to ask the question of efficacy. Your pillion preferences may vary, but I generally try and avoid having a passenger holding directly and solely onto my body. While everyone likes a snuggle bunny on the back of their bike (Mama B probably tolerates my motorcycle habit purely because it’s an investment in her future of having grandchildren), under braking the last thing I want is 100-something pounds or so crashing against me.
To help relieve arm strain, not to mention body parts crushing against the fuel tank, I usually have passengers wrap their arms around me, and brace against the fuel tank with their hands. There are different schools of thought here (though Jason Pridmore and I are in agreement), but if you haven’t tried it, give it a go on your next two-up ride. That being said, the Moto-Grip puts a pillion in the exact position you don’t want them to be in for the same ball-crushing reasons.
I suppose a passenger could do a hybrid hand-hold switch maneuver, but I have a hard enough time getting a non-rider to look over the right shoulder when cornering on two wheels. That being said, I do like the idea of some filly’s hands running all over my chest looking for a hand grip, and then all over my pants looking for the fuel tank…Wait, this may be the single-best invention ever!
Source: Hatch Ventures
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