two up riding opinions

My female friend and I do regular 4hr rides 2 each way and the bike handles really well. The bike is an sp active ohlins though

That being said together we add no more than 160ks and I carry nothing else. My friend is young and not too tall so finds the pillion pegs ok plus I have a comfort seat.

I couldn't see myself loading up to 200ks and long hauling it

Maybe you guys are smaller. I'm 225lbs and the girl is like 150lb... To me it don't sound right.

Exactly...it's tight...and her shoes hit mine also...

I feel like donkey Kong riding a tricycle.

Mine had the pillion pegs removed when I bought it, and didn’t come with them.

We don’t tour, but on previous bikes my wife would ride with me on anywhere from 2-6 hour rides.
She was even with me when I wrecked.

I had already planned on buying Tracer or MT09 pillion pegs though before I bought the bike, as others say they are more comfortable than the stock ones.
Couldn’t find a used set so bought them from Babbitt’s for $175. You do have to buy each part individually and a few parts were on back order from Yamaha, but the last couple parts shipped yesterday.

I’ll post up pics when I get them installed.

One of the brackets is here so I put it on to get a feel for the positioning for her and any potential interference. I do have R1 rear sets on the bike, so it is close but looks like it is going work (had her sit on it with me and position her foot where the peg will be). It helps that I usually ride with my arches of my feet on the peg instead of the balls and definitely would while riding 2up as I don’t ride as aggressively.
However, I have the stock pegs and rear master cylinder if I absolutely need to go back, although I don’t want to unless it just won’t work.

I plan on taking the pillion pegs off except for when she is riding as it is just 4 bolts and can be done in a couple minutes. I ride by myself most of the time and it cleans up the profile aesthetics nicely when they are off.

One thing we do use that are a big help for comfort is the Oxford Rider Grips (go around my waist). During hard acceleration and on twisty sections she holds directly onto me. But then other times can hold onto them and it allows her to sit upright and give her back a break.

After a few rides with her I’ll decide on possibly getting the comfort seat. I’m fine with the stock seat but wouldn’t hurt my feelings if she wants me to get the new seat.

65° here this evening.
After riding around a bit by myself took my wife out for her first ride for about 30 minutes to see what she thought.
Tracer foot pegs.

Previous bike was a KTM Super Duke GT, so that is what she is comparing to.
The KTM had electronic pre-load adjustment, so that was a very nice option for 2up riding.
I don’t have any experience setting up suspensions.
This one was set up for track day riding by the previous owner (guessing about 15 lbs lighter than me) so it is already pretty stiff. Will probably take it to a local suspension guy who does set-ups for $60 just to get his input on any adjustments.
While it technically probably should use more pre-load with a passenger it still felt very taught with her on it and not like it was sagging excessively.
It does have an R1 rear shock (not sure what the differences are between the MT10 and R1 shock, but guessing the R1 is a bit more “track/aggressive” focused since he put it on).

Her thoughts:
-Riding position is more comfortable on the MT10 with tracer pegs than the SDGT.
-Take offs and stops are smoother on the MT10 than the SDGT.
I do have an auto blipper so makes downshifting when coming to a stop more seamless.
I also have tanks pads so makes it easier to grip with my legs and hold our weight in position with my legs when braking.
-Rode a variety of roads: in town with stop lights, country with curves, country straights. Did a couple hard accelerations up to 100 mph.
-She’s not happy with the stock seat, says it feels like sitting on a board when compared to the last bike.

The FZ/MT 10 is a great touring bike with just the rider. The bike was not made for a passenger unless she's 5' or less and weighs 90 lbs. Even then she's not going to be comfortable. I know some people do it but why? I have the Yamaha side cases on mine, the ones made specifically for the FZ-10 and I have a small windscreen, again it's from Yamaha and is made specifically for the FZ-10. A 400 mile day is an easy one for me as the windscreen keeps the wind off my chest and I have a bit of storage and of course there's cruise control.