Let me start by saying that 99% of my riding, on either of my bikes, is solo riding. My wife just isn't all that interested. However, from time to time, we'll take a morning breakfast ride for about 50m, or a day trip somewhere for a 150-200m trip.
She never rides with me on the Harley.
In the 2-1/2 years I had the BMW, before trading it for the FZ-10, she rode with me for about 600m total.
So, this 2-up story doesn't change my opinion of the bike for my use, but the person planning some 2-up sport-touring might get some value.
My wife and I took a lunch ride today. 38m in total, 4m of surface roads with traffic and stoplights, decent road conditions; 12m of 4 lane state highway with no traffic, new concrete slab in perfect condition; 22m of 2-lane country back roads, a lot of patches, tar snakes, multi-level repair areas.
I'm 220 LBS and my wife is 120.
The results?
Power was unaffected once rolling. I kept it in std mode with TCS on 2. The motor itself didn't notice the added weight.
The overall shift, clutch brake is a little jerky compared to heavier torquing bikes like the BMW and HD above.
The clutch does shutter a bit under the added load. This may improve after break-in.
I did not adjust the suspension.
It needs adjusting when adding a rider for more than a short ride. It didn't sag much, if at all, but it did bounce a little. The front bouncing was more noticeable, but obviously related to the back.
The seat sucks for a passenger. Too hard and too narrow.
The pegs are too high. My wife is 5'0" and she felt a little cramped.
IMHO, as a sport-touring bike, the FZ-10 needs.
A comfortable seat.
A peg adjustment option.
Suspension adjustment. (The MT-10SP will make it a better Sport-touring bike.)
A windshield, bags and maybe a backrest would round it out.
Overall? Doable, but not it's best characteristic.
Good thing I plan to ride solo almost exclusively!
