Ways a passenger can hold on

Most passengers use more than one of these, depending on what your bike or sled already has.

How our passenger grab handles work

The Passenger Grab Handles are an ergonomic grip belt with rubber handles. The rider wears it over their gear, and the passenger holds the handles around the rider's abdomen instead of hanging on to the rider's jacket. Nothing attaches to the vehicle, so the belt moves from one machine to the next.

• Build and size: waterproof nylon with rubber handles; the strap adjusts and expands up to 55 inches.
• Worn over your gear: clothing, a motorcycle jacket, a life vest or a snowmobile suit.
• Where it works: our page lists motorcycles, snowmobiles and PWCs (and ATVs, but only use it on one that is built and rated to carry a passenger; many are not).

Owners tell us it mostly changes confidence: one bought it for a nervous passenger with little to hold, another because his small passenger's arms tired from wrapping around him.

Riding two-up: the basics before your passenger climbs on

A grab handle helps a passenger hold on. It does not replace the basics, and they matter more than any accessory:

• The vehicle is built for two. A passenger seat and passenger footrests, and your owner's manual says the bike or sled can carry a passenger. Follow the manual for tire pressure, suspension preload and any two-up settings.
• Stay inside the load limit. Rider, passenger, luggage and accessories all count toward your vehicle's maximum load. Our guide on how much you can carry on a motorcycle explains where to find that number.
• The passenger wears real gear. A properly fitted helmet, a riding jacket, gloves, long pants and boots that cover the ankles, the same as the rider. Our motorcycle safety basics cover the rest.
• Feet stay on the footrests. The whole ride, including at stops. A passenger who cannot reach the footrests is not ready to ride on that machine.
• Agree on the routine. The passenger mounts only when the rider says ready, looks over the rider's shoulder into turns, and has a tap signal for "stop".
• Ride for two. More weight means longer stops and slower steering: leave more room and brake earlier and smoother.
• Check the rules where you ride. Provinces and trail networks set their own rules for passengers; check them before your first ride.

Snowmobile grab handles and riding two-up on a sled

Many two-up and touring sleds have passenger handgrips at the sides of the rear seat. The same grip belt goes over the rider's snowmobile suit and gives the passenger something solid to hold around the rider as well. The two-up basics above apply on snow too.

When the sled goes on the trailer, the cover has to clear that passenger seat, its handgrips and the backrest. On our Trailerable Snowmobile Cover, the product page lists the 2X-Large size for two-up and touring sleds with handgrips and a foldable backrest, and the Grand Touring size for most touring models, including two-up seats with a foldable or modular backrest, high or low windshields and large cargo space. If you ride a Ski-Doo Expedition 2019 to 2022, with or without the rear cargo box, the page points you to a different version instead, SKU 300331-1-ADV. Neither size fits Polaris sleds 2021 or newer. If your sled is newly manufactured, the page says to wait four weeks from the manufacture date before using the cover, because some fresh sled paint can make the cover's dyes bleed onto it. Measure your sled's overall length and use our snowmobile cover sizing guide to pick the right one.

Keeping your passenger comfortable and warm

A passenger sits still, and unless your machine has heated passenger grips, they have nothing warm to hold. On a cold fall morning or a trail day, plan their heat as well as your own.

A softer passenger seat

The X-Tender Motorcycle Gel Seat Pad uses alternating layers of gel and foam to soak up road bumps, with a breathable mesh top and an anti-skid base. It adds 1.5 inches of height, attaches with elastic loops under the seat, and snap-on sliders let you remove it when you ride alone. Two sizes are made for the passenger seat: X-Small for sportbikes and street bikes, and Small for cruisers, baggers, touring, adventure and sport-touring bikes, among others. More in our guide to seat cushions for long rides.

A heated seat pad

The Heated Seat Pad straps on with an adjustable webbing system and an anti-skid underside, and runs on your 12V battery through a 20 inch cord with an on and off switch and a 5 amp fuse. It measures 14.25 by 14.5 inches. For a passenger seat, check the pad's dimensions against that seat, how the webbing attaches there, and that the 20 inch lead reaches your power point safely, without stretching or running near hot or moving parts. The page says it does not fit enduro bikes, dirt bikes or other long rectangular seats. Owners say it gets very warm, and with only on and off you will switch it often; the page offers our Single Temperature Controller to fine-tune it. See heated seat pad vs seat heater kit.

Heated layers for the passenger

Under their own riding jacket, a passenger can wear the Gen-X4 Heated Jacket Liner, which heats the front, back and collar and comes in men's and women's fits, and the Gen-X4 Heated Glove Liners, which go under the passenger's own gloves (a waterproof glove is recommended) and plug into the liner's sleeves. One owner wrote that his wife brings her jacket liner on every ride and that it extended their touring season. If you plan to run heated gear for two riders, ask us to confirm the wiring for two riders before you order. The heated snowmobile gear layer system shows how the layers go together.

One caution: two people's heated gear plus a heated seat all draw from one charging system. The jacket liner draws 6.4 amps, a pair of glove liners 1.8 amps and the heated seat pad 1.3 amps. On any machine, check in your owner's manual that the power point is 12V and fused and that the charging system can carry both riders' combined load. A running engine does not by itself mean the battery is charging.

Which setup do you need?

• A new or nervous passenger, or one with short arms: the Passenger Grab Handles. If your passenger is smaller, ask us about the reach before you order.
• Cold mornings and late-season rides: a heated jacket liner and glove liners for the passenger, with the wiring for two riders confirmed with us.
• Two-up snowmobiling: the grab belt over the rider's suit, heated layers for the passenger, and a cover sized for the two-up seat.

More passenger and comfort gear is in our motorcycle accessories collection.

Questions riders ask us

Will a smaller passenger reach the handles?

The passenger holds the handles around the rider's abdomen, so reach depends on both of you. One owner found it a long reach for a shorter passenger. If your passenger is smaller, ask us before you order.

Is it OK for a child passenger?

Several owners ride with their kids. A grab belt does not make a vehicle safe for a child, though: the passenger must reach the footrests, wear a properly fitted helmet and full gear, and the vehicle must be rated for a passenger. Check your owner's manual and the rules where you ride.

Can I use it on an ATV?

Only on an ATV built and rated to carry a passenger, with a passenger seat and footrests. Many ATVs are single rider only; your owner's manual and the warning labels on the machine will say.

Which cover fits my two-up sled?

Measure the overall length from the tip of the hood to the back of the seat, then use the sizing chart on the cover's page. The 2X-Large and Grand Touring sizes are the ones made for two-up seats. Send us your make, model and year if you are unsure.