I think I may have logged the most road time with a pillion partner as my wife will literally order me to take her on a ride (Giggity). But in all seriousness, we started out riding on my Yager Gt 200i, which she loved. Switching to the DT wasn’t easy, or preferable for her. She did love all the room in the back, but since the Yager had a built in back rest, she felt vulnerable without one on the DT.
Solution -- I put in a topcase. My dealer ordered the wrong one -- was suppose to have a back rest, but even without it she feels it’s a thousand times better, and offers the security she wants. Since then she has adjusted to the wider seat and says she feels like a ‘Queen on her throne’ when riding.
I do agree that the combined weight of your passenger will affect your ride. I haven’t run into any power problems at low speeds on the DT, but having ridden for close to 6 years with my wife I’ve gotten pretty good at doing so. I actually sometimes feel more secure with the added weight of a passenger, and that the DT will slide about when I ride alone. We’ve gone on trips over an hour long with no problems, though my wife isn’t comfortable going on highways, or above 50 mph, she’s ridden with me when we had to do so.
She also prefers the foot plate over the riding pegs on the Yager. A few times her foot would just randomly slip off for no reason. Not so with the DT.
- Wolf