The seat and the size of the Brute will handle 2up and more! My wife rides with me all the time with no problems or weight shift issues at all. Be advised that we have no mountains or rock hills here in Louisiana, but for the places I ride 2 up is fine.

 

Im not a proponent of 2-up riding on a single rider quad. The biggest issues are driver freedom of movement to balance the quad and also the rearward CG that increases the risk to going over backwards. This can be a result of a high or rearward CG and to steep of incline or to much power - or both. Some machines have a large seat and the pax can sit ahead (barely) of the rear axle - which helps but does not solve the problems.

I have strong reservations about a single rider quad used for 2up riding when friends ask my opinion. I recieved near fatal injuries when we went over backwards on our Polaris 500 - with my wife breaking her arm. So I know to which I am speaking.

Several issues here-

One - with two people on a single rider quad (SRQ) egress from the machine if it tips over or goes over backward is much more difficult. One person almost has to wait for the other to move out of the way. With machines 4 times heavier than the operator there is no time to wait so someone is likely to get the machine on top of them. You will be on the horns of delima between installing a back rest or box vs. keeping a rear exit clear for egress.

Two - if the pax is not moving forward on a steep incline - but is instead resting comfortably against the back rest - there is little the driver can do to counteract that short wheel base without sitting on the front rack. Rearward weight distribution is critical with short wheel based SRQ's. The additional wheel base of the factory designed two rider quads makes a HUGE difference.

Three - the pax has to have strong and secure hand grips and foot rests that let them have a good 3 inches of clearance from the seat to the inseam when standing on the foot rests. The pax can either add to the balance effort or substancialy take away from it. It isnt much help if limited only to the hand grips. You cant hang on and lean all that much without good leg support. Also - those contoured boxes do nothing but trap the pax in place and almost entirely prevent the pax from doing any leaning.

Four - Stability. You may have to upgrade the springs to stop the machine from rolling to the outside of turns. The stock springs on a SRQ are not designed for two riders with a high CG. Rolling to the side and/or being thrown from the machine represent 40% of ATV accidents. And a pax has a much higher CG then cargo strapped to the rack. Most of our body weight is above the seat - way above. So being under max weight doesnt always solve the problem.

Most State laws will not recognize a non-factory designed two rider ATV. You can modify it all you want - but it doesn't state "carry no more than ONE passenger" you may be in trouble. And trouble can come in the form of a ticket that gets reported to insurance in some states. It could be a very costly error in judgement.

There were some comments about being stuck with a 2 rider quad if the the girlfriend gives it up. In my garage sits 4 quads. On any given day I will choose the 2 rider quad over the others unless there is a more aggresive high speed ride. I like the longer wheel base, the smoother ride and low effort steering of the TRV. And the 500 TRV has about enough power to climb a tree. See my pics herein.

My official opinion is to use a quad designed for two riders. Your wife, girlfriend or other pax deserve the safety considerations and other design enhancements built into a factory 2up quad. You can compromise using a SRQ - but it is a compromise to safety for both driver and passenger.

 

well i'll give my .02 cents. My brute handles very well with just me on. I feel very confident and can do anything. but.... when i throw on a passenger it runs like a dog. it wont stay on the trail, it just slides through turns instead of tracking into them. i flipped it back on me at like 2mph on this little hill with my friend on the back. I know i could easily hit that same hill with just myself on it. The weight of a passenger plus all the fuel in the rear doesn't play well with the balance of the bike. The snow might have played some factor and dirt might be better, but i know im keepen it slow with ppl on the back from now on.

 

Yah... Point taken guys, thanks for all the info! After talking to local law enforcement, and all the posts here, I have concluded that a 2up is the best route. As of right now, I'm looking at the BRP Outlander. My only reservation is the engine size, 400!!! The bike is bigger then usual, your gonna load it down with a passenger and gear but yet the engine size is small occording to todays standard. I found the engine to be quite underpowered at low speeds... I hear BRP are supposed to put out the 650 in the Outlander in June, does anybody have any other info?

Thanks

Paul

 

well i think i'm qualified to aNSWER THIS since i owened the p700 and now a bf 750 p700 handles 2 up better roomer seat and rider position i'm 6'4' so i need room also front end is more planted on prairie bf is front end light to begein with so a pasenger only adds to it to me its not a problem [love wheeles any how] but the irs of the bf does ride better i have the rear shocks set at stifest and fronsts softest also kimpex makes a nifty pasenger set up i would go with a prairie kimpex box and pasenger pegs and have power to spare

 

Myself and my wife on our P700 , always have comfortable days on the trails. Yesterday we put 90 km. on. I will say that it was for the most part woods roads and not rough trails. The spring slush and mud was everwhere and made the bike track hard due to the soggy conditions, hard on gas also. But even with that we had a ball, the P700 handles the 2up situation beautifully in our opinion. Going up hills, I will make sure I lean ahead to keep weight on the front of the bike. We have never flipped yet(knock on wood[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]), but I do not take risks with the Bride on the bike. Don't need that aggrevation.
We have a friend that just got BF750 and got the seat put on. On his first day out, going up a small incline coming off a frozen stream with his wife on, he gave it a shot of gas and realized in a hurry that he had much more power than his old 360. The bike flipped back and luckily sat on the back of the seat and did not go all the way over. Also that stream being frozen saved my freind and his wife a soaking.
I would have the P700 for the 2up over the BF 750. Mainly because of the stability of the SRA and the better location of the back seat in relation to the rear axle. Would not consider other brands of ATV's. Once you have Bad Boy Kawasaki, all others just don't have it.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]