How to ride a motorcycle as a passenger is a small, easy query (KD 2) from people about to get on the back for the first time. The bike needs a real passenger seat and pegs. A pillion pad and no grab handle is a conversation, not a setup.
Gear: DOT helmet, jacket, gloves, over-ankle boots, long pants. In universal helmet-law states the passenger is covered too. Eye protection if the helmet is open-face. No loose scarves in the wheel.
Mount from the left after the rider has both feet down and the bike vertical. Hold the rider’s waist or the grab rail, not their shoulders. Look over their inside shoulder in a turn. Do not put your feet down at lights. When the rider downshifts, you will slide forward — that is normal.
Agree on tap signals for stop, slow, and pull over. A first ride is a parking lot and a short street, not PCH at dusk. If the passenger is scared, end the ride. A dropped bike with two people is a worse day than a cancelled one.