Can two passengers ride on the back of a motorcycle in Northern Ireland?

No. A motorcycle may carry no more than one pillion passenger, and only if it is designed to carry one.

Rule 85 of the Northern Ireland Highway Code says the pillion must sit astride a proper seat; the Code also advises facing forward and keeping both feet on the footrests. There is no exception for a small child squeezed between the rider and another adult or for a short journey. If the bike has no passenger accommodation, it cannot carry a pillion at all. Passenger numbers are a vehicle-design and safety issue, not simply a question of whether everyone fits.