Riding with your dog in their K9 Moto Cockpit feels like a mix between riding with a small passenger and a duffle bag. The Cockpit keeps your dog’s weight low and as far forward as possible for comfort and a low center of gravity. The dog’s torso, chest, and front legs, which are the heaviest parts, are located directly behind you on the passenger seat. So, the best description is that riding with your dog in their Cockpit is like riding with a duffle bag with a head that moves around to catch the sights and smells. Other carriers that allow the dog to sit, stand, or move around, or that are mounted behind the passenger have a great impact on your bike’s natural ride performance.

Check out the Cockpit Resources Hub for more information about the design principles that create the most natural ride possible.

Riding with your dog transforms something you already enjoy into an extraordinary experience.

1. It’s better in the same way that walking, hiking, or anything else is better when you bring your dog along.
2. Your dog’s excitement and curiosity during the ride and at your destination is infectious and will invigorate you.
3. You will tend to spend more rest stops at natural places like fields and rivers for cool drinks and playing fetch, and less time at gas stations and quicky marts.
4. You will become more approachable to others and find yourself engaging in more spontaneous interactions with strangers.
5. You will put a smile on strangers’ faces, which makes your own experience better.

And now for the negatives:

1. The road-tripping Griswold family will always unload from their air-conditioned minivan to take selfies with your dog at the end of a rest break and just after you put your helmet and heavy leathers or Cordura jacket back on.
2. You can’t swing a leg over the bike and bolt off to quickly escape ‘the Law’ without first strapping your pup in and clipping on their goggles.
3. The number of double-takes you see from other drivers will make you think there is a serious glitch in the Matrix.

Seriously though, the only potential negative in our opinion is that other drivers can tend to pull closer than you prefer in order to snap a photo. So, always remain vigilant.

Visit the K9 Moto Cockpit Group on Facebook to learn more about the Cockpit experience from riders all around the world.

It’s a reasonable question and big investment if your dog won’t go riding with you. Fortunately, dog’s aren’t ever against riding like some people are. They are for being with you and doing stimulating activities. They are against being left at home.

The key is to convey enthusiasm, excitement, and optimisim when introducing your dog to the motorcycle and Cockpit. Be a supportive, assertive pack leader and your dog will become obsessed with riding.

Training your dog to ride is fast and easy. Download our free Copilot Training Guide to get started.

Training your dog to ride is fast and easy.

It’s all about being ethusiastic and encouraging throughout the process – and being generous with the high-value treats.

The training primarily involves teaching your dog to saddle up, turn around, and lay down in their Cockpit. Riding is the easy part because your dog gets to lay comfortably and enjoy the experience.

Download our simple 12-step Copilot Training Guide to get started.

There are tons of gear checklists for traveling with your dog. Here is our list of essentials:

• K9 Moto Harness
• Riding goggles
• Water
• Collapsible bowls
• High-value treats
• Kibble to Go Bag
• Mother Hucker
• Knotted Leash
• Cockpit Rainfly

Check out our 8 Tips for Day Rides with Your Dog which you can get as a free download in the page footer.

Experienced riders understand there are no sure-things in a crash situation but we designed K9 Moto Cockpit for maximum safety based on extensive study, testing, and real world experiences.

Like a riding helmet, the Cockpit provides rigid protection against external impact and soft padding on the inside.

We describe many of the essential safety principles in this video about the laying down riding position.

We have experienced numerous crashes both on- and off-road over more than 100,000 miles of Cockpit riding with our shepherd dogs. Neither has ever been injured in a get-off, tip-over, or crash.

Likewise, numerous Cockpit riders have shared their own crash experiences and, to our knowledge, no copilot has ever been injured.

Although there are no sure-things in motorcycle riding – or any outdoor activities – K9 Moto Cockpit delivers maximum protection by applying the proven safety principles of a riding helmet:

Hard and impact resistant on the outside and softly padded on the inside. In a crash, the dog remains protected within their padded Cockpit and away from oncoming traffic.

Visit the Crash Safety section in the Cockpit Resources Hub for more details about crash protection and real world case studies from actual Cockpit rides.

The Cockpit’s rigid metal frame is entirely enclosed in padded upholstery to prevent injury in the case of a crash or jolt due to a sudden maneuver. Strapping into the Cockpit is an essential safety principle because it prevents your dog from leaping or ejecting into traffic.

A purpose-made riding harness is essential safety equipment, which is why we developed the K9 Moto Harness.

Riding goggles are also essential to prevent eye injury or infection from wind and flying debris. Rex Specs is our brand of choice and they also make ear protection. 

Check out our Q&A video for a complete list of copilot safety equipment.

Your copilot can ride comfortably in their Cockpit for longer than you can.

They are laying down comfortably and able to adjust their position whenever they want even when they are securely tethered in their Cockpit.

As long as you make sure your dog is well hydrated and uses the bathroom at rest breaks, many copilots can ride for 2-3 hours at a stretch and complete full day rides without complaint.

In fact, we tackled an ‘Iron Tail’ ride with our German Shepherd Moxie in her Cockpit. Moxie rode more than 1000 miles in 19 hours. At 3am at the end of the Iron Tail ride, Moxie dismounted, barked, and ran around with the zoomies. She required 15 minutes of fetch before she was ready to enter the motel room.

Watch Moxie’s Iron Tail ride here.

The speed that you can ride with your dog depends on:

1. The capability of your motorcycle
2. Your proficiency and comfort as a rider
3. Road and other external conditions

We routinely rode comfortably with our German Shepherd Moxie at interstate speeds of 85mph / 135kmh. No matter what speed you ride at, always ensure that the Cockpit is securely and properly mounted before starting a ride.

Consider ear protection when riding for long distances at high speed.

Absolutely. You can ride off-road with your dog to the speed and extent that your motorcycle and your skill level permits.

As with any external load that you add to your motorcycle, such as a top case or other luggage, your dog and their Cockpit will affect your ride dynamic. So, practice your skills first, start off slowly, and don’t let your ego push you beyond your skill level. There’s nothing wrong with letting your dog down to run alongside when the trail becomes more challenging.

Watch RUFFLY co-founder Jess and her German Shepherd copilot Moxie rode the 888 gravely kilometers of the Dempster Highway to reach the Arctic Ocean!

When we talk about extreme weather and ‘the elements’, we usually think of riding in the rain and cold. However, extreme heat is much more common and a much greater threat to your dog’s health and comfort. That’s because it’s much easier to keep your dog warm on a cold day than to help them stay cool on a hot day.

The very best way to keep your dog cool and comfortable on hot days is to use an open-air style carrier like the K9 Moto Cockpit. The Cockpit’s open-air design maximizes airflow and ventilation so that your dog stays more comfortable on hot days, even when riding in slow-moving traffic.

On particularly hot, sunny days, the Cockpit SunShield provides ultra-lightweight sun protection without restricting airflow.

When conditions become wet or cold, all you need are two pieces of gear to keep your dog warm, dry, and comfortable: a cold weather dog jacket and the Cockpit Rainfly.

Keep in mind that enclosed carriers are designed for extreme cold and downpours, which are the least frequent riding conditions. But, for the most common riding conditions – warm weather and sunshine – they trap enormous amounts of heat and restrict airflow even with the window or hatch open.

That’s why you want a carrier that’s designed for hot weather, and you bring along some simple, effective gear for the cold weather and rain.

Check out our article about Protecting Your Dog from the Elements for all the details.

Absolutely. In a warm summer rain, your dog will probably enjoy the cooling moisture. In cooler conditions, the Cockpit Rainfly provides a waterproof barrier agains a downpour and helps to insulate to stay warm and dry.

In especially cold weather rain, use the Cockpit Rainfly hood to increase the weather protection and warmth. Likewise, your dog can wear an outdoor jacket inside their Rainfly for complete comfort on very cold days.

Check out this Q&A video for more information about riding comfortably in the rain.

Every country, state, or region has their own laws around the appropriate and legal way to transport live animals.

For example, we believe that K9 Moto Cockpit complies with the vehicle code in our home state of California, which states that a driver may not transport an animal in a motor vehicle unless:

• the space is enclosed or has side and tail racks to a height of at least 46 inches extending vertically from the floor,
• the vehicle has installed means of preventing the animal from being discharged,
• the animal is cross tethered to the vehicle, or
• is protected by a secured container or cage, in a manner which will prevent the animal from being thrown, falling, or jumping from the vehicle.

We highly recommend that you consult the website of the transportation department or ministry for your country or locality for specific requirements.

Our own personal experience includes riding with our two shepherds, Moxie and Whimsy, for more than 150k miles from the top of North America to the bottom of South America. In most cases, law enforcement is more interested in waving and taking photos than in assessing the legality of the activity. In all that time, we have never been stopped, questioned, or cited for riding with our dog. Likewise, no other Cockpit rider has informed us of encountering a legal or certification issue.

The K9 Moto Cockpit Group on Facebook is an excellent resource for connecting with riders near you to ask about their experience.

Most motorcycles are designed to carry a human passenger on a passenger (i.e. pillion) seat. They are not designed to carry heavy loads behind the passenger seat. To solve this problem, the K9 Moto Cockpit places most of your dog’s weight on the passenger seat.

To achieve this, the design incorporates several innovative features:

1. It places the dog in a laying position for greater comfort and to keep the weight low
2. It creates a lightweight protective frame to protect and secure your dog in place
3. It only includes a bottom to the rear of the luggage platform

Since the entire forward portion of the Cockpit does not have a bottom, the pillion seat directly supports the dog’s heaviest parts – the head, torso, front legs, and belly. This means that the Cockpit ‘carrier’ only carries the smaller portion of the load that is to the rear of the pillion seat.

The benefits of this design are huge:

• Minimal stress on the chassis
• Less impact on the ride geometry
• Lower, sleeker carrier profile
• Greater comfort for longer rides

This creates a ride dynamic that is closer to what is intended by the manufacturer. Riding with your K9 copilot feels like a combination of human passenger and duffle bag or top case.

Importantly – and unique to the Cockpit – this design is what allows the motorcycle to carry not only small and medium dogs, but also large, heavy dogs as well!

Check out this Riders Guide video for more information.

Pretty much all of them, including many scooters, e-bikes, bicycles, and snowmobiles.

The most common motorcycles are adventure, tourer, and cruiser-style motorcycles but any type works as long as the chassis of that specific motorcycle can support the load. In cases where specific motorcycles have few or no weight bearing components to the rear of the rider’s seat, mounting the Cockpit might require some customization or the addition of a quality aftermarket luggage rack.

For example, in most cases, mounting the Cockpit to sport and naked style bikes requires removing the pillion seat, installing an aftermarket luggage rack, and/or building out additional support brackets.

Check out this Q&A video for more details about mounting the Cockpit.

A variety of opinions exists about the safety of harnessing the dog to the carrier vs not. In our experience, harnessing the dog into the Cockpit is absolutely safer than not harnessing the dog to it. For example, our German Shepherd Moxie never suffered a single injury through several dozen crashes and tip overs. However, during early Cockpit prototype testing, she rode untethered one time near our home and she was unexpectedly ejected when slowing at a stop sign. She scratched her paw and she never rode untethered again.

The Cockpit features welded anchors at every corner and the front center for securing tethers. We also developed the K9 Moto Harness for securing the dog into the Cockpit.

Check out this Riders Guide video for more information about why and how to strap your dog in.

Yes. We created the Luggage Loops add-on to make it easy and reduce wear on your Cockpit’s craftsman upholstery.

Absolutely. When riding with two copilots, they lay side-by-side in an extra-wide Cockpit. We offer 2-Pup Cockpits in the Mini and Standard sizes.

Check out this Q&A video for more information about the 2-Pup setup and check out a few Riders Gallery photos here.

In most cases, larger adventure, touring, and cruiser-style motorcycles can support the load of a very large dog. The largest dog we have accommodated in the Jumbo Cockpit is 120lb | 54kg.

The Cockpit frame can support a far greater load but the most important factors are:

1. Can the dog fit comfortably in the Jumbo size Cockpit
2. Can appropriate mounting hardware be fabricated to secure the Cockpit to the motorcycle.

We first recommend that the rider consider their comfort and skill level to manage a large motorcycle with the weight of a very large dog.

We suggest that you first try strapping a duffle bag that weighs as much as your dog plus 25 lbs and take some test rides to determine:

1. How well your bike handles the load
2. How comfortable you feel riding with the load

If it is not comfortable to ride with the load, we recommend practicing over several rides. This will help you determine whether or not you will grow accustomed to riding with the load.

Contact us for questions about riding with an extra large dog.

Selecting the correct size Cockpit for your dog is very important for comfort and safety. Although we want to avoid a Cockpit size that is too small for comfort, if the Cockpit is too big, your copilot will shift around. This can impact your balance and reduce their safety.

Your dog’s weight provides a good starting point, but their actual physical size matters more. That’s why we use the simple Tape Outline Exercise to determine the best fit for your dog.

Check out this Q&A video for more information about determining the right size Cockpit.

The dog will naturally assume a comfortable laying position similar to how they sleep on their favorite dog bed (if they don’t have a favorite bed, they need a TenderPaw Bedroll). Most likely, they will lay with their paws and snout extended out and forward to one side of the rider to catch the sights and smells. The back will have a comfortable curve and the butt will lay close to or against the opposite side of the Cockpit.

Check out this video about why the laying down position is essential comfort, safety, and ride performance.

Strapping into the Cockpit is essential. This ensures that your copilot remains in the compact, laying position and protected within their Cockpit’s padded roll bars.

The safety principles for why the human rider and pillion should eject free from the motorcycle in a crash do not apply the same to the k9 copilot.

The dog is not wearing protect gear or even light clothing. Instead, the Cockpit provides a rigid, padded structure to protect the dog in a crash situation. Leaving your dog unteathered means they will be ejected into traffic in a crash situation. Likewise, they will be ejected into traffic even just in a simple hard stop in which no crash or tip-over occurs.

Check out this Q&A video for more information about this critical safety topic.

Not just any outdoor or car harness is appropriate for riding.Our K9 Moto Harness is purpose-built and reinforced for strapping your dog into their Cockpit.

The K9 Moto harness features a large chest loop for tethering the torso. Another loop is located at the shoulders and a third is placed at the butt.

The security loop at the butt is essential to secure the dog’s rear to the back of the Cockpit. This is essential to avoid a somersault action during a hard stop or get-off.

Check out the K9 Moto Harness for more information about safety features and sizing.

The standard Cockpit weighs approximately 25 lbs | 12kg while the Mini size comes in around 15 lbs | 7kg. Keep in mind that this does not include the weight of any mounting hardware that might be required for installing your Cockpit to your motorcycle.

Check out this Q&A video for more information about mounting the Cockpit to your motorcycle.

Maybe. We call this the 2-Up+Pup position. We have configured this setup for numerous Cockpit riders but we always do it with the clear understanding that the rider will need additional mounting hardware beyond what we design and fabricate remotely. In these cases, the rider takes their Cockpit and motorcycle to a local metal workshop to build out an additional brace or hardware to reinforce the structure for the 2-Up+Pup position.

Check out this Q&A video for more information and the 2-Up+Pup rider photos in our gallery.

No. A top case is one of very few features or accessories that the Cockpit cannot accommodate. You do not need to have a luggage rack in order to mount the Cockpit but you cannot have a top case on while your Cockpit is installed. It needs the footprint area over the passenger seat and behind for your dog to lay down comfortably and securely.

Check out this Q&A video for more informating about mounting your Cockpit.

Yes. We build an enormous variety of custom mounting hardware brackets, platforms, and spacers. Even when a luggage rack is available for mounting, we recommend mounting at other locations as well to better distribute the load and stresses.

Check out this Q&A video for more information about mounting your Cockpit.

That depends on the size of your Cockpit, the distance between the side cases, and how they open and close. Most saddlebags and soft bags open outward or have flexible openings, which means they are fully accessible with any size Cockpit mounted.

Most aluminum panniers are accessible with the Standard size and smaller Cockpits. However, the Standard size Cockpit can obstruct lid access to some close-fitting panniers like the OEM panniers for BMW R 1250 GS. In this case, adjustments can often be made to adjust the lid opening or pannier mounting angle to mount your Cockpit and access your panniers. We routinely consider pannier and saddlebag access when designing your custom Cockpit mounting.

Check out this Q&A video for more information about access to your side cases.

Absolutely. Multiple mounting configurations can be overlaid on one Cockpit baseplate. In other cases, separate baseplates can be used for different mountings.

For example, when mounting to an adventure or touring bike, we cut away the Cockpit baseplate over the passenger seat to allow a substantial portion of the dog’s weight to connect directly to the seat the way the motorcycle was designed to carry a human passenger. A rider who wants to mount to multiple motorcycles with a passenger seat can overlay multiple mounting configurations.

On the other hand, a cruiser without a passenger seat will require a full baseplate. A rider who wants to mount to motorcycles with and without passenger seats will need separate baseplates for each.

Your Cockpit baseplate is removable, replaceable, and interchangable. This means you – or we – can retrofit your mounting as new bikes enter your stable.

Check out the Future-Proofed section of the Cockpit Resources Hub for more information about retrofitting your Cockpit mounting.

Yes, yes, and yes. In general terms, we can build your Cockpit to mount to pretty much any vehicle. The vehicle must be able to support the weight and have weight-bearing components accessible to which we can mount the Cockpit.

Check out our Riders Gallery for photos from nearly every make and model that Cockpits are mounted to.

The Custom Upholstery model allows you to select:

• Frame vinyl and stitching
• Cushion vinyl, stitching, and pattern
• With or without reflective
• Personal branding
• With or without the Luggage Loops add-on

The Custom Upholstery + Mounting model also includes custom mounting that we design through a do-it-together online process. The design usually takes about 60-90 minutes of your time, we’re in contact throughout, and most riders complete the design in about one week.

Check out this Q&A video for more about Cockpit customization and visit our Lookbook Catalogue for customization ideas.

As with any aftermarket or custom accessory, the first installation always takes longer and we recommend that you:

• Take it to a mechanic for the first installation
• Take your time and be thorough
• Reach out to us with any questions

After the first couple of installations, the Cockpit usually only takes about 5 minutes to mount or remove. But don’t be surprised if you decide to leave it installed permanently because, you know, why would you want to ride without your dog?!?

Check out this Q&A video for more information about what’s involved and how long it takes.

Most builds use bolts and/or U-bolts to attach the Cockpit baseplate to the motorcycle. In cases where the Cockpit requires additional mounting hardware, the additional fixtures are removable and connect to the Cockpit frame with bolts.

We provide all the bolts and/or U-bolts that you will need for mounting your Cockpit except if you need to replace the OEM bolt(s).

Check out this Q&A video for more information.

Yes. The range of aftermarket accessories that riders have is the primary reason why we do not prefabricate Cockpit mounts for specific motorcycles. We custom build your Cockpit mounting according to your specific motorcycle, preferences, and aftermarket accessories.

We always recommend taking the motorcycle to a qualified mechanic to review and install your Cockpit. If you decide to do it yourself, then installing your Cockpit involves working with bolts and allen wrenches.

Check out this Q&A video for more on this topic.

K9 Moto Cockpit is craftsman built and upholstered at our workshop in Guatemala, Central America. That is where we – RUFFLY co-founders, Greg and Jess – lived for many years and began riding with our first shepherd, Moxie.

We build and ship all Cockpits from our Guatemala workshop to riders all around the world. International shipping is free.

Check out this Q&A video for more about free international shipping and tariffs.

All Cockpit components are craftsman built at our Guatemala metal workshop. The Cockpit frame is made from plain or carbon steel and painted with pre-catalyzed primer and matte black paint. The Cockpit baseplate is aluminum and the mounting hardware is routine fabricated from stainless steel.

The Cockpit is craftsman upholstered in a variety of non-leather vinyl options and nylon thread. The frame cushions are made from water-resistant polyethylene foam, which is firm, soft, and highly resistant to moisture. The removable Cockpit seat cushion is filled with medium-soft polyurethane foam.

Yes. We treat each custom mounting build as a unique project, and we do not reuse the measurements from a previous build for two reasons:

1. We position the Cockpit differently for each rider to accommodate your specific riding position and posture.
2. Even though the previous builds mount correctly and securely, we cannot personally verify those measurements as ‘correct’ because we are not present to inspect them.

Still, we do refer to previous builds to provide a validation / doublecheck for current builds. So, if we identify any measurements that seem inconsistent or different, we use the measurements from past builds to guide us on where we might need to double check a measurement.

We ship Cockpits by UPS and DHL. We decide which carrier is most appropriate and cost-effective based on your location, and the weight and dimensions of your Cockpit.

Maybe. That depends on whether or not your country charges customs fees on imports from Guatemala. When we ship your Cockpit, we record a very moderate valuation on the shipping and export documentation. We are not responsible for any customs fees or duties associated with the shipment of your Cockpit.

For more information, read this article.

Each custom Cockpit model has its own unlisted project page at goruffly.com with a unique URL. Once you complete your purchase, we create your Cockpit design page and send you an email with the link. This page provides simple information to guide us through the design process and we are in contact throughout.

Once you complete and approve the design, we immediately begin the build. We post workshop photos of the custom upholstery and/or custom mounting to your design page so that you can watch your Cockpit come to life.

Check out this Q&A video for more information about the custom design and build process.

Your individual Cockpit design page guides you and we are in contact throughout the process.  For the Custom Upholstery model, you:

1. Perform a simple sizing exercise so we can ensure your Cockpit will provide a good fit
2. Select your custom upholstery, including personal branding

For the Custom Upholstery + Mounting model, you also perform a simple 3-step design process:

Upload ‘mugshot’ photos

Perform your measurements (usually 6-12)

Remeasure to revise and then approve

The outcome of this simple 3-step process is a basic Mounting Diagram with the exact measurements we will follow to drill the bolt holes and/or build the mounting hardware to install your Cockpit to your motorcycle.

Your part in the process takes about 60-90 minutes and most riders complete the design in about one week.

Check out this Q&A video for more information about the custom Cockpit design process.

No. We do not currently manufacture our own quick-release setup for installing your Cockpit to your motorcycle. We are very cautious to trust your beloved copilot to anything other than nuts and bolts. However, we routinely configure custom Cockpits to mount to existing quick-release hardware according to the request and preference of the rider.

Check out this Q&A video for more about quick-release mounting options.

It is rare that a custom mounting build does not perform as intended.

In the rare instances when this happens, we review the Mounting Diagram and our quality control documentation – along with photos and/or videos that you provide – to determine if and where an error was made.

If the issue results from an error that we made in the design or build of your custom mounting, we will replace the baseplate and/or brackets in question.

Alternatively, if the issue results from a measurement error by the rider, we will provide guidance and support towards resolving the issue but we do not compensate any expenses.

In the few cases where this has happened, the most common solution is as simple as to drill new bolt holes or enlarge existing bolt holes in the baseplate.

Our mission is to help get you riding with your dog and that principle guides us throughout the resolution process.

There are no returns or exchanges for Cockpits once they are shipped out. For custom Cockpit models, you can cancel your order anytime until the build begins. Cancellations that occur once the design has begun (i.e. after the rider has uploaded their ‘mugshot’ photos), may incurr a fee for the design work already performed. Once the build begins, the order cannot be refunded.