F3 Maybe???

First post. Been riding 2 wheels for too many years to count. Was thinking of getting a 3 wheeler but do not care for the standard trikes. Kind of interested in the F3 or F3-S. Have to admit they are pretty sharp looking.

Anyway, I am doing some research to see if the Spyder is for me. Reliability is #1 in my book along with being able to do regular maintenance stuff. I will be visiting my local dealer and another "somewhat" local dealer to check them out in person a bit further and get some details. What are your thoughts on the two transmission choices? I was kinda leaning towards the semi-automatic. How do they hold up and do they have a good life span? Besides regular oil/filter changes and laser alignments, what other regular maintenance items are needed? How about transmission oil change intervals?
Was planning on taking a 3 wheel riding course to help me decide.

Thanks for any input.

A test drive or two at the dealership will help , but with the Spyder you will find most people on here needed a little time to get used to the “ feel “ of it . They are a bit different than two wheels but a little time in the saddle and I was hooked . I have the original GS now but soon will decide whether the F3 or the RT will be best for our Ryde purposes. Good luck with your purchase and enjoy the smiles

Simple answer, test ride one. I rode both the F-3 & RT and took a little time to process the info. The RT won out because of the towing option at the time. The 1330 has proven to be a very reliable engine.



Good luck!

Pat

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Originally Posted by tibadoe

Anyway, I am doing some research to see if the Spyder is for me. Reliability is #1 in my book along with being able to do regular maintenance stuff. I will be visiting my local dealer and another "somewhat" local dealer to check them out in person a bit further and get some details. What are your thoughts on the two transmission choices? I was kinda leaning towards the semi-automatic. How do they hold up and do they have a good life span? Besides regular oil/filter changes and laser alignments, what other regular maintenance items are needed? How about transmission oil change intervals?
Was planning on taking a 3 wheel riding course to help me decide.

Thanks for any input.

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As for the Semi Auto. We have one on our 2014 RT and have had zero issues with it (we currently have close to 70,000 miles on it). I prefer it over the manual on my F3. The transmission it self is the same on both - just the shifting method is different. The same oil is shared by the motor and trans. The 1330 motor oil change intervals are 3000 miles for the first change and then 9300 miles thereafter. For the semi-auto there is an additional filter that should be changed every 28,000 miles.
I do all my own maintenance on them -a little more involved then my two wheelers were, but not bad.
Spark plugs should be change at 28,000 miles and are a pain to do as a lot of stuff needs to be removed to get to them.
The only other thing to watch for is maintaining proper air pressure in the tires with the front tires kept as close to the same pressure as possible.

Transmissions are the same, just shift differently. Oil change interval is 3,000 miles for break in then 9,300 or one year from then on. I’ve got 20,000 on our F3L, very reliable.

Test ryde will tell it all...:ohyea:The new triple has proven to be a very dependable engine. You do not need any valve adjustments and the oil and engine filter changes are up to 9,300 miles or a year as mentioned above. The transmission filter change on the semi-auto is every 28,000 miles. Take the course and read up on the do's and don'ts here and the test ryde and we will see you on the road....:thumbup:

Only a test ryde on the vehicle of choice will determine which is best for you.

The basic break down seems to be RS--crotch rocket seating. RT--luxo tour seating. F3--Cruiser seating.

I have had two of the three. I do not like the F3 seating--although the looks are "beautiful."

Reliability issues are pretty much okay. There are always issues with some but like other brands--more few and far between than "normal." A knowledgeable mechanic can perform "most" of the maintenance functions.

The manual/semi auto question comes up from time to time. The manual is about $1500 less, but harder to sell at trade off time. The semi auto is pretty much flawless. You wont miss the manual shifting, but your still in charge. Out of five :spyder2: :f_spider:'s owned, I have had one manual and four semi autos.

If you have the tools and mechanical aptitude you can do most all of your routine maintenance. You can get an online service manual for $30 or so. If, OTOH, you prefer to have a dealership do the work, be very careful about selecting one because Spyder dealerships can, unfortunately, vary widely in the quality of BRP trained and certified techs.

as for reliable.... that's up & down...
i'm on my 2nd SPYD3R, the 1st was an RS and i put 50,000 miles of smiles on her, and she was AWESOME.... just about a PERFECT bike in every sense of the word... sold it to buy the very 1st F3-S in South Carolina... i picked her up in Feb. of 2015, and now have just over 46,000 miles of smiles.... other than 1 recall, this thing has been PERFECT...
however, if you search this website, you'll see that it isn't always fun & games... some people have had issues, but i'm thinking for the vast majority of us, we've been very fortunate with the F3's.... oh, i had a front sprocket go south on me.... replaced at 17,000 miles, and no problems since...
join the club, the majority of us SPYD3R ryders, have been on 2 wheels for many moons... myself, well with knees & 1 hip gone bad, i just can't do 800 lbs of steel anymore.... and there are plenty that NEVER rode a motorcycle of any kind and they are happy-campers now with their SPYD3RS....
as for the tranny.... i'm all for the SEMI-AUTO... no more 'foot & fist' shifting for me... NO tranny oil change - it's all part of the engine oil change... and get the 'S' version, it has CRUISE CONTROL.... a very nice addition when on long rides....
if/when you buy 1, don't expect it to handle like your 2 wheeler.... it's more like a snowmobile.... my first couple hundred miles, i kept telling myself; "you screwed yourself Dan".... then after & since that, i've been in 7th heaven with both my SPYD3RS.... I've done 2 X-country and 2 SoCar to Canada rides and i'm here to tell you that at 70 yrs of age, i wish i were 16 again, so i could ride 1 of these things for the next 60 yrs.....
join us, & enjoy....
oh, BIG EVENT in Deadwood, SD in July..... get u a SPYD3R and join us there...
Dan P
SPYD3R

[QUOTE=tibadoe;1355757]First post. Been riding 2 wheels for too many years to count. Was thinking of getting a 3 wheeler but do not care for the standard trikes. Kind of interested in the F3 or F3-S. Have to admit they are pretty sharp looking.

Anyway, I am doing some research to see if the Spyder is for me. Reliability is #1 in my book along with being able to do regular maintenance stuff. I will be visiting my local dealer and another "somewhat" local dealer to check them out in person a bit further and get some details. What are your thoughts on the two transmission choices? I was kinda leaning towards the semi-automatic. How do they hold up and do they have a good life span? Besides regular oil/filter changes and laser alignments, what other regular maintenance items are needed? How about transmission oil change intervals?
Was planning on taking a 3 wheel riding course to help me decide.

Thanks for any input.[/QUOTE

I would definitely get an F3 over the previous 998cc models. Almost everything about them is way better, including the mechanicals, comfort and handling. My only beef with them is the frunk is smaller than the older Spyders to be almost useless. If you want to tour, the Limited models are great. If touring isn't your thing, some of the F3-S (Sport) models come with Fox shocks. Those handle like the trike is on rails with almost no lean at all.. As far as laser alignment goes, unless the trike handles funny out of the store it probably isn't needed. IMHO, the F3 trikes are the "Spyders Done Right".