Aggressive riding in the curves question

[nealperkins]

Well, sort of aggressive as I'm a new Spyder rider (600 miles worth). So, we have lots of neat curves here in the mountains just begging for some nice riding. My question is what are the signs that you are beginning to push things too far, by accident or whatever. That would be other than running off the road or turning the Spyder over...In fact, would is skid before it turned over, etc.

[Ranman42]

Not sure what model you have, but if you go into a curve too aggressive the on board computer nannies will shut you down. Wheel up , too much spin. I set mine off crossing a flooded road and it interpeted it as a complete loss of traction.

[PrairieSpyder]

When you can't stay in the right lane on the curve - crossing into the on-coming lane. Unless you have a Daytona Spyder, Nanny will put you down onto the road before you can turn over. For many of us, the game is to see how fast you can take a curve before Nanny kick in. So you won't know where that point is until it actually happens.

I love to challenge Nanny. I haven't found her yet on my F3T.

[nealperkins]

I should have identified the model. It's a 2016 F3L. OK, the nanny cuts the gas, but that might not be enough to keep you on the road?? Is there some 'early warning' behavior or noise?

[PrairieSpyder]

The only way that wouldn't be enough is on loose gravel, ice or hydroplaning - or going over a cliff!

[Chupaca]

But the nanny also has more control on the brakes than you do.. she will apply the brakes not cut the gas or retard the ignition whichever needed to get you safe...annoying at times but great when your losing it. If your good or getting there you may be able to double the posted speed for turns and you can fool the nanny some but in my opinion she does a good jkob on the RS/GS and RSS. May be different on the RT and F3...

[JayBros]

Out in our mountains not too long ago I had a closer than fun encounter with a cage that came across the double yellow in a curve. I was well in my lane, not drifting outward in my right turn direction but had to quickly tighten my turn at speed and Nanny smoked my left front tire.

[wyliec]

I rely on my self preservation. If it feels like I riding near or over my limits, I'll downshift or tap the brakes. I have a GS.

I always wonder when someone says that you can usually double the speed signage given for a curve. I've been on curves posted for 50 mph, does that mean the spyder can take it safely at 100 mph?

[Fat Baxter]

I've always wondered: has anyone actually flipped a Spyder in a too-hard turn? (Aside from running off the road first, then flipping in the rough stuff.) If it's technically impossible to flip a Spyder, I think that would be a good marketing point.

Of course, that presumes you have the courage to hang in there and not lose it in a curve -- keep those handlebars cranked over! I occasionally push it in a turn, and am surprised with what the Spyder can do.

I liken Spyder riding to snow skiing: you have to trust your equipment.

[Bam Bam and Pebbles]

Not sure what model you have, but if you go into a curve too aggressive the on board computer nannies will shut you down. Wheel up , too much spin. I set mine off crossing a flooded road and it interpeted it as a complete loss of traction.

The Nanny is a good point of reference unless you have car tires on the front. With the stiffer sidewalls, you can pull a lot more G's on turns than the Nanny is comfortable with, and she can interject even when there are no problems with your speed and angle into the turns. Since putting Federal Evo's on the fronts of Cocaine, I feel the Nanny way more than I used to with the Kendas, even though I have taken a good smooth line through the turn. I am very aggressive on turns and hardly ever felt Nannies presence in the turns until I got the Evo's.

[kep-up]

Do your braking and downshifting before the turn, then twist the grip through the turn. Nannie is not quite sure what is happening at that point. If you are slowing into the turn, she understands that you have no idea what your are doing, and will take over the braking duties.

[Bob Denman]

Devil's Advocate here...
If you're going to try and push it THAT hard in the twisties: you bought the wrong bike!

[blacklightning]

The Nanny is a good point of reference unless you have car tires on the front. With the stiffer sidewalls, you can pull a lot more G's on turns than the Nanny is comfortable with, and she can interject even when there are no problems with your speed and angle into the turns. Since putting Federal Evo's on the fronts of Cocaine, I feel the Nanny way more than I used to with the Kendas, even though I have taken a good smooth line through the turn. I am very aggressive on turns and hardly ever felt Nannies presence in the turns until I got the Evo's.

I agree with this guy. We had the same type of bike (1330 with the 6 speed manual), and both push them very hard. If and when the nanny kicks in on us, it normally means that you are about to get into trouble. If you keep a smooth line, and are good with your gas and braking points, you can push these things really hard. I just sold my RT and picked up a F3T, and I can hardly wait to get back up into your area (Boone) to ride again. I will possibly be making a day trip from the Raleigh area so that I can ride the BRP, Diamondback, and Devil's Whip before doing our annual mountain trip vacation this June. Hopefully you will be able to meet and join us.

[kep-up]

I forgot to mention that a bit of body English is also helpful.

[MisterP]

I rely on my self preservation. If it feels like I riding near or over my limits, I'll downshift or tap the brakes. I have a GS.

I always wonder when someone says that you can usually double the speed signage given for a curve. I've been on curves posted for 50 mph, does that mean the spyder can take it safely at 100 mph?

I normally take curves at the posted speed plus 10.

[ARtraveler]

Well, sort of aggressive as I'm a new Spyder rider (600 miles worth). So, we have lots of neat curves here in the mountains just begging for some nice riding. My question is what are the signs that you are beginning to push things too far, by accident or whatever. That would be other than running off the road or turning the Spyder over...In fact, would is skid before it turned over, etc.

Your the third person asking similar today. Sure signs your overdoing it:

: The nanny kicks in
: Your crossing the center lines

Attached is some additional information about cornering and twisties that I posted in another thread.

Information that I have posted a few times concerning "the death grip."

Pretend that there are eggs between your hands and the grips. Don't break the eggs. Use more of a gentle push/pull on the handgrips. Steer INTO the turn. Countersteering does not work on ,s.

On tight turns, you should enter the turn at such a speed that you can accelerate as your enter. I enter from the inside of the curve and track to the outside. I do not touch any of the center lines. If there is extra room on the right, I use it. More straight = less "g" forces.

Leaning "slightly" into the curve and planting the outside foot will result hardly any "g" forces. I can do curves at 20+ posted without going over the center line, and the feels like its on a track. Most of the time I am comfortable with +10.

Make sure your passenger leans the same as you do. Hope you find this helpful so you do not raise any of the warning signs above.

[PistonBlown]

There is a great deal of fun to be had trying to push a Spyder to the limit - though some models are better suited than others (I still maintain the GS/RS's are the best for that:-)) Nanny actually adds to that fun as you're always trying to not let her take over but at the same time you know if you do overdo it she's there for you.

With stock tires on I found you can push them until either the rear tire starts to slide, or if very tight corners you can slide the fronts (easier with a non-stock rear tire). In both cases Nanny will step in but if you've managed to do this then you've avoided her spoiling the fun until you've hit the limits of the tires:-) You'll also find the inside front tire will get light on fast bends but as long as you move your weight around to keep it kissing the surface nanny will leave you alone.

Cornering is quite different to a bike and takes a bit of refining to get right. You brake later but have a slower exit speed. Getting the right line is more important - partly because you have less space to play with but also changes may cause nanny to step in. Front end setup is much more important on a Spyder than other vehicles and quite minor changes can have a marked affect.

If you go into a corner well beyond the speed you could possibly get around it then you will end up in trouble. Nanny will not fix stupid.

However if you just hit a corner a bit too enthusiastically then nanny will help you get around safely. One huge advantage with having three wheels and nanny is that you can even brake in the bend if you need to.

[Bam Bam and Pebbles]

I forgot to mention that a bit of body English is also helpful.

When I am really trying I usually only have half my a$& on the seat. Other than that, I just lean.

[Bam Bam and Pebbles]

I agree with this guy. We had the same type of bike (1330 with the 6 speed manual), and both push them very hard. If and when the nanny kicks in on us, it normally means that you are about to get into trouble. If you keep a smooth line, and are good with your gas and braking points, you can push these things really hard. I just sold my RT and picked up a F3T, and I can hardly wait to get back up into your area (Boone) to ride again. I will possibly be making a day trip from the Raleigh area so that I can ride the BRP, Diamondback, and Devil's Whip before doing our annual mountain trip vacation this June. Hopefully you will be able to meet and join us.

Let me know when and I should be there. Looking forward to riding with you again, especially now since you got the F3T. Its a pleasure riding with someone who pushes these machines.

[Bam Bam and Pebbles]

I've always wondered: has anyone actually flipped a Spyder in a too-hard turn? (Aside from running off the road first, then flipping in the rough stuff.) If it's technically impossible to flip a Spyder, I think that would be a good marketing point.

Of course, that presumes you have the courage to hang in there and not lose it in a curve -- keep those handlebars cranked over! I occasionally push it in a turn, and am surprised with what the Spyder can do.

I liken Spyder riding to snow skiing: you have to trust your equipment.

I recently was pushing Cocaine in a turn. I had just put my Federal Evos on and I had been doing 35 and 40 mph over the speed limit in most turns. I decided to hit a 35 mph turn doing 80. It was a flat turn and I didnt dive down to the center line quite as close as I wanted. I kept my speed up since she was really running tight that afternoon. I was trying to keep steady pressure on the bars to turn but apparently 45 over was a bit too much for that turn. Cocaine finally broke loose and I got sideways with the tires squeeling and smoking. I guess if I didnt turn over then, it probably wont ever happen. 🤞

[loisk]

Well, sort of aggressive as I'm a new Spyder rider (600 miles worth). So, we have lots of neat curves here in the mountains just begging for some nice riding. My question is what are the signs that you are beginning to push things too far, by accident or whatever. That would be other than running off the road or turning the Spyder over...In fact, would is skid before it turned over, etc.

All good explanations of the when, what, how and why.

I found out what it "feels" like
taking a bend a bit hot, quite safely, suddenly it was like an invisible hand had held up a stop sign and was slowing me down. Hmm. After a second, all ok. So the next time I was at the same bend I replicated the invisible hand - happened as before. All good - the nanny is doing its job. Oh I take that bend a little slower now or, more exactly, I wait an extra millisecond before giving it the gas.

Same as on two wheels "look bike, go bike" - you can trust the nanny.

[WellsboroSpyder]

We both stress at work. For us going on a Spyder ride is time for relaxation, not wondering if this is the time the nanny doesn't work. We have ridden many roads that weve been on before, and it always amazes us of the sights that we missed in our cage. For us it's about living in our environment not seeing how fast we can get through it. Just my two cents.

[kep-up]

I recently was pushing Cocaine in a turn. I had just put my Federal Evos on and I had been doing 35 and 40 mph over the speed limit in most turns. I decided to hit a 35 mph turn doing 80. It was a flat turn and I didnt dive down to the center line quite as close as I wanted. I kept my speed up since she was really running tight that afternoon. I was trying to keep steady pressure on the bars to turn but apparently 45 over was a bit too much for that turn. Cocaine finally broke loose and I got sideways with the tires squeeling and smoking. I guess if I didnt turn over then, it probably wont ever happen. 🤞

35 to 40 over the posted recommendation? REALLY? On an RT? I need to learn your set-up!

[wyliec]

Maybe I don't quite understand a few things. Am I reading the posts correctly when you are basically saying you can hit a curve as fast as you want; there's no chance of going off the road because the nanny protects you in all instances? The second thing is what is a turn versus a curve. To me a turn is typically 90 degrees or less, what you normally find on city streets. So, when someone mentions double the posted speed in a turn, are you actually in a curve? If it's a curve, then I can understand hitting it at double the posted speed, depending on the curve, like a wide sweeper. I'm actually not trying to pick on anyone in particular, but when you are giving advice to someone who is new to the spyder, he/she may not know the type curve/turn you are talking about.

[Bam Bam and Pebbles]

My set up is stock, except for car tires all around. No swaybar, no stiffeners, none of that extra stuff. What I do use is my body. I am either leaning pretty good or hanging off the side of the bike. That and my desire to go as fast as I can using the best cornering techniques that I can. I dont use the nanny as a fail safe to save my butt. My goal is to not have her make an appearance. I usually meet that goal. And I am not advising new riders to try this. Ive been riding 2 1/2 years on a Spyder and I am still learning. As they say, dont try this at home folks. Do what you are comfortable doing, not what others say they do.

As far as the definition of turns is concerned, I aint riding city streets at 35 or 40 mph over the speed limit. Im talking country roads, but not wide sweepers. Anyone can ride a wide sweeper 30 or 35 over the limit. But when I am really feeling "it", I will pull a 35 or 40 mph turn at 40 over. 40 over seems to be my limit currently. I will have half my butt off the bike, leaning out as far as I can. I dont do it all the time but I am generally going 30 over. I have been called crazy by my friends for the way I sometimes ride, but I love pushing my bike as hard as I can. Makes ya feel alive when ya do that. Believe me or dont believe me. I know what I can do. And surely to God I cant be the only one doing this.

Funny thing is, when Pebbles is on board, I am happy doing 5 or 10 over the limit so she is comfortable. I just want to ride.