Army Spyder's Been Drafted!

[Brevet05]

Well, after much consideration and discussion with my wife, I have sold the 2008 SM5 emblazoned in Army-themed graphics (by Spiralus Designs). I will be sad to see it go, as I had a blast on it and I really had intended to keep it for the long haul.

The good news is that its new owner is one of the Army's marketing agencies. The Army Spyder will join the Army's fleet of eye-catching vehicles, apparently replacing the now-defunct Orange County Chopper.

I didn't make this decision lightly, nor will I be leaving the Spyder family, as I will move over to the RT-S branch, picking up the Orbital Blue machine from the great folks at South Texas Suzuki on Saturday. The primary reason behind the sale was that my wife has never been too happy about my riding the SM5, and this was made worse by her not being comfortable enough on it to want to be on it for any long ride. Still, I actually just went over 10,000 miles in the 8 months I have owned it.

However, the wrap that I got from Spiralus drew a LOT of attention, and it caught the eye of the Army's marketing folks, who coincidentally were looking to replace their now dead Orange County Chopper. They had the option of going out and buying a Spyder and having it wrapped themselves, but decided to see if they could get it quickly and cheaply by buying my Spyder.

I told Kathleen about their offer and took her to our dealer to test ride the RT-S. About a half hour into the ride, she said there was no comparison to the two machines, and that I should take the offer, sell the SM5 and buy the RT-S to allow her to ride comfortably.

Since sharing the ride with her has always been the missing piece of my Spyder experience, I opted into the deal. Since I'm in Virginia on Army business (teaching a pre-command course for new Professors of Military Science), it's been a little hectic getting all the actors moving in the same direction, but Kelly at STS has been very patient with the bureaucracy, and it's all come together for this Saturday. I'm pretty excited about the change, even though I'll miss the raw energy of the Army Spyder!

I'll take pictures on Saturday, once I pick it up, as I need a picture at a dealership for Irish's Scavenger Hunt, anyway... Now, I just need to see what new graphics Marc St. Louis comes up with for the RT!

[RoadHammer]

I always liked your spyder, can't wait to see what you come up with for the RT.

[BumbleBee]

Wraps or you can have it painted

Post pictures

[rnet]

Let us know how the wife likes the ride and post some pics when you can.

[ameobe]

Awesome news.

[Smylinacha]

another Spyder to customize!

[Tom in NM]

I always thought that you + your Spyder = one of the best customization jobs around since it was clean design, striking and appropriate. It is a great looking machine.

Enjoy your new ride and glad to hear you will be getting some hugs while you are on the road - that should really increase your Smiles per Mile!

Tom

[DynamoBT]

Cool deal for you!! Always liked your Army themed Spyder. Now it has a real Job!!

Hope your wife and you enjoy many miles on your new RT-S!!

[Batmobile]

Hope to see you and the wife on a ride/meet one day before you head to Ohio.

Chris

[Lamonster]

[TonyMac]

Verb

That is great news. When I first saw your Army Spyder I thought for sure the Army would love it as a recruiting tool. It is always best to have the wife's input on a machine she'll want to ride with you.

Best of luck. I too would like an RT but am not quite ready to take the depreciation bath.

Tony

[pastorchuck]

What a great story!

[Brevet05]

Thanks for all the kind words; I shared them with Kathleen on our phone call this evening. While she was touched, she still wouldn't sign up for the final ride on the Army Spyder to get our RT. One more solo ride, I guess...

[Firefly]

Sounds like a Win - Win - Win... for you - your wife - and the Army!

[glynnk]

Congratulations! What a way to land a deal! Look forward to seeing you again soon.

Glynnk

[jeuchler]

...I have sold the 2008 SM5 emblazoned in Army-themed graphics (by Spiralus Designs)....The good news is that its new owner is one of the Army's marketing agencies. The Army Spyder will join the Army's fleet of eye-catching vehicles, apparently replacing the now-defunct Orange County Chopper...

That's great!

Remember when people here were worried for you that the Army would be irritated (or even pursue legal action) due to the graphics you chose?!!

And...replacing the OCC chopper??

That's quite a statement!!

(Oh, yeah, and +1 to everybody that wrote "keep the wife happy." You know the business, son. )

[retired1]

on the new blue RTS. I have every confidence that the GS and your "Cool" grafix will help with recruitment. It will be a BIG bonus to have your wife be able to share your adventures with you in person. Love that Blue!

[Tom in NM]

Since I am not a "chopper" kind of person, I had not heard of them - so I did a search. One image of their work was this:

(article here: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2007/...#ixzz0hvOOVBaD )

At first glace, I though that they grafted the Godzilla Edition of the Spyder's stock muffler on the trike. Not for me, but I gotta admit that it is the 100% perfect Texas Trike!

Sorry for getting off topic, but . . . .

Tom

[SpyderWolf]

on being able to get something to work out where your wife will be willing to ryde with you now. I know you will miss the Army Spyder, but at least you will have your best friend with you on your journeys now.

[Sarge707]

The Army got a Great Deal, People will love those graphics and now you can share your ride!

[Brevet05]

Since I am not a "chopper" kind of person, I had not heard of them . . . .

Tom

I'm not a chopper guy either. I like the looks of some, but they don't have any appeal for me. Here's the Army's OCC. I saw it shortly after they got it, back in 2005(?), and I never thought much of it.

[Brevet05]

That's great!

Remember when people here were worried for you that the Army would be irritated (or even pursue legal action) due to the graphics you chose?!!

And...replacing the OCC chopper??

That's quite a statement!!

(Oh, yeah, and +1 to everybody that wrote "keep the wife happy." You know the business, son. )

Hooah. I remember that discussion quite well, but I never worried about it. The Army loves free advertising as much as anyone, and as there was no chance that I'd bring discredit on them through my behavior, I was confident they'd be happy. I never dreamed they'd go this route, though...

[Tom in NM]

I'm not a chopper guy either. I like the looks of some, but they don't have any appeal for me. Here's the Army's OCC. I saw it shortly after they got it, back in 2005(?), and I never thought much of it.

. . . . it must be that it is a chopper - but I do like the styling/design. Actually, I would be interested in seeing that kind of design applied to a Spyder. But then, I also like the old Jeeps and almost all the Wranglers.

Tom

[Brevet05]

Well, the deed is done. I've relinquished command of the Army Spyder and taken the reins of the RT-S. The transaction went smoothly (Thanks, Kelley) and I've taken Kathleen out for our inaugural ride. She likes it! The blue paint job is striking; much deeper in color than the advertised images. It did one thing that I find curious, which is that the air flow makes my full face helmet significantly louder with the face shield down. Not sure why, but wind in the face it is. This ride draws lots of attention, even in Fiesta-crazed San Antonio.

The photo is of the drive away moment from South Texas Suzuki... (actually, I put my helmet and gloves on first)

[reconscout]

I am glad the Army has made its mind to replace the old with the new. Looking forward to seeing it rode in the rolling thunder this year will be there with it. Maybe we can talk them into all the owners to ride behind it.