First time ryder needs tips

[Spyderdude]

Hi everyone,

First post here, I just joined. Anyways, I just got myself the RS-S SE5 and after the course last week-end, I have been on two short rydes (1 hour)- both were on fairly windy days, unusually windy. I have never had a motorcycles and besides my ATV this is my first open air experience and although I LOVE it, I do feel shacky everytime I go above 85km/h and not too reassured in curves. is that normal at the beginning? I don't think there is anything wrong with my machine, it's brand new...but right now I would not feel comfortable hitting the freeway for instance, I wonder how long it will take until I feel secure on it and if anyone has tips to speed up the process. Thanks!

[Texmac1011]

Just ride at a level you are comfortable with. As time goes on and you start riding at faster speeds, those speeds won't seem so fast anymore.

Enjoy your ride and be safe.

[RoadHammer]

Dont be afraid, you might want set up in a parking lot like described in the owners manual and get some practice in. It sounds like your scared and that is not a good start.
Maybe find a road with minimal traffic and get some miles in that area first.

Enjoy, you have a nice spyder

[IWN2RYD]

Another member said something like this to folks just getting started with a Spyder...

Grip the Handlebars like you are holding a baby chick. This way you have a solid grip, but gentle at the same time.

I would add... Drive it like it is a car. Not a two wheeled bike. Those two tips will make your transition a very pleasurable one

[BikerDoc]

there seems to be a natural tendency to oversteer the Spyder when you first ride them. The steering is very responsive and needs a gentle or soft touch.. It is especially responsive at higher speeds and it is possible that is creating that somewhat shaky or unstable feeling you experience. Like the other fellow said ride at your comfort level, don't hold it too tight and over time it will come to feel like an extension of you - more and more comfortable over time.. Ride Safe and take your time...

[boborgera]

Relax you'll get the hang of it, just ride in your comfort zone, once you get more seat time it will come natural to you.

[NancysToy]

I totally agree with the parking lot practice. Set up the skills course in the book, and run it until it feels second nature. The light touch tip is also a good one, as is the one to ride only where you feel comfortable, at first. Another tip that mau help you in the curves is to lean your body into the curve. Try to kiss the knuckles of the hand inside the curve, for want of a better mental picture.I'm sure you'll get the idea soon. It takes a few hundred miles to get comfortable.

[fispyder]

there seems to be a natural tendency to oversteer the Spyder when you first ride them. The steering is very responsive and needs a gentle or soft touch.. It is especially responsive at higher speeds and it is possible that is creating that somewhat shaky or unstable feeling you experience. Like the other fellow said ride at your comfort level, don't hold it too tight and over time it will come to feel like an extension of you - more and more comfortable over time.. Ride Safe and take your time...

Put as many miles on it the more comfortable you get in the handling of it.

[IWN2RYD]

I totally agree with the parking lot practice. Set up the skills course in the book, and run it until it feels second nature. The light touch tip is also a good one, as is the one to ride only where you feel comfortable, at first. Another tip that mau help you in the curves is to lean your body into the curve. Try to kiss the knuckles of the hand inside the curve, for want of a better mental picture.I'm sure you'll get the idea soon. It takes a few hundred miles to get comfortable.

One more I just remembered... Try to look "Through" the turns and not in them Your bike will follow your eyes because your hands do!

[Riker]

All the tips given are exactly what I followed. I now have 300 miles on my most amazing beautiful ... sorry, I just love this thing...

It is getting more comfortable as I ride. When I first started, there is this little S curve near my house ( I stay close while practicing, only have learners ). The first few days I would take it at 20mph, and then after a few days, 30 mph, then 40 . Did my first highway miles last weekend, and at first was a little interesting, but as I loosened my grip and relaxed a little, it was much more enjoyable.

I have never driven a bike before this and the wind is interesting, yet exhillarating at the same time....

Ride at your own level and progress as you feel comfortalble.

[SpyderAnn01]

and practice, practice and soon you'll be hitting the highway for places like Maggie Valley or Cuba.

[sealfloorboards]

there seems to be a natural tendency to oversteer the Spyder when you first ride them. The steering is very responsive and needs a gentle or soft touch.. It is especially responsive at higher speeds and it is possible that is creating that somewhat shaky or unstable feeling you experience. Like the other fellow said ride at your comfort level, don't hold it too tight and over time it will come to feel like an extension of you - more and more comfortable over time.. Ride Safe and take your time...

I couldn't agree more. It took time to realize I was holding the handle bars too tight. I had to relax and trust the bike. Over steering is a natural tendency. Time and practice did it for me. Relax!

Ride in comfort,

John
Seal FloorBoards

[Spyder Cat]

on your new ryde and with the great advice already given. The more miles you put on your the more you're gonna love it.

We have 18,000 on our RT and 7,000 our our RS and we still look for 'excuses' to ryde

It's gonna be a great summer so get out there and ryde

[ARtraveler]

on the new ride. The got you covered on the advice.

[Spyderdude]

Thanks everyone, great advice all across! I actually took the BRP course (one day) but it was still short for a novice. My plan is to drive locally (I live in the country) for at least a month before I hit the city or take longer trips. I will keep the handle bars in minds, I HAVE been holding on to them like crazy!
I am going for breakfast with my wife as a passenger for the first time this morning and there is no wind (the town is only 25km away), will keep you posted! Thanks again!

[Spyderdude]

Just put 50K on the bike, highway feels better already, it does make a huge difference to relax and not hold to these handle bars too tight. Still staying between 90 and 105 km/h, feeling comfortable at these speeds for now. Gonna try ryding every day! My wife was scared into tears when we first hit the highway but already felt much better on the way back- she is taking the course Monday so she'll be ryding soon!

[NancysToy]

Just put 50K on the bike, highway feels better already, it does make a huge difference to relax and not hold to these handle bars too tight. Still staying between 90 and 105 km/h, feeling comfortable at these speeds for now. Gonna try ryding every day! My wife was scared into tears when we first hit the highway but already felt much better on the way back- she is taking the course Monday so she'll be ryding soon!

[Spyderdude]

Just came back from a 130km ryde, it was amazing! Feelin good now and getting to feel the sheer POWER of the , pure fun!!!

[buck1234]

Hi everyone,

First post here, I just joined. Anyways, I just got myself the RS-S SE5 and after the course last week-end, I have been on two short rydes (1 hour)- both were on fairly windy days, unusually windy. I have never had a motorcycles and besides my ATV this is my first open air experience and although I LOVE it, I do feel shacky everytime I go above 85km/h and not too reassured in curves. is that normal at the beginning? I don't think there is anything wrong with my machine, it's brand new...but right now I would not feel comfortable hitting the freeway for instance, I wonder how long it will take until I feel secure on it and if anyone has tips to speed up the process. Thanks!

Congrats on the purchase. I mirror the comments on experience and more rides making you more confident and sure of yourself. Like you my first experience on my bike was in strong winds and rain on my way back home from picking up the machine. I had 40+ years experience in the saddle and it still scared me.


So here are some easy suggestions to help you gain confident control of your new toy.

Air up the tires between 17 and 20psi for the front pair. Too soft a front tire and the handling gets mushy and sloppy. Shows itself especially when cornering at speed, slow corners are always easy. The rear tire is good at 24 to 26psi for one up riding, two up add 5psi on the rear only.

Adjust your front springs to the top setting #5. Why you ask? As you enter a corner have you noticed that it feels a bit uncomfprtable? That's normal to all Spyders, we compensate by air pressure, spring tension settings, and leaning into the turn.

Beyond the adjustments on the OEM equipment your next step should be an aftermarket front sway bar. For many this is the Bomb, and makes their riding much more enjoyable and safe. And many people stop there and are very satisfied.

The next big step is replacing the front spring/shock assemblies. The 2011 Spyder RT shocks run around $325 the pair and other aftermarket shocks $650 to $1500 the pair. Installation extra. I only mention this because of my personal bias. I can't ride a bike without seeing what it can do and I can handle. So having gone through the steps of Air control, stock shock setting and Evo front sway bar. I opted for the RT front shocks and just can't wipe the grin off of my face each time I ride. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area I have more winding twisty roads than I can handle. The sway bar shock set up is a blessing for an old man who still rides like he stole it sometimes.

Go step by step, log some miles, be safe, make the changes your comfortable with and enjoy.

Buck1234

[vtspyder]

Hi everyone,

First post here, I just joined. Anyways, I just got myself the RS-S SE5 and after the course last week-end, I have been on two short rydes (1 hour)- both were on fairly windy days, unusually windy. I have never had a motorcycles and besides my ATV this is my first open air experience and although I LOVE it, I do feel shacky everytime I go above 85km/h and not too reassured in curves. is that normal at the beginning? I don't think there is anything wrong with my machine, it's brand new...but right now I would not feel comfortable hitting the freeway for instance, I wonder how long it will take until I feel secure on it and if anyone has tips to speed up the process. Thanks!

I ride a lot of sport quads and sleds. Treat it like one of those and you'll be fine. The only problem I have with the spyder is that to ride it properly being very aggressive you need to really "hang dog" it with you're butt off the side while cornering and there are no "toe holds" like on a sled. So, basically, if your hand slips off the grip you're gonna hit the pavement. On a sled you can gain a tremendous amount of leverage by using the toe holds. It's really more like a sport quad. I've had Honda 400ex's modded and currently have a heavily modded Raptor 660r. Weight transfer is the key to really making it rail around corners. Even then, it's impossible to stay with a sport bike unless there is sand and rough pavement where a sport bike needs to tread lightly. That's where the really shines. No worries. Take your time. It will come. When it does you'll ride it like you stole it and will be second nature.

One thing that has helped me is to remember to look "through" the corner. Not directly in front of the machine. Also, Press the handlebar with the palm of the outside hand while cornering. Don't pull with the inside hand. It will help smooth out the turns. Especially on the high speed runs. Just sharing my experience.

[dltang]

and enjoy

[Spyderdude]

Took a 320km round trip to Gatineau to teach a class yesterday, first time on the freeway! I am already feeling very comfortable on the Spyder, can see that it will get more comfortable than my car! There are some vibes that I can't explain, feels like driving over a washboard but it's nice road, happens usually around 100km/h...Is this normal? I just checked the tire pressure and adjusted to 18 front, 28 back...anyways I am taking it for 1000km oil change and check up next week, they'll tell me if anything is wrong. Going to Ottawa today, coming back tomorrow, 350km round trip!
Also yesterday we came back at night, I was very pleased with the beams and how clear the visibility was! It's so high in fact that a dozen vehicles gave me the highbeams thinking my highs were on when I was on low!
We did have one small incident: I went down to Gatineau on a full tank of Super (160km) and when we got there we still had 4 bars on the gas gauge. I was stupid enough not to gas up and on the way back, about 40km from the nearest open gas station I realized I was probably not gonna make it (one bar left and light on) so pulled over and called CAA, within 10 mn they came and put gas in. It was my fault, will never do that again, but how far can you go once the light comes on and you have one bar left? Thanks!

[wyliec]

Took a 320km round trip to Gatineau to teach a class yesterday, first time on the freeway! I am already feeling very comfortable on the Spyder, can see that it will get more comfortable than my car! There are some vibes that I can't explain, feels like driving over a washboard but it's nice road, happens usually around 100km/h...Is this normal? I just checked the tire pressure and adjusted to 18 front, 28 back...anyways I am taking it for 1000km oil change and check up next week, they'll tell me if anything is wrong. Going to Ottawa today, coming back tomorrow, 350km round trip!
Also yesterday we came back at night, I was very pleased with the beams and how clear the visibility was! It's so high in fact that a dozen vehicles gave me the highbeams thinking my highs were on when I was on low!
We did have one small incident: I went down to Gatineau on a full tank of Super (160km) and when we got there we still had 4 bars on the gas gauge. I was stupid enough not to gas up and on the way back, about 40km from the nearest open gas station I realized I was probably not gonna make it (one bar left and light on) so pulled over and called CAA, within 10 mn they came and put gas in. It was my fault, will never do that again, but how far can you go once the light comes on and you have one bar left? Thanks!

I believe I read on this site that with the GS/RS that once you hit 160 miles on a tankful you should be looking for another gas station. But, once again that will depend on your riding style.

I have purchased REDA gas cans from ESI. You might want to check into one of those, if you have the room.

I'm not sure anyone has an exact answer for how many more miles you can go once the light comes on.

Wow, based on the conversion you had gone only 124 miles before the light came on. I guess that could be due to how filled the gas tank actually was to begin with.

With all that being said, I typically gas up by 3 or 2 bars. I try my best to avoid 1 bar.

[NancysToy]

Took a 320km round trip to Gatineau to teach a class yesterday, first time on the freeway! I am already feeling very comfortable on the Spyder, can see that it will get more comfortable than my car! There are some vibes that I can't explain, feels like driving over a washboard but it's nice road, happens usually around 100km/h...Is this normal? I just checked the tire pressure and adjusted to 18 front, 28 back...anyways I am taking it for 1000km oil change and check up next week, they'll tell me if anything is wrong. Going to Ottawa today, coming back tomorrow, 350km round trip!
Also yesterday we came back at night, I was very pleased with the beams and how clear the visibility was! It's so high in fact that a dozen vehicles gave me the highbeams thinking my highs were on when I was on low!
We did have one small incident: I went down to Gatineau on a full tank of Super (160km) and when we got there we still had 4 bars on the gas gauge. I was stupid enough not to gas up and on the way back, about 40km from the nearest open gas station I realized I was probably not gonna make it (one bar left and light on) so pulled over and called CAA, within 10 mn they came and put gas in. It was my fault, will never do that again, but how far can you go once the light comes on and you have one bar left? Thanks!

Hard to analyze your "washboard" problem without more information. Could be the suspension preload set too high for your weight and type of riding, could be a tire balance issue, or could be engine vibration being passed on through the frame (do you have a 2010 RT?) Try to pin it down further as to rpm, speed, road conditions (freeways aren't as smooth as they look), etc.

The problem with cars flashing you is usually not so much that your beams are too high, but that the projector-type beams tend to appear and disappear at certain angles. The bouncing of the Spyder, and the headlights aiming higher when it is loaded, do not help this situation. The best bet is to run with high beams during the daytime, and to adjust the headlight alignment a little lower, preferably with the typical rider/passenger load aboard. You will not completely get rid of the appearance that you are flashing oncoming drivers, but you can minimize it.

The Spyder holds about six usable gallons of fuel. The light comes on somewhere near when 3/4 of that used. When the light comes on, you have about 30-60 miles left, depending on the fuel mileage your Spyder gets and the particular Spyder. Don't panic when the light comes on...just find a station soon. Many riders just set the trip meter, and go by miles traveled to fill up.

[Bob Denman]

Hiya 'Dude!
I'm glad to see that the "jitters" are starting to dissipate. Your ATVing experience probably gives you an advantage over folks who have switched from motorcycles to "Trypods" Snowmobiling also helps.
Just relax and enjoy the fun of getting some experience and confidence with your new Spyder!
Be careful: If your Wife takes the course you might find yourself with an infestation of Spyders in your garage!