My Wife does not like riding on the Spyder!

[jthornton]

So I bring home the new 2012 RT-S SE5 a couple of weeks ago on a Friday. Saturday we go for our first ride... the front tires are low and only have 13 psig and I don't know any better at this point. We drive the 12 miles to town to get gas and get behind an 18 wheeler van and really get some side to side motion.

At the gas station I ask my wife where she want's to go and she says "anywhere where we don't have to go fast" clue #1

A few days later she asks "can we trailer the Spyder to SpyderFest?" clue #2

In the mean time I've sorted out the tire pressure and went for a 200 mile ride yesterday solo. Last night she says "since you rode the Spyder all day today can we take the Goldwing tomorrow?" clue #3

I don't know what to do now...

John

[Bob Denman]

Maybe it's just going to take a little while to make the adjustment...
Talk to her about it...
What is it that is making her feel uncomfortable? Would she feel more comfortable after some time with the handlebars in her grasp?
I'm not suggesting that she's got to operate it; perhaps some more familiarity with how the bike feels will help...
Good Luck!

She's always more than welcome to come in here and ask all the questions that she can think of...

[NancysToy]

If she's not willing to give it a second chance, you have no good options. Hopefully she will come around. I would suggest that you also look at the front spring preload. The Spyder will be more stable with two aboard at a setting of #4 or #5. The Spyder does apply more lateral force to the passenger than a motorcycle, trying to throw them to the outside on the curves. It can be unnerving until they get used to it. Aftermarket armrests, like those from Diamond R, can help with passenger comfort and confidence. Best of luck in finding a solution.

[jthornton]

She did make a positive comment "it's ok for short rides" but in the next breath she said it made her back hurt... So I'll make sure I drive very conservative when she is with me and stay away from 18 wheelers for a while.

Thanks
John

[Farmboy]

If you could change your front shocks out, that wobble "wind buffering" will go away. Elka shocks is what a lot of us has changed to. Just a thought.

[Desert Spyder]

If she's not willing to give it a second chance, you have no good options. Hopefully she will come around. I would suggest that you also look at the front spring preload. The Spyder will be more stable with two aboard at a setting of #4 or #5. The Spyder does apply more lateral force to the passenger than a motorcycle, trying to throw them to the outside on the curves. It can be unnerving until they get used to it. Aftermarket armrests, like those from Diamond R, can help with passenger comfort and confidence. Best of luck in finding a solution.

I didn't know that Scotty. How much more than the operator? Might explain some of the sign languages.

[gnirtsnod]

In the mean time I've sorted out the tire pressure and went for a 200 mile ride yesterday solo. Last night she says "since you rode the Spyder all day today can we take the Goldwing tomorrow?" clue #3

I don't know what to do now...

John

I had the same issue with my wife. My first step was to instruct her to lean into the curve to offset the lateral forces trying to throw her away from the curve. The second was to invest $200 and an hour of time putting on Baja Ron's sway bar. This made the turns more palatable for her. Then I had her put some time in the saddle without going too fast or in heavy traffic. Finally, when I saw her warming up, I ordered a seat "for her". She's so practical that she won't let that money go to waste. ...Don

P.S. Part of the seat purchase include passenger armrests which will make her feel more secure. http://www.corbin.com/can-am/cart10.shtml#

[jthornton]

If she's not willing to give it a second chance, you have no good options. Hopefully she will come around. I would suggest that you also look at the front spring preload. The Spyder will be more stable with two aboard at a setting of #4 or #5. The Spyder does apply more lateral force to the passenger than a motorcycle, trying to throw them to the outside on the curves. It can be unnerving until they get used to it. Aftermarket armrests, like those from Diamond R, can help with passenger comfort and confidence. Best of luck in finding a solution.

Testing the effect of the spring preload was next on my list after sorting out the front tires. I'm beef and potatoes guy so I weigh in at 220lbs and her weight is top secret. So it makes sense to increase the preload on the front springs for more weight. I assume more preload will make more of the road divots felt through the handlebars?

I think she will ride it for short distances and will get use to it after a while. Anything I can do to reduce the lateral force on the passenger will help win her over.

The seat is not the most comfortable I've rode so that might be an issue for her as well. I hope to get to see and sit on some seats at Spyderfest.

Thanks
John

[jthornton]

I had the same issue with my wife. My first step was to instruct her to lean into the curve to offset the lateral forces trying to throw her away from the curve. The second was to invest $200 and an hour of time putting on Baja Ron's sway bar. This made the turns more palatable for her. Then I had her put some time in the saddle without going too fast or in heavy traffic. Finally, when I saw her warming up, I ordered a seat "for her". She's so practical that she won't let that money go to waste. ...Don

P.S. Part of the seat purchase include passenger armrests which will make her feel more secure. http://www.corbin.com/can-am/cart10.shtml#

Do you have a photo of your seat and armrests? The Corbin armrests look good to me and look like they will give the passenger a more secure feel when riding.

I've seen enough good comments on Ron's sway bar and I'll order one Monday.

My plan is exactly like yours get some slow easy riding time in and get the fear of the lateral force out of her mind. I hope to get her to drive the Spyder at some point and that was the whole point behind getting the SE5 even though I like the SE5 transmission now a whole lot.

Don't be surprised if I show up at SpyderFest on my Goldwing... I may not have enough time to win her over before then.

John

[NancysToy]

I didn't know that Scotty. How much more than the operator? Might explain some of the sign languages.

Sorry if I didn't express myself well. It does not apply more lateral force to the passenger than the rider, just more than on a motorcycle. It is much more noticeable for the passenger, though, since they are not holding on to the wider handlebars, and are not likely to be as active as the rider in the turns. If you want an education, spend a little time on the pillion seat. For someone that has always been a rider, it is an eye opener. I'm not sure I could ever get used to it.

[my3gs]

Try the back footrest they move a lot up an down i know we moved ours 3-4 times b4 she said it was right. She said it made a big diff. Just a thought

[jthornton]

Try the back footrest they move a lot up an down i know we moved ours 3-4 times b4 she said it was right. She said it made a big diff. Just a thought

That was the first thing I did before we went out on the first ride... ended up all the way up.

My googlefu seems to be having problems this morning and I can't find BajaRon's web site...

John

[Babyblue]

Hi John, even though I ride my Spyder solo, I have been a passenger on my BH's two wheelers for years. I may be wrong here, but I think being a passenger on the Spyder is a learning curve also. Why not give yourself some more time on the Spyder and when you feel more comfortable, then go on short rides together. I am assuming she may sit a little higher and that can give a feeling of "hanging in the wind". Just my two cents worth. Also, if she is up to it, letting her drive might hepl too!

Good luck to both of you!

Lori

[NancysToy]

That was the first thing I did before we went out on the first ride... ended up all the way up.

My googlefu seems to be having problems this morning and I can't find BajaRon's web site...

John

Go to the SpyderLovers home page for links to all the sponsors.

[jthornton]

Hi John, even though I ride my Spyder solo, I have been a passenger on my BH's two wheelers for years. I may be wrong here, but I think being a passenger on the Spyder is a learning curve also. Why not give yourself some more time on the Spyder and when you feel more comfortable, then go on short rides together. I am assuming she may sit a little higher and that can give a feeling of "hanging in the wind". Just my two cents worth. Also, if she is up to it, letting her drive might help too!

Good luck to both of you!

Lori

She did comment that she could not see the speedometer or the the mirrors or the curves coming up... must be why I didn't get any governor taps on the helmet. I have to assume that being a bit higher up and being farther back from the center of motion would give the passenger a lot more movement. I'll just back off and go slow till she warms up to it and let her drive on some back roads a bit..

John

[Illinois Boy]

Scotty most likely nailed it.

Passenger comfort doesn't get much better than on a GW. The passenger seat on a Spyder is not as comfortable and will feel smaller/tighter/more confined (at least for most). (That is also true when compared to an Ultra-Classic. I know, because my wife tells me so.)

The lateral forces typically do not exist on a two-wheel motorcycle, and when suddenly having them on the Spyder can be uncomfortable (for both rider and passenger). The passenger doesn't have the handle-bars to hold, and they do not always know when the driver is going to be turning, so anticipating "moves" requires the passenger to pay attention. Your wife may be used to not having to pay attention on the back of the GW. I know my wife was not and had to get used to paying attention.

Adjusting your suspension (or adding new shocks, and etc) is going to have to happen until you find your sweet-spot.

Lastly; the idea of encouraging your wife to drive the Spyder might be a great idea. I did that and it has helped in her appreciation of it.

Good luck...

[jthornton]

Go to the SpyderLovers home page for links to all the sponsors.

Duuuu, lets see it is dead center right in your face...

John

[gypsy_100]

Agree with all that has been said here. We had put 95K miles on our GL1800 and loved it. When my wife test-rode the RT with the dealer driving, she came back and said "no way". I was just too curious and had to try it so she agreed to a year-long trial. I bought it. At first she didn't like it much but agreed it was much better than when the dealer was driving. Need to be steady, steady, steady. Look way thru the curves just like on the 'Wing to keep your arc smooth without corrections. As for side forces, yep, they are much higher. The 'Wing passenger is always in balance; the RT passenger is getting thrown sideways just like in a car but without much to hang on to. Another difference is the side-to-side jostling as the road camber changes. The 'Wing will go right thru and you'll not even notice it but the three-wheeler will jostle from side to side.

Having said all that, it took quite a while for my wife to get truly comfortable. Even then, she still said she'd rather be on the back of the 'Wing. Now, I think she may be a true convert. We've done long trips, including from PA to Alaska, and she's fine. I think it takes a combo of developing your skills to keep everything smooth (piloting an RT is not a "no-brainer"), properly setting up the RT (shocks, etc), and your wife developing her skills and comfort factor. It will come.

[Babyblue]

She did comment that she could not see the speedometer or the the mirrors or the curves coming up... must be why I didn't get any governor taps on the helmet. I have to assume that being a bit higher up and being farther back from the center of motion would give the passenger a lot more movement. I'll just back off and go slow till she warms up to it and let her drive on some back roads a bit..

John

Govenor taps........I love it! Used a few of those in the past along with rib punches.


Lori

[jthornton]

Agree with all that has been said here. We had put 95K miles on our GL1800 and loved it. When my wife test-rode the RT with the dealer driving, she came back and said "no way". I was just too curious and had to try it so she agreed to a year-long trial. I bought it. At first she didn't like it much but agreed it was much better than when the dealer was driving. Need to be steady, steady, steady. Look way thru the curves just like on the 'Wing to keep your arc smooth without corrections. As for side forces, yep, they are much higher. The 'Wing passenger is always in balance; the RT passenger is getting thrown sideways just like in a car but without much to hang on to. Another difference is the side-to-side jostling as the road camber changes. The 'Wing will go right thru and you'll not even notice it but the three-wheeler will jostle from side to side.

Having said all that, it took quite a while for my wife to get truly comfortable. Even then, she still said she'd rather be on the back of the 'Wing. Now, I think she may be a true convert. We've done long trips, including from PA to Alaska, and she's fine. I think it takes a combo of developing your skills to keep everything smooth (piloting an RT is not a "no-brainer"), properly setting up the RT (shocks, etc), and your wife developing her skills and comfort factor. It will come.

Lucky for me I kept the GW so we can still ride all we want while we develop our Spyder Skills. We are going out today on the GW. I just ordered the BajaRon sway bar kit so I'll put that on and click the shock springs to 4 and see how she likes it and drive slow in the corners.

Thanks
John

[Chupaca]

If all of the above fails...change the wife.. I'm sure she will come around. Small trips to places she wants to go then slowly further out..

[jthornton]

If all of the above fails...change the wife.. I'm sure she will come around. Small trips to places she wants to go then slowly further out..

Too much risk in changing wife at this point in my life... this one has me trained perfectly.

John

[gnirtsnod]

Do you have a photo of your seat and armrests? The Corbin armrests look good to me and look like they will give the passenger a more secure feel when riding.

I've seen enough good comments on Ron's sway bar and I'll order one Monday.

My plan is exactly like yours get some slow easy riding time in and get the fear of the lateral force out of her mind. I hope to get her to drive the Spyder at some point and that was the whole point behind getting the SE5 even though I like the SE5 transmission now a whole lot.

Don't be surprised if I show up at SpyderFest on my Goldwing... I may not have enough time to win her over before then.

John

PM sent

[ARtraveler]

It sounds a bit like you got off to a bad start with the wrong air pressures and the semi jostling.

I ran into the same problem when I worked with akspyderlady. She was not going to ride on a motorcycle--period!

I talked her into an introductory ride and we went around the blocks in my neighborhood. I never got out of first gear. Made sure the stops were smooth, the turns included no g's, and the starts were also smooth.

After about a half hour, she was willing to go further. I live on a road that skirts the neighborhood. Six miles or so of twisty, turning road, with some 15 mph curves. Once again, made sure I did not exceed speed limits, and followed all the stuff in the paragraph above. A couple times through the loop in both directions, and her confidence was up.

Bravery test time, enter the Glen Highway (65 mph-two lanes each way) for the 5 miles back to the next turnoff ramp. Other than the acceleration to get up to speed on the ramp, all went well.

After that, it was no problem to get her to ride with me. She put 5000 seat miles on that first summer. At the end of the season I started teaching her how to drive the Spyder. She put a couple hundred driving miles on it--using the same techniques I used above.

The 2012 season began with her puttiing almost 1000 miles on my driving it. In July, I bought her a new 2011 for her very own. She put 5000 miles on it before we parked it for the season at the end of September.

Give it another try with your wife, but make sure the is set up and driving the way it should first.

[spydaman60]

It sounds a bit like you got off to a bad start with the wrong air pressures and the semi jostling.

I ran into the same problem when I worked with akspyderlady. She was not going to ride on a motercycle--period!

I talked her into an introductory ride and we went around the blocks in my neighborhood. I never got out of first gear. Made sure the stops were smooth, the turns included no g's, and the starts were also smooth.

After about a half hour, she was willing to go further. I live on a road that skirts the neighborhood. Six miles or so of twisty, turning road, with some 15 mph curves. Once again, made sure I did not exceed speed limits, and followed all the stuff in the paragraph above. A couple times through the loop in both directions, and her confidence was up.

Bravery test time, enter the Glen Highway (65 mph-two lanes each way) for the 5 miles back to the next turnoff ramp. Other than the acceleration to get up to speed on the ramp, all went well.

After that, it was no problem to get her to ride with me. She put 5000 seat miles on that first summer. At the end of the season I started learning her how to drive the Spyder. She put a couple hundred driving miles on it--using the same techniques I used above.

The 2012 season began with her puttiing almost 1000 miles on my driving it. In July, I bought her a new 2011 for her very own. She put 5000 miles on it before we parked it for the season at the end of September.

Give it another try with your wife, but make sure the is set up and driving the way it should first.

I agree with all of the above, but specifically the last line. the big mistake was the improper set-up! IMHO