2015 F3 - No Camo Pics - Things are looking up!

[flamingobabe]

I'm loving the new look....needs black rims.....the red frame looks hot.....open panels it's about time....seating position looks further back....betting the 1330 is under the panels.....good change...2008-2014...time for new look

[Bob Denman]

Will have to test ride

[Illinois Boy]

That's what I'm talking about

Oh, I LIKE it! It's the muscle car of the Spyder line-up.

May not appeal to some, but I've got to believe this may actually widen the Spyder market to the cruiser-types and the 30-45 year olds who might otherwise follow the Harley herd. Can totally see lots of different after-market parts on these....like mini ape-hangers (Joe Peschon of the MOGang was a visionary )

I really could not agree more...

For those not liking the front-end, I can see your point; however the new look is no longer a jet-ski or snowmobile look; which was beginning to be a turn-off for the broader consumer market opinion.

[Noral]

Just needs a set of Apes.

[jScotD]

The little Harley Heritage rider..

she exclaimed.."my gosh, it looks like a lawnmower Not sleek at all like yours" I laughed

The little lady has spoken..looks like I want be doing any trading

[H.L.Spyder Guy]

Looks like something only a Mother could love. This also makes my decision too buy a new machine a lot easier, and my wife a little happier. I keep and modify the RSS I have!!

[flamingobabe]

looks like the footrests slide up & down the red frame tube to accommodate leg length.

If the pedals move forward and back along the frame...which would be cool...what about the brake pedal?

[BajaRon]

Wow! I guess there is a tiny bit of interest in this as I just posted it a few hours ago and there are nearly 2k views and 80 posts already!

This Spyder isn't going to be for everyone. None of them are. That is a given.

I don't want an RT, never have. Nothing against them, I'm just not an RT guy. Nor do the RT guys drool over my RS. That's just life and it's fine.

I like my RS but really, I've been wanting a MORE RS... RS, if you know what I mean. I'm looking for a less refined, more In-Your-Face machine. I think that BRP is on to something by accentuating the frame and making it part of the look rather than the current Tupperware treatment. The long/low/mean 'Tank' treatment reminds me of something that I can't quite put my finger on yet. But I really like it.

I even like the grill/front end well enough in some colors/treatments, not so well with other colors/treatments. But I would say there is a great deal of opportunity for aftermarket tweaks there that may well blow my socks off.

Bottom line, BRP needs to expand the Spyder appeal/market beyond what it is now. That will be good for all of us. No one expects the RT guys to jump. I am sure BRP isn't interested in wooing you away from your RT. Instead, BRP is trying to expand the pie to include those who are, for the most part, uninterested and unmoved by the current offerings.

My opinion, which is worth way less than what it's costing you, is that BRP has the potential to do it with this one. I may have done it a little differently here and there, but they are definitely on the right track. But to seal the deal with those that BRP is targeting, there will need to be more than what meets the eye in these photos..

And you can quote me on this. If the test ride doesn't live up to the look, then it may be a long summer next year. But! If the ride matches the look, then things may get very interesting in 2015.

I can tell you that I will be taking a close look at this one when the time comes.

We'll know a lot more when the timer goes off and this bun comes out of the oven.

[Bob Denman]

So, set your watches, folks!!
The party starts on 09/23/2014...

[Kratos]

Way to go BRP! This is exactly what I wanted them to do......give the looks some personality. Now this sucker looks baaaaddd to the bone. I want one.

Hope they added some pep to the 1300 and this is a winner.

[NovaSpyder]

Well I love my RT and it suits the purpose that I use it for. Bit I am really liking this machine, raw and open to possibilities. Love the open concept and red frame. If this draws in a different demographic then I think we all win, at least in the short term. I would say this is definately a new line, cruiser, I'm not sure it will meet the needs of those wanting more S from the RS but it looks open to flexability. Two thumbs up I say.

[PistonBlown]

Posted to the other thread and then realised there was this one- duh.

Anyway I like the look of this but think the bars need to be more forward and the pegs further back to give it a more street fighter feel (I know most Americans prefer the laid back position so I'm guessing that's why it's like this). With a more forward riding position it would almost be a 3-wheeled Katana from this angle. I also like the exposed engine, I've been playing with the idea of stripping some of the panels from my RS but the oil tank and rad limit what you can get away with.

Question is, how big/powerful is that engine? It's got the street fighter looks but has it got the yeaeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhhh to go with it?

[daveinva]

So, obviously everything I'm going to write is based on *photos* and (informed) anecdotal conjecture, so take it with lots of salt.

But I'm really fixated on the F3 as BRP's choice to build a "boulevard cruiser" instead of a sporty replacement for the RS.

Impartially, this makes some sense in many areas-- and no sense at all in others.

Sense:
1. The RS appealed to a crowd that didn't really exist: aggressive sport riders who DON'T ride two wheels. BRP tried to create this market with the GS (and the RS), but once the RT came along, the natural Spyder demo (older with disposable income) immediately abandoned the RS in favor of what the vast majority of Spyder owners wanted all along: a touring bike that they could ride once they no longer wanted to/could ride two wheels.

By the end, the only people buying the RS appeared to be people who *couldn't afford* an ST or RT, or the very casual "toy owner" who put a few thousand miles a year on their Spyder riding it up and down the main drag.

Bottom line: had there had been a real market for a "sport trike," the RS would have made it, or grabbed it. It failed to do so. I don't begrudge BRP trying something new.

2. Without a sporty trike, since BRP still needs something different than the RT and ST to offer the marketplace, it's now trying to replace the RS in a different direction: the high-torque, low-RPM boulevard cruiser. Something low-slung, mean looking, feet-forward, and low-end grunt. If the RS couldn't sell, maybe the F3 will.

After all, if you're a "toy owner," you want something you can cruise on down to coffee or beer, something mean-looking that'll get attention down the main drag. The RS wasn't really that Spyder, but the F3 definitely is.

No sense:
3. All of the above aside, what's the market for *this*?

The RT has a market; the ST has a (smaller) market. What's the F3 market? I presume they're HD owners who want that cruiser feel on three wheels. But is there really a large group of HD owners-- who, as we all well know, are INSANELY loyal-- looking to jump over to three wheels unless they absolutely have to? Again, that demo is served by the RT, and served well. If you're old enough to need three wheels, you're going there. If you're young enough for two, you're not giving up a Harley for an F3, anymore than sportbikers gave up their Gixxers for the RS.

Now, it could be the crowd that hasn't ridden anything at all, i.e. car owners who want a cruiser but DON'T want to learn how to ride a Harley, may gravitate to the F3. I'm still not sure that market is all that much bigger than the market for the RS-- again, the pull of American iron is overwhelming in popular culture. I guess we'll see.

BREAK-BREAK: all of the above written, here's my REAL worry with the F3: as I wrote a few weeks back, if you wanted a sporty toy, and you're cross-shopping the F3 with a Polaris Slingshot, which one are you going to buy? The RS wasn't strong competition to the Slingshot; the F3 strikes me as even weaker. If you want to go crazy in the twisties and don't want two wheels, you're not any more likely today to give BRP your money; less so, in fact. Instead, BRP is catering to a market that may be even less likely to appear than the (small) market for the RS. Which means that with the F3, BRP could have just ceded the "sporty toy" market completely to Polaris-- and that can't help the Spyder line in the long run.

Anyway, I hope my prognostications are all wrong, and the F3 turns out to be a huge success, and BRP builds all kinds of Spyders for years to come. But I'm more skeptical today than I was yesterday.

P.S. I know I'm an evangelist for the impossible dream, but BRP missed yet another chance to build the leaning Spyder and establish a whole new market segment. If you're going to take a risk, risk big. I fear that the F3 doesn't go far enough, *especially* with Slingshot out there competing in the same price range for recreational dollars.

[oldgoat]

If the pedals move forward and back along the frame...which would be cool...what about the brake pedal?

Yeh. I had another closer look at the side-on pic & now think they come out from under the frame.

[BlackWydow]

Hubby sais if we get one of those he is not riding it.

[otter28169]

I like the new riding position. I have been begging for a riding position like this since before the unveil of the new 2009 spyder models. The open panels look nice, and even the rear fender is kinda cool. I gotta say though.........The front end on this machine makes me want to bleach my eyes and wish that I had sudden amnesia to forget what I have seen. I was so excited when I saw the first picture from the side, then I saw the frontI hope that part gets some tweaking (and the engineers stop "tweeking"). If it is a low cost cruiser for the masses it is a smart idea, but definitely not the one I am looking for. I do not see what is so hard to understand about the phrase "more power". Maybe I will be looking at a slingshot, or a 2016

Just sayin...............

[Colin]

Sense:
1. The RS appealed to a crowd that didn't really exist: aggressive sport riders who DON'T ride two wheels. BRP tried to create this market with the GS (and the RS), but once the RT came along, the natural Spyder demo (older with disposable income) immediately abandoned the RS in favor of what the vast majority of Spyder owners wanted all along: a touring bike that they could ride once they no longer wanted to/could ride two wheels.

By the end, the only people buying the RS appeared to be people who *couldn't afford* an ST or RT, or the very casual "toy owner" who put a few thousand miles a year on their Spyder riding it up and down the main drag.

Bottom line: had there had been a real market for a "sport trike," the RS would have made it, or grabbed it. It failed to do so. I don't begrudge BRP trying something new.

Not trying to be rude, but that may be the case in USA/Canada, but not all over the world.
In New Zealand, (granted only 600 Spyders sold) but it would be a 70/30 Split in Favour of RS/RSS over St RT, and it is not because people cant afford the ST RT but they choose to buy the RS/RSS, mainly because of the type of roads we have here, that are more suited to the Sport version with lots of twisties, sweeping corners etc. We do have a few decent straight roads too. I have an ST which I believe gives me a good compromise that suits my riding position.
I would love to give an F3 a good workout before making up my mind

[Topshotta]

less plastic, more muscular, lower, AND A COMFORTABLE RIDING POSITION WITH FORWARD CONTROLS. i will have one. and it will be black.

Coz,
i am with you. I see comfort.... And one in my future.

[Bob Denman]

You wanna know the funniest part of all of this?
the battle lines are already being drawn, and almost none of us have even touched it yet; much less stuck our butts in the saddle...

[Topshotta]

Okay Bro are you ready for this? Here it comes....................I agree with you .........this thing is a Hotrod and it is BadA$$ and if the guys like you and Mickey Fisher like it then they did good. I see it as a blank canvas with lots of potential to make it my own just like all my cruiser bikes.

I agree, this thing is sexy and different....my 2012 RSS will be for sale......low miles

[coz]

that makes me want one even more.

[DrewNJ]

less plastic, more muscular, lower, AND A COMFORTABLE RIDING POSITION WITH FORWARD CONTROLS. i will have one. and it will be black.

I'm kinda right there with you bro'....

I might wait one more season though as BRP doesn't have such a great rep with first model year bugs..

Its not really an RS replacement though...not any more of a replacement than trading in a VFR for a VTX. Its just a totally different ride.

Just hope we are not disappointed with the performance/HP/weight....

[Whitetail]

I love it, i always hated ow the syder had ts motor and other parts that show raw machine hidden under the tupperware and going for a look that says, "we put wheels on a snowmobile" i know thats one of their big markets, but i always wished there was a ore exposed, more mechanical looking syder, here it is. If this is around 14-16k new, i will be trading in my spyder for one.

[daveinva]

Not trying to be rude, but that may be the case in USA/Canada, but not all over the world.
In New Zealand, (granted only 600 Spyders sold) but it would be a 70/30 Split in Favour of RS/RSS over St RT

Not rude at all! But I do believe that with those numbers, New Zealand (Better than Old Zealand!) is something of an outlier.

[bscrive]

Well, after looking at it for a few more hours....we still don't like it and it would not be something in our garage. The rims are ugly as well. Of all the choices they have for rims, I hope those are not the ones that will go on them. Although, the RS did need an update I think such a radical change is too much of a change. They do need to get away from the snowmobile look and they have done that but, I think that they alienated a lot of RS owners that love the look of the old RS. I do believe that this is the RS model because they just brought in the ST model in 2013 so I doubt they would change it so soon.

P.S. BRP. I hope you bring one to SpyderQuest for us to get a real look at it. That may sway some over.