What now??

[Jenfz09]

You ride the wrong "cages" then.

I have nothing left to offer you (and apparently didn't originally either).

Buy the newest, lowest mile RS you can find. Wait...buy an FZ09. Just do it. Best bike on the planet. You'll get used to two wheels again. There's a world of difference between two and three wheels and the oneness with the road. And danger, unfortunately.

[Rob Rodriguez]

My main beef with the RS/RT seating position is that you sit on top of the bike instead of in it like the F3. This proves everyone is different. Your complaint about the RS is exactly why I (and I suspect Otter and PistonBlown) like it over the F3. BRP has taken this away from us and currently is offering no alternative.

The F3 handles the corners so much better due to that. This is your opinion. I would disagree with it. I don't think an F3 handles corners any better or worse than and RS. Because the rider sits "into" the bike on the F3 they feel less force wanting to through them off than and RS but that isn't better handling that's just rider perception. The difference in handling between an RS and an F3 is all rider perception in my opinion. On the F3 the rider has less of the "I'm going to fly off" feeling so they allow themselves to maneuver a corner faster because they feel safer. On an RS the "I'm going to fly off" feeling is greater so the rider (some of them) back off in the corner because they don't feel safe. The machines themselves can pull the same corners at the same speeds if the rider will allow them too.

[Bob Denman]

Hi Rob,
Actually; the lower center of gravity afforded by the F3's lower placement of the ride DOES result in much better handling...
You can dispute the physics; but you'd lose the argument...

[Pirate looks at --]

That 95% figure is just riddled with folks who will NEVER ride...
Even I know that fishing in a dry hole, is a waste of time!

Fresh off a another weekend of Demo Rydes for BRP, and the overwhelming majority of people that came out had NEVER ridden a MC before. They are intrigued by the more stable platform. They come for many reasons, they have friends that ride MC and want to ride with them. Lots of MC husbands bringing their wives, so they can ride with them when they go on trips. Remember the whole isn't dry, in fact there are millions of fish in there and the marketing mandate that they are conducting out here is REALLY working. The few MC people that came in were on Wings looking to "retire" on a Spyder. BRP will get that segment naturally and organically with out having to market. With a focus on the NON MC community, and then again on women! They are going to dramatically increase sales! The numbers in California and proving that.....and interestingly enough California has been a not so good market for them.

The people working this marketing program for BRP are really sharp, and great people as well. They have their collective s--t together!

[Bob Denman]

I honestly HOPE that you're 100% correct!

[otter28169]

Other than those complaining about the seating position, everything on the F3 is superior to the RS.. better engine, faster, handles better, better MPG, etc....

IN YOUR OPINION everything on the F3 is superior to the RS. I KNOW that my RS-S can take my father's F3 in a street race. I know that the rider position on the RS-S is designed for "spirited" riding, more so than the F3 which is designed for cruising. I KNOW that the HP/weight ratio is better on the RS than the F3, and the torque/weight ratio is almost exactly the same. You are correct about the MPG, but the rest of your statement is fictitious at best.

Just sayin'............

[Bob Denman]

...Yet there have been others, who have reported that the F3 will beat the RS...

What's that Drag strip just east of Albany? It might pay to have a "Put Up, or Shut Up" Day there...

[robmorg]

Hi Rob,
Actually; the lower center of gravity afforded by the F3's lower placement of the ride DOES result in much better handling...
You can dispute the physics; but you'd lose the argument...

That's absolutely correct. The "physics" of the F3, making it handle better than other Spyders is a fact, not an opinion. A lot of people who ride them will attest to that. Problem is that for some of us, they are so darned uncomfortable to ride, that the "better handling" is a hard thing to experience first hand.

What would be a perfect addition to the Spyder line is a bike that has the style, comfort, and excitement of an ST or an RS, but is redesigned to handle like an F3. Unfortunately, I don't think they can do that with the 1330 engine - unless they turn the engine sideways and put it in the frunk.

[Bob Denman]

I don't care for their seating position either... The RTs suit me much better!

[PistonBlown]

...Yet there have been others, who have reported that the F3 will beat the RS...

What's that Drag strip just east of Albany? It might pay to have a "Put Up, or Shut Up" Day there...

Have been trying not to mention my test times up until now but here you go...

On my little test circuit when I had an F3 demonstrator I did one lap on my RS to set a benchmark and 6 on the F3. on my RS I did 9m 12s. Quickest I managed on the F3 was 10m 03s. The test route was rural roads with a lot bends but a couple of longer straights (so typical of the types of roads I normally ride on).

Of course the F3 only had the stock Kenda tires which did loose traction a few times on the corners which didn't help - but also shows that I was seriously trying to get a good time:-)

The F3 did help the 'push-pull' feeling in the corners if you sat in the seat. However the sitting position also prevented me moving around as much as I would on the RS. I move around quite a bit when riding the Spyder and like to move into the corner and forward as much as possible to put weight on the front inside wheel to try and stop it lifting. The laid back position of the F3 didn't let me do that and I think that's also part of the reason why the cornering speeds where slower.

Also the gearing seemed wrong on the F3 for this sort of riding. Have heard since that there is a known issue with the spacing of 2nd gear on the F3's imported to this part of the world and Can-Am Australia are working on a fix.

[vondalyn]

and me too on the predictions.

me too on the predictions. I also think they may be taking the time needed to rework the body to fit the engine instead of repeating the 2013 RT issues.