AS we age options.

[MOSESS]

To my fellow members. I like many of you came from the two wheel. As we move to a more conducive mod of transport do you find it easier to tow.to events. And what do you tow with. I am trying to convince myself this maybe my next step. For years I have crossed this country on two wheels and have attended several events. a very hard additions to give up. So I have to ask myself do I want to continue to take long trips across country. Or do I just tow it and ride it. This is nothing more then a conversation. thanks.

[PapaHotel]

When you tow you will have not only increased comfort, but you also will have more safety. Your older body just doesn't have the same ability to withstand the effects of heat, cold and wet. Better to arrive in your best shape so you can enjoy the time with others

[SpyderAnn01]

If that's what it takes to keep you riding and attending events then go for it!

[Scotts8826]

If it is the difference between attending an event or not then I say tow it. I am doing a 3k round trip with a buddy in early June. I am wanting to do the 3 Wheel Rally with my wife in July. I don't know if I have two big trips in me so I talked to my wife yesterday about towing the bike to South Dakota. So, I'm looking at doing both towing and riding this summer.

[I-Day]

I am new to the Spyder as well! Like you I spent the last 40 years on two wheels and doing lots of touring and 27 years to the Sturgis Rally! Now in my mid sixties I find my body does much better when I pull it and then ride it fully rested. I will probably still do one long trip a year but I have found that the rain and 100 degree heat don't bother me as much when the bike is on a trailer!

[Bob Denman]

:shocked: I'd rather ride to the event...

But do what you've got to do! :2thumbs:


146280

[d.o.spyder-rts]

Currently, I would have to ride since I don't have a towing option. I would suggest doing whatever you feel is the safest for you. Dale

[Chupaca]

How much ryding are you wanting to give up at this point. I would make the trip and see how you hold up. If after one or two you find it a bit much then move on to the towing option. If you have not done this on the spyder you may find it comfortable enough to get a few more years out there...:thumbup:

[oldgoat]

Tow it & enjoy riding it when you get there. No shame in that.

Some of us are past the stage of 2 & 3 wheel marathons. I can go all day in my car but only a few hours on my Spyder. That's just me. Others are happy all day on their Spyders.

[ARtraveler]

Do what you need to do in order to keep riding. We are all a bit different. I had no problem in my early two wheeler days to do 700 miles in a day. Our last long trip on :ani29: was to Whitehorse YT with a day trip to Skagway AK. We averaged 300 miles per day there. We stopped to smell the Fireweed and enjoy the sights along the way. More than 300 and I would have been done in. Maybe another 300+ this summer. We are thinking Valdez. :popcorn:

[Steamer]

Both my wife and I (68/64) use to be two wheelers and in our younger days 450 miles in a day was no issue. Not any more. We switched to riding a F3 Spyder and doing 300 mi in a day is our limit. Several things that we have done that has increased our riding longevity is we take more rests along the way, hydrate, I replaced my hip, we ride much slower and make an effort to stay in shape.
i have also noticed that when we reach our destination we usually don't ride much around the area. To tired. We enjoy the local town(s) and do some hikes.
i must say that I believe that a trailer is in our future.

[wyliec]

Both my wife and I (68/64) use to be two wheelers and in our younger days 450 miles in a day was no issue. Not any more. We switched to riding a F3 Spyder and doing 300 mi in a day is our limit. Several things that we have done that has increased our riding longevity is we take more rests along the way, hydrate, I replaced my hip, we ride much slower and make an effort to stay in shape.
i have also noticed that when we reach our destination we usually don't ride much around the area. To tired. We enjoy the local town(s) and do some hikes.
i must say that I believe that a trailer is in our future.

You hit the nail on the head with that part of your statement.

[Bob Denman]

:shocked: Bur Ron...
I thought that "Round" is a shape. :dontknow:

[WilderThomas]

When you towm you will have not only increased comfort, but you also will have more safety. Your older body just doesn't have the same ability to withstand the effects of heat, cold and wet. Better to arrive in your best shape so you can enjoy the time with others.


In 1978, I was assigned to a Naval command at Lowry AFB Denver. My wife to be, flew out to Denver, and we married there. She returned to Michigan not long after. When I finally obtained orders, I rode a then, practically new Honda Gold Wing from Denver to Bath, Michigan via Indianapolis. Something like just over 1200 miles. I made it, in two days stopping only for gas. By comparison, the wife and I drove an '03 Toyota Prius from Wilder, Idaho where we live now, to Hemet, California to visit a stepson and his wife. Just over 840 miles. And now, I find that trip to be wearisome and exhausting. I drove the first 500+ miles, and the wife drove us on into Hemet. And I try to envision that same road trip on the Spyder, and tell myself, not with an overnight stop at a decent motel. Like a Holiday Inn Express or Marriott. These old bones, ain't what they used to be.

[Bob Denman]

https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/do-not-go-gentle-good-night

[Gary]

Betty and I are in our late 60's. We have all wise ridden, It takes longer than it use to, but the ride is worth it. you can't see the clouds and trees as well in the car. 1000 mile days are no more, but the gas is still with in reason. Trips aren't the same in the auto. We did get a 700 day coming back from Homa, La. in march.

[trucker1]

Just enjoy the trip non matter how you have to go. Just think of it like this. If for some awful reason the old spyder happens to break down. Just roll it on the trailer and bring it home. Think out of the box. Its nice to sleep in your own bed than spending two or three days stuck in a hotel. Love the ride not the brag

[Easy Rider]

:shocked: I'd rather ride to the event...

But do what you've got to do! :2thumbs:



Can't always get what you want.

I'd rather too.......but .......two years ago I got a used motor home to attend some NASCAR races each year.
The round trips can turn into a couple of thousand miles, often only a few weeks apart.

After the first year, I got a small enclosed trailer for my Vulcan 900.
BEST MOVE I EVER MADE.

Now it's becoming evident that the legs may not hold up the 2-wheeler like they should much longer so here I am looking at Spyders.
Alas, they won't quite fit in the small trailer so that will have to be "upgraded" too.

[cheska]

My wife and I both rode our own 2 wheelers. Then we had sidecars and rear wheel trikes. Now we ride together on the spyder. We also love to camp and have reached the age where we need some comfort. So after trial and error we have found a small camper and we pull the spyder. We get to camp and sleep in our own bed plus enjoy riding when we arrive.
As has been said at a certain age its nice to still enjoy adventure with some comfort. Just take your time and decide whats
best for your life style. Enjoy. Bob

[jnt]

Understand. After several hundred thousand miles my left knee was not sur e about holding up a half- ton cycle. Hence the RT-S. So far like plan to ride for a bit yet. Many options for towing.

Ride safe. Ride oft n. Ride far when possible.

[cptjam]

Years ago, before SpyderAnn got her Spyder, we had a toy hauler, a big truck to pull it, the storage fees, maintenance, gas, etc. after getting her Spyder, we shed the truck and trailer. If we need to stop, we do. The ride is the best part! We can add a day if we need to, or pick it up to see our pups. We love the rides, the journey, the fellowship. Events are a joy, and seeing our friends is priceless! Using the truck took a lot of fun out of it. That's just my thoughts, and everyone is different. We ride more, laugh more, go more. Eliminating that massive payment was great! Less is better!!

[easysuper]

My wife and I (65) enjoy the rides, she rode 25K the first year she had her Spyder, I pull an Aspen tent trailer and she pulls a dog trailer so we have the option of staying at some great campgrounds (much cheaper) or in a hotel sometimes. I have given up sleeping on the ground so a tent was out of the question and not even an option for my bride. Our rides are slower than the ones years ago but a lot more enjoyable now.
146342

[asp125]

If you're time limited, towing can also save some time. We can ride ~300mi in 8hrs stopping for fuel and food, or do 400-500 miles towing and arrive more refreshed. Plus now that sweetie has food allergies we often have to bring our own food and cooking utensils, necessitating more room than the Spyder can pack.

[oldgoat]

If you're time limited, towing can also save some time. We can ride ~300mi in 8hrs stopping for fuel and food, or do 400-500 miles towing and arrive more refreshed. Plus now that sweetie has food allergies we often have to bring our own food and cooking utensils, necessitating more room than the Spyder can pack.


Have had to do that for the past 15 years. Becomes a routine. I often just sit in the restaurant with wifey while she eats & I eat my GF food that we have brought, back in the hotel room later.

[south GA Farm Boy]

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/images/attach/jpg.gif
We trailer ours if it is over 300 miles one way! We have a 6X10 trailer that we pull behind our Ram pickup truck! The trailer has to be 6 feet wide inside to handle the width of the Spyder, and at least 10 feet long. This is good if you happen to get in some bad weather, and you are also rested when you reach your destination! You have to careful loading and unloading your Spyder, because the front of the Spyder will hit your tailgate before the front wheels reach the gate! You can buy you some ramps, or I use some 12 inch boards to get the wheels on so that it lifts up the front end of the Spyder before it reaches the tailgate! I am older than you, so experience helps some! Happy riding and be safe!

[ARtraveler]

Another thought. Real roughing it has been out of style for many years, for us, now. When younger, and in MN/WI, we used to go to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (Northern MN) almost weekly. We would take the canoe, portage in a few miles and camp on some of the most beautiful islands, and most of the time, with a whole lake to ourselves. Sleeping on the ground in a tent, campfire cooking, and fishing at our leisure, all were things we enjoyed over mostly a 30 year period.

Sleeping on the ground got to be a bit much as the body no longer welcomed hard and sometimes damp ground.

Now, its ride and stop at a nice motel or hotel depending on where. I have no problem with a nice bed, a nearby restaurant etc. Someone else can make the bed, clean the room, and cook the food. We are on vacation and having a very good time. I think at this time we have earned some of the perks. :yes:

[Tango]

Mosess. We pull a trailer with Mushu (our Spyder) in the back. We look at it this way. It extends our riding pleasures being able to attend more outings. If it rains, it happens very often. We are safely riding in our truck. Once we arrive, we are more refreshed than if we had ridden. If it rains while we are there, we have the truck. At this point in our lives, we have nothing to prove to anyone! We have ridden in weather we shouldn't have. Have ridden tired when we shouldn't have. I have ridden over 1,000 miles in one day. We have no desire to that any of that anymore. Be happier, get a trailer. Ours is 7x12, and it has brakes. DO NOT BUY A TRAILER WITHOUT BRAKES! You will love it. :thumbup: Tom :spyder: