New guy on the block

[cruisinTX]

I looked around for an intro thread and did not see one. So, this is just to say hey with a little added info. My wife and I are about to add a 2014 RT Limited to my stable of bikes. If circumstances beyond our control don't mess up our plans, we will be picking up our first Spyder this coming Saturday (10/07/17) near Dallas. We started looking at these things three years ago right after I gave myself my first sport bike for my 60th B-day. It wasn't long after that, my wife said since I got my toy, she wanted her own and showed me a picture of a very pretty blue Spyder; what could I say other than -- wait for it -- "yes dear".

Anyway, we have been toying with the idea off and on since then and finally decided to just do it. I have found that as I get older, it is getting more difficult to hold a bike up when we are traveling two-up. So the Spyder will serve two purposes. One is it will be her ride when we are solo and two, it will be our two-up ride so we are both a bit safer--mostly at stops seeing as how in motion is not the problem.

[Lew L]

:welcome: to the forum. All your questions about :spyder2:, and more, will be answered here.

Kaos

[Chupaca]

To the spyder world and this awesome site. Congrats on the upcomig RT :2thumbs: you will both enjoy it ....:yes:

[ARtraveler]

:welcome: and :congrats: on your :spyder2:. You will like the 2014 with the 1330 three. :yes:

[wolphspyder]

:welcome:.....I recently traded my 2014 RT which was an exceptional Ryde, and updated to a 2017 F3T.....:spyder:....enjoy your new ryde.....you will find that the Spyder is an enjoyable ryde....so enjoy
And :congrats:.

[Saluda]

Welcome.

[Motorcycledave]

:welcome:to the Forum, you will find a bunch of great information here
glad you found us.... come back often
Ride Safe
Dave




I looked around for an intro thread and did not see one. So, this is just to say hey with a little added info. My wife and I are about to add a 2014 RT Limited to my stable of bikes. If circumstances beyond our control don't mess up our plans, we will be picking up our first Spyder this coming Saturday (10/07/17) near Dallas. We started looking at these things three years ago right after I gave myself my first sport bike for my 60th B-day. It wasn't long after that, my wife said since I got my toy, she wanted her own and showed me a picture of a very pretty blue Spyder; what could I say other than -- wait for it -- "yes dear".

Anyway, we have been toying with the idea off and on since then and finally decided to just do it. I have found that as I get older, it is getting more difficult to hold a bike up when we are traveling two-up. So the Spyder will serve two purposes. One is it will be her ride when we are solo and two, it will be our two-up ride so we are both a bit safer--mostly at stops seeing as how in motion is not the problem.

[youngers]

these babies have a lot of power , so be careful in the first few miles , and keep a sharp eye out for the cagers , who are texting about a weird new 3 wheel cycle on the road ! and in texas plenty of places to ride ! :yes:...

[papanorm]

Welcome from Round Rock Texas, wishing y’all many miles and smiles!:congrats:

[scooterexpress]

welcome from ft.worth hope to see you and your wife at some spyder rallys. also you can check out my products right here tire grafixx.

[PrairieSpyder]

I looked around for an intro thread and did not see one. So, this is just to say hey with a little added info. My wife and I are about to add a 2014 RT Limited to my stable of bikes. If circumstances beyond our control don't mess up our plans, we will be picking up our first Spyder this coming Saturday (10/07/17) near Dallas. We started looking at these things three years ago right after I gave myself my first sport bike for my 60th B-day. It wasn't long after that, my wife said since I got my toy, she wanted her own and showed me a picture of a very pretty blue Spyder; what could I say other than -- wait for it -- "yes dear".

Anyway, we have been toying with the idea off and on since then and finally decided to just do it. I have found that as I get older, it is getting more difficult to hold a bike up when we are traveling two-up. So the Spyder will serve two purposes. One is it will be her ride when we are solo and two, it will be our two-up ride so we are both a bit safer--mostly at stops seeing as how in motion is not the problem.

:welcome: & :congrats:on a good decision to do what your wife wants! :2thumbs:

:congrats: to your wife on her new Spyder!!! :thumbup: Let her know about Girls on Spyders!

[Dmetcalf]

Welcome and congrats..! This is the best online forum to discover new ideas on how to maintain these machines and dress them up ..!

[Highwayman2013]

Welcome

[Spider-man]

I looked around for an intro thread and did not see one. So, this is just to say hey with a little added info. My wife and I are about to add a 2014 RT Limited to my stable of bikes. If circumstances beyond our control don't mess up our plans, we will be picking up our first Spyder this coming Saturday (10/07/17) near Dallas. We started looking at these things three years ago right after I gave myself my first sport bike for my 60th B-day. It wasn't long after that, my wife said since I got my toy, she wanted her own and showed me a picture of a very pretty blue Spyder; what could I say other than -- wait for it -- "yes dear".

Anyway, we have been toying with the idea off and on since then and finally decided to just do it. I have found that as I get older, it is getting more difficult to hold a bike up when we are traveling two-up. So the Spyder will serve two purposes. One is it will be her ride when we are solo and two, it will be our two-up ride so we are both a bit safer--mostly at stops seeing as how in motion is not the problem.

Welcome from San Antonio!

[BigGuy66]

(snip) Anyway, we have been toying with the idea off and on since then and finally decided to just do it. I have found that as I get older, it is getting more difficult to hold a bike up when we are traveling two-up. So the Spyder will serve two purposes. One is it will be her ride when we are solo and two, it will be our two-up ride so we are both a bit safer--mostly at stops seeing as how in motion is not the problem.

... to get that Spyder! She will love the ryde - there are many gals who ryde Spyders. And, like you, as I aged I wasn't as steady on our VTX 1800 with 2-up, so we got our Spyder. We both love ryding on it.

Welcome to Spyder rydin'! If you haven't yet, take a look at this thread... http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?41346-quot-Do-s-and-Do-Nots-quot-for-new-Spyder-owners

Jim

[OKey]

I looked around for an intro thread and did not see one. So, this is just to say hey with a little added info. My wife and I are about to add a 2014 RT Limited to my stable of bikes. If circumstances beyond our control don't mess up our plans, we will be picking up our first Spyder this coming Saturday (10/07/17) near Dallas. We started looking at these things three years ago right after I gave myself my first sport bike for my 60th B-day. It wasn't long after that, my wife said since I got my toy, she wanted her own and showed me a picture of a very pretty blue Spyder; what could I say other than -- wait for it -- "yes dear".

Anyway, we have been toying with the idea off and on since then and finally decided to just do it. I have found that as I get older, it is getting more difficult to hold a bike up when we are traveling two-up. So the Spyder will serve two purposes. One is it will be her ride when we are solo and two, it will be our two-up ride so we are both a bit safer--mostly at stops seeing as how in motion is not the problem.

Welcome NewBee...you won't believe how you will look back and say to yourself "why did I wait so long".
Take your time by learning the ropes, like I did, and safe riding!!:trike:

[cruisinTX]

thanks to all for the welcomes.

I belong to three Facebook pages about Spyders and am learning a lot there. This is going to be interesting trying to get used to no counter-steering like I have done for so long on two wheels. I bet I'll figure it out though.

From those FB pages I did have a question though and I don't want to ruffle feathers mind you. One person is claiming he has driven his 1330 at 225mph. (not sure of model since I'm still learning) Is that possible? That's seems awfully fast for the given weight and HP--just wondering; not planning on ever going that fast on or in anything unless it has wings. :shocked:

[ARtraveler]

thanks to all for the welcomes.

I belong to three Facebook pages about Spyders and am learning a lot there. This is going to be interesting trying to get used to no counter-steering like I have done for so long on two wheels. I bet I'll figure it out though.

From those FB pages I did have a question though and I don't want to ruffle feathers mind you. One person is claiming he has driven his 1330 at 225mph. (not sure of model since I'm still learning) Is that possible? That's seems awfully fast for the given weight and HP--just wondering; not planning on ever going that fast on or in anything unless it has wings. :shocked:

RE: 225 mph--not happening. The 200 mph speedometer is a dual function--speed can be read in either MPH or KPH depending on which country you are riding in, and which setting is on. Came in handy when I drove in Canada. KPH: 100 KPH is equal to about 62 MPH. 200 KPH will give you about 120 MPH. Fun to change over to KPH and point out to a passenger that you are going over 100. :roflblack::agree:

[cruisinTX]

RE: 225 mph--not happening. The 200 mph speedometer is a dual function--speed can be read in either MPH or KPH depending on which country you are riding in. Came in handy when I drove in Canada. KPH: 100 KPH is equal to about 62 MPH. 200 KPH will give you about 120 MPH. Fun to change over to KPH and point out to a passenger that you are going over 100. :roflblack::agree:

I had my doubts but being so new and never having been on a 1330 yet, I didn't want to question anyone and start a debate.

We rode a 998 a couple of weeks ago and liked it a lot. I did sort of feel like it was going to flip over a couple of times though. That's probably because I'm so used to the feel of leaning on two wheels as opposed to not leaning on three. Then closed the deal on the 2014 a few days later. Looking forward to the ride home from Denton this coming Saturday.

[bscofield84]

I looked around for an intro thread and did not see one. So, this is just to say hey with a little added info. My wife and I are about to add a 2014 RT Limited to my stable of bikes. If circumstances beyond our control don't mess up our plans, we will be picking up our first Spyder this coming Saturday (10/07/17) near Dallas. We started looking at these things three years ago right after I gave myself my first sport bike for my 60th B-day. It wasn't long after that, my wife said since I got my toy, she wanted her own and showed me a picture of a very pretty blue Spyder; what could I say other than -- wait for it -- "yes dear".

Anyway, we have been toying with the idea off and on since then and finally decided to just do it. I have found that as I get older, it is getting more difficult to hold a bike up when we are traveling two-up. So the Spyder will serve two purposes. One is it will be her ride when we are solo and two, it will be our two-up ride so we are both a bit safer--mostly at stops seeing as how in motion is not the problem.

Hope you enjoy your new ride. It's great for interstate and country road riding.

[cruisinTX]

I'm hoping my wife enjoys it enough to keep her riding along side me (not literally) for a few more years until my old knees give up. Then I may hop on behind her and enjoy the ride like she has done on the back of the bikes since she first started riding with me in 2002. :yes:

[cruisinTX]

Thought I would offer a quick update since my intro. We got the Spyder home Saturday evening. Here are my first impressions after a 420 mile ride home and the only Spyder ride since our test ride in Altus OK, a few weeks ago when we rode a 998 about 12 miles.

The RT Limited of course is much more powerful than the 998

It is more stable than the 998 in turns, but ours has the aftermarket stabilizer bar. Add to that some reading here and instruction from the seller & I was better prepared for cornering.

While the physics of contact patch to weight ratio would dictate the Spyder could corner more efficiently and faster than a motorcycle, I'm not there yet. Coming home, curves that I have taken at 60% to 75% above the posted limit on the bikes, I could only do at that limit and still feel in control on the Spyder.

Handling cross winds seemed to be about the same as the 998; I rode to Borger and back today with ~37mph cross winds. The Spyder is not nearly as stable as my BMW R1100RT at hiway speeds in that kind of wind. I suspect that may always be true as the aerodynamics of a fully faired sport-touring bike makes the wind go away above about 50mph.

Naturally, low speed stability is much greater on the Spyder compared to any of the bikes.

While I never tried to ride the Spyder much over the speed limit, I suspect it may keep up with the BMW-RT based on the acceleration I tested a few times. It's not likely to keep up with the 1100S, however.

Fatigue on the Spyder was a bit of a problem the first 150 miles or so. After I figured out how to relax with changing road conditions, it became a very relaxed and enjoyable ride. I do still think upper body fatigue is a bit less on the bikes than on the Spyder with the exception of the sport bike (1100S) where you have to support your upper body weight with your hands and arms below 60mph. Above that, the wind on your chest pretty much keeps you upright.

On the other side of that coin, the seat of the Spyder is way more comfortable than any of my bikes. I can see where these things have the potential to let one cover lots of miles in a day.

Wind noise is considerably less on the Spyder than any of the bikes. That level of wind protection caused me to get pretty warm in my mesh gear until the sun went down.

Sunset let me get a good look at the lighting. It is outstanding and of course much better than the bikes even though I have made enhancements to them. In addition, my wife was following in the car and taking pictures; I'm very pleased with the rear lighting too.

The cruise control is something I wish I had on all the bikes. Only thing to say there is :yes::yes::yes:

Overall impression is this is one fine machine that I'm pretty sure we will make good use of for riding two-up and for her primary ride when we take a bike and it.

I'm looking forward to meeting and riding with some of y'all; provided anyone passes through the Texas Panhandle. So far my attempts to get the attention of any of the local Spyder riders here have met with ---- well, nothing. Makes me wonder if any of them still have Spyders or are just too busy with life. It happens.

Everyone else, come on out. I have ridden motorcycles around here since 1968 and can tell you the notion that the Panhandle is nothing but straight, flat, and boring is totally wrong. You just have to be willing to get off the super-slab and look around a bit. Most of my miles logged have happened since I came off a 20 year hiatus from bikes in April of 2000. Since then I have ridden 330K miles with most of that right here in the Panhandle so I can probably direct you to every curve here and then some.

y'all ride safe ya hear.

here is the route I took home. tried to get a good mix of various types and sizes of roads along the way and of course as many curves as I felt I had time for.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/33.1556867,-97.1243815/33.1270293,-97.1817271/33.0999984,-97.4699466/33.2113966,-97.7642217/33.2640689,-98.3778636/33.448746,-98.9234034/33.6518949,-99.2629496/33.9822008,-99.6114222/34.0143644,-100.8285014/35.6625019,-101.5987244/@34.3452554,-99.497332,8.11z/data=!4m32!4m31!1m5!3m4!1m2!1d-97.1678121!2d33.1472905!3s0x864dcbf9f00e68cf:0xccf 2541c12ee14ae!1m0!1m5!3m4!1m2!1d-97.6581311!2d33.1094776!3s0x864df17ef4314983:0x59a beb4c68c4f03a!1m0!1m0!1m5!3m4!1m2!1d-99.260363!2d33.5943272!3s0x86548372724e16cd:0xcf2a 209a80315f8!1m0!1m0!1m5!3m4!1m2!1d-101.3816363!2d35.412639!3s0x8706d51b97677149:0x153 0f5940b5e649b!1m0!3e0

[sealfloorboards]

You're so right about the "getting older" part. As I tell Harley riders who make noise, "You're just not old enough to ride a Spyder". When your lady won't ride on the back or you can't pick it up anymore, then you're ready for a Spyder. Love the safety and security of three wheels. Enjoy it, and...
Ride ib comfort,
John