VStarRider
05-17-2020, 05:34 AM
I took my first extended ride on my new to me 2015 STS SM5. This is the first extended ride I’ve taken on three wheels; been on two wheels for ten years (age 44) and also own a Gold Wing.
1. I feel safer, more confident. On two wheels, there’s a thick layer of awareness and focus that that is not necessary on a Spyder, at least not at such a high level. On my GW, I like pushing it through the curves, but I am always focused on looking for the patch of gravel kicked up from the shoulder, the deer or car that pulls out and performing an evasive maneuver.... even having to think about where I stop and put my feet down. On the Spyder, all my mental energy is on using my “motorcycle vision” because the inherent stability of the machine removes the component of having to actively process how to manage the machine.
2. I expected trouble with tracking and wandering, and had none. Perhaps it’s my years of snowmobiling experience ... snow conditions can lead to all sorts of handling characteristics out of the front end of a sled ... that made it natural to keep my arms and grip loose and let the machine make minor corrections itself rather than trying to force it to through the bars? Not sure, just know it was a piece of cake.
3. Ride quality - excellent - particularly the front end.
4. Gas mileage not as bad as feared - about 35 mpg. There’s 155 miles with two bars left on the fuel gauge since last fill up.
5. Comfortable riding position - love the upright position of the STS with feet slightly behind my knees. Despite reading many complaints about the stock seat, I think it’s great. My bum was a tad sore in the last 50 miles, but nothing resembling pain.
6. Specific to the V-twin ... I know a lot of you here have the 1330 so this may not apply ... it loves to rev and it kills me to wind it up to 4000+ in each gear, when I’m used to 2500 rpm being plenty on the GW... but it is cool sounding engine that starts to pull hard north of 6000. It is a little busy at highway speeds, cranking 4500 r’s at 60, which can get fatiguing. The manual shift feel is the best I’ve ever experienced on any bike I’ve owned. As mentioned above, I’m getting decent fuel economy, estimated 35 mpg and about 200 miles per tank.
Overall, I really like it ... more than I expected ...actually quite a bit more, mainly due to the bike itself exceeding expectations and the stability of it adds to the enjoyment of the ride experience. I remember saying to myself at a few points yesterday ... “ please don’t like it more than the Gold Wing ... please don’t like it more than the Gold Wing!”
1. I feel safer, more confident. On two wheels, there’s a thick layer of awareness and focus that that is not necessary on a Spyder, at least not at such a high level. On my GW, I like pushing it through the curves, but I am always focused on looking for the patch of gravel kicked up from the shoulder, the deer or car that pulls out and performing an evasive maneuver.... even having to think about where I stop and put my feet down. On the Spyder, all my mental energy is on using my “motorcycle vision” because the inherent stability of the machine removes the component of having to actively process how to manage the machine.
2. I expected trouble with tracking and wandering, and had none. Perhaps it’s my years of snowmobiling experience ... snow conditions can lead to all sorts of handling characteristics out of the front end of a sled ... that made it natural to keep my arms and grip loose and let the machine make minor corrections itself rather than trying to force it to through the bars? Not sure, just know it was a piece of cake.
3. Ride quality - excellent - particularly the front end.
4. Gas mileage not as bad as feared - about 35 mpg. There’s 155 miles with two bars left on the fuel gauge since last fill up.
5. Comfortable riding position - love the upright position of the STS with feet slightly behind my knees. Despite reading many complaints about the stock seat, I think it’s great. My bum was a tad sore in the last 50 miles, but nothing resembling pain.
6. Specific to the V-twin ... I know a lot of you here have the 1330 so this may not apply ... it loves to rev and it kills me to wind it up to 4000+ in each gear, when I’m used to 2500 rpm being plenty on the GW... but it is cool sounding engine that starts to pull hard north of 6000. It is a little busy at highway speeds, cranking 4500 r’s at 60, which can get fatiguing. The manual shift feel is the best I’ve ever experienced on any bike I’ve owned. As mentioned above, I’m getting decent fuel economy, estimated 35 mpg and about 200 miles per tank.
Overall, I really like it ... more than I expected ...actually quite a bit more, mainly due to the bike itself exceeding expectations and the stability of it adds to the enjoyment of the ride experience. I remember saying to myself at a few points yesterday ... “ please don’t like it more than the Gold Wing ... please don’t like it more than the Gold Wing!”