Riding Spyder on gravel roads???

[goingup4m]

I have heard mixed feelings on riding on gravel roads. I just bought a 2011 RT, a lot of the back country roads around my place turn into gravel roads.
Is there any reason I should not be riding my Spyder on gravel roads?

[GoNoGo]

There’s a number of YouTube video’s showing longtime Spyder owners driving around and having fun on gravel roads, probably some are members here.

I occasionally rode my ‘13 RT Spyder on gravel roads when I vacationed in Cape Vincent, NY without problems.

Just last week I brought my Spyder here to Georgia where I live off a dead-end twisty gravel road, so forced to drive 6 miles on them anytime I go anywhere and return home.

I’m going to drive my Spyder easy and not stress about it :thumbup:

[DGoebel]

Spyderpops Missing Belt guard will help protect your belt from rock damage, and some folks have found an interesting solution to protecting the Airbag from rock punctures cause by small gravel getting trapped under the edge of the airbag. IdahoMtnSpyder posted a thread that helps for those wishing to do this here on Spyderlovers, check out
https://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?129320-Info-about-Doc-Humphrey-s-Air-Ryde-Rock-Guard

[Peter Aawen]

:agree: with GoNoGo! Look at my sig line, it's a mantra I like to try to live by!! :ohyea: . I reckon you could spend all your time worrying about this 'gravel roads' thing or some other worrying concern, or you could be ryding! :banghead: So by now, you've gotta know what MY choice about all that stuff is! :yes:

It's a no brainer for me, cos of where I live & the fact that most of the 'back roads' around here are either gravel, sand, rock, or dirt; so if I only rode on sealed roads then I could barely ryde anywhere locally :mad: .... and if I wanted to ryde further afield, let alone interstate into any of the 3 adjoining States, there's only a handful of sealed roads that I could travel on to do that.... & who wants to end up ryding the same bleedin' roads all the bloody time?!? :rolleyes: As a result, I've done more miles on my Spyder than most here seem to even dream of doing (well, maybe apart from SpyderAnn & a few others like her who've done lotsa Spyder miles, who might catch up one day! :p ) and I've ridden well over half of those total Spyder miles on gravel & dirt roads without any real issues & AFAIR no belt issues at all - and I DON'T have an added belt guard - looked at them, thought they'd likely make things worse, especially if I hadta ryde thru long grass & other under-growth type stuff, as I regularly do! Don't have an air bag protector either, nor a Bump-skid.... :rolleyes:

My biggest 'concern' is that there's not much ground clearance under our Spyders, and things like the Bump-Skid jobbies you lot seem to like so much over there in North America reduce that even more, AND they project out in front & around the frunk to provide the 'bump' protection, which makes your Spyder's approach angle even worse than it is already too!! :banghead: . So I have neither a belt guard, an air bag protector, nor a bumpskid; instead, I have a relatively thin alloy skid plate underneath my Spyder that replaces & extends the 'protection' provided by the OE placcy jobbie, and in doing so it doesn't reduce the ground clearance at all and it doesn't protrude beyond the outside edges of the frunk either, but it does protect the underside of the front end significantly better than anything else I've seen (send noboot a PM & check out the alloy skid plate he sells, it's the original (but smaller) skid plate that my (larger) skid plate was developed from! :thumbup: )

I think it all comes down to ryding 'sensibly', and that doesn't necessarily mean 'slowly' or even 'conservatively', cos I doubt that anyone would ever use those labels to describe my ryding, which has been known to include some 'hanging of the tail' on said gravel roads and rarely involves slowing to a speed that might see others catching up with me rapidly &/or feeling they really should be passing; but it does mean not blasting thru the deep gravelly stuff or throwing rooster tails off the rear tire just for the halibut... :dontknow:

Just be reasonable about your ryding, and do whatever you feel comfortable with WITHOUT stressing about those things over which you have no or very little control! :banghead: . If fitting a belt guard or a bump-skid makes you feel better about ryding, especially on gravel/dirt roads, then do it if you want to - but please, DON'T let the lack of one/either make you stress too much about it if you come across a bit of gravel - just ryde on thru in what you feel is a sensible way & you'll likely get thru fine... ;) . or not! :rolleyes: . But if not, it's no real biggie; if you're ryding sensibly then it probably won't kill you or break too much! :thumbup:

RIDE MORE, WORRY LESS! :ohyea: . And don't sweat the small stuff! :rolleyes: . Oh, BTW, it's really ALL small stuff - whadda ya think the worst they're gonna do could be... take away your next birthday?? :p

[RangerRick]

Hey i used to ride my Yamaha Raider Cruiser on gravel roads and was belt drive. The only time I got a small rock in the belt was on the highway. ;)

[ButterSmooth]

...
RIDE MORE, WORRY LESS! :ohyea: . And don't sweat the small stuff! :rolleyes: . Oh, BTW, it's really ALL small stuff - whadda ya think the worst they're gonna do could be... take away your next birthday?? :p

Peter the Stoic. Epictetus would be proud.:clap:

Chip seal is the worst. It sticks to the belt and pulleys and does real damage.

[PistonBlown]

Never been an issue in the 10 years I've been riding a Spyder on gravel roads...

198711 198712

198713 198714

[RangerRick]

Peter the Stoic. Epictetus would be proud.:clap:

Chip seal is the worst. It sticks to the belt and pulleys and does real damage.

Bingo, that's how I picked up the rock on my Yamaha

[Mikey]

Just ride it like a sane man, you'll be OK!

[vito1943]

When a nicely paved road suddenly turns into a fresh gravel road I slow down, but that's the only concession I make for the change in road surface. And every time I encounter a gravel road I remind myself of how I used to get really anxious at this type situation when I rode a Honda Goldwing. Even a little slippage is scary when trying to control a 920 bike, plus two adults. With the Spyder I slow down from 60 to about 50 and enjoy the ride. I've done nothing to modify my stock 2021 RT.

[ARtraveler]

Just ride it like a sane man, you'll be OK!

I think this is the best advice so far. :bowdown:

[Isopedella]

Never been an issue in the 10 years I've been riding a Spyder on gravel roads...

198711 198712

198713 198714

Thank you for that, Peter's post, and others who ride off the tar from time to time.

Music to my ears.

[ButterSmooth]

This thread has set me free. A new world just unfolded at my doorstep.

[007james]

When a nicely paved road suddenly turns into a fresh gravel road I slow down, but that's the only concession I make for the change in road surface. And every time I encounter a gravel road I remind myself of how I used to get really anxious at this type situation when I rode a Honda Goldwing. Even a little slippage is scary when trying to control a 920 bike, plus two adults. With the Spyder I slow down from 60 to about 50 and enjoy the ride. I've done nothing to modify my stock 2021 RT.

I also recently got lost and ended up on a gravel road with pot holes and wash outs in the mountains with my 2021 RTL. It was too far to turn back, so I had to endure for 7-8 miles on the gravel road. I was worried about rocks getting stuck in the belt grooves, but it never happened. I drove slow until getting back to asphalt. But I won’t ride on gravel roads unless I have to, as a rule.

[Wmoater]

I live 4.3 miles on a gravel road to closest tar chip road. (Amish country) Once it’s packed down, keep back wheel where car tires run. Never got a stone jammed yet. When they tar chip the closest road, I literally drive 8 miles on dirt to the next asphalt road. Tar chip will do more damage than gravel, like stated above. I have 41k now and no belt damage. Slow down a bit and you’re fine. After riding dirt road, with a micro cloth, wipe your brake lights. The spyder has a wicked back draft and the entire back of the spyder is covered in dust. Just my experience. I’ll take dirt over any 2 week old tar chip road!

[PistonBlown]

And just to show gravel really isn't an issue, I've done both of these:

Skippers Canyon - https://www.dangerousroads.org/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/55-skippers-canyon-road-new-zealand.html
Molesworth - https://www.dangerousroads.org/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/9301-acheron-road.html


Loads of other smaller road and also the first bit of Nevis (https://www.dangerousroads.org/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/4192-duffers-saddle.html), but unfortunately had to turn back on that one as a river was running too high.

So gravel not a problem but rivers can be:-)

[goingup4m]

Thanks everyone for the great advice. Very helpful.

[Bfromla]

Possibly related thought:
U would figure that google had car with camera drive down like every road ;someone could get algorithms to count pot holes & such - calculate that as well. “Smoothest path”:dontknow::hun: