I was thinking....

[BajaRon]

I know, a very dangerous undertaking...

But if you had to give just one thing, just one single aspect about your Spyder that you appreciate, enjoy, or like the most, what would it be?

I don't think a poll would work here because there are probably too many options.

I predict your answers will be like Lay's Potato Chips. You won't be able to give just one thing. But you are welcome to prove me wrong on this.

I'll save my answer until some others have a chance to give theirs.

[Amanda B]

I've met lots of new people since I've bought it, both here on-line, but also my neighbors and strangers, so the meeting people aspect of it. Everything else I knew when I got it, so there were no surprises there. When I bought it I knew people would probably notice it, but I didn't think that I would meet lots of people.

[pierrelogic]

I'm guessing the smile on my daughter's face the first time she gets to sit on the Spyder. (which will be in about 48 hrs when she comes to visit). :D

[VaughnCat]

You're right. . .. but all of the things I love about our Spyders hinges on one thing. . . and that is STABILITY. :2thumbs:
I've been off 2 wheels for 30 years, but the stability of the Spyder (in addition to the rest of the bag of chips) is the one thing that made it possible.:clap:
There are a lot of other good lookin' bikes and trikes out there but nothing (in our price range) can touch a Spyder when it comes to STABILITY. :firstplace:

now where's the rest of my chips . . .

Cat

[dave01]

I would have to say its the group of people that I have met while owning/ryding the Spyders. I belong to Hayabusa/GSXR/Quad forums and there isnt anywhere near the passion that the owners show and feel compared to Spyderlovers. So, a thumbs up to all of you on here.:2thumbs::2thumbs::2thumbs::2thumbs::2thumbs: :2thumbs:

[Sarge707]

It frees my Mind when I,m riding it!:D

[musicarcade]

In regards to the SPyder itself, I like the fact that it looks like it's going fast while standing still...and that big fat back tire:D

the aspect i appreciate the most that's not physically the Spyder is this board/group. It's the best place to make friends, do research, get questions answered, and get results when you need them.:thumbup:

[fastfraser]

:2thumbs: The WOW I get every time I drive it.

[boborgera]

:ohyea:
The fact that i can ride all winter and not worry about sand/salt/gravel/

and dead Raccoons on the road.

[NewRider]

How massively it has expanded my horizons...especially with folks, no matter their riding/driving passions, when we meet somewhere...:2thumbs:

[Lamonster]

I would say I like it because it's like nothing else I've ever owned and it still puts a smile on my face every time I ride it. :D

[Yazz]

Spydee got my kneeze back in the breeze and I can keep up with the best of them.:D

Also found a new circle of friends that grows bigger all the time.

[MoonChaser213]

My favorite thing is THE RYDE, not the machine so much but the experience :ohyea:

[2NFrnt]

I agree with Vaughn & Cat it’s the stability for me plus like Yazz said it put my knees back in the breeze. I could never convince my wife that a bike was a good thing, but when I took her to Cowtown and sat her on the RT she agreed to try it with me. We are completely comfortable on the Spyder and never worry about anything but the ride and the scenery.

Sam

[FANG]

The freedom and exhillaration of ryding my spyder - enough said!!:2thumbs:

[pjp623]

The fact that even after a really bad day, all I have to do is sit on it and everything starts to melt away, then after even the shortest of rides, I'm ready to start all over again. Even my family says that it makes me a nice person. :roflblack:

[Desert Spyder]

How about FWRY: Fellowship, the Wow factor, the Ryde, and the Y-Factor.

I tried to spell freeway but ran out of words. Anybody wanna try?

[dltang]

Ron, first of all, Stop Thinking...LOL

Maybe that is one of the best things about the Spyder, clearing your mind when you ride. Being able to just enjoy where you are going and not really thinking about all the troubles of the world.

[MSGTDOC]

Everything about it:2thumbs:

[BajaRon]

I must say, only a few had to go back for more chips, though many admit it's a big bag with the Spyder. And the answers are nothing like I expected.

I'm a nuts and bolts guy so I was thinking along mechanical lines. Handling, acceleration, or physical apperance.

While some have mentioned these, the feeling I get is more experiencial.

I'm not sure if we're talking about a machine or a mental state. Maybe it's the same thing.

Maybe a blend of the 3 F's is the concenses so far.

Freedom, Fun and Friendship, not necessarily in that order.

This group never ceases to amaze me.

[retread]

Yeah, kinda all of the above almost starts to cover what I like about it.nojoke

john

[SSG Bean]

Riding it is an absolute joy. The tinkering and modding it is pretty fun too. I really enjoy customizing it to make it my unique Spyder.

[stgilmer]

I love the attention it brings, I have been ridin on a permit and finally got around to taking my road exam yesterday(which I passed:D)....Every state patrol at that post was all around the Spyder checking it out..They were amazed that the DDS was testing me saying it looked soo much safer than trikes/bikes...

[Raptor]

For me it's all about the ride. But not in the traditional sense. I know most people think of the Spyder as a safer, stable touring machine. But there is a performance aspect to this thing that has me pretty intrigued.

For me, learning about the chassis, the suspension, the power band, learning what the bike wants to corner better, power out faster, attack harder is fascinating! I am learning new and better techniques almost every day and the rush is amazing! I have to admit though, this nanny thing is starting to irritate me! The sway bar is going on this week-end, and we'll see what that does for me. I suspect we'll be able to kick it up a notch!

SO after all that, it's the ride man! OK, and some adrenilin...

[ArmyJoe]

I like that it mitigates a lot of the risk that a two-wheeler has. I ride without worrying about rain, gravel, or falling off.

[YPILOT]

When I first got my Spyder a BMW rider friend asked What made you want something like this? I said "Look at it". I had researched three wheel vehicles for weeks when another friend of mine came across this machine and showed it to me. I just knew it was the one, it still is just like my wife is still the one. So I guess that makes our Spyder
"The Three". The three of us go places. It's a time machine man.:doorag:

[bjt]

I like it because I can still have the feeling of riding a motorcycle but I feel 10 times safer (both from myself and from cars) on the Spyder than I do on two wheels.

[Monique]

Like being on a never ending Disney ride :yes:
...except there's never a lineup and you have a permanent fast pass !!!

[hammer663]

1st -- I have never been a bike person and even though my husband has wanted to get one for us for the past 20 + years he never did because he knew I was not a bike fan! However, we are diehard snowmobilers and when we went to that fateful snowshow in late 2007 and I laid eyes on my first spyder (A snowmobile on Wheels) We both knew that we both might like it. So yellow PE419 was made ours and we were hooked. A year later our son was allowed to by one and now its a family affair.
2nd -- Like almost everyone else, the freedom of feeling the wind in your face without worry about the two wheel factor and falling off.
3rd -- AND BEST OF ALL --The people factor -- Those who have the same passion about our spyders and the smiles on the peoples faces who are seeing them for the first time and wondering "What the heck is that?"
Its a people magnet!!!:firstplace:

[Saluda]

Safety (stability). I guess that's one thing.

Ride and looks are close after that.

Feeling is very close after that !

[Smylinacha]

Reverse

[docdoru]

I'm thinking also: Spyder with a 1400cc engine...:gaah::popcorn:

[Firefly]

That 'ONE' thing has changed for me many times during my ownership.

Originally it was the 'cool' factor of this machine. Then it was 'safety'. Then it was 'de-stressing from a good ryde'. Then it was 'mods'. Then (and still) it was 'the friendships', and now it has been 'life changing experiences' that rank up there with anything I've had happen in my life. Owning a Spyder has brought about life changes like no other thing I've ever owned, with the possible exception of my (now passed on) dog.

You never know what path the Spyder will lead you down, but for me the journey just keeps getting better.:thumbup:

-----------------

Okay--- done with the gushy stuff-- now back to my regularly scheduled ranting and posting.....:gaah: :roflblack:.

The Spyder kicks :cus: AND takes names. ;):D

[murphybrown]

Love, love, love:
The Ryde/driving
The Attention
The Stability Factor
That as a senior, senior citizen I can learn to Ryde with wind in my face and all those gorgeous sights and sounds.
AND then there are the people.

Just gotta love it. :ohyea:

[bikeguy]

My RT is a ton of fun to ride but so is my BMW. What I like about the Spyder is that it's also fun to STOP. I'm not gonna drop it out from under my wife in some rough, rutted, pot holed, gravel parking lot. I can go places on the Spyder that I just couldn't go on the BMW. That's why I bought it and that's why I love it.

Cotton

[WackyDan]

I've now put more miles on my Spyder than any other bike... and I have yet to wreck it.

[BajaRon]

I've now put more miles on my Spyder than any other bike... and I have yet to wreck it.

Uh...that part is not required.... :D

[2Gunns]

My reason didn't come until after I brought the RT home. I bought it for me, but after 26+ years of riding primarily solo (her choice, not mine)....my wife now asked me daily "when's our next RYDE". That's worth every penny:2thumbs:

[ElkSpyder]

I would say I like it because it's like nothing else I've ever owned and it still puts a smile on my face every time I ride it. :D

:agree::agree::agree:

The :spyder2: has opened a sense of “I can do that” that a two wheel bike never gave me. An eleven day bike trip on two wheels would NEVER have happened for me. With the :spyder2: I’m planning the second such trip again this year. May even add a day to this years trip. So is it the “Freedom”, “Stability”, or ??. not really sure but I can’t believe how thrilled I am with this purchase 2 years after the fact.

[WackyDan]

Uh...that part is not required.... :D

Well.. It is the one most important thing about my Spyder that I realize... Especially after my last wreck in 2002. Maybe it is my age, or my past wrecks... But I do believe the Spyder keeps me out of trouble.

[SpyderGirl]

It is difficult to pick just one... I would have to say that it puts a smile on my face every time I sit on it and it has allowed me to meet lots of great people and go to exciting new places and do exciting new things that I may never have done if it wasn't for the freedom the Spyder has given me. :2thumbs:

Oh, and I love unique things. :)

[dancogan]

BikeGuy pretty much said it for me. My wife and I love touring on our BMW R1200RT. The power, brakes, stability on the highway ... all great. But as I've aged in the 6 years we've owned it I find it more and more difficult to keep it under control with a pillion. Stop signs at the top or bottom of hills, sloping roads, all those places where I had to fight to stay balanced. I was ready to walk away from 2-wheel riding, but my wife pushed me to the Spyder. Now we can still have those long rides where words come spilling out that we never had a chance to share during the week, we share the smells, the sights and what happened during the week or even last week. Just love the :spyder2:

[SethO]

it almost like being human again, and has been the closest thing to not being hurt that I have found.

I would agree with dave that the owners are a close second.

[SpyderAnn01]

For the past 20 years I have hated being a passenger on my husband's two wheeler. I always pictured myself flying off the back of it so I refused to ride except for the occasional charity event or dinner ride. I was so bad that once I walked 10 miles home because I found out the planned route of a group ride would take us on the expressway for 20 miles. When I test drove a Spyder I felt safe, the stability factor was what sold me on it. Also, now I can enjoy riding with my husband (or alone for 450 miles like I did yesterday!).

[G-Man]

I don't actually have a Spyder. My wife does. But the one thing I like best on her Spyder is...you guessed it...her.

[BajaRon]

These are some amazing testamonies! I don't know if I've ever heard this many people describing any machine in these terms.

And I must say I can agree with all of it.

Some things seem to have an unexplainable ablity to release the human spirit. For many, the Spyder is one of those things.

Do you find yourself trying to explain the Spyder experience to someone who has never ridden one only to get blank looks? Without personal experience, there just isn't an ability to understand what happens when you twist the throttle of a Y-Factor machine on a beautiful, winding, mountain road.

I traveled from East Tennessee to California and back. You know what I wanted to do when I got back home? Go riding! Crazy, I know, but true. It's the Spyder. It's bite has long lasting effects.

[Zombo]

I just took my '09 Millenium Yellow RS for her 1000km going over; I was over the 1000km mark by about 200km! I commute daily to work and back on her, both on the interstate and back state and county roads. Phenomenal ryding via either route - so for me:

Just plain FUN to ryde!

:f_spider:

Now ask me the same question after my upcoming ryde to ID and back, and I may have different answers!

[hawkiii]

I actually love the fact that my wife will climb up behind me and take off on a 5000 mile vacation on the Spyder. I am not sure she would have done that on the Harley I was looking to restore before we found the Spyder. I just know that we love riding this thing together.

[JJW SpyderRider]

Stability!

(Safety features, looks, wow factor, my wife will ride with me, etc, etc, etc)

I was asked by a guy why I didn’t buy a REAL bike:dontknow:. He then went on to tell me about all his crashes and broken bones from what we spyder owners find no more than a passing nuisance.:mad:

Knowing about the dangers of two wheeled cycles kept me from experiencing open road cycling. The three wheeled spyder has opened up this whole new world for me.

:spyder2:

[BajaRon]

Great Responses All! And not really what I expected. Now I'm not sure why I didn't see all of this coming as I can relate to every statement.

Like some of you here, I have some trouble putting my finger on the thing I like best about my Spyder.

I have to say it is the overall enjoyment I get when I'm riding it. Though I really enjoy 2 wheels, somehow the overall experience on my Spyder trumps everything else I've ever ridden. And it isn't that I can't handle 2 wheels anymore (though eventually, I know that will come to pass).

So, you ask, what reason do you give for this special enjoyment Ron?

Well, I'd have to pull out the bag of chips and start from the top! Just like Lay's, I can't stop at just one.

[krb1945]

Although I ride two wheels too... I really like the fact that I don't have to put my foot down when stopped.

Now if they will just allow the rider to have control of the machine and not the "nanny" it will be a near perfect machine and when they put a boxer 6 in it they will have achieved perfection. It will have the right power, torque and smoothness. Ken krb1945

PS: I wish I lived near one of the master mechanics... we could have a ball with my black spyder installing a 1500 /6 and shaft drive. Oh well... I guess I can dream.:D

[NancysToy]

Nancy's Spyder GS:
What I appreciate most is that I no longer have to ride with her two-up on my two-wheelers.

My Spyder RTS:
What I appreciate most is that we can ride two-up again, with me getting nervous or complaining.

[glynnk]

Reverse

LOL....I'd have to agree with most of what everybody else has mentioned, but Smylinacha's "reverse" comment is the one I'd vote for!!:ohyea:

Glynnk

[grumpybob]

Yesterday the girlfriend and I went to Beaver Lake Nature Center to get in a 3 mile walk. Came back to the parking lot and there was a 4 year old boy looking at the spyder. Asked him if he would like to sit on it and he smiled from ear to ear until his mother took him off. He went home with a couple of pictures of himself sitting in the drivers position, We went home smiling because of how he loved getting on the spyder.

[BajaRon]

Yesterday the girlfriend and I went to Beaver Lake Nature Center to get in a 3 mile walk. Came back to the parking lot and there was a 4 year old boy looking at the spyder. Asked him if he would like to sit on it and he smiled from ear to ear until his mother took him off. He went home with a couple of pictures of himself sitting in the drivers position, We went home smiling because of how he loved getting on the spyder.

I've done the same thing...Priceless! :thumbup:

[Tom in NM]

With all the little extras of stability, wheelbase and so on - when I ride the Spyder I find I can pay about 20% more attention to the world that I am riding in - not just the next 800 feet in front of me. I am really surprised how big a difference that extra 20% makes.

Plus, I have found that I really like the feel it delivers - like being strapped to the hood of a high performance sports car.

Tom

[BajaRon]

With all the little extras of stability, wheelbase and so on - when I ride the Spyder I find I can pay about 20% more attention to the world that I am riding in - not just the next 800 feet in front of me. I am really surprised how big a difference that extra 20% makes.

Plus, I have found that I really like the feel it delivers - like being strapped to the hood of a high performance sports car.

Tom

:agree: Though you have to refrain from letting it get out of hand, you do tend to see a lot more scenery riding the Spyder than you do on 2 or even 4 wheels. You can look around more while driving a car for the same reasons but it is amazing how limited your view is compared to the wide open Spyder. And you feel like more a part of the experience then when in a car.

I've ridden with a few 2 wheeled riders through the mountains and at the other end I ask, did you see this, did you see that? The answer is almost always, NO! I was too busy watching the road! (Like, 'Are you crazy?' 'Were you actually looking around in those turns?')

Good point! :thumbup:

[bjt]

You can look around more while driving a car for the same reasons but it is amazing how limited your view is compared to the wide open Spyder. And you feel like more a part of the experience then when in a car.

Especially in a 1/2 or 3/4 helmet. :2thumbs:

[Firefly]

Especially in a 1/2 or 3/4 helmet. :2thumbs:

What are these 'helmet' things you speak of? :roflblack:

[BajaRon]

Especially in a 1/2 or 3/4 helmet. :2thumbs:

Oh! Now we're getting personal! I can see out of my Full Face just fine! :D:D:D

Let's see now....Where's my travel list....
Trailer - Check!
Claw Hamer - Check!

Ready to go! :roflblack:

[canam9]

Baja, I cant put my finger on just one thing I like most. So I'll say I like the whole package.:ani29:

[BajaRon]

Baja, I cant put my finger on just one thing I like most. So I'll say I like the whole package.:ani29:

That's cheating!! (I think...) :D

[2spyders]

Goes fast, and won't fall down! :yes:

[spyder3rdr]

My favorite thing is THE RYDE, not the machine so much but the experience :ohyea:

:agree: its the " Ryde " that defines the 1 thing :ohyea:

[BajaRon]

Goes fast, and won't fall down! :yes:
By your Avatar....Looks like it walks on water too! :thumbup:

[Rockytime]

I've had my RT-S for four weeks now after having been taken off my two wheels by my doctor. Saturday I will be visiting a 100% Harley club house. I'm wondering how well I will be received. Hope I don't get a beating. I love the feel, the handling, the looks and the fact that my wife is excited about it. She never did like the idea of me on my bike. In the short time I have had it she and I have had a real blast.
Les

[pitbull]

I've had my RT-S for four weeks now after having been taken off my two wheels by my doctor. Saturday I will be visiting a 100% Harley club house. I'm wondering how well I will be received. Hope I don't get a beating. I love the feel, the handling, the looks and the fact that my wife is excited about it. She never did like the idea of me on my bike. In the short time I have had it she and I have had a real blast.
Les
The classic arms crossed....a few stares.....then this thing is cool, how do you like it and so on forth....you'll be fine Harley has the most spyders in them of any group. Its not a jap bike. Know worries, I ryde both, and so have you now.

[Raptor]

I'm really glad this thread is still going. Something happened to me yesterday. It was something of an epihany (sorry if it is spelled incorrectly) but it is kind of important. It's a soul-feeding spiritual thing! :ohyea:

Yesterday I left work early with full intent on getting home to watch the All-Star game. But that is not what happened. I got on my Spyder and realized that the weather was just perfect. And it was clear that I wasn't going home. I began to think about my route and a plan began to form.

It started with a semi-commute freeway run. I then exited the freeway and did some of the most aggressive and blood-curddling mountain riding I have done to date. The sway bar was workin, man, and the rush was off the scale!

Then I hit the ocean. It was so amazing that I completely changed my mindset; Speed, cornering, adreninlin rush no longer mattered. I had just been there; it was time to cruise.

I did a 200 mile cruise down and then back up the coast that completely changed my experience and gave me a whole new perspective of what the Spyder experience and riding in general was all about. I was suddenly just putting at 65 and gazing at the the cliffs and the ocean and everything around me. I was smelling the roses, and it was sweet.

So in the end, my answer is still the ride; but as you can tell, this ride was very, very different. I anxiously look forward to the next. You just never know what can happen. You might just end up smelling some roses along the way.

[BajaRon]

I've had my RT-S for four weeks now after having been taken off my two wheels by my doctor. Saturday I will be visiting a 100% Harley club house. I'm wondering how well I will be received. Hope I don't get a beating. I love the feel, the handling, the looks and the fact that my wife is excited about it. She never did like the idea of me on my bike. In the short time I have had it she and I have had a real blast.
Les

Just ride up and park like you own the place and nothing is out of the ordinary. Don't expect any reaction at all. That takes the pressure off and puts the ball in their court.

I hope you are pleasantly surprised.

Oh, and don't point out all the advantages over 2 wheels. If they ask, just show it to them like it's no big deal. They'll figure it out.

Good Luck! Let us know how it goes!

[BajaRon]

I'm really glad this thread is still going. Something happened to me yesterday. It was something of an epihany (sorry if it is spelled incorrectly) but it is kind of important. It's a soul-feeding spiritual thing! :ohyea:

Yesterday I left work early with full intent on getting home to watch the All-Star game. But that is not what happened. I got on my Spyder and realized that the weather was just perfect. And it was clear that I wasn't going home. I began to think about my route and a plan began to form.

It started with a semi-commute freeway run. I then exited the freeway and did some of the most aggressive and blood-curddling mountain riding I have done to date. The sway bar was workin, man, and the rush was off the scale!

Then I hit the ocean. It was so amazing that I completely changed my mindset; Speed, cornering, adreninlin rush no longer mattered. I had just been there; it was time to cruise.

I did a 200 mile cruise down and then back up the coast that completely changed my experience and gave me a whole new perspective of what the Spyder experience and riding in general was all about. I was suddenly just putting at 65 and gazing at the the cliffs and the ocean and everything around me. I was smelling the roses, and it was sweet.

So in the end, my answer is still the ride; but as you can tell, this ride was very, very different. I anxiously look forward to the next. You just never know what can happen. You might just end up smelling some roses along the way.

You put it very well! Sounds like a great ride and a great day! It will last you much longer than the game would have.

Where is Millbrae anyway? Spent my whole life in California and can't say that I ever heard of it.

[BajaRon]

I'm really glad this thread is still going....

I am surprised that this thread has lasted so long. This is an active forum and very few threads have long legs because of that.

It is really great to hear about all the good stuff surrounding the Spyder and those that experience it.

Makes me want to get out there and RIDE! :thumbup:

[Raptor]

You put it very well! Sounds like a great ride and a great day! It will last you much longer than the game would have.

Where is Millbrae anyway? Spent my whole life in California and can't say that I ever heard of it.

Howzit, Baja!! -

Millbrae is a little City that is 13 miles South of San Francisco on the penisula near SFO Airport. We are right in the middle of hiways 101 and 280, just a quick hop over to the coast and not far from Crystal Springs Reservoir. It's actually a great spot for us riders because almost any kind of riding you wish to do is right there at your finger tips! :ohyea:

[2spyders]

Howzit, Baja!! -

Millbrae is a little City that is 13 miles South of San Francisco on the penisula near SFO Airport. We are right in the middle of hiways 101 and 280, just a quick hop over to the coast and not far from Crystal Springs Reservoir. It's actually a great spot for us riders because almost any kind of riding you wish to do is right there at your finger tips! :ohyea:

Good to know - we're going to be in SF next month & we were just saying that we should rent an RT and do a little riding while we are there.
:clap:

[BajaRon]

Howzit, Baja!! -

Millbrae is a little City that is 13 miles South of San Francisco on the penisula near SFO Airport. We are right in the middle of hiways 101 and 280, just a quick hop over to the coast and not far from Crystal Springs Reservoir. It's actually a great spot for us riders because almost any kind of riding you wish to do is right there at your finger tips! :ohyea:

Ok, well, I don't feel so bad then. California is a big place and there are a lot of places I've not been (or been but don't remember). Nice area to ride though.

[Star Cruiser]

I LOVE the SE5 shifter.