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Griffjag
10-11-2010, 08:05 AM
Hey all I am new to this forum, and trying to decieded if the spider is the right bike/ trike for me. Please excuse my spelling I suck at it.

I have a very bad leg, (they would replace it if not for my age. I am 46). I dropped one of my firstabout 15 years ago and severly compressed my left leg. since then I have develpoed 3 buldging disks.

I did 4600 miles this summer on my honda VTX 1300R and by the time I was done my leg was on fire. not to mention all the nights I woke up in the middle of the night with screamimng pain.

So I have started looking at Trikes for better suspension and a friend of mine said I should look at the spider.

I have sat a a couple of them and the seat seams too close for my 6' 0 frame and not that confortable. I would really need a back rest.

So now that the preamble is over here is some of my questions and being an engineer there will be more coming.

1) can the seat be changed out/ fixed to make it more confortable?

2) Can I make some adjustments to it to get a more confortable ride?

3) I have heard from my friends who ride the the spider is too resposive as compared to a 2 wheel bike? not sure how to answer that ?

4) What can I do with the spider to get more leg positions?

5) How confortable are they on all day rides? I like to go 3 or 4 hunderd some times for lunch.

6) I like to tourer is the tourer the way to go?

Thanks for listening and all your help.
6)

SpyderRyder2B
10-11-2010, 08:42 AM
Hey all I am new to this forum, and trying to decieded if the spider is the right bike/ trike for me. Please excuse my spelling I suck at it.

I have a very bad leg, (they would replace it if not for my age. I am 46). I dropped one of my firstabout 15 years ago and severly compressed my left leg. since then I have develpoed 3 buldging disks.

I did 4600 miles this summer on my honda VTX 1300R and by the time I was done my leg was on fire. not to mention all the nights I woke up in the middle of the night with screamimng pain.

So I have started looking at Trikes for better suspension and a friend of mine said I should look at the spider.

I have sat a a couple of them and the seat seams too close for my 6' 0 frame and not that confortable. I would really need a back rest.

So now that the preamble is over here is some of my questions and being an engineer there will be more coming.

1) can the seat be changed out/ fixed to make it more confortable?

2) Can I make some adjustments to it to get a more confortable ride?

3) I have heard from my friends who ride the the spider is too resposive as compared to a 2 wheel bike? not sure how to answer that ?

4) What can I do with the spider to get more leg positions?

5) How confortable are they on all day rides? I like to go 3 or 4 hunderd some times for lunch.

6) I like to tourer is the tourer the way to go?

Thanks for listening and all your help.
6)

In my opinion, the Spyder is the perfect ryde. Have you sat on and ridden the RT? It has you more in an upright position. I have the RT SE5, and have installed a back rest from Utopia. Since I have the semi-automatic, the shifting is done with the thumb, so the leg isn't involved. Only for braking which is the right side. I find the RT to be very responsive, extremely comfortable and worth every penny! I have ryden for 5 hours with no break -(in traffic, rural roads and interstate combined). All of our rides have a little of everything - since we are in NYC.

There are many others on this board that can tell you more about mods -- other than the backrest and the GPS mount I haven't changed anything. You should do a search for the various mods, but I'm sure the more knowledgeable ryders will respond quite quickly and with lots of information to your questions today.

docdoru
10-11-2010, 08:43 AM
welcome
1 and 2: yes
3. no
4. corbin seat, pegs and high rise handlebars
5. very much so
6. N/A

NancysToy
10-11-2010, 09:39 AM
Hey all I am new to this forum, and trying to decieded if the spider is the right bike/ trike for me. Please excuse my spelling I suck at it.

I have a very bad leg, (they would replace it if not for my age. I am 46). I dropped one of my firstabout 15 years ago and severly compressed my left leg. since then I have develpoed 3 buldging disks.

I did 4600 miles this summer on my honda VTX 1300R and by the time I was done my leg was on fire. not to mention all the nights I woke up in the middle of the night with screamimng pain.

So I have started looking at Trikes for better suspension and a friend of mine said I should look at the spider.

Not sure that I would describe it as better suspension. The RT is probably softer than your VTX, but then again, so is a Goldwing. The real advantage to the Spyder is stability.

I have sat a a couple of them and the seat seams too close for my 6' 0 frame and not that confortable. I would really need a back rest.

Russell Day-Long, and some others can custom build a seat to place3 you where you wish. Which model Spyder did you sit on, or do both feel that way? You might try again on the RT...not reaching forward so far is better for your back.

So now that the preamble is over here is some of my questions and being an engineer there will be more coming.

1) can the seat be changed out/ fixed to make it more confortable?

Yes, BRP makes an accessory seat for the RS, and Corbin, Russell Day-Long, Rick Mayer, and others make or modify seats...often to the customer's wishes. Some, like Russell, will do adjustments for free. If you are in the right location, many can fit you at their shops.

2) Can I make some adjustments to it to get a more confortable ride?

Seats are not adjustable, but can be recontoured by some manufacturers. Some backrests are adjustable. There are adjustable handlebar risers for the RS, but nothing for the RT that I know of.

3) I have heard from my friends who ride the the spider is too resposive as compared to a 2 wheel bike? not sure how to answer that ?

:hun: The ride is totally different, so it is difficult to compare. More like a sports car than anything, IMO. New Spyder riders usually do have to get used to relaxing their grip and letting it go down the road, though. Take a demo ride or two, that should give you an idea. You get used to it in a couple hundred miles.

4) What can I do with the spider to get more leg positions?

There are highway pegs and footboards available on the aftermarket for both models. Positions are limited however, and the stance is wide. Your right foot/ankle may get hot, too.

5) How confortable are they on all day rides? I like to go 3 or 4 hunderd some times for lunch.

My butt hurts just sitting on my couch, and I just did a couple of 600 mile days on my RT. I can't ride my wife's RS that far at one stretch, although it is more comfortable than my BMW RT. Others have done much more mileage in a day, though, on both models. This is a very personal thing, we are all built differently. A demo ride will give you an idea.

6) I like to tourer is the tourer the way to go?

Again, a personal decision, based on your wants and needs. We have one of each, and they each have their strong points. For performance, handling, and the ability to accessorize to your needs, the RS would be my choice. For ergonomic comfort, weather protection, carrying a passenger, storage capacity, and luxuries like an audio system, the RT does a better job. Figure out what you need, sit in the seat a long while, ride each one a few times, look at the available accessories, then make your choice.

Thanks for listening and all your help.

welcome

DragonLorD
10-11-2010, 09:46 AM
Hey all I am new to this forum, and trying to decieded if the spider is the right bike/ trike for me. Please excuse my spelling I suck at it.

I have a very bad leg, (they would replace it if not for my age. I am 46). I dropped one of my firstabout 15 years ago and severly compressed my left leg. since then I have develpoed 3 buldging disks.

I did 4600 miles this summer on my honda VTX 1300R and by the time I was done my leg was on fire. not to mention all the nights I woke up in the middle of the night with screamimng pain.

So I have started looking at Trikes for better suspension and a friend of mine said I should look at the spider.

I have sat a a couple of them and the seat seams too close for my 6' 0 frame and not that confortable. I would really need a back rest.

So now that the preamble is over here is some of my questions and being an engineer there will be more coming.

1) can the seat be changed out/ fixed to make it more confortable?

2) Can I make some adjustments to it to get a more confortable ride?

3) I have heard from my friends who ride the the spider is too resposive as compared to a 2 wheel bike? not sure how to answer that ?

4) What can I do with the spider to get more leg positions?

5) How confortable are they on all day rides? I like to go 3 or 4 hunderd some times for lunch.

6) I like to tourer is the tourer the way to go?

Thanks for listening and all your help.
6)


sounds to me like Spyder RT SE5 with :2thumbs: Corbin seat, utopia rider backrest and set or two of highway pegs or RT sealboards (when they ready), Lamont's handbreak conversion and JB-pro would be machine built just for you

ARtraveler
10-11-2010, 11:31 AM
welcome to the site. Doc and Scotty have you covered as far as answering your questions. I would add .02 cents about backrest. If you get the Corbin seat--go for the Corbin backrest. The Utopia works fine on the stock seat---but I like Corbin on Corbin better.

fastfraser
10-11-2010, 12:50 PM
welcome As posted Doc and Scotty have you covered.

Gimpy Girl
10-11-2010, 08:28 PM
welcome
Like the others answered, there are a lot of good things you can do to your Spyder. Footboards are great, and highway pegs help out a lot. Seats can be changed or reworked, but the real thing is how stable the Spyder is. I came off a Harley Roadking, due to a bad accident and am unable to hold up a bike any longer. When you take the Spyder for a test ride, you'll feel like your going to flip over. I rode mine in an empty parking lot for a long time, and in a few hundred miles, it all 'clicked' and now it's a great feeling!
Test ride it a few times and see if your comfy on it. The RT is supposed to be a super comfy ride for touring, but I've never ridden it.
Good luck on your search!!

sealfloorboards
10-29-2010, 02:44 PM
Hey all I am new to this forum, and trying to
decieded if the spider is the right bike/ trike for me. Please excuse my spelling I suck at it.

I have a very bad leg, (they would replace it if not for my age. I am 46). I dropped one of my firstabout 15 years ago and severly compressed my left leg. since then I have develpoed 3 buldging disks.

I did 4600 miles this summer on my honda VTX 1300R and by the time I was done my leg was on fire. not to mention all the nights I woke up in the middle of the night with screamimng pain.

So I have started looking at Trikes for better suspension and a friend of mine said I should look at the spider.

I have sat a a couple of them and the seat seams too close for my 6' 0 frame and not that confortable. I would really need a back rest.

So now that the preamble is over here is some of my questions and being an engineer there will be more coming.

1) can the seat be changed out/ fixed to make it more confortable?

2) Can I make some adjustments to it to get a more confortable ride?

3) I have heard from my friends who ride the the spider is too resposive as compared to a 2 wheel bike? not sure how to answer that ?

4) What can I do with the spider to get more leg positions?

5) How confortable are they on all day rides? I like to go 3 or 4 hunderd some times for lunch.

6) I like to tourer is the tourer the way to go?

Thanks for listening and all your help.
6)

Hi Griffjag,

For me it was not so much a matter of the seat being too close, it was that I couldn't sit in the sport position with my knees bent and feet back. I designed the Seal FloorBoard to give me the ability to move my feet around and change up my seating position. I also moved my handlebars 2" up and 5" back (Helibar). Those two mods made all the difference in the world to me. For the RT model, I designed the floorboard to accommodate my 6'6", 350 lb. friend 8 Legged Freak. He,s a giant and now sits in a comfortable, easy riding position and can stretch out as if he had foot pegs over the wings.

Check them out. I have pix's of his RT on my website too. Good luck!

John
sealfloorboards.com

Big Bird
12-29-2010, 05:51 PM
I have two replaced knees, degerative disc disease with arthritis thru out my spine and joints... there are a lot of talented folks to help with any issues once you have one... I'd get a used one off eBay (make sure it is what they say it is) and that way you aren't carving on a expensive bank note...
Glenn
P.S. I got mine on eBay... went to Wis to get it and drove it home to SC...gj:2thumbs: