Need advice on purchasing a spyder.

[zmracing]

We are looking at buying a Spyder for my wife to drive. We have test driven an RT but we are leaning towards purchasing an RS version instead. Can someone tell me if we put on longer bars will the driver sit in about the same location on an RS as an RT. We are also concerned about where the foot pegs are for the driver. It seems like your knees are bent too sharp and it would get uncomfortable after riding for a few miles. Are the pegs in the same spot on the RT's and the RS's? Also are there some good aftermarket foot pegs that would be better? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you

[Lamonster]

:welcome:

There are a ton of options to make the RS a more comfortable ride for your wife including risers and floorboards. If you go here to can checkout some of the vendors that offer these options.
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?28897-SpyderLovers-Supporting-Vendors

[Paula(Butch2025)]

We have an RS and have not done anything with the footpegs. We did put the BRP 1" riser on and another riser on the handlebars too, which really help you to sit up straighter. I am 5'5" and my husband is 6'5" and the set up works for both of us. I just got back from a 1200+ mile trip and the footpeg placement was never an issue for me. Like Lamont said check out the vendor on this site for any and all modifications, there are lots of options out there for the handlebars other than risers!

--Paula

[SpyderAnn01]

We are looking at buying a Spyder for my wife to drive. We have test driven an RT but we are leaning towards purchasing an RS version instead. Can someone tell me if we put on longer bars will the driver sit in about the same location on an RS as an RT. We are also concerned about where the foot pegs are for the driver. It seems like your knees are bent too sharp and it would get uncomfortable after riding for a few miles. Are the pegs in the same spot on the RT's and the RS's? Also are there some good aftermarket foot pegs that would be better? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you

Your legs are definitely bent more on the RS and for me it was just not comfortable. What are you planning on using the Spyder for? If it is for long trips you will probably be better off spending the extra money on the RT for both the added storage and for the comfort. Have you test driven the RS? If your dealer doesn't have one in stock for you to test drive call around and find one who does. They are very different machines.

Good luck with your decision. I love my RTS!

[NancysToy]

I think you definitely need to try both before you make a decision. The RS seating position is more extreme in both the arms and legs. The seats are quite different, too. Some of this can be changed with aftermarket or factory accessories, but you still need to have a reasonable starting point for your ergonomic preferences and needs. Remember, too, that changing these things costs money, and you can make an RS almost as costly as the base model RT in a pretty big hurry. Try them both, look into the available accessories, and study things a while. This is not a decision to rush into.

[daveinva]

Just because it's a Spyderlovers cliche doesn't mean that it's not true: if what you want is an RT, don't buy an RS with the plan to turn it into an RT.

Meaning, consider your likely riding style: Will you be riding close to home, or spending days out on the open road? If the former, the RS is a great purchase, and easily moddable as you desire. If the latter, I'd save your pennies for the RT.

What's funny is that I *knew* all of this before I bought my RS, and yet I *STILL* spent the past few months upgrading, at considerable expense, all the comfort and distance features to make it more RT-like. In hindsight, I probably should have saved my money and waited to buy the RT, it would have saved me a few modding headaches, but I have no actual regrets going with the RS.

RE: seating position on the RS, all people are different, of course. My arms and back didn't mind the stock position, but that particular lean on the stock seat hurt my hips and knees. With risers, the stock RS position is much improved, and after I install my footboards and pegs, I'm assuming I'll have all the variety in the world for long-distance touring.

Second the recommendation: test drive both. *Sit* on both, for a long time, don't just hop on and off in a showroom. You're spending real money, spend real time evaluating the Spyder.

Good luck!

[daveinva]

Dagnabbit... what Scotty said :thumbup:

[Lamonster]

I might add that I have 50K on my RS and I'll go anywhere on it and not think twice about it. It is as comfortable as you can get it and is better equipped than any of my bikes for the long haul.

That being said I would take the RT over the RS for a long trip and to be honest I jump on it more for short trips too. I like the hotrod look of the RS but the RT just fit's me better and I've been spoiled by all the gadgets that integrate on the RT and now that I've made it "cool" looking it is my ride of choice. :doorag:

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=29383&d=1312163545 (http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/album.php?albumid=15&attachmentid=29382)
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=27486&d=1305776379 (http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/album.php?albumid=15&attachmentid=27481)

[Dragonrider]

I spent thousands of $$ trying to get the RS to be comfortable - and useful as a touring bike. My final mod worked. I sold it and bought a RT.. You get more for you money on a Base RT than on a decked out RS. Then again, I have no use for "sport bike" and that style of painful riding…. JMHO

[ARtraveler]

RS vs. RT: Very talked about subject on several threads.

I have had both, similar to many others. The recommendation to test drive is a very good one--they both drive and feel different.

I also recommend driving the vehicle you buy for about 1000 miles, before adding to many mods--then you will know what YOU want.

My take on the differences: RS is more of a sport bike and RT is more of a touring bike. The ergonomics are set up accordingly. Crouch low for sport--upright and comfort options for touring.

I had one of the early 2008 GS's--since RT's were not invented yet. Turned it into a tourer and put over 22,000 miles on it before I traded it off on one of the first RTS's (#474). Put over $6,000 worth of "touring" ameneties on it--and still was not completely happy with it--because I was going for an ultra comfort tourer.

I now have 19,000 miles on my RTS and have not looked back since. My list of accessories are on my profile page. I have not spent too much on accessories because the RTS just don't need a lot of tweeking. My total for accessories is in the $2,000 range--and I am finished with adding any more.

Hope you find the information helpful. But "try before you buy" is a good suggestion I believe.

Good luck on your quest and let us know what you decide.

[SpydherLuv]

Ditto with everything that everyone has said already. RS vs RT is purely a personal choice as everyone's body is different and what feels and works well for some, just doesn't for others. I bought a GS (older version of RS) in March, put about $1,200 into it with risers, comfort seat, touring windshield, and comfy grips, but never got close to an RT-like machine. One thing I never considered, until I test drove an RT, was how much smoother the ride is with an RT vs the GS. At the time I owned the GS, I thought it was a pretty smooth machine....boy was I fooled. ;) I purchased in RT-S a few weeks ago and absolutely love it. I have not regretted my decision at all.
Have you thought about renting and driving each one for a day or two? Of course, that all depends on whether there is someone in your area who rents Spyders.

[fastfraser]

Put 25,000 miles on my 2009 SE5 (RS )and spent more than 10 grand trying to make the RS into a RT and never came close ! So I sold it and got a 2011 RTS. Give them both a good long test drive and then decide but if you are going to do some serious trips I would save myself time and money and go for the RT right out of the box you have one of the most comfortable tourers out there .

[napper39]

i bought the rs and put every thing you can to make it moore compfey,but now i want moore ,my legs are still at too much of a bend and i cant ride moore than 30 min at a time,so with the money i spent i could have got the rt.dont make that mistake,as i now want a rt.:yikes:

[Firefly]

We are looking at buying a Spyder for my wife to drive. We have test driven an RT but we are leaning towards purchasing an RS version instead. Can someone tell me if we put on longer bars will the driver sit in about the same location on an RS as an RT. We are also concerned about where the foot pegs are for the driver. It seems like your knees are bent too sharp and it would get uncomfortable after riding for a few miles. Are the pegs in the same spot on the RT's and the RS's? Also are there some good aftermarket foot pegs that would be better? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you

You've used a key word here that I think may be your deciding factor----- "WE".

If you're going to be riding 2-up a lot then I don't think there's much of a choice--- the RT is far superior for 2-up riding and passenger comfort.

Otherwise-- the RS is for a more sporty/spirited ride--- the RT is more for touring.... simple as that.

[zmracing]

Thank you for all of your replies. I have driven both an RS and an RT and personally I thought the RS drove a little nicer. The RT tended to sway a little and I didn't notice that on the RS. We are not sure if we would use the bike for long trips as I think that I will still rather take the Harley when we are out touring. My wife is not sure if she would rather drive her own bike on long trips or just ride with me. We know that she would like to drive her own bike when we are just taking short rides around home.

I have tried to rent bikes around here but I haven't found any dealers that will rent them out in MN. We are going to look at a couple of RS's this weekend and then decide. If we like the RS our plan is to buy a used one and see how it goes. If we decide that we are going to use if for longer trips I hope we will trade it in for an RT before we spend too much on accesaries. It looks to me like it would cost close to 30K for a new RT by the time you get a couple of accesaries and pay the tax and license, I think we can get a low mile used RS for about half that costs and then see if we use it that much.

Thanks again for all of your replies.

[spyder3]

Thank you for all of your replies. I have driven both an RS and an RT and personally I thought the RS drove a little nicer. The RT tended to sway a little and I didn't notice that on the RS. We are not sure if we would use the bike for long trips as I think that I will still rather take the Harley when we are out touring. My wife is not sure if she would rather drive her own bike on long trips or just ride with me. We know that she would like to drive her own bike when we are just taking short rides around home.

I have tried to rent bikes around here but I haven't found any dealers that will rent them out in MN. We are going to look at a couple of RS's this weekend and then decide. If we like the RS our plan is to buy a used one and see how it goes. If we decide that we are going to use if for longer trips I hope we will trade it in for an RT before we spend too much on accesaries. It looks to me like it would cost close to 30K for a new RT by the time you get a couple of accesaries and pay the tax and license, I think we can get a low mile used RS for about half that costs and then see if we use it that much.

Thanks again for all of your replies.

There has been some good deals on low milage RT's also. Right around 20k. good luck on whatever you guys decide to buy.:clap:

[Motogordo]

I test drove a used RS a couple of months ago at the dealer (East Coast Cycle Center, Bensalem,Pa. ) I then tried the 2011 RTS/SE5. Two days later I bought the RTS/SE5. It is soooo much more comfortable, plus it has all the touring goodies already built in. I prefer the sitting straight up touring position. I have had almost 50 motorcycles in my many years of riding. I think what I was looking for was a Goldwing Trike. If there was one of those and the Spyder at the same time, I might have had a tough time deciding which one to buy. Actually, I never saw a Spyder before, until BRP started advertising on TV. After talking to the dealers that sell both Wings and Spyders, they actually recommended the Spyder for safety and handling. The GW is the best touring machine ever, but they are not happy with the TRIKE configuration. Unfortunately, I never drove a trike, so I don't know how I would feel when going around corners. I am not a speeder and don't fly around corners. I just love to ride and take my time. I must admit that the GW trikes are beautiful machines. A new one loaded and triked out will cost about $40,000. The base model starts about $22,000 and the trike conversions installed run about $12,000- $14,000. The Spyder RTS/SE5 runs $27,000 and the LTD runs around $28,000. It has a few more electronic goodies. All things considered, it is really a matter of how you ride and which model appeals to you. They are both great, and I am sure you won't go wrong with either. I believe the attraction to the GW trikes is the fact that it definitely looks like a motorcycle. The Spyder doesn't look like anything out there. It is one of a kind and you have to drive them for a while just to get used to the way it handles. I have just over 2,000 miles on mine now and love it more and more each day. It's not cheap to maintain due to so much "Tupperware" on the outside that has to be removed to do the servicing. Hey, Mercedes Benz is not so cheap to service either. LOL. Wouldn't it be nice if BRP had the free maintenance services that almost all the car companies now have. I guess I will have to wait until "Elephants Fly" before that will happen. I can always hope.

Gordon
p.s. On a straight smooth road, nothing beats the smoothness and quiet of the Goldwing.