Bit the Bullet

[JacqueTanis]

I just sold my Honda Shadow Spirit 750 DC - still have my BMW F650GS - am flying from NM to TX to pick up my new "Angel::ani29: ST Limited next Tuesday then riding around Texas, Oklahoma (as long as there are no tornado's in the area) and New Mexico for 6 days (4 of them on my own). I'm a little nervous but I test drove one last week and fell in love. I figured a week in the saddle would be a great way to "break myself in".

One question - I've read a lot on this forum about an easy learning curve if you're used to ATVs. I was an ATV Saftey Instructor for 7 years and one thing we taught our students was to lean into the curve (butt partially off the seat depending on the curve). So, what do I do with my Spyder? I know it won't handle like my bike - (not the same lean as an ATV anyway) and that I've been told not to power out of the curve. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Sny]

There's some threads in the general forum with a lot more information about shifting and what not to do. Search around for them.

A lot of what you know from ATV's apply... but the speeds might feel different.

I prefer power on coming out of a curve as opposed to power off... a little acceleration makes it feel a lot more planted. That said, it's easy to give it too much throttle (the ST throttle seems extremely light to me compared to my cable driven GS).

Be especially careful at low speeds. It can surprise you. I've seen a lot of confident, but new, Spyder pilots do some interesting gymnastics at low speeds.

You will feel more in control if you lean in like you would on an ATV. You can even slip your butt off to one side if you're going for some really hard corners, but I recommend you easy into those after you've got some mileage behind you.

A great tip that seems to work for most people is lean forward and to the inside like you're going to kiss the back of your hand. It lowers your center of gravity and puts your upper body strength directly behind the bars where you have the most control.

Make sure you're comfortable with it around town before trying higher speeds. Do the practice drills from the book. They will help you get familiar with the way it responds to your inputs.

Don't forget to hydrate while you play, it's easy to forget and mess things up.

All in all, be patient, take breaks and have fun.

[MrLooney]

:welcome: and to the SL.com Family. :congrats: on your new :spyder2: too.

Get some pic and post here for all to see.

As for your questions I will leave that all to the more experienced owners who will chime in soon to welcome you and give you their $0.02 worth

Ryde On

[SpyderAnn01]

:welcome:

[JacqueTanis]

There's some threads in the general forum with a lot more information about shifting and what not to do. Search around for them.

A lot of what you know from ATV's apply... but the speeds might feel different.

I prefer power on coming out of a curve as opposed to power off... a little acceleration makes it feel a lot more planted. That said, it's easy to give it too much throttle (the ST throttle seems extremely light to me compared to my cable driven GS).

Be especially careful at low speeds. It can surprise you. I've seen a lot of confident, but new, Spyder pilots do some interesting gymnastics at low speeds.

You will feel more in control if you lean in like you would on an ATV. You can even slip your butt off to one side if you're going for some really hard corners, but I recommend you easy into those after you've got some mileage behind you.

A great tip that seems to work for most people is lean forward and to the inside like you're going to kiss the back of your hand. It lowers your center of gravity and puts your upper body strength directly behind the bars where you have the most control.



Make sure you're comfortable with it around town before trying higher speeds. Do the practice drills from the book. They will help you get familiar with the way it responds to your inputs.

Don't forget to hydrate while you play, it's easy to forget and mess things up.

All in all, be patient, take breaks and have fun.

I'm so excited - nervous about those 4 days on my own but my husband calls it "Jacque's Great Adventure" and ya know what? He's right!:yes:

[Chupaca]

On the bullet anyway..congrats and hope to see pic's soon. As for leaning the the roadster will tell you lest you want to fall off. Enjoy the travel back home..!! :ohyea::ohyea:

[Oldmanzues]

Welcome. I can only use words, not the icons. Good luck on your trip. Take it slow for awhile. I believe power out is a good thing, but with care. A strong right wrist can get you in trouble. Keep the revs up and watch even light pleasure on the brake pedal. I just remembered there is thread on here about dos and don"t on here, do a search and find that.
I was also a ATV Instructor. A lot of things do carry over, but to me, the butt shift is for going really fast and that should wait a bit.
Have a uestion, ask.
Oldmanzues

[NancysToy]

The Spyder responds very well to weight shifting, leaning as you do on the ATVs. I like to describe it as trying to kiss the knuckles on your inside hand in a turn. You probably won't shift your butt on the seat as much, although you surely can do so if you wish. As to powering out of the curve (after the apex), it is of benefit. Just remember that you have substaial power there, so don't get carried away, especially on poor surfaces, or you may end up with the traction control kicking in. BTW, the Spyder seems to like a little trail braking in the curves, too. I'd highly recommend that you set up the skills course in the manual (or DVD) and do some parking lot practice. Your questions will be answered in short order with a little practice time, and you will know what to expect.

[Bob Denman]

If you've got some saddle-time on a quad;you're good to go! :2thumbs::welcome:
:lecturef_smilie:Just take a ltitle time to adjust to the higher speeds... ;)
And we'll all want to hear about your adventure when you're safely back home!

[MrLooney]

I'm so excited - nervous about those 4 days on my own but my husband calls it "Jacque's Great Adventure" and ya know what? He's right!:yes:


search for my posts back in Dec. 2012 Oregon Bound.. My great Adventure was nothing short of FABULOUS:yes::yes:
I picked up my Regifted Roadster in Park City Utah and headed for F.W. Tex. then to Oregon. First ride on a roadster was 10 minutes in bitter cold no helmet and no hair... froze my brain for the next week. next day as it begins to snow I jump on the saddle and head down the mountain quickly running into over an inch of snow on the freeway and more than 2 inches on the safety lane where I was driving..... many miles later it finally begins to thaw out. from there smooth sailing until HWY 40 East. HA HA HA.... read the stories....

Welcome Aboard and love the ADVENTURE

[Bob Denman]

Just remember; :lecturef_smilie: Stay away from "That Denman guy"...
He's usually up to no good! :yikes:
68980

[PrairieSpyder]

:congrats: Can't wait for some pics!

[daveinva]

:welcome:

I'll ditto what Sny and Scotty wrote above, with one caveat: at *most* speeds, any lean (versus and actual butt-cheek shift) you are doing on the Spyder is for YOUR benefit, not the bike's. Meaning, a little weight shift to the inside isn't doing much if anything to keep the Spyder planted-- an upper torse lean ain't going to counteract the bike's weight and the force of physics-- but it helps keep *you* planted, and more comfortable in turns. The Spyder can make you feel like you're about to be thrown off LONG before you are actually at any risk of such a thing.

It's only when you're doing very sharp low- and high-speed cornering that I find shifting your butt off to the inside isn't an option but a requirement. Even then, I don't need to shift more than a cheek-width forward and inside to do the trick. Although, I admit, I have been known to hang off even further to the inside on certain corners... :doorag::clap:

[kubie]

I was never an instructor on a 4 wheeler but I rode a lot of them in my day. So with that said, When I got the Spyder I jumped on and never looked back. you won't have any problems transferring from a quad to the Spyder. So just Relax. and have a blast!!!

Good Ryding
Kubie

[ARtraveler]

:welcome: and :congrats: on the new :ani29: and the upcoming adventure. The advice is great and I wont repeat it here.

Do keep us posted on the adventures of the trip, and post some pictures if possible. :thumbup:

[bcoulter19]

Congratulation!!! and remember that the spyder likes a little higher rpm's the shift points are close to around 5k. I hope you have a great time.

Bill