eaglemrpaul
06-13-2013, 06:25 AM
I purchased a Spyder RT first and foremost for safety reasons. I haven't ridden a cycle for 30 years. Back then I was on 2 wheels and had a car pull away from a stop sign in front of me. Totaled the bike but luckily I walked away unhurt. I figured that I had burnt up enough lives so I would try something else. Got my private pilots licence. There's less traffic up there. Training to be a pilot is all about preparing for emergencies, planning ahead, and being fully aware of the airplanes performance, your surroundings, and your own abilities. These are concepts that served me well in the air as well as on the road in automobiles.
Last Sunday afternoon I was driving home from a day trip. I was traveling out of a small town. The speed limit was 35 MPH. The only traffic on the road in front of me was a late model subcompact car 100 yards ahead. The car was slowing down and had it's right blinker flashing to turn into the main thoroughfare of a subdivision. When I was about 75 feet away, instead of turning right the driver decided that they were going to make a U-turn in front of me. My foot was instantly on the brake and I veered hard left. I was looking down at the cars front bumper as I prepared for impact. The car had crossed the centerline by 2 feet. I heard a tire squeal and the car stopped. The driver had finally seen me. I watched as the Spyder's right front fender cleared in front of the cars front bumper by about 12 inches. I can tell you that it felt like the Spyders right front had tipped down. With the hard braking and the severe turn to the left, I'm not sure if the suspension gave that much or if the left front tire had come off the ground. Once clear of that car's bumper I released the break and turned to the right to stay on the roadway. There must have been an angel on my shoulder. As I rolled to a stop I saw the car driving away in my rearview mirror.
I didn't think about what I was doing I reacted. The Spyder did everything it was supposed though and I'm more grateful than ever to be a Spyder owner. With the anti-lock brakes and all the momentum of the Spyders weight on the front tires due to the rapid deceleration, the front wheels never stopped turning and I never lost control. I know I never could have pulled off a maneuver like that under the same circumstances on 2 wheels. I'm not real confident I would have been able to pull it off on three either if the 2 tires made up the rear axle.
Great engineering BRP
Last Sunday afternoon I was driving home from a day trip. I was traveling out of a small town. The speed limit was 35 MPH. The only traffic on the road in front of me was a late model subcompact car 100 yards ahead. The car was slowing down and had it's right blinker flashing to turn into the main thoroughfare of a subdivision. When I was about 75 feet away, instead of turning right the driver decided that they were going to make a U-turn in front of me. My foot was instantly on the brake and I veered hard left. I was looking down at the cars front bumper as I prepared for impact. The car had crossed the centerline by 2 feet. I heard a tire squeal and the car stopped. The driver had finally seen me. I watched as the Spyder's right front fender cleared in front of the cars front bumper by about 12 inches. I can tell you that it felt like the Spyders right front had tipped down. With the hard braking and the severe turn to the left, I'm not sure if the suspension gave that much or if the left front tire had come off the ground. Once clear of that car's bumper I released the break and turned to the right to stay on the roadway. There must have been an angel on my shoulder. As I rolled to a stop I saw the car driving away in my rearview mirror.
I didn't think about what I was doing I reacted. The Spyder did everything it was supposed though and I'm more grateful than ever to be a Spyder owner. With the anti-lock brakes and all the momentum of the Spyders weight on the front tires due to the rapid deceleration, the front wheels never stopped turning and I never lost control. I know I never could have pulled off a maneuver like that under the same circumstances on 2 wheels. I'm not real confident I would have been able to pull it off on three either if the 2 tires made up the rear axle.
Great engineering BRP