UPDATE: Is my new machine just NOT made for those twisty-turnies?

[JacqueTanis]

Well I've tried to incorporate everything you've all suggested on my practice ride last Sunday. 80 miles round trip - took it nice and slow and my husband followed behind acting as blocker on any cars coming up fast behind. I stayed a little above the speed limit, until I came to left hand turns. For some reason they give me trouble, I almost panic, slow way down, follow the curve then try to power out. I have been pushing my foot down hard on the outside floorboard and that does help considerably. Also have been really concentrating on pushing and pulling. I'm going to be patient and give myself some time to adjust to this new ryde! Tomorrow is another practice day - only 40 miles of twisties, Looking for improvement. Thank you so much for all of your suggestions ... YOU ROCK ...:ohyea:

[BajaRon]

There are a lot of things that can help with getting through turns. I don't know what has been suggested so far but it is important to look through the curve in the road, not at it. You go where you look. If you look AT a turn you'll go the point where you were looking and have trouble.

You want to go THROUGH the turn so you want to look through the turn. Don't let your eyes focus on a particular point because you will ride to that point. Force yourself to look ahead.

It's good to practice this when you don't need it so it will be 2nd nature when you do.

Same thing for avoiding pot holes or debris in the road. Do Not Look at the obstacle! You'll have a very hard time avoiding it if you do. You will go where your eyes are focused and if you're focusing on where you Don't want to go that is a problem. Always look where you Do want to go.

[SpyderAnn01]

That is great advice Ron. It reminds me of one of my favorite books The Art of Racing in the Rain, which is a story told by a dog who is owned by a race car driver. The dog learns from his master that the car will go where the eyes are looking. It is good advice for life in general - if you look at the brick wall your life may just wind up smashed into it.

Jacque, give it some time and I'm sure you will overcome your fears and learn to love the Spyder like we all have. Good luck.

[Rayelljay]

You cannot learn these techniques overnight....you must give it time...some fall into it instinctively where others need a little practice. Learn at your own pace and not the pace others may impose upon you....I've an RS since 2011 and I'm still learnin'. Yes you can kinda stand on the outside leg but I was taught to grip the machine between your knees and you will develop your own style.

[Bob Denman]

:agree: it takes time and patience; something that most of us can't WAIT to acquire! ;)

[WV Spyder Ryder]

:agree: after coming off 2 wheels onto 3, I white knuckled for the first 300 to 400 miles relaxing a bit.

[Ga Blue Knight]

:agree: With the above! I rode two wheelers for 40 years and was terrified the first time I rode a Spyder. I though that it was going to turn over! Well you can't and it won't! Just keep practicing it will come in time, mile by mile.

[quickster47]

It reminds me of one of my favorite books The Art of Racing in the Rain, which is a story told by a dog who is owned by a race car driver. The dog learns from his master that the car will go where the eyes are looking. It is good advice for life in general - if you look at the brick wall your life may just wind up smashed into it.

Fantastic book and one of my all time favorites.

Don't know if this has been mentioned but when you are turning right pull your right knee in and press it hard against the tank. If turning left pull your left knee in and press it hard against the left side of the tank.

Carl

[SpyderMouse22]

Well I've tried to incorporate everything you've all suggested on my practice ride last Sunday. 80 miles round trip - took it nice and slow and my husband followed behind acting as blocker on any cars coming up fast behind. I stayed a little above the speed limit, until I came to left hand turns. For some reason they give me trouble, I almost panic, slow way down, follow the curve then try to power out. I have been pushing my foot down hard on the outside floorboard and that does help considerably. Also have been really concentrating on pushing and pulling. I'm going to be patient and give myself some time to adjust to this new ryde! Tomorrow is another practice day - only 40 miles of twisties, Looking for improvement. Thank you so much for all of your suggestions ... YOU ROCK ...:ohyea:



I bought and rode an RSS last year. I did around 2000 on it. This year i bought an ST Limited. The ST is easier for me to ride and corners are coming along easier. Having the handle bars closer and higher helps me. I never rode before last year and am still learning. The best tip I have got so far is whatever your comfort zone is stay in it and you will be fine. I ride alot in the evening and stay out of traffic when i practice my turns. Good luck to you and after every mile you will be that much better. One more thing relax on the grip.

[ARtraveler]

I am so glad to hear that things are looking up for you. :2thumbs:.

I now have over 80,000 miles on :spyder2:'s. That said, I found the first 1500 miles or so to be very intimidating on the curves. I always felt like I was going to go out of control--but never did. I never rode so agressively that the nanny came on.

I had a lot to "unlearn" since I was a two-wheeler driver for over 40 years.

It sounds like you have taken advice given earlier to heart. Now, it just amounts to time in the saddle, and before you know it, you will be riding without any fears or problems.

I have taught two "brand new to riding" people how to ride the :spyder2:. We started out just like you are. Each ride gets a bit more easy. After about 500 miles, they were both riding like pros. Akspyderlady now has 7500 miles on since last July. She has ridden a lot of the State on her :ani29:, with no problems whatsoever.

Give it time, and you will be telling us what a great time you are having.

[asp125]

40 miles? Heck, the Spyder will to 120mi to the tank, repeat that 40mi 3 times! :D


... I stayed a little above the speed limit, until I came to left hand turns. For some reason they give me trouble, I almost panic, slow way down, follow the curve then try to power out. ..

Are the roads crowned where you ride? That is, do they slope down towards the gutters and shoulder? One reason lefts are harder than rights, may be that on crowned roads, you feel like the road is falling away from you. Psychologically that may contribute to the feeling of tipping over. Another reason could be that lefts are generally faster than rights, especially at intersections. That generates more G-forces than you are currently comfortable with.

It'll come to you. Patience and seat time, you'll get there.

[Ron Parks]

I had the same experience at first. I rode two wheelers for about 35 years. Part of the learning curve was to gain confidence in how stable the Spyder really is and learn how far you can go without the inner wheel lifting. It helps a lot if you lean into the curves, almost like you are on a two wheeler, and also lean forward a bit. That helps overcome the feeling that the bike wants to toss you off the outside of the curve. At 1,900 miles, I am now very comfortable with it. If a curve is posted at 40 MPH, I have no problem taking it at 55 or 60, and obviously the bike has even more ability, but I don't want to push it. So far Nanny hasn't stepped in to save me from myself except for getting on the gas too much when taking a corner at an intersection. The other day I had the rear tire step out an inch or two on such a turn, but no big deal. It is as stable as a car when you encounter sand/gravel or other slippery conditions. One thing to watch out for is hydroplaning when there is a lot of water lying on the road, such as during a heavy rain. Slow down in those conditions and do not use the cruise control.

[diesel-dawg]

I am not an expert by any means, but I have put over 100k miles cumulatively on my numerous trikes. With all trikes, to include the spyder, a critical part of processing the curve correctly is to attempt to keep in a straight line for as long as possible. The way to do that is to always do the outside-inside-outside (OIO) strategy for entering, apexing, and leaving a curve. Depending on the bend of the curve, you should couple the OIO technique with accelerating through the curve...coming out of it faster than going into it. You then can lean into the curve, but leaning does not perform any benefit other than make you more comfortable in the curve. If you use acceleration (moderately) and OIO, I find leaning is not necessary for me. Others may not find that true for them. Hope this helps.

Ken

[justanoldguy]

Well I've tried to incorporate everything you've all suggested on my practice ride last Sunday. 80 miles round trip - took it nice and slow and my husband followed behind acting as blocker on any cars coming up fast behind. I stayed a little above the speed limit, until I came to left hand turns. For some reason they give me trouble, I almost panic, slow way down, follow the curve then try to power out. I have been pushing my foot down hard on the outside floorboard and that does help considerably. Also have been really concentrating on pushing and pulling. I'm going to be patient and give myself some time to adjust to this new ryde! Tomorrow is another practice day - only 40 miles of twisties, Looking for improvement. Thank you so much for all of your suggestions ... YOU ROCK ...:ohyea:

I didn't see any mention in the replies of Leaning into the Curve as you enter that curve. At first I actually slid my rear end on the seat to the inside of the curve and leaned well to the inside with my upper body. After several thousand miles I modified that technique to only lean with my upper body, with my head / helmet almost touching the handlebar grip on the inside curve. That modification allowed me to keep a firm grip on BOTH the inside handlebar grip and the outside handlebar grip as well as keep in touch with the brake on the right side during left-hand turns. The Spyder will drift to the outside of the curve if your speed is too high for the curve. Just ease up on the rpms rather than braking to slow your speed.

Be patient with your learning curve. I had ridden my bike almost 1,000 miles before things started to come together. After one 1500 mile trip to southern New Mexico and a 2500 mile trip to Napa, Ca the comfort level has greatly improved.

Also, always keep a FIRM grip on the outside handlebar during turns... the steering on my STS is a bit stiff, so the additional support on the outside handlebar grip seems to make the control during turning more smooth/stable.

The wide front end was also a problem for me in the beginning.... I got way too close to curbs during left turns on city streets.

Enjoy your Spyder... I'm waiting on my trailer to do some serious touring!

[lookerjdc]

a lot of great advice in this thread so I wont write most of what others have written

but, it does come down to practice, practice, practice, so it becomes 2nd nature to you

its like learning to walk... you make mistakes when you start, and then it just becomes something you do without having to think about it

thats learning to ride your bike....pa

patience and enjoy

and, as justanold guy mentioned above, you have to decide for yourself what works best for you in terms of 'leaning into a turn' or 'shifting your weight as you go into a turn'

[flamingobabe]

Well I've tried to incorporate everything you've all suggested on my practice ride last Sunday. 80 miles round trip - took it nice and slow and my husband followed behind acting as blocker on any cars coming up fast behind. I stayed a little above the speed limit, until I came to left hand turns. For some reason they give me trouble, I almost panic, slow way down, follow the curve then try to power out. I have been pushing my foot down hard on the outside floorboard and that does help considerably. Also have been really concentrating on pushing and pulling. I'm going to be patient and give myself some time to adjust to this new ryde! Tomorrow is another practice day - only 40 miles of twisties, Looking for improvement. Thank you so much for all of your suggestions ... YOU ROCK ...:ohyea:

How would you do it on a bicycle? People tried to tell me push, pull do all these things and I went out on my bicycle and felt what I did and tried to copy it on the Spyder....plus I find that if I lean over the left handlebar...about to my left shoulder it helps and I take the left turns wide...you will figure it out...practice.....

[54spyder]

Not sure if you have a Spyder/3 wheel motorcycle safety course in your area but if you do, I would suggest taking it. Our local class had three Spyders that were supplied by BRP. My wife & I just completed the two day course with a couple of the exercises incorporating the handling ability (in turns) of the Spyder. My confidence in riding our Spyder (especially in turns) has increased tenfold! I actually got into a couple of situations where the Spyder started to roll onto two wheels and the bike started to shut down. If you can find a class, take it.

[StanProff]

Some people do a lot of body english when going into turns some do not, I do very little leaning. I probally lean a little but not enough to move my butt any. Upper torso and head will lean a little but very little. I just don't drive that aggressively i guess. For me the best thing anyone can do to get confidence in the spyder is a large open parking lot. Get out there and find the limits with the nanny. Do figure eights and keep putting on a little speed to make the spyder work hard (and yourself). You will find that the spyder has much greater limits than you might think. You'll also gain confidence in the Nanny when she takes over and you find all is well. You'll learn to do what comes natural for you in the curves but it is very helpful to know the limits of the machine. This will give you more confidence on the road.

[Highwayman2013]

I bought an RT for my wife and I ride a 2 wheeler. We recently went on a 2400 mile trip where we could both do the twisties. I went on the Spyder one day while my wife was occupied. I was riding aggressively on some back roads in WV. Since I don't have a lot of miles on the RT it was time to learn, I found leaning forward and into the turn worked for me. When I said this to my wife she said that's what she does. Miles and trying different things are what you need. Also going out by yourself sometimes may be better. Good luck you'll get it.:ohyea: