SpyderLovers- Why We Ride

[Lamonster]

I don't know how many of you have been able to see the new movie Why We Ride (http://whyweridefilm.com/) but I hear it's a great flick and is much like the film that inspired me to ride called On Any Sunday (https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/on-any-sunday/id282974293). After seeing that movie I knew I had to own my own motorcycle and it wasn't long after that I purchased with the help of my father a 1969 Kaw. 90
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=14270&d=1227445255

That was the beginning of a life long passion I have to this day. I've always loved anything with a motor in it and especially loved being in the wind. Fast forward through all my bikes and a long came a Spyder. At the time I had know idea that one day the Spyder would be such a big part of my life and that given the choice I would pick the Spyder over my bikes when it came time to go for a ride. Don't get me wrong, I still love motorcycles and always will but if I had to pick either or I'm here to say I would pick the Spyder.

I still have my M109R and my last bike was a F6B that a deer took out for me just last year. The bike was totaled and my wife and I suffered some pretty good roadrash and I can't help but wonder how much better we would have been if we had been on the Spyder instead of two wheels. That runs through my mind quite a bit now. That's not the only reason I now prefer the Spyder over a two wheeler but it is a big plus. Comfort wise it's hard to beat the RT and having owned many bikes over the years that I've traveled cross country on I can honestly say there is no bike that I've wanted to put so many miles on or felt so good after 900 to 1100 miles a day in the saddle. The mental stress that you have when the weather gets ugly on a bike is just not there on a Spyder and that makes for a more pleasurable ride. The weather protection is great on the RT and having a factory approved trailer package make it easy to access everything that you wanted to carry on a bike but couldn't. I can take off a month at a time and get everything I need in the Spyder and trailer and that's another big plus.

Physically I don't have a need to ride a Spyder and I know for many the Spyder has opened the doors for those who may not be so fortunate. Why I ride the Spyder is because it's unique, it's comfortable, it has lot's of storage, it draws a crowd everywhere you go, it's a great all weather ride with the added safety of the third wheel, but mostly I ride the Spyder because it's just a ton of fun to ride. It's not better or worst than a bike but it's different and I like different much like a four wheeler is different than a dirtbike. I've been riding Spyders since 2007 and lost track of how many miles I have on them now and how many times I've crossed the country on them but I know that I'm ready to kick off 2014 on the new RT-S and add at least another 30K next year to my Spyder adventures.

So the question to you is Why We SpyderLovers Ride :doorag:

Please post your reasons here for us all to read.:thumbup:


http://www.greaserag.com/images/Why-we-ride-cd.jpghttp://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=39805&d=1327188627

[nutz]

I'll sum up why as follows: I agree with you 100%. Nuff said, time to ride:bowdown:...

[Bob Denman]

We ride; to stay young!! :2thumbs:

[ARtraveler]

Thanks for posting how you feel about the sport. My first was similar to yours--a 1965 Yamaha 80--one lunger.

After that first motorcycle, the rest is history. Hard to explain--but there is just something about riding in the open air. Seeing the country from a cycle is so much better than from a cage. From that first 80cc cycle, it was then a quest for bigger and "better". 250, 305, 350, 400, 450, 650, 750, 800, 900, 1000, 1500, 2000, 998, and soon 1330. I have had the pleasure and privilege to ride and own over 40 assorted motorcycles since 1965. I never met one I did not like--although the 2000cc Kawi Vulcan was a handful for me (too heavy) in my later years.

When :spyder2: first came out (2008), I bought one because it was new and innovative. Never thought that I would lose my ability to ride on two. 2012 brought that to reality as I said farewell to my last two wheeler, the 900 Kawi Vulcan. :spyder2: still enables me to ryde and contuinue to enjoy the sport that has been my passion all my life. Currently, I have to walk with either a walking stick or walker, but that does not stop me from ryding the :spyder2:. I am also looking forward to what 2014 will bring. Here's to many more years for all of us.

[bruiser]

I can't add much more than that. I started with a Honda Super 90 back in 1969. Had a ball on that thing. Rode many types and sizes of motorcycles. I got out of riding for many years. When I wanted to get back in, Kris said no problem. But she wouldn't ride with me. She has a fear of two wheels. I didn't think it was fair for me to be back in the wind while she stayed behind. So I started looking. I did have a two wheeler, a Kaw 900 Vulcan. But I wanted her to enjoy the open road too. I test drove the Tri Glide, but didn't care for it. I looked at the Gold Wing trike. Nice, smooth, comfortable. But way out of my price range. One night I saw a 30 minute program on Speed Channel. It was Fred Rau riding an RT on the coast road in California. I knew I wanted to try that. I saw one at the local dealer. Stopped to look. Liked what I saw. Took Kris to see it. She liked what she saw. Two weeks later the 2010 RTS was in our garage. Took me some time to learn how to drive it. We had the first RTS in the area. I wasn't prepared for the star status. Then one day I asked Kris if she wanted to learn how to drive it. Two years later, we have two. We love to ride. To be out in the wind. We love to ride with friends. We love toy runs. We love charity runs. Most of all, we love to get out and just go. We've met a lot of nice folks and made new friends. And we found Spyderlovers.

[RidersInChrist]

We ride; to stay young!! :2thumbs:

agreed with bob ....To stay young !!!!

[chisel_maker]

I was at a woodworker’s seminar this summer and was talking to a young lady about the spyder. She seamed amazed that I was the one riding it. Somewhere in the conversion she asked “What are you doing on that thing”. The answer was simple. “I’m just an old man out having fun” :)

[spydaman60]

:agree::agree: I gotta agree with "chisel"(with a major addition to it) an old man and old lady, just having fun! i'll go one other thing that is unique to the open air concept and that is, we both enjoy the smell or scents of the areas we ride in. there's nothing like the smell of fresh balsam or douglas fir while riding in the Adirondacks, or the smell of campfires while driving by campgrounds. Nothing compares to fresh cut grass or hay as you pass the pastures and meadows in Vermont and the rest of New England. the smell of the ocean and salt water in NH and Maine rank right up there as well. I could go on and on, but you get the point!!!

[grumpybob]

I like to eat bugs, bees, & insects, small birds will also be welcomed!! I ride because it feels good and has felt good since 1968.

[Bob Denman]

:agree:80786

[Spyder Tony]

One word...FREEDOM.

Fire up the :spyder2:, hear the Two Bros Racing muffler sing that baritone note I love so much, and life's troubles instantly begin to melt away.

[FaranH]

Because now I can't NOT ride. nojoke

[Pennyrick]

We started out in Pontiac, Michigan in 1973. I was working with Andy Anderson at Anderson's Motor Sales on his ad program (I was the ad manager at the local newspaper) and while waiting to see him sat on a couple of bikes in the showroom. Two week's later my wife and I rolled out of there with two Honda CB 360T's. Andy's part of the deal was to also teach us to ride so we wheeled round his back lot for a few hours to get a sense of comfort before having them delivered home.

We had a vacant lot next door to our home and that became our learning track for a few weeks before we ventured on the road. Once we felt street-ready we added fairings, side bags, CB's (23 channel back in those days) and a few other farkles. Penny even wrote an article for Touring Bike Magazine about the challenges of being a lady biker in the early 70's.

From there we moved on to matching Suzuki GS 1000's nicely dressed out. My next was the first Honda Aspencade delivered in Ohio in late 1981. Lot's of different iron from there including an AMF Harley that is best forgotten.... more Suzukis....some Yamahas, a Valkyrie Interstate for me, a triked Burgman for her..... and then..... Boom! Her first ride on a Can Am RT! It is hard to negotiate a price when your wife wants to get it out the door and ride.

Finally I joined the fun with a 2011 RT to go with her 2010 RT. Now we plan to put about 30,000 miles or so (we're over half way there) on the 2012's and perhaps by 2015 we'll be ready to change again.

We ride because we can and we hope we can for a long, long time to come.

[Cruzr Joe]

1966, i had a Jawa 175, hooked ever since. I ride a spyder ........... Because i am lucky enough to be able to afford one.

Cruzr Joe

[Mayhem]

We ride for the therapy of it. After all the aggravations of work and life, when we ride the stress just melts away.

[retread]

Double Trouble, I was born and grew up in Pontiac, Andy's service manager, Paul, lived down the block from me, and got me started on a Cushman Pacemaker. That was when the shop was on Paddock, then they moved to Pike, just around the corner from the old shop, and then to Telegraph. I bought my first Spyder from Motor City, who took it over when Andy passed.
Anyway, all this started for me in 1954, and I've been on and around bikes ever since. Bikes, and now Spyders, have been good things for me.

john

[Cleg]

:agree::agree: I gotta agree with "chisel"(with a major addition to it) an old man and old lady, just having fun! i'll go one other thing that is unique to the open air concept and that is, we both enjoy the smell or scents of the areas we ride in. there's nothing like the smell of fresh balsam or douglas fir while riding in the Adirondacks, or the smell of campfires while driving by campgrounds. Nothing compares to fresh cut grass or hay as you pass the pastures and meadows in Vermont and the rest of New England. the smell of the ocean and salt water in NH and Maine rank right up there as well. I could go on and on, but you get the point!!!

In addition, when I was looking to buy new, the Mrs. said she liked the white one and now, what I thought might be an impediment to our life, certainly has become just the opposite. Not sure who loves the smells, sights and comfort more...but all I can say is Ryde on and be safe. :shemademe_smilie::agree::cheers::thumbup:

[Dan McNally]

I ride because it makes me happy. If I had a dollar for every time I've caught myself with a big ole grin on my face, just because I was in the wind, I wouldn't have bothered buying a lottery ticket this week! :clap::ohyea:

[lwrydr]

I ride because it's fun. I had my first ride on the back of a Vincent black Shawdow in 1960 or so and have liked bikes
ever since. This first one I owned was a 1965 Honda 305 Dream. Some lady pulled out in front of me and I crashed it.
But that did not stop me from riding. The list below is what I have had since I started. I now have 2800+ miles on the Spyder and and liking it more and more.

[Topshotta]

With no physical limitation and being in my early 30s, I ride a spyder because it is different and lots of fun. I have been there, done the 2 wheels and bought the t-shirts. I still have my v-star classic sitting in the garage but I can't get myself to ride it. Riding the spyder makes me happy, I feel safer and I am always smiling under my helmet while I ride. What can I say.....the :spyder2:is the next level for me.

[asp125]

Because I can choose to bounce my way through dirt, drag a knee through a corner, or cruise to a weekend rendezvous with my sweetie on three wheels, all for the price of a medium priced family sedan.

[NancysToy]

I am looking forward to seeing Why We Ride, but more for enjoyment than inspiration. I was already a veteran rider and racer when On Any Sunday came out, but I enjoyed it thoroughly and related to it nicely. If the new movie is anywhere near as good, it wil convey the joy and contentment we feel when we ride. I have driven, ridden, boated, and flown...and nothing compares to the wind in your face in the open air. Those of us who ride understand it, and it can't be explained to those who don't. Our motivations and rewards often differ, but we all love the same thing no matter what the reasons.

I think the main reason the Spyder is my preferred mode of open-air travel is The mental thing that Lamont referred to. Even though it may be physically more demanding than two wheels, at the end of the day I am less tired and more likely to enjoy the company of friends or see the sights than if traveling by bike. It really is less mentally fatiguing...especially in bad weather. I also had become quite uncomfortable riding two-up on two wheels. As I aged it was harder to keep the bike upright in certain situations, and I feared my diminishing skills and physical prowess might cause me to hurt my wife one day. When she got her Spyder we didn't have to ride two-up any longer...but we missed it. The RT filled the void and allowed us to travel together when we wished. Another plus is the ability of the Spydedr to tow a trailer. While it can be done with a bike, it isn't as easy, and I am not as comfortable. Now I don't think twice about hitching up one of the trailers.

Add in riding a somewhat unique and striking vehicle, the safety features, the weather protection, the stability, and the satisfaction of mastering riding a different type of vehicle, and the Spyder is a sure winner for me. It fits me to a "T" and I am thankful that BRP brought it to the market at just the right time in my life. I always wanted a big tourer, but didn't care for the bulk and the awkward slow speed handling two-up. The Spyder filled the bill with none of the difficulties.

[Yazz]

Didn't grow up with motorcycles. First time I rode a mini-bike, it went into a rose bush. Nuff said about that.

Got married, raised a son, in the late '90s, Hubbies job transfered us to Brisbane, Australia. Earned a license to pilot an ultralight, a Drifter. Loved getting my face in the wind! The Drifter is a taildragger and I was able to land that puppy in a 40 knot crosswind. Decided straight and level flying wasn't for me and started on my road to aerobatics. (The Drifter is a rag wing, cable sort of plane that was so draggy it couldn't reach VNE. Think of all the possibilities!) Adrenalin rush!!!

Got back to the states, went to school and got an A&P, to be able to build my Drifter. Went to work for a Raytheon service center. Alas, FAA (vs. CASA in Oz) states the Drifter is a "fat" ultralight and illegal. Sigh...

Worked for my PPL at Harvey and Reines. Debra Reines is a world class aerobatic flyer with many world titles. Love looking at her plane. I was able to take 9 G's without greying out. Flew a Citabria (aerobatic tail dragger with grunt) and had a few wrestling matches on cross wind landing with my instructor. LOL So much money going out... not saying it was my idea to leave that behind me...

Stayed working at the hangar because I loved wrenching and loved my boys. Great guys!

One Father's day Hubby stated he wanted a Harley. "Umm, if you get one, I get one." Learned to ride on his Deuce, got my own and relearned to ride on a Springer with buckhorns. Changed that to some apes somewhere down the road.

Got sick, couldn't ride two wheelies anymore. Another sigh...

Found the Spyder and it wasn't till that time in Gatlinburg, (you know who you are who are, ahead and behind me) that I felt that I was truly flying once again!

Yup, I'm a adrenalin junkie...

[Chupaca]

because it is an escape. I can ryde roads anywhere and feel like I am anywhere but there. I can leave the world behind and enjoy what god carved out up close and personal. I can meet people out there doing the same thing and we can enjoy each other. One has to let go and get out there to really know for it is way more than wind in you face and bugs on your teeth...I hope all can enjoy it as much we do...:ohyea::ohyea:

[murphybrown]

Never "captained" my own motorcycle. Only rode as passenger 3 times before my 70th BD..2 bad experiences #3 must have been good as I have no memories of that ride. Owned a Jeep and never put the top up...winter just bundled up like the abominable snowman and hit the road. Age 70 bucket list had a motorcycle on it...knew 2 wheels would be a death date for me..started looking at HD trike..great salesman asked what I wanted and I answered stability...he directed me toward the Spyder. Found on internet...found Spyderlovers.com...found a dealer in IL that would deal and had the silver RT I wanted. Purchased sight unseen...delivered to my house Memorial weekend 2010...the first few days was learning R and F (aka 1st) and to remember to set parking brake before turning off key...then a couple weeks of 5 a.m. sneaks up to WalMart parking lot (2 miles from home)...finally able to shift (not correctly way under rpm's)..at 3rd gear found a Evergreen course in Yakima, WA (3.5 hr ryde one way)...literally drove there under 45 mph on backroads, side of road...whatever so I wouldn't create a traffic "mess" .. graduated course...felt confident as King Kong..freewayed home...75 mph felt goooooooodddddd....and 70K miles later it all is GREAT...
Why do I ryde? I can come up with words but they reallllly don't describe the depth of joy, freedom, power, pleasure I feel when I ryde Ms Spyder. I started with NO knowledge, no mechanical ability [now I have just enough in both areas to be a pain in the butt to myself and others!!!) I ryde because I can...I ryde because I just love to..:thumbup::yes:
And not the least of is I ryde because of the Spyder and the wonderful folks "she" has attracted to me...Spyderlovers, you, top that list. :bowdown::bowdown: You are :firstplace:.

[Lamonster]

Thanks for all the great post. Keep them coming, I love reading them and I'm sure others do too. :thumbup:

[PistonBlown]

Why do I ride motorbikes? Well you could say it was genetic - according to my parents I was conceived in the sidecar of a Pather 600 combination! They were touring around Ireland, stopped at a pub and as my dad tells it "Had one too many pints of Guiness and threw precaution to the wind". My dad's always ridden motorbikes and it was natural that I should get one instead of a car as my first vehicle, in fact it wasn't until 10 years later that I bothered to get a car licence. I still get that feeling of freedom, exhilaration and immersion in the now that I got when first rode a motorbike . In fact its a feeling I can't really explain, "If I had to explain you wouldn't understand" really does sum it up.

Why do did I get a Spyder? Firstly I saw a GS in an early magazine article and just loved the way it looked so radical and different from any thing else. It stuck at the back of my mind then and in a way it was a bit of a challenge. Here's something that's outside my bike shaped comfort zone - something that would take me back to those first scary/exciting rides on a motorbike. I also wanted something I could take my 10 year old daughter out on. Though I'd gone on the back of my dad's Norton's, Triumphs and Honda's as a kid I didn't feel safe taking her on the back of a motorbike. Little did I know how much I'd love riding one. No it's not the same as riding a motorbike, it's completely unique and so you have the joy of learning how to get the very best out of it. It does keep the essence of motorcycling though and captures the same feelings when I ride it. I would be lying if I said the extra feeling of safety you get on a Spyder wasn't also comforting, in particular it's road presence seems to stop the 'what bike' drivers. After almost a year of ownership I'm completely hooked to the point that I'm beginning to think I'll never go back to 2 wheels, believe me that's quite a statement.

[GloryRyders]

For the ADVENTURE and all the NEW FRIENDS :yes::yes:

[bullant12]

Never felt secure on 2 wheels, but always wanted to feel the air at 40+ mph. I've always looked at bikes, but never thought of buying one until the :spyder2: came out. Once I got it, I knew inmediatly that I would start doing weekend travels with my wife, and then she got bitten with her own :spyder2:. It also revived my days of doing my own modifications on my cars, and felt that I can help others that have little or no knowledge. But the best part is the friendships that have been created and the fun times we've had with them, with OR without rYding (but always looking for excuses to rYde!;)):yes:

[Bob Denman]

Never felt secure on 2 wheels, but always wanted to feel the air at 40+ mph. !;)):yes:

It's WAYYY better than this is! 80795

[Pirate looks at --]

We started out in Pontiac, Michigan in 1973. I was working with Andy Anderson at Anderson's Motor Sales on his ad program (I was the ad manager at the local newspaper) and while waiting to see him sat on a couple of bikes in the showroom. Two week's later my wife and I rolled out of there with two Honda CB 360T's. Andy's part of the deal was to also teach us to ride so we wheeled round his back lot for a few hours to get a sense of comfort before having them delivered home.

We had a vacant lot next door to our home and that became our learning track for a few weeks before we ventured on the road. Once we felt street-ready we added fairings, side bags, CB's (23 channel back in those days) and a few other farkles. Penny even wrote an article for Touring Bike Magazine about the challenges of being a lady biker in the early 70's.

From there we moved on to matching Suzuki GS 1000's nicely dressed out. My next was the first Honda Aspencade delivered in Ohio in late 1981. Lot's of different iron from there including an AMF Harley that is best forgotten.... more Suzukis....some Yamahas, a Valkyrie Interstate for me, a triked Burgman for her..... and then..... Boom! Her first ride on a Can Am RT! It is hard to negotiate a price when your wife wants to get it out the door and ride.

Finally I joined the fun with a 2011 RT to go with her 2010 RT. Now we plan to put about 30,000 miles or so (we're over half way there) on the 2012's and perhaps by 2015 we'll be ready to change again.

We ride because we can and we hope we can for a long, long time to come.

Love the Bell Bottoms.

[Pirate looks at --]

My brother has been in to bikes all of his life. My father bought us a dirt bike way back in the 70's and my brother got bit bad and has been riding ever since. I bought a bike in the 80s a Suzuki 550 or something like that. I lived in So Cal at the time and several near deaths experiences on the freeways scared it out of me. But I was always envious of my Bro and. The fun he had on Bikes. Since 2005 I have been attending the US Grand Prix at Lguna Seca and really loved the thousands and thousands of bikes I saw there. Saw my first Spyder there in 2008 and was amazed and thought that it looked cool. Attended that race with the love of my life who just happened to have owned several bikes of her own in her younger years. Strange situation happened when we were on our way to a weekend wine tasting event, I was looking for something different to do and saw there was a place in the area to rent Spyders and asked my sweetie if she would like to do that for the weekend and she was ecstatic about the possibilities. Turned they were out of business and that didn't happened, but it got me researching and looking to see where I could find one. The rest is easy, a test drive, and had to have it. Spent WAY TOO MUCH MONEY! But it has been worth every Penney. We love the open air and the country is just so much more beautiful when the wind is in your face. We are sooooo lucky to live in California where the weather is mild and the scenery is breath taking. In the Sacramento area we can be on country roads in 5 minutes, in the Sierras in 20 minutes and on the coast in 45. If we never leave the state we could ride a new ryde every week and never cover the same ground twice. We are blessed with our Spyder, and the most beautiful place in the world to ryde it. :yes:

[Mt-man]

To forget my pain

[bruiser]

Yazz, It's similar to that first parachute jump. You're scared to death but don't want to chicken out. The exhilaration of the free fall, the adrenalin high. The sudden jerk of the chute and "flying" the chute. Then the landing.

[Yazz]

Yazz, It's similar to that first parachute jump. You're scared to death but don't want to chicken out. The exhilaration of the free fall, the adrenalin high. The sudden jerk of the chute and "flying" the chute. Then the landing.

Parachute jumping is so on my bucket list. :thumbup:

Every couple years I go bungie jumping. You're standing 150 feet in the air on a ledge a little bigger than your feet. The weight of the bungies are pulling down on your ankles. Looking down all you see is the crash matt. There's a pit in your stomach, but you are committed. Count to three and do a swan dive. Yup, the exhilaration of the free fall and an adrenalin high.

The free fall probably isn't as long as 'chute jumping... oh man... now you got me thinking....

[Deanna777]

We ride for the therapy of it. After all the aggravations of work and life, when we ride the stress just melts away.:agree: 100 % + And " Freedom" Deanna777

[Bob Denman]

Dee,
I thought that you rode in order to keep Mike out of trouble! :D
And a very NICE avatar picture!! :clap: :2thumbs:

[zrc]

I ride because I can, because there are few choices left that are "unsafe" and legal.

I ride because I like feeling the back tire skip against the road at 65 into a 75 degree curve, and the nanny barking about my tire off the pavement.

I ride because I somewhere deep down, I want that sliver of the life that is balancing on the edge, with almost no room for error.

I ride (year round) because inside I know I had become soft, and incapable of adapting.

I ride because deep down, I know it changes who I am and how I think, pending your vantage point, this makes sense or is confusing.

I ride, and I ride a spyder because I have never, nor will I ever be average, so why should any facet of my life be normal.

I ride for the sheer, unadulterated, joy of being in the element, of the people looking at you, of the knowledge of what 100 + actually looks like.

We are what we do when it counts. That is why I ride.

[Pirate looks at --]

Parachute jumping is so on my bucket list. :thumbup:

Every couple years I go bungie jumping. You're standing 150 feet in the air on a ledge a little bigger than your feet. The weight of the bungies are pulling down on your ankles. Looking down all you see is the crash matt. There's a pit in your stomach, but you are committed. Count to three and do a swan dive. Yup, the exhilaration of the free fall and an adrenalin high.

The free fall probably isn't as long as 'chute jumping... oh man... now you got me thinking....

Actually the two are very different. When you jump off that platform 150 feet up you see the ground rushing at your face and it's not till the bungee grabs you and pulls you up that you know you are going to make it. Sky diving is much more calming. When you jump out of the plane there is NO SENSATION of falling. You have a 120 mile an hour wind in your face just like ryding your Spyder. You feel like you are flying, and you can't detect the ground moving up to meet you. It is vary peaceful and quiet. You would really rather not have the shoot open, until it does and you realize it is a good thing. It over way too fast. :ohyea:

[Bob Ledford]

I really can not pin it down to one thru fifty reasons. I know the things that count though. I started riding when I was thirteen now seventy three. Very first ride was a Zundapp 250 single belonged to the cool guy one block over. He taught me how to ride in the woods.

We were poorer then dirt at the time I got my own ride and I settled for a 3. Hp Cushman scooter.

i ride to enjoy the early sunrise the setting sun and everything in between both dark daylight. The smell of fresh bacon cooking in someone's home in the dawning day to burgers cooking at sunset. The beauty of spring flowers to the colors of fall. The joy of finding a home behind a clump of trees barren of its leaves that was hidden since spring. The freshness of spring, the heat of summer, the cool of fall, to the cold of winter. I have been known to ride in the snow, rain, fog, and on a clear day. I have in the past taken a road trip, gotten home and hours later gone for a 200 mile with a buddy because he needed a riding bud!

I guess I ride because it is peaceful, adventuresome and just plain satisfying................

[Kraut]

sometimes it takes an hour to get my head straight; at times I need the solitude of nothing but me, Scoot3r, the sound of the road and the purrrr of the motor; I love the vastness of the desert, and the connection with the ghosts of those who settled in the desert with nothing more that the desire to make their fortune; the pleasure of momentary bonding with another motorcyclist by exchanging waves that only riders understand. I ride because it connects me me with my youth. But mostly, I ride because I just flat freekin' LOVE it!

[Deanna777]

Dee,
I thought that you rode in order to keep Mike out of trouble! :D
And a very NICE avatar picture!! :clap: :2thumbs:Bob: Yes, and to keep Mike from working :roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:.


I was a passenger on a 2 wheeled motorcycles , for 16 years ( Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Honda,) I bought a 2012 Harley Davidson Switchback,( last Year) I did not like the shifting/braking and the clutch thing at the same time. I traded in the Harley Davidson Switchback for a 2012 RT-S SE5 :spyder2: I am happier with the :spyder2: plus meeting new people where ever i go. I don't have to do the shifting/braking and the clutch thing. Sometimes "When Life gets so STRESSFUL I just ( after I get done work for the day) ride my :spyder2: and forget about STRESS. Where ever I go on my :spyder2: I get to to meet some of the nicest people. Also, having people ask me questions about my :spyder2: Deanna777

Thanks Bob
Deanna777

[Oldmanzues]

I got into two wheels a long time ago, 1947, home built motorcycle.scooter/deathtrap. Survied it some.
Stayed on motorcycle all my life, My brands/types. Liked speed/sport/dirt track racing. Touring all over the country. There is nothing like riding down a country road, in the open air. Meeting mostly very nice people. Like many safety concerns over my leg hurting took me into the trike world, tried many liked Spyders, started with 08 GS.
I ride/rode both as a cheap way to get around (old small bikes), A way to get my head on straight as they say. I have had some some high stress job and a excellent way to unwind, take a ride slow or fast as you choose.
Live Life like you are dying, as the song goes

[Yazz]

Actually the two are very different. When you jump off that platform 150 feet up you see the ground rushing at your face and it's not till the bungee grabs you and pulls you up that you know you are going to make it. Sky diving is much more calming. When you jump out of the plane there is NO SENSATION of falling. You have a 120 mile an hour wind in your face just like ryding your Spyder. You feel like you are flying, and you can't detect the ground moving up to meet you. It is vary peaceful and quiet. You would really rather not have the shoot open, until it does and you realize it is a good thing. It over way too fast. :ohyea:

Ground rush doesn't bother me. Last time I got it was being a passenger in a Pitts plane, the pilot did hesitation rolls on short finals. :shocked:


To me, taking calculated risks like jumping off a ledge or out a perfectly good plane all boils down to one thing. Trust. You have to trust that the bungies are true or the 'chute is packed right. Yeah, I trusted that pilot because if he messed up, he'd hurt too. But the fact that I faced my fear and walked away is such an adrenalin rush!

Do something each day that scares you...

Pirate looks at --, love your description of a jump, it's wonderful! You talked me into it! Too late for a Christmas present but my birthday is in July. The upstairs will be a little warmer then. Might have to make a tandem jump more than once...;)

[3 4 the road]

. . . and my last bike was a F6B that a deer took out for me just last year. The bike was totaled and my wife and I suffered some pretty good roadrash and I can't help but wonder how much better we would have been if we had been on the Spyder instead of two wheels.



You were incredibly lucky on your run in with the deer. We had a Boeing commuter encounter a deer on his bike here on the island last fall around midnight. Neither of them survived.

[Lamonster]

You were incredibly lucky on your run in with the deer. We had a Boeing commuter encounter a deer on his bike here on the island last fall around midnight. Neither of them survived.
I still struggle with that was being very lucky or very unlucky.
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?53757-Thanks-for-your-thoughts-and-prayers

[spyder3]

Having never ridden before, I really had no idea what it was like to ride in the open air. Saw a commercial, ran to the computer, found this site....the rest is history.

Now i can actually say why I ride. It is very therapeutic and have met some great people along the way.:thumbup:

[OJ UK]

Been doing the two wheel thing since around 1965 when I started on a Lambretta GT200 as they were all the rage then.
Many bikes since including Norton, Triumph, Kawasaki, Yamaha, BMW so a fair selection of makes and riding styles from crotch
rocket, cafe racer to tourer and street fighter.
Why?
Nothing I can put my finger on and say "That's it! That's why I ride." It's a lot of smaller contributory factors; the smells, the sound,
the wind in your face, the social aspects, the cameraderie, winding down after yet another dull day at work, just being different, the
'rebel' thing.
We all get older, some of us do it better than others.
So in those moments that we're honest with ourselves and we admit that maybe we've been lucky to remain in one piece and now is
a good time to slow down just a little.
We start to "hurt" or maybe get a bit stiff in the joints. Handling the bike ain't coming quite as easy as it once did.
Rolling up to a red light and deciding which foot to rest the weight of the bike on when we know it should be the side with the gear shift.....but that foot/leg/hip is sore today.
They're all signs and each of us interprets them a little differently. For me it was a reason to learn something new which didn't involve an inherently
unstable vehicle.
Enter the Spyder! Don't get me wrong! I still have my bike and when my back, hips and and legs are comfortable with the idea,
I still love to ride it. But I have to accept that those days are coming to an end and I need to be proficient with a more appropriate riding style.

Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is just a vastly over-rated state of mind! Hell! The Spyder still does well over 100mph....enjoy it!:2thumbs:

[alpacaguy]

Well heck. Nobody left me anything new to say. I agree with everybody, even the part about how much fun skydiving is (much younger days). I have ridden everything from a Cushman Eagle up to a Harley Ultra Classic, fully dressed including the big bore kit. That thing could certainly scoot faster than my Guardian Angel could fly. And while I had it, I reverted to my stupider days and let it run a few times. I did survive, so my Guardian Angel must have hopped a jet somewhere along the way. I now rYde my Spyder because both my wife and I just enjoy the hell out of it; plus it's safer than riding two up on two wheels with my worn out knees. If I didn't have animals that needed feeding every day, I be off somewhere on a multi day trip all the time. But I do go on a lot of "short" trips for no other reason than I can...