A few questions and comments from a 1 week owner

[WidowMaker]

Hi Everyone,


So I've officially been riding for a week now. I've got 275 miles on her now and here are some of the things I've seen.

1. Air Temp Sensor - This thing was slow and off a good amount before Friday. That afternoon I decided to rip the side panels off and check to see if it was hooked up correctly. It's mounted right, there was a weird piece of foam stuffed under it where the sensor is. I pulled it out for now. It seems more precise but I have to wait for a cold day. The other morning it was 30 degrees out and the bike was still showing 50 degrees after my 5 mile ride to work. Anything else I missing here?

2. Turn Signals - I like how the turn signals cancel out once you've turned the handlebars. I do my best not to forget but once in awhile I do. Nice that the bike doesn't:)

3. Brake squeal - Mine has just started with about 200 miles on it. I'll pull the pads and put some anti-squeal on them. Any advice?

4. button behind right handgrip - What does it do? I know the Mode button behind the left handlegrip allows you to acknowledge the message before starting and toggles through time, mileage, etc. Haven't found what the right button does????

5. Handling - I'm still getting the handling through higher speed corners down but I've been able to increase my speed much better after a week of experience. Still a bit weird of a feeling and I haven't felt the inside tire lift yet that I know of. Do any of you guys lift the inside tire frequently? I think I also want to increase the front suspension setting, next weekend I'll probably attempt that along with the brake issue.

6. Attention - Man, this thing draws tons of attention! People stopping to talk about it. People giving me the :2thumbs: and the :bowdown:signs:) Kind of cool, hopefully that will calm down a little when more are out there riding around.

All in all it's been a good week, other than my hours getting cut at work after making the purchase.:barf:but hey, thats more time for riding:D

[SLO RYDER]

Only one week, I've had mine about six.

That button can be used to light up the trunk at night. The headlights bounce off the lid and you can find what you are looking for, neat Huh! You'll find it in the Owner's Manual (MOM Manufacturers Owners Manual)

Regarding the handling I've lifted it several times :yikes: when I get aggressive on a off camber corner. It just throttles down and down comes the wheel. If you have ever rode a four wheel Quad in the dirt or sand the Spyder handles about the same. Lean into the corner and hang off on the inside. More aggressive the more you need to lean and hang off. If your not comfortable with that just slowly practice and work up to your comfort level.

Have fun, My 06 BMW R1200RT has only been rode twice since I picked up the Spyder so far 2700 miles

[ataDude]

See below in red.


Hi Everyone,

So I've officially been riding for a week now. I've got 275 miles on her now and here are some of the things I've seen.

1. Air Temp Sensor - This thing was slow and off a good amount before Friday. That afternoon I decided to rip the side panels off and check to see if it was hooked up correctly. It's mounted right, there was a weird piece of foam stuffed under it where the sensor is. I pulled it out for now. It seems more precise but I have to wait for a cold day. The other morning it was 30 degrees out and the bike was still showing 50 degrees after my 5 mile ride to work. Anything else I missing here?

I believe the foam "buffers" the sensor from fast temperature changes.

2. Turn Signals - I like how the turn signals cancel out once you've turned the handlebars. I do my best not to forget but once in awhile I do. Nice that the bike doesn't:)

3. Brake squeal - Mine has just started with about 200 miles on it. I'll pull the pads and put some anti-squeal on them. Any advice?

Never had the problem but clean the brakes and apply the anti-squeal on them. Might also want to ensure that the dealer cleaned the cosmoline from the rotors.

4. button behind right handgrip - What does it do? I know the Mode button behind the left handlegrip allows you to acknowledge the message before starting and toggles through time, mileage, etc. Haven't found what the right button does????

Momentary switch for the headlights... for when you're off the bike but need to see inside the trunk.

5. Handling - I'm still getting the handling through higher speed corners down but I've been able to increase my speed much better after a week of experience. Still a bit weird of a feeling and I haven't felt the inside tire lift yet that I know of. Do any of you guys lift the inside tire frequently? I think I also want to increase the front suspension setting, next weekend I'll probably attempt that along with the brake issue.

6. Attention - Man, this thing draws tons of attention! People stopping to talk about it. People giving me the :2thumbs: and the :bowdown:signs:) Kind of cool, hopefully that will calm down a little when more are out there riding around.

Yepper... be prepared for 15 minute gas stops.

All in all it's been a good week, other than my hours getting cut at work after making the purchase.:barf:but hey, thats more time for riding:D

[bone crusher]

I'm a HUGE proponent of 'upping' the suspension in the front from 3 to 4...I weigh about 230 pounds, and the factory setting allowed the bike to wobble all over the place...I'd raise it to 5, but 4 is working fine...

As far as leaning, I lean with sharper turns...there's no way you can stay upright and ride on twisty roads with a decent amount of speed...3 tires or not, the bike is much more responsive when you move with it...

[WidowMaker]

I'm a HUGE proponent of 'upping' the suspension in the front from 3 to 4...I weigh about 230 pounds, and the factory setting allowed the bike to wobble all over the place...I'd raise it to 5, but 4 is working fine...

As far as leaning, I lean with sharper turns...there's no way you can stay upright and ride on twisty roads with a decent amount of speed...3 tires or not, the bike is much more responsive when you move with it...



Oh I completely agree with the leaning comment. I took my fiance on her first ride yesterday and one of the first 90 degree corners we took was maybe a mile from home. I noticed an excessive amount of lean when taking the corner so I had to pull over to re-strap my helmet and she says to me "Am I supposed to lean when we take a corner?" I told her yes, just position your body identical to mine, if i lean or slide over on the seat do the same. It made a huge difference just in the amount of lean we had in corners.

But I'm definetely going to fool with the suspension a bit to see if it helps me more in the corners.

[NancysToy]

I might add that setting the tire pressure around 20 front, 30 rear is helpful.
-Scotty

[kiwi]

Buy Kens upgraded sway bar its incredible!!!!!!!!!!

[effgjamis]

2. Turn Signals - I like how the turn signals cancel out once you've turned the handlebars. I do my best not to forget but once in awhile I do. Nice that the bike doesn't:)

If the signals do not reset in the turn, there is a button in the middle of the turn signal switch that you can press to manually reset the signal lights.

[Roaddog2]

:agree:Big Time:spyder:
I'm a HUGE proponent of 'upping' the suspension in the front from 3 to 4...I weigh about 230 pounds, and the factory setting allowed the bike to wobble all over the place...I'd raise it to 5, but 4 is working fine...

As far as leaning, I lean with sharper turns...there's no way you can stay upright and ride on twisty roads with a decent amount of speed...3 tires or not, the bike is much more responsive when you move with it...

[Roaddog2]

:agree:Big Time :spyder:
I might add that setting the tire pressure around 20 front, 30 rear is helpful.
-Scotty

[bone crusher]

Didn't think of changing the tire pressure but this would make sense..the higher the presssure, the less tire on the road and the better the traction...

Figure it as a high heel shoe vs. a sneaker...the high heel will dig in deeper...this especially helps with inclement weather....

Hmmmm....what are the pressures to begin with?

[bjt]

...the higher the presssure, the less tire on the road and the better the traction...

Figure it as a high heel shoe vs. a sneaker...the high heel will dig in deeper...this especially helps with inclement weather...


In the snow, that can be true. In most all other instances, you want more rubber on the road for better traction. Thats why race cars and dragsters have big, wide tires with little or no tread pattern. Some sport bikes have larger tires with minimal tread pattern for the same reason, to get the biggest contact patch of rubber on the road. Thats why there are all the different tread patterns on tires. Its their attempt to channel water or bite into snow and ice to get the most contact of rubber to road.

Narrow tires with a smaller contact patch can be good for fuel economy. I did increase the tire pressures on my Spyder to 20 lbs. front and 30 lbs. rear and I think it improved the handling for me.