Potential Newbie

[ChocEnabler]

Lol, I don't know whether to be reassured or dismayed when I see that you need to ride 1-2 hundred before you get comfortable riding a Spyder.

I've been reading Spyderlovers for some time now, learning and enjoying the discussions.
:D I had my first test ride on an ST-S recently; don't know if my problems were due to squeezing hand-grips too tight, the stiff breeze, any of the other possibles, or all of the above, but it took a day or so afterwards to think "yes, I'm still interested"

The local dealers are all 2 or more hours away, so I'll have to think positive if I'm to keep on with the plan. I'm hoping to travel to a different dealer's shop next week to see what else I might learn to smooth the jitters. If I get a Spyder, my plan is to haul it home on a trailer so that I can put some miles on riding around town where I'm used to being, and expand further outwards as my comfort level goes up. And I've seen Spyders once in a while around town, so maybe I can catch someone local to talk to also.

I haven't seen anyone else in the postings wimp out like this, but I trust you all for words of wisdom. :opps: So what do you think, do I have a reasonable plan, or am I missing something?

[SpyderAnn01]

Are you an experienced motorcycle rider? If yes, then maybe you should trailer it home. :roflblack: Check out the Minnesota Forum, go to forums then scroll down to states, they post a bunch of rides there. They also have a Facebook page. There are some great Spyder riders in MN and a really good dealer is Caswell.

[PrairieSpyder]

:welcome:

[vided]

Lol, I don't know whether to be reassured or dismayed when I see that you need to ride 1-2 hundred before you get comfortable riding a Spyder.

I've been reading Spyderlovers for some time now, learning and enjoying the discussions.
:D I had my first test ride on an ST-S recently; don't know if my problems were due to squeezing hand-grips too tight, the stiff breeze, any of the other possibles, or all of the above, but it took a day or so afterwards to think "yes, I'm still interested"

The local dealers are all 2 or more hours away, so I'll have to think positive if I'm to keep on with the plan. I'm hoping to travel to a different dealer's shop next week to see what else I might learn to smooth the jitters. If I get a Spyder, my plan is to haul it home on a trailer so that I can put some miles on riding around town where I'm used to being, and expand further outwards as my comfort level goes up. And I've seen Spyders once in a while around town, so maybe I can catch someone local to talk to also.

I haven't seen anyone else in the postings wimp out like this, but I trust you all for words of wisdom. :opps: So what do you think, do I have a reasonable plan, or am I missing something?



The first few times I took the spyder out I thought "what the :cus: did I do". But each time got better and better and better and better. If you rode 2 wheels there is a unlearning/learning curve. Did I say it gets better and better :yes::yes:

[JayBros]

If you feel trailering it home would be the safer course of action, by all means do so. FWIW, I was 73 and had not been on a two wheel motorcycle for almost four decades but jumped on my new RT-S Spyder and rode 90 miles of low speed back roads home from the dealer with no problem. It was a great way to learn a lot about the machine. JMO. Good luck and be safe.

[4 MARIE]

I bought my 1st (and only) Spyder WITHOUT a test ride, and rode home from dealer, a couple hundred miles.
I just knew that this was IT. I didn't get really comfortable until about 500 miles. Every mile since, I learn a
little more about the "nuances" of riding one of these. It gets better EVERY RIDE. I logged 10k miles last year,
and while freeways will get you where you need to go, you'll learn more and enjoy the backroads the most.
Just pull the trigger. You deserve it.

[Professor]

I'm like vided - I thought I had made a very expensive mistake because I just couldn't seem to get the hang of the Spyder (I've ridden 2-wheelers for over 50 years). But then suddenly my neurology seemed to adapt and it started getting better. This was probably somewhere around 400-500 miles. From there, things rapidly improved. Now I'm truly having a blast. I think the main thing was learning to relax and let the Spyder be a Spyder.

[Stranger1759]

I test drove an RS last year. Decided I had to have one but knew the RT S was the one for me. Looked locally for a 2014 no one had one in stock. Went two states away to a friends house on a vacation trip. Thought I would go south to a dealer 20 miles away from his house they had a bunch. Price was right, then was the color choice. I choose the Cognac. Got the loan, drove the 20 miles back parked for awhile drove around another 40 miles. That was on a Friday, didn't ride Saturday. Drove it home Sunday 350 miles, about 6 hours. Never regretted it once the whole way home. Now after a trip to spyderfest I have 1100 miles on it.
The only regret is the bad influence the folks on this web site has had on me and the credit card. I keep buying more and more stuff to personalize it. Besides the stuff to keep me dry and safe. I rode motorcycles years ago and ATV's recently, I have yet to have any issues. Glad I did it an I'am thankful for those that post on this site. Very informative!

[ChocEnabler]

Are you an experienced motorcycle rider? If yes, then maybe you should trailer it home. :roflblack: Check out the Minnesota Forum, go to forums then scroll down to states, they post a bunch of rides there. They also have a Facebook page. There are some great Spyder riders in MN and a really good dealer is Caswell.

Thanks very much; yes, I rode cycles years ago, so I suppose that I need to re-train the brain. :yikes:

[ChocEnabler]

The first few times I took the spyder out I thought "what the :cus: did I do". But each time got better and better and better and better. If you rode 2 wheels there is a unlearning/learning curve. Did I say it gets better and better :yes::yes:

Whew! Thanks, that helps a lot. :) I knew that all of the Spyder Lovers out there couldn't be wrong, but it's great to know that I'm not the only one to have beginner problems and doubts.

[ChocEnabler]

Thanks to everyone for all of your experiences and encouragement.
I'm thinking of the Denim blue satin/steel black, but I know that there are a lot of other great looking machines out there; I've been drooling all over my keyboard with the pictures that you post of your machines. :clap:

[Bob Denman]

They DO offer a decent chance for some "personalization"; don't they? :D
I'm in the same boat as Vided also... Bought it without even SITTING on it.
Fired it up, and was SURE the a $25,000 mistake had been made. :shocked:
Realizing that something needed to change, I thought to myself:
"This is silly. You just KNOW that Ski Doo can build stuff that'll go down a trail nice and straight... Relax, and let the machine do what it needs to do."
... And it worked! The rest of the 55 mile ride home was more about learning to relax, and not "White-Knuckle" the grips! :thumbup:
And I'm STILL learning... even after 25,000 miles! :ohyea:

[dlby]

I dont see it as bad influence

Just good info

I knew I wanted one

Did not know I would have to Re Learn driving--

Even the ( feel ) was foreign

But learning to
Shoot
Swim
Bowl
Dance
Etc became second nature

And so has the Spyder

But it really was more like 1500 miles for me

Two wheels for 50 years

Enjoy!!

[ST888s]

I'm also a newbie. I've had my motorcycle endorsement for about 5 years, and grew up riding a snowmobile, but the spyder for me was quite different than 2 wheels. Not worse, just different. Truth be told, I was never 100% confident on 2 wheels. I liked it, I rode with my fiance, and spending time with him is always great. But where he can jump on anything and just go, I had to think every step through. After the first 2 or 3 days (about 300 miles) I can say I LOVE the spyder. After learning to relax, grip the bike with my legs, lean into corners more than the 1 degree lean I was doing at first, and to use the torque of the bike to help me go around corners on a down hill, the spyder is becoming almost second nature to me. where before I always felt like I HAD to ride my bike to justify owning it, now I WANT to go out on rides. I am seriously bummed that this weekend my bike is in the shop for her first oil change!!

Good luck with your decision. I was super nervous about actually pulling the plug and buying a spyder since I had never ridden on, even on a test ride. But now I am so happy that I did.

[AY4B]

Saying AMEN to all responses so far. My first ride home, I took that first curve and My butt tightened up a few notches. Every ride you take after that makes you want more. Im bummed right now that the rain is keeping me off the roads. :cheers:

[sandeejs]

I haven't seen anyone else in the postings wimp out like this, but I trust you all for words of wisdom. :opps: So what do you think, do I have a reasonable plan, or am I missing something?

Nope - you do whats good for you. "Ride your own ride". I rode mine home, all slow surface streets with little traffic. Then I spent several days riding circles in my neighborhood. That's what it took for me to get comfortable.

Don't forget to enjoy!

~Sandee~

[Mazo EMS2]

The first few times I took the spyder out I thought "what the :cus: did I do". But each time got better and better and better and better. If you rode 2 wheels there is a unlearning/learning curve. Did I say it gets better and better :yes::yes:


^^^^^^^This sums it up quite simply and accurately. I have just over 1000 miles on mine now and I enjoy it more each trip out. I moved from a Honda ST1300 sport/touring bike. It helps that my wife likes it a lot more too!!!:bowdown:

[justcalldon]

Yep, I agree with all of the above! My first ride was my test drive, my dealer gave me the keys and said bring it back when you get tired, bad idea. I think they were about to call the police on me I was out so long. It felt different from my 2 wheeler but it felt like it was meant to be. Two days later I was on my own White 2014 RT Limited and loving it!!!! The best part my wife would never ride on my 2 wheeler with me but now with the spyder she likes to ride all the time so we get to spend more time together. The spyders are great fun and you will get used to it at your own rate. Everyone is different so don't worry about if you are faster or slower than the rest of us just enjoy your toy and be SAFE. Good luck and have fun!


Justcalldon

[PistonBlown]

I bought my Spyder over the internet from a dealer in the North Island without having ever seen a Spyder in the flesh. I flew up to get it and the first time I rode a Spyder was away from the dealers. I drove up and down a few back streets to familiarise myself with it and then had to ride it to the ferry terminal to cross back to the South Island - it was the scariest but exhilarating 20km I'd done in a long time, not helped by unfamiliar roads and rush hour traffic - I like to give myself a challenge:-) After the ferry crossing I had 4 hour ride to get home and that turned out to be the best learning exercise possible as by the end of it I had really got the hang of riding it and more importantly learnt to suppress my motorbike riding habits.

Now there's some excellent info on this site about riding a Spyder, in particular the "Do's and Don'ts" article at the top of General Discussion. However the mistakes I made at first were:

Why is it so twitchy? Because I'm gripping the bars too hard - everyone mentions this but it's really hard not to do it when your first starting out.
I have to steer? Again if you've come from a bike the amount of input you have to put in, particularly at low speeds is surprising. At first it's hard not to clip corners etc.
I have to steer in the right direction? I've always ridden a bike and hadn't even realised what I was doing was called counter-steering until I got a Spyder and found I kept initially turning slightly in the wrong direction each time I got to a corner:-)
Feet not down when you stop at lights etc.
Who's stolen the front brake? Again a bike habit that was hard to shake off - resulting in some over-braking on the foot brake at times.
The faster I go the better this is. To me the Spyder felt much more comfortable and less twitchy when I got up to highway speed, once I'd plucked up the courage to get there:-)
Why can I only turn in one direction? I did find at first I could do corners in one direction about 10-20km faster than the other. Part of this was to with the camber of the road but I also had more trouble getting that 'this feels natural' in one direction.

[jwood4242]

Lol, I don't know whether to be reassured or dismayed when I see that you need to ride 1-2 hundred before you get comfortable riding a Spyder.

I've been reading Spyderlovers for some time now, learning and enjoying the discussions.
:D I had my first test ride on an ST-S recently; don't know if my problems were due to squeezing hand-grips too tight, the stiff breeze, any of the other possibles, or all of the above, but it took a day or so afterwards to think "yes, I'm still interested"

The local dealers are all 2 or more hours away, so I'll have to think positive if I'm to keep on with the plan. I'm hoping to travel to a different dealer's shop next week to see what else I might learn to smooth the jitters. If I get a Spyder, my plan is to haul it home on a trailer so that I can put some miles on riding around town where I'm used to being, and expand further outwards as my comfort level goes up. And I've seen Spyders once in a while around town, so maybe I can catch someone local to talk to also.

I haven't seen anyone else in the postings wimp out like this, but I trust you all for words of wisdom. :opps: So what do you think, do I have a reasonable plan, or am I missing something?

It took me 5 or 6 hundred miles to get comfortable on my Spyder. I hauled it home in a trailer 180 miles, and rode in safe areas at first and was sure I'd made a terrible mistake. Then gradually with every ride increased in confidence and ability. I have ridden 2 wheelers for most of my life and now would not go back. Absolutely love my bike and find the FUN factor to be extreme:D I'm still a Newbie with only about 1600 miles on my Spyder but absolutely love riding it. No mistake here!!

[vondalyn]

My dealership is an hour away and delivered the Spyder for me since I had my car and no one with me. I had buyers remorse for the first 1000 miles, though I started to feel more comfortable on it after 500-600 miles. For me it didn't start getting really FUN until after about 2000 miles. My husband kept telling me to go ride again every day so those miles happened very fast. Once I felt truly comfortable and found it fun, you couldn't get me to stop riding it and I'd never buy 2 wheels again.

[wiredgeorge]

Lol, I don't know whether to be reassured or dismayed when I see that you need to ride 1-2 hundred before you get comfortable riding a Spyder.

I've been reading Spyderlovers for some time now, learning and enjoying the discussions.
:D I had my first test ride on an ST-S recently; don't know if my problems were due to squeezing hand-grips too tight, the stiff breeze, any of the other possibles, or all of the above, but it took a day or so afterwards to think "yes, I'm still interested"

The local dealers are all 2 or more hours away, so I'll have to think positive if I'm to keep on with the plan. I'm hoping to travel to a different dealer's shop next week to see what else I might learn to smooth the jitters. If I get a Spyder, my plan is to haul it home on a trailer so that I can put some miles on riding around town where I'm used to being, and expand further outwards as my comfort level goes up. And I've seen Spyders once in a while around town, so maybe I can catch someone local to talk to also.

I haven't seen anyone else in the postings wimp out like this, but I trust you all for words of wisdom. :opps: So what do you think, do I have a reasonable plan, or am I missing something?

I think I may have some perspective. I test drove a Can-Am Spyder two or three years ago at a now-defunct dealership off IH-35 south of San Antonio. I was riding a 2006 Goldwing at the time and had been riding over 40 years. Took the missus on the test ride. I was totally discombobulated as I attempted to countersteer and put my feet down at stops. Even at very mild speeds, corners were miserable as I just couldn't seem to turn the bars to steer the thing as I should have. Fast forward a few year and I traded the 2006 Goldwing for a 1997 Goldwing Roadsmith trike conversion. Since I had to drive it from Alabama to home in the Texas Hill Country, the learning curve was pretty fast as the Interstate made a good teacher. The missus was on the back and the weather was cold and rainy for most of the ride and at times the wind was up. I quickly learned I needed to ride much slower than on the two-wheeler as bumps on the ever-miserable IH20 caused the trike to get really loose and bounce around with poor control. I later found that the rear suspension was set to its weakest pre-load and once I cranked up the preload, stability and comfort were greatly enhanced. After a 1500 ride I was pretty comfortable and my forearms were starting to get used to pushing the front wheel. Well, the 97 is a bit older so I got the yen for a newer ride and the price of a 2010 Spyder RT was really attractive. After test riding a 2011 at a dealership, there was virtually no learning curve as far as operation. I insisted on a SM5 (manual transmission model) and found the 2010 RT had a bit different engine characteristics but if you stayed up in powerband, has more than adequate power although handling wasn't great. Brakes were fine. After some sage advice, I now have the front shock pre-load set right and the rear air pressure and have just installed a BajaRon anti-sway bar and handling is vastly improved. To wrap, I think LONG 2-wheel experience isn't necessarily helpful as far as vehicle control although it puts you in the right situational awareness (fearing cages) and if you trailer a Can-Am home and start slowly on back roads and follow the good advice as far as suspension if it is needed; well you will learn to greatly appreciate your ride. The only real downer with the RT is mounting with a passenger on the back... still haven't figured out how to do this gracefully and once I can afford some floorboards, maybe this will become a non-issue. I can't lift my leg up high enough to clear the seat from a ground start and the peg doesn't offer much footing. If the missus is not on board, no problem as I can swing my leg over easily. Always something!

[ChocEnabler]

I bought my Spyder over the internet from a dealer in the North Island without having ever seen a Spyder in the flesh. I flew up to get it and the first time I rode a Spyder was away from the dealers. I drove up and down a few back streets to familiarise myself with it and then had to ride it to the ferry terminal to cross back to the South Island - it was the scariest but exhilarating 20km I'd done in a long time, not helped by unfamiliar roads and rush hour traffic - I like to give myself a challenge:-) After the ferry crossing I had 4 hour ride to get home and that turned out to be the best learning exercise possible as by the end of it I had really got the hang of riding it and more importantly learnt to suppress my motorbike riding habits.

Now there's some excellent info on this site about riding a Spyder, in particular the "Do's and Don'ts" article at the top of General Discussion. However the mistakes I made at first were:

Why is it so twitchy? Because I'm gripping the bars too hard - everyone mentions this but it's really hard not to do it when your first starting out.
I have to steer? Again if you've come from a bike the amount of input you have to put in, particularly at low speeds is surprising. At first it's hard not to clip corners etc.
I have to steer in the right direction? I've always ridden a bike and hadn't even realised what I was doing was called counter-steering until I got a Spyder and found I kept initially turning slightly in the wrong direction each time I got to a corner:-)
Feet not down when you stop at lights etc.
Who's stolen the front brake? Again a bike habit that was hard to shake off - resulting in some over-braking on the foot brake at times.
The faster I go the better this is. To me the Spyder felt much more comfortable and less twitchy when I got up to highway speed, once I'd plucked up the courage to get there:-)
Why can I only turn in one direction? I did find at first I could do corners in one direction about 10-20km faster than the other. Part of this was to with the camber of the road but I also had more trouble getting that 'this feels natural' in one direction.



Thanks for the advice and the great video! :yes:

[NSPYTE]

My wife and i have ridden quads for 30 years. I think that really helps. We bought our ST limited about 90 miles from home and did trailer it home just for the fact that we didnt want to try to commute on the freeway in commuter traffic thru Seattle. What is so true is that the more you ride...and get familiar with the bike it becomes easier. the big key truly is RELAXING your grip. This friday will be one month of having ours. We are approaching 400 miles. I have already gotten to the point of jumping on and riding without a second thought...same with my wife when shes "piloting". If you want exceptional handling, I highly suggest getting the Baja ron swaybar.

[ChocEnabler]

My wife and i have ridden quads for 30 years. I think that really helps. We bought our ST limited about 90 miles from home and did trailer it home just for the fact that we didnt want to try to commute on the freeway in commuter traffic thru Seattle. What is so true is that the more you ride...and get familiar with the bike it becomes easier. the big key truly is RELAXING your grip. This friday will be one month of having ours. We are approaching 400 miles. I have already gotten to the point of jumping on and riding without a second thought...same with my wife when shes "piloting". If you want exceptional handling, I highly suggest getting the Baja ron swaybar.

Thanks!! :D I think that the Baja ron swaybar seems to be a common recommendation, and with all the supportive comments I've received, I just realized that everyone's good words did the trick! It's not IF I get a (ST-S) Spyder, it's WHEN, Lol! :clap: I'm definitely planning on the sway bars & links, Spyderpops bumper skid, and belt guard. Hoping to get hard bags sooner or later, but need to get a good helmet and riding gear first.

Thanks everyone for the good vibes and great support comments!
Chocolate Enabler :D

[Professor]

The only real downer with the RT is mounting with a passenger on the back... still haven't figured out how to do this gracefully and once I can afford some floorboards, maybe this will become a non-issue. I can't lift my leg up high enough to clear the seat from a ground start and the peg doesn't offer much footing. If the missus is not on board, no problem as I can swing my leg over easily. Always something!
What works best for us is for me to mount first, then I stand and lean forward while offering her my bent arm to grab as she mounts. After she sits, then I do. I can't see exactly how she mounts because she is behind me, but however she does it, it works.

[Deanna777]

:welcome:

3 years ago I bought my first spyder ( 2012RTS-SE5) I had someone drive the spyder home for me, because the dealership would not let me take a test drive I had to have proof of motorcycle license and insurance( at the time I did not have the paperwork taken care of, and the spyder was not put together) and yes it was Land Air.

When I got the spyder home I took it for a short drive so I could use to driving the spyder. And in no time I was driving the spyder all over the place. I was a passenger for 16 years( on 2-wheeled motorcycles) so I knew what the traffic was like on the road, and what to watch for. So last year I traded my 2012RTS-SE5 for a 2014RTS-SE6 and know I really enjoy riding the spyder, and meeting people on the road they give me high 5's or a thumbs up. Also finding this :firstplace: website and learning more each day about the spyder, and going to spyder events like Spyderfest Springfield, MO, Spyderquest Lake George, NY and other spyder events.

When I can I ride my spyder, when I go do errands people ask questions about my spyder and I also tell them about this website ect. Deanna

[pitzerwm]

Make a "cramp buster $9.95" your first purchase.

Same as everyone else, if you don't need to unlearn the 2 wheel, its a snap. Just like anything new, takes a few laps to get it.