New spyder owner, old motorcyclist: is there a kit to add a handlebar brake lever

I did a search but didn't find anything.

On the very 1st day I took my spyder for a ride 2 deer ran out in front of me. They were far enough ahead of me that even with my delayed braking response using the brake pedal there was no problem.

However, 40+ years of motorcycle riding including track instruction which emphasized use of the front brake leaves me wishing for a handlebar brake lever every time I ride the spyder.

I doubt I'm the only or 1st old fart motorcyclist with this issue.

So ... is there a retrofit package to add a handlebar brake lever to a spyder.

Thx to anyone taking the time to offer advice.

mark in MN

Have heard of kit's out there, don't know how well they play with all the abs and what not that the spyder has under the hood. I think after you have a few miles on the bike you'll get to feel more comfortable with the foot peddle, it really will stop very well!! Have fun, ride hard, be safe!!

You did not share which Spyder model and year you have, but this is what I ran on our 2014 RT.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...32jVAhZprd1HKU

Thx. 2011 RT. kit is just what I was looking for.

mark s.

here is where you can buy one . But i have to warn you it is pricey . http://www.industrialspecialty.com/I...er%20Parts.htm

There are a lot of old fart motorcyclists here on SL. Sorry guys, if the shoe fits... That said, Mikey is right about getting more miles on your Spyder and your bones until you feel comfortable, and it's an individual thing so don't be at all concerned if it takes you more miles than some who claim it took only a couple hundred. Spyder brakes are pretty darn good and before I would lay out a lot of bucks for a front brake I would switch to EBC fully sintered pads and rotors unless it is already equipped with them. Good luck and safe riding.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JayBros

There are a lot of old fart motorcyclists here on SL. Sorry guys, if the shoe fits... That said, Mikey is right about getting more miles on your Spyder and your bones until you feel comfortable, and it's an individual thing so don't be at all concerned if it takes you more miles than some who claim it took only a couple hundred. Spyder brakes are pretty darn good and before I would lay out a lot of bucks for a front brake I would switch to EBC fully sintered pads and rotors unless it is already equipped with them. Good luck and safe riding.

---

TRUST ME... Look, I'm not a Tight Old Fart X-Harley Rider (240k miles) but paying $1,395 for the handlebar brake lever? Bull. Don't push it until you get used to the Spyder. How many of you/us Old Farts Applied The FRONT Brake FIRST Anyway before the Spyder. I think most old riders just feel funny with Only 1 Brake but... Your Car Only Has 1 Brake for Stopping. Whatever Float Your Boat! Ride Safe!!

Another card on the pile for giving it a few miles before adding the handlebar brake.

The stopping power of the Spyder is very good, IMO. :bowdown:

Adding something to a critical system like brakes brings the risk that the addition may impact normal function. I wouldn’t mess with the brakes until/unless I found it impossible to adapt to the foot brake.

I figured it out on my test drive before purchase. The sales guy released the park brake and the machine started to roll down the slight slope of the parking lot. I instinctively grabbed for the right brake, which wasn’t there, then the foot brake. Sorted me out right quick.

Lol it’s possible I’ll have the opposite problem if I ever get on a 2 wheeler....

It's not just the instinctive reach for the lever, but the lack of subtle control that I miss. Try doing any precise task with your booted foot, instead of your fingers. Fortunately, the Spyder isn't as sensitive to front brake delacasies as a 2 wheeler and that's part of the adjustment. You don't need the same level of brake control you used to depend on -- you're not going down for a small mistake. My foot reaction is well trained from years of car driving.

Actually I'm one of the Old Farts who constantly use the front brake, almost to the exclusion of the rear brake most of the time. But I ride a sport bike so that explains
it. And I definitely noticed the lack of a front brake lever. However, there is no way I would tinker with the extremely, perhaps unnecessarily so, complicated braking
system of the Spyder. And $1200 for a lever, master cylinder, hose, and some linkage pretty much equates to highway robbery in my mind.

I imagine a person would get used to it, especially if you don't switch back and forth between motorcycle and Spyder.

I rode 2 wheelers for 68 years before converting to 3. Rode a lot too; cross continent and even in Europe. Be patient and don't jump to conclusions. It will take about 1,000 miles before you feel settled in and another 1,000 before you fell you are in control. By then, you won't miss a hand brake. Trust me, I've been there and so have many here.
BTW, I do believe I out old fart you by 20 plus years.

If I recall correctly, the ISCI brake lever was first developed to allow paraplegic riders to ride the Spyder when they first came out in 2008.
I've seen videos of those folks humping themselves onto a spyder, then folding their wheelchairs and carrying them on some custom holder.
Heroes one and all.
For the rest of us, there's that initial grab for the front brake, but it soon lapses.
I bought my 2020 in March of this year, and gradually, I've learned to get used to the paddle shift.
And I've been riding since 1974.
Just give it more saddle time and you'll be fine.
Learning to keep in the center of the lane instead of the left tire track............THAT'S hard to do.

Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Possible

Actually I'm one of the Old Farts who constantly use the front brake, almost to the exclusion of the rear brake most of the time. But I ride a sport bike so that explains
it. And I definitely noticed the lack of a front brake lever. However, there is no way I would tinker with the extremely, perhaps unnecessarily so, complicated braking
system of the Spyder. And $1200 for a lever, master cylinder, hose, and some linkage pretty much equates to highway robbery in my mind.

I imagine a person would get used to it, especially if you don't switch back and forth between motorcycle and Spyder.

---

I do switch between my :spyder2: and my poor, old, slow V-Max all the time . Ya just gotts to know what your driving. I don't reach for a handbrake in my car nojoke. The :spyder2: can stop really hard---- try it....... but be ready.

Lew L

:agree: with LL above. I have a 900 Vulcan in the stable. The Vulcan gets ridden about half the time and miles of our :spyder: :spyder2:

I just remember which one I am on at the time and have not had any phantom brake lever grabs on the Spyder, or forgetting to use both brakes on the Vulcan.

I still enjoy the 2 wheeled "feeling" when on the Vulcan.

Lamont and I made handlebar brakes from a Suzuki M109R Clutch Cable and lever to linkage which actuates the brake system. It's wonderful! Use it all the time. It doesn't work quite as well as the ISCI system. But for around $100.00, it's not bad.

While I agree that the Spyder does not 'NEED' a handlebar brake. It sure is good to maintain that skill if you're going back and forth between 2 wheels and 3. And, like I said, it comes in very handy for a lot of situations.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by oldryder

I did a search but didn't find anything.

On the very 1st day I took my spyder for a ride 2 deer ran out in front of me. They were far enough ahead of me that even with my delayed braking response using the brake pedal there was no problem.

However, 40+ years of motorcycle riding including track instruction which emphasized use of the front brake leaves me wishing for a handlebar brake lever every time I ride the spyder.

I doubt I'm the only or 1st old fart motorcyclist with this issue.

So ... is there a retrofit package to add a handlebar brake lever to a spyder.

Thx to anyone taking the time to offer advice.

mark in MN

---

I've owned various Spyders for 11 years ( and coming from a few Gold Wings )..... I've had some Emergency Braking moments .... the OEM brakes worked perfectly ... You being a new rider, having the hand-brake, could cause you to use that instead of the OEM foot-brake .... BIG mis-take , the hand-brake won't stop you quicker than the Foot-brake .... and it won't increase the over-all braking ability .... The ISCHI hand-brake works on ALL three wheels, the same as the foot-brake ( only less efficiently ). First, learn how to drive the Spyder ..... if want to slow down, just release the throttle .... not as quick as you want, Downshift .... then use the footbrake to completely stop .... $1400.00 spent on something that won't really change things for the better IMHO is a lot of money. $ 1400.00 + dollars could also buy a BajaRon sway bar .... & ... better tires .... & LED headlights ... & ... better EBC brakes ... & a good Lazer alignment and you would still have about $300.00 to spend on gas ...... just some thoughts from another " old timer "..... Good luck .... Mike :thumbup:

Although the stopping power on a Spyder is simply INCREDIBLE, the time I miss a hand lever the most is when my right foot is planted firmly on the floorboard in a left turn and something appears that begs for a bit less forward momentum.

One potential problem is the need for a fixed volume in a hydraulic system. If you have some mild pressure on the hand lever then step on the pedal, the foot brake is going to push the hand lever back out before adding any more pressure to the calipers.

If you could separate front and rear systems like a two-wheeler, it would not be a problem. I would be interested in see what Ron and Lamont came up with. Price is reasonable enough.

.

New ryder issue. More seat time and the issue goes away. Save your money/time and learn to adapt.

I grabbed a handful of air for a bit ... but then the brain adapted and haven't found myself doing that for quite awhile. Takes some miles and smiles to get the gray matter behaving without thinking. Keep at it. Or, like others have said, there are some kits but they are pricey. See where you are with the Spyder after riding it for awhile... take it easy learning the new machine and the new feelings from being on 3 and not 2.

When we took the Spyder course, we spent a lot of time stopping! We practiced over and over until we learned that you can absolutely push it to the floorboard and it will stop and never lock up.
You'll be fine sir!

Keep in mind that adding a handbrake does not add front wheel braking control. The ISCI adapter is simply an additional way to actuate the same brake master cylinder the foot brake actuates. So from the standpoint of giving you manual control over front vs. rear wheel braking, you cannot get that. The brake system is integrated very deeply between both front wheels and the rear wheel and is controlled by the braking computer. It would be nigh impossible for anyone other than Bosch engineers to change the system. I don't know how much more braking the Brembo system offers over the pre-2012 system but I can tell you that for panic stops you don't need a hand brake. In the trike rider course I took at the GWRRA Wing Ding in 2015 when I stomped on the brake doing something like 20 or 30 mph, I was instantly wearing the windshield for a bib!

As far as switching back and forth between a hand brake equipped vehicle and the Spyder, I have no difficulty at all. In fact, with my ATV, which has left and right hand brakes as well as the foot brake, I immediately begin to use the hand brake when I get on it. When I get back on the Spyder I don't reach for a hand brake at all. After one becomes experienced in riding both types of vehicle the brain and muscle memory can instantly reorient your natural braking response. In fact I have more confusion with shifting. Both use a button or paddle. I tend to hit the downshift button on the ATV since it's at the bottom of the handlebar just like the Spyder.

I remember way back when I owned a Spanish dirt bike, and a Japanese road bike. The dirt bike was right hand shift and the street bike was left hand shift. The
first few times of switching back and forth found me shifting like crazy all the way down a hill. LOL But I did get used to it and got better over time.

thx everyone. I conclude I need more seat time which I knoew as I am also not yet comfortable with the spyder in curves.

mark in MN

Mark, there are a couple of very recent threads about new owners trying to get comfortable in corners and they have very appropriate suggestions for doing so. Also, if your 2011 RT does not have a Bajaron sway bar on it, that is the number one improvement you can make to help the Spyder corner flatter. A laser alignment, if it has not had one, will also help the overall behavior of the bike on the road. See this link as an example: https://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/...ble-in-corners.