Thinking of Switching to a Ryker

After almost 5 years of ryding in discomfort on my F3-T, I'm considering switching to a Ryker. I've been uncomfortable on my F3-T because I have low back issues and tight hips and the geometry of the F3-T is just too wide a sitting stance for me. I've tried all sorts of things like different seats, seat pads, adjusting the foot peg locations etc. , and nothing has worked for me. (Full disclosure: The only thing I haven't tried is floorboards.)

So I'm seriously considering a Ryker, because the seating position is much narrower. I've sat on one at the dealer and found it to be much more comfy for me than my F3-T. However, I have not yet taken a test ride on one. So, now the question is - which model? I know that I want the 900cc engine, but I'm open to ideas from there. My main requirement is comfort, Comfort, COMFORT! So which model, with or without options, would you recommend for me?

Note that I'm not an aggressive rider and generally don't go on overnight trips (although I'd consider it if I'm relatively pain-free during and after ryding). I ALWAYS ride alone (no passenger). I know that I'd be giving up a good deal of storage, but I'm willing to live with that.

Again - I'm looking for a smooth, comfortable ride, so a good suspension is important to me as well.

So, any suggestions?

Thanks!

i would try floor boards and or highway pegs

You are half way to making a good decision. Remaining is a test ride on the Ryker. A good hour or more to get a more real feel than a trip around the parking lot. Only you, can be the judge of the final outcome.

You have checked the other boxes pretty well. No long trips, but wanting a comfortable ride.

We now have a pair of F3L's. Came off of RT's. A few amenities missing, but they ride as comfortable as RT for us. We like the sportier looks and pick up. A suggestion for floor boards may be the answer for your F3T. I am not sure if they come with fb's. The L's do.

I have a '22 Rally. I don't have very many miles on it yet as it has been to cold for me to ride or I've been busy on other projects on warmer days. My suggestion too, would be to take one for at least a one hour ride. Prior to purchasing mine I only rode Rykers for very short distances a couple of times. What I discovered on mine is that after about one hour in the saddle I cannot hardly tolerate the seat anymore. The Rally comes with the comfort seat and it has a small ridge around the rear portion of the seat and that ridge digs into my rear end and causes a lot of discomfort after about an hour of riding. I'm 6' foot tall so this may not affect some one who is shorter and I don't know if the standard seat on the other Rykers have the same ridge or not. That is my only complaint I have on mine after just a few rides.

I also have " lower back " issues, for years ..... I have also put a Backrest on every Mtc. I've owned in the past 30 years. .... For me it makes a hugh difference ..... Note: I have always used ones made by " Utopia " ... because of their design, you can easily add a small wedge ( of any thickness, you decide what feels best ) to the post .... this will ADD Lumbar support to the seatback ..... If your used to Power of the F-3 even the 900 Ryker is going seem slow ...... good luck .... Mike :thumbup: .... PSD, Monster & Wicked have REAL power solutions for the 1330 engine ( F-3 ) .... I don't know if they added to their list of products they have fixed .....

I totally agree with the others here. Foot boards might just be the fix to lessen your wide sitting stance. Pegs tend to make your legs spread out further. Thus putting more pressure on your hips. Maybe ride another's RT, and possibly with a backrest, and see how their's would feel under your seat. Worth a go!

The reason I say this is due to the fact I too have lower back issues, and although I have foot pegs, I do not use them. They make my seating position too wide and uncomfortable. Along with the use of my backrest, which is a god send to help support my lower back, I also have the foot boards. They also serve as a great support platform for the weight of the legs, and you can also adjust / move your legs about, if and when needed.

Best of luck to you.

Rick

Just a suggestion here. If you know a ryker owner, buddy up and take some rides together and become familiar with each other and the other's riding style. If possible swap rides and see how you like the ryker for comfort. You just can't ask anyone who owns a machine if they'll allow you to ride their ryker. But if you ride together and become friends, it's not unreasonable that friends will swap rides on occasion. I've done it before and I know others who've done it. Friends help friends. That's one of the rules of the road. My first swap was from my jap bike to my friend's Harley. That experience kept me away from HD's for a long time. LOL
(After thought) Spoke to a HD rider just the other day who had lower back issues. He bought a large stiff back support with shoulder straps and abdomen staps off eBay and said that thing pretty much solved his lower back issues while riding long distances. Wears it underneath his shirt. Worth a try maybe?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by newbert

After almost 5 years of ryding in discomfort on my F3-T, I'm considering switching to a Ryker. I've been uncomfortable on my F3-T because I have low back issues and tight hips and the geometry of the F3-T is just too wide a sitting stance for me. I've tried all sorts of things like different seats, seat pads, adjusting the foot peg locations etc. , and nothing has worked for me. (Full disclosure: The only thing I haven't tried is floorboards.)

So, any suggestions?

Thanks!

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newbert.......Not sure if you have seen this youtube video by Pierre. He speaks of the lower back issues people suffer from, who ride the F3, and are having because of the placement of the foot pegs put excessive pressure on the back, and how floor boards are a great solution. Check it out, if you haven't already.

@ 2:53 is when he starts mentioning his personal lower back issues and at the point he starts explaining the overall purpose of the floorboards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC2seL-P9W4


May help your dilemma.

Rick

As someone who switched from a Ryker to a Spyder F3 recently, I'd never describe the Ryker as comfortable. I switched because of comfort issues on the Ryker. I couldn't take more than an hour on the Ryker, that's even with Stage 3 and Stage 5 Elka's in the front and back. I'm still finding my ideal ride on the Spyder but even in it's stock form it's way more comfortable than the Ryker. Good luck with your mission to find comfort. Let me know if I can give any advice or tips on the Ryker.

Couple of items to try if that's the only problem you've got with your current ride.

- A Corbin seat is quite a bit narrower than the stock saddle in most cases.

- Handlebar adjustment. Sit the saddle, close your eyes, and reach out to where your brain wants grips to be. Repeat as needed to get a good average, then adjust the grips to match. I've used different bars or risers to make it happen, with excellent results even on long rides.

- And ya, floorboards make a huge difference. I also place forward pegs so I can use those alone or bridge the footboard using the peg as a toe rest. Lots of options there.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Briorick

newbert.......Not sure if you have seen this youtube video by Pierre. He speaks of the lower back issues people suffer from, who ride the F3, and are having because of the placement of the foot pegs put excessive pressure on the back, and how floor boards are a great solution. Check it out, if you haven't already.

@ 2:53 is when he starts mentioning his personal lower back issues and at the point he starts explaining the overall purpose of the floorboards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC2seL-P9W4


May help your dilemma.

Rick

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Rick, Those are exactly the floorboards that I was considering trying, if not switching to a Ryker. (I guess that Great Minds Think Alike! :ohyea: ) But I'm not sure they are worth trying. - Would they really address my problem? (see below.)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sKiZo

Couple of items to try if that's the only problem you've got with your current ride.

- A Corbin seat is quite a bit narrower than the stock saddle in most cases.

- Handlebar adjustment. Sit the saddle, close your eyes, and reach out to where your brain wants grips to be. Repeat as needed to get a good average, then adjust the grips to match. I've used different bars or risers to make it happen, with excellent results even on long rides.

- And ya, floorboards make a huge difference. I also place forward pegs so I can use those alone or bridge the footboard using the peg as a toe rest. Lots of options there.

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Thanks for your thoughts, SkiZo. But it's not the width of the seat that seems to be the problem. It's how far apart I need to place my feet due to the girth of the engine. I'm not sure whether any floorboards could address that situation. (Although perhaps they would provide variety/flexibility of where to place my feet, which might ease my problem?)

Regarding seats, I've already tried a Russell DayLong custom seat, and that's not the issue. It's not my butt that hurts. - It's my hip flexors that cramp up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Briorick

I totally agree with the others here. Foot boards might just be the fix to lessen your wide sitting stance. Pegs tend to make your legs spread out further. Thus putting more pressure on your hips. Maybe ride another's RT, and possibly with a backrest, and see how their's would feel under your seat. Worth a go!

The reason I say this is due to the fact I too have lower back issues, and although I have foot pegs, I do not use them. They make my seating position too wide and uncomfortable. Along with the use of my backrest, which is a god send to help support my lower back, I also have the foot boards. They also serve as a great support platform for the weight of the legs, and you can also adjust / move your legs about, if and when needed.

Best of luck to you.

Rick

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Rick, I just re-read this post. I see you've tried both boards and pegs, so you speak from experience. Do pegs really "make your legs spread out further" than boards? Maybe I'm dense, but I haven't been able to wrap my head around how that's possible. In fact I don't understand how boards vs pegs effect "leg spread" at all. (shrug) But I could be dead wrong about that. (It wouldn't be the first time). I'm glad that your boards have helped you though -- So, which boards are you using now? Pierre's "Ultimates"?

Thanks!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ARtraveler

You are half way to making a good decision. Remaining is a test ride on the Ryker. A good hour or more to get a more real feel than a trip around the parking lot. Only you, can be the judge of the final outcome.

You have checked the other boxes pretty well. No long trips, but wanting a comfortable ride.

We now have a pair of F3L's. Came off of RT's. A few amenities missing, but they ride as comfortable as RT for us. We like the sportier looks and pick up. A suggestion for floor boards may be the answer for your F3T. I am not sure if they come with fb's. The L's do.

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Well, as you can see, this is becoming a "try floorboards on the F3-T " vs "Test Drive the Ryker" dilemma! Good idea to test drive a Ryker but I don't know any dealer around here that would let me test on out for an hour! The standard seems to be about 15 minutes.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adventurer

I have a '22 Rally. I don't have very many miles on it yet as it has been to cold for me to ride or I've been busy on other projects on warmer days. My suggestion too, would be to take one for at least a one hour ride. Prior to purchasing mine I only rode Rykers for very short distances a couple of times. What I discovered on mine is that after about one hour in the saddle I cannot hardly tolerate the seat anymore. The Rally comes with the comfort seat and it has a small ridge around the rear portion of the seat and that ridge digs into my rear end and causes a lot of discomfort after about an hour of riding. I'm 6' foot tall so this may not affect some one who is shorter and I don't know if the standard seat on the other Rykers have the same ridge or not. That is my only complaint I have on mine after just a few rides.

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Surprised to hear of your problem with the "Comfort" seat. I'm much shorter than 6 foot tall, so it may not be an issue for me.

Thanks, guys!

I have a Corbin on my Rally and like it but I know Corbin's aren't for everybody. I did play with the foot peg position until I found one that really suited me and it really made a difference. But it is a totally different ride from the F3.
On another matter, you will NOT lose any power going to the Ryker. I've owned a '14 RTS, and now own a '19 Rally and '21 F3 S Special and I couldn't tell that much difference between them. The Rally will run with the other two acceleration wise just doesn't have the top end the other two have.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by newbert

Rick, I just re-read this post. I see you've tried both boards and pegs, so you speak from experience. Do pegs really "make your legs spread out further" than boards? Maybe I'm dense, but I haven't been able to wrap my head around how that's possible. In fact I don't understand how boards vs pegs effect "leg spread" at all. (shrug) But I could be dead wrong about that. (It wouldn't be the first time). I'm glad that your boards have helped you though -- So, which boards are you using now? Pierre's "Ultimates"?

Thanks!

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My Spyder came with the foot boards. I purchased it that way from another party. So not sure if they are aftermarkets, or not. They look like standard Spyder foot boards to me, from what I have seen advertised.

Being that I have occasional sciatica back pains, the difference for myself, between utilizing the pegs and floorboards is quite a difference in comfort. When my feet are resting on the foot boards my knees are actually hugging the Spyder body, ( like riding a typical 2 wheeler hugging the gas tank ) opposed to my legs being fully stretched out to the side on the pegs. I do have the backrest and that makes a word of difference for back support. A little tweaking was needed, but I have it zoned in to my comfort level.

With my legs being fully stretched out to the side there is a bit of discomfort, and even though the leg spread isn't that great, it is just enough to feel the difference inside the groin area. Example: Kind of like riding a horse bareback, and the feeling in your groin area after getting off being stiff and sore from a long ride ( best example I could use, sorry ). I can maybe ride the pegs for a short distance but it isn't comfortable, and back to using the foot boards I go. The weight is off my legs and hips. It's safe to say, it's all about your body alignment.....AND the fact that our bodies are getting OLDER! :sour::roflblack:

This is just my experience, and my rationalization. I feel there is a difference, maybe others do not. I thought that Pierre's video described the situation pretty well, and offered some great advice / hopeful solution.

The only way to really and truly know is to ride one with the foot boards and determine for yourself if you feel a difference.

Hopefully I have clarified at least a little bit of concern for you.

Rick


Edited: This is the FootBoard / Running Board I have. I think they are pretty Standard.

https://www.motorcycleid.com/3-wheel...hoCecIQAvD_BwE

The gas tank on the Ryker is narrower than the one on the Spyder. I believe that was the original posters problem. The other issue was the seat comfort of the Ryker.
My opinion is get the comfort seat and then, if the the back of THAT seat still gives you issues, you could add an airhawk seat pad on top.

As far as which model, they are mostly the same once you choose engines. The Rally has performance shocks all around which you may prefer for adjustability of your ride.

Not much to add here, except to say try the floor boards on your F3T. The standard F3T does not come with floorboards, but the F3 Limited does. I made a set for my F3T and was later able to get a set of OEM floorboards. It makes the ride a lot better. I have ridden the ryker a few times and to me, they are no ways as comfortable as the F3 series. Good luck.

With all the suggestions to try floor boards, why not give a set a try, and sell them if they don't work for you?

I wish we were closer to one another… i have a 19 ryker rally and i have been thinking about selling it to get a spyder f3 for more long trip comfort. I have not been able to find a place in ohio that will either let me rent an F3 or at least take an extended ride on one.

But like others have said, floorboards might just be a solution worth trying. If they dont work you can always resell them and not be out much money