"Death Grip"?

[KLo5591]

Ok, I'm 62 and the new owner of a new-to-me 2012 Spyder RT SE5 A&C. I had ridden 2-wheelers most of my life but I have to admit I no longer trusted my reflexes and dexterity and thus took the plunge on the only other fun and practical alternative I thought I could live with. After 3 months and 1000 miles with this machine I'm so glad I did. I love this semi-automatic tricycle and find it to be so much more comfortable, relaxing and secure than the old man's crotch rocket I traded for it.

I have been reading and researching this forum for some time and find a lot of great information and advice on Spyder ryding. Thank you all and I will try to contribute what I can over time.

Well I started this thread because I keep hearing about that dreaded "death grip" attributable to newbies that seems to be responsible for a lot of twitching, jerking, pulling and all kinds of other handling issues. I have tried several different techniques to "lighten up" my grip but this trike sometimes seems needs to be manhandled to keep it under control. Especially true when there is even a little wind throwing you around the highway but a matter of life or death when traversing I-85 near Atlanta where semi's outnumber cars sometimes 2-to-1 (really thought I was going over the median recently while passing one of them). I don't feel like my Spyder is grossly out of alignment because it handles really well in local commuter traffic and doesn't exhibit much more than mild twitching on secondary roads. But hauling down a highway sometimes raises the hair between my legs.

Anyhow, at this point, I'm reasonably comfortable riding and I can handle the shifting, turns and braking in most situations. But I guess I'm fishing for any new advice regarding hand/arm control, posture, knee position or anything else that can help improve my operational techniques and make this fine machine more manageable and safer under high-speed, high-traffic highway conditions.

[Motorcycledave]

My wife said I was dangerous while following me home when I got mine... 5 years ago
at 70 years old, I also have been riding since I was 14 all my life and I can tell you practice
practice practice.... and more practice, don't try to counter steer and quit grabbing for a brake lever
that isn't there, just relax like you do in your car don't hold the bars like you once did and you will
get used to it. Today i went on the Capital City MC River Run out of Sacramento CA. total milage today 224 had a great time.
Ride on back roads till you feel secure then go for it.
Ride Safe
Dave

Ok, I'm 62 and the new owner of a new-to-me 2012 Spyder RT SE5 A&C. I had ridden 2-wheelers most of my life but I have to admit I no longer trusted my reflexes and dexterity and thus took the plunge on the only other fun and practical alternative I thought I could live with. After 3 months and 1000 miles with this machine I'm so glad I did. I love this semi-automatic tricycle and find it to be so much more comfortable, relaxing and secure than the old man's crotch rocket I traded for it.

I have been reading and researching this forum for some time and find a lot of great information and advice on Spyder ryding. Thank you all and I will try to contribute what I can over time.

Well I started this thread because I keep hearing about that dreaded "death grip" attributable to newbies that seems to be responsible for a lot of twitching, jerking, pulling and all kinds of other handling issues. I have tried several different techniques to "lighten up" my grip but this trike sometimes seems needs to be manhandled to keep it under control. Especially true when there is even a little wind throwing you around the highway but a matter of life or death when traversing I-85 near Atlanta where semi's outnumber cars sometimes 2-to-1 (really thought I was going over the median recently while passing one of them). I don't feel like my Spyder is grossly out of alignment because it handles really well in local commuter traffic and doesn't exhibit much more than mild twitching on secondary roads. But hauling down a highway sometimes raises the hair between my legs.

Anyhow, at this point, I'm reasonably comfortable riding and I can handle the shifting, turns and braking in most situations. But I guess I'm fishing for any new advice regarding hand/arm control, posture, knee position or anything else that can help improve my operational techniques and make this fine machine more manageable and safer under high-speed, high-traffic highway conditions.

[MercerLake]

I'm 75 yrs. and have rode since 14-15 yrs. various bikes on and off road. I too switched to a four years ago and fought the urge to hang on tight, took awhile. I've found that wind gusts and turbulence from other vehicles largely moves your body first, you then make imperceptible steering inputs, now the trike does move, so we try to correct it and it gets worse not better! Assuming tire pressures, shocks, and alignment are correct, this self induced movement is often a result of unconsciously tightening the grip.
We think we are loose but old reactions die hard. As the radio used to say,"Relax Archie"! A is much like riding a horse, they sway side to side but pretty much go straight unless we try correcting with the reins.

[Buckeye Bleau]

One thing that really helped me was the addition of the foam grip covers from TricLed.

Regarding the wind issue, I do not have experience with this but, the Spyder Pops sway bar seems to have some positive impact on that issue. You can find many posts on it here.

Joe

[rudym]

I am a total newbie to the spyder BUT I was fortunate in that I bought a Used F3T with lots of bells and whistles like a sway bar etc already installed.
The local high winds and other highway vehicles hardly move me and it drives like a dream and instills confidence. I have not challenged the multi-lane interstate though.
The only thing bad that I felt was bar buzz and I put on some foam grip puppies and it helps with that.
Does your bike have a sway bar installed?

My only stress now is deciding whether I should take the spyder or my two wheeled motorcycle to work.
good luck

[Bob Denman]

It's smart to know when to ask...
If you feel as if the bike is asking to be "manhandled:; that means that something just isn't quite right...
1. It might be the bike
2. It might be you
3. It might be a combination of both!



I would certainly check your front tire presuures. Make sure that they are within one-half pound of each other. It would also be smart to have the bike laser-aligned. The way that BRP was sending these things out from the factory was often a bit...

marty-feldman.jpg

Now: let's talk about you...
If you feel as if you need to be constantly making corrections to the bike's direction of travel, and your hands feel as if you've been practicing your "Who has the strongest handshake?" moves for too long: you need to try and relax a bit.
This is NOT to say that you shouldn't be alert and looking around for potential trouble... That is "Situational Awareness", and it can keep you alive, if things get too interesting.
I find that by keeping my knees against the tank: it stabilizes me in the saddle. It also helps to "set your outside foot", and put more weight on it, when you're making any sort of turn.
Oh! Don't forget to lean into the turn also: the amount of the lean depends on the turn itself: you'll eventually learn to do this without even thinking about it.

I hope that this helps!

[Devious56]

I would suggest investing in a BajaRon swaybar, it will give you a more stable trike less prone to diving in the middle of a turn and not moved around as much by a side wind or passing truck.

David

[kbruehl]

Age here is 70 and I purchased my 2012 RT last Fall. I have put on about 2100 miles so far and I love this machine! I also had to get used to the death grip and once I learned to relax all was fine. I also notice that the wind seems to affect the driver more than the bike. I also added the foam grips and that also helped to lighten the grip. I am going to add the Utopia driver backrest today and that should make the ride even more comfortable that it already is. Been seeing more and more Spyders on the road here in Wisconsin.
Karl - New London, WI

[PrairieSpyder]

I used to live in Gwinnett County and took I-85 a lot. That was 20 years ago and traffic was bad then. Now it's even worse!

Besides your grip, I also recommend the Baja Ron anti-sway bar, if your Spyder doesn't already have one. Also the foam grip covers.

[RykerUSA]

When I picked up my spyder I had to dryve about two hundred myles home. The steering required constant attention and was downryght unsafe on sweeping turns. The next day I had it laser alygned and it took care of the issue completely. I'm not a believer in the death grip theory. These bikes come poorly alygned. Once that's fixed, you're good to go.

[KLo5591]

Thanks for the comments & suggestions so far my friends. My Spyder RT is pretty much stock except it came with a Utopia backrest (love it!), a RAM ball mount and USB power port on the switch panel (both very useful accessories) all compliments of the original owner.

I think the anti-sway bar would be a great upgrade but I haven't decided if I want to alter the original suspension at this time. I may go ahead and order some foam grips but how do they affect the heated grips?

As I stated, I only have logged just under 1000 miles at this point and I do need much more practice. Each ride has been an adventure and learning experience and am getting better at leaning into curves, keeping up the revs and shifting at the appropriate times (never had semi-auto before). At his point, I haven't gained the confidence to get aggressive on the curves and I definitely avoid the Interstates whenever possible. But I think my first priority is just to relax, loosen up, enjoy and have fun....

Ryde on!

[Bob Denman]

Well said: take your time, and enjoy the ryde!

[KLo5591]

When I picked up my spyder I had to dryve about two hundred myles home. The steering required constant attention and was downryght unsafe on sweeping turns. The next day I had it laser alygned and it took care of the issue completely. I'm not a believer in the death grip theory. These bikes come poorly alygned. Once that's fixed, you're good to go.

Yes, I definitely would like to get the laser alignment done. My local dealer doesn't do them and the closest dealer that does is over 60 miles from home. But based on what I've heard I think it would be well worth the trip, assuming they can do it while I wait. I definitely will give them a call.

[RussRT]

I would like to share some advice that was given to me!
first: the handgrips are for steering only!!
second: your knees in against the seat pads that come over the tank on each side. It feels strange at first, but once you get used to it you will loosen your grip on the handgrips at any speed. Your legs may be a little sore at first, but the end result is a much more relaxed ride!!
good luck. Russ

[Devious56]

First off, as important as a good alignment is, I don't think it will help what KLo5591 is describing, and will stick with my first suggestion of a heavier sway bar. But, since this thread has talked about the "death grip" which will cause the problems. The quickest thing that can be done is to loosen up your grip and also quit hold tight enough to pull on the handle bars. It is much easier to push on them, and it also gives a little better control. All you have to do is rest your hand on the hand grips and push as though you were trying to countersteer. Good luck, and relax, you'll figure it out before you know it, and enjoy the ride.

David

[BigGuy66]

One thing that really helped me was the addition of the foam grip covers from TricLed.

Regarding the wind issue, I do not have experience with this but, the Spyder Pops sway bar seems to have some positive impact on that issue. You can find many posts on it here.

Joe

We rode (600 miles) to Spyderfest '17 out of northern Indiana via Rt 31, 70, 55, 44 and had wind and trucks with us. At SF, Spyderpops installed BajaRon sway bar. We rode I-44, 70, 31 (in Indiana with 30 mph crosswinds and 40 mph gusts) and the sway bar made a big difference. If you don't have one, get one!!
Jim

[ARtraveler]

If you have addressed tire pressure and alignment it is probably the grip.

Information that I have posted a few times concerning "the death grip."

Pretend that there are eggs between your hands and the grips. Don't break the eggs. Use more of a gentle push/pull on the handgrips. Steer INTO the turn. Countersteering does not work on ,s.

On tight turns, you should enter the turn at such a speed that you can accelerate as your enter. I enter from the inside of the curve and track to the outside. I do not touch any of the center lines. If there is extra room on the right, I use it. More straight = less "g" forces.

Leaning "slightly" into the curve and planting the outside foot will result hardly any "g" forces. I can do curves at 20+ posted without going over the center line, and the feels like its on a track. Most of the time I am comfortable with +10.

[JerryB]

Hi KLo5591,

Re: "Death Grip"?

There is a lot of really good info on this site. I know no one on here who is not willing to help when they can.

I'm 76 & bought my '08 three yrs ago; I have put 8,000 miles on her ( it rains a little in the Portland, OR area )

Since last Fall, I've had my Spyder out twice. The other day I noticed that I was using the "Death Grip"? And, this has been an ongoing problem when first riding in the new year. What I did was just grab the ends of the handle bars, the very outer edge being right in the middle of my hand(s), this made it much easier to have that necessary light touch.

This may or may not work for you, but it worked for me.

And I do continue to tell myself, 'Relax the grip, you dummy.'

Jerry Baumchen

[PScott07]

Something some people forget, you can set your rear suspension to the stiffest setting, that will help with trucks and wind, It will also make you more stable in the turns. You can soften it when it's bumpy and as you get more use to it.

[Rogue Hawk]

"Death Grip"


A great name for a Metal band

[SpyderSteveFL]

It will also make you more stable in the turns. You can soften it when it's bumpy and as you get more use to it.

I've actually found the opposite to be true. With the air bag at hardest/fullest setting the bike and center of gravity are higher and it doesn't hold in turns and curves as well. I personally find the lower settings better for more aggressive turns, etc.

[KLo5591]

Hi KLo5591,

Re: "Death Grip"?

There is a lot of really good info on this site. I know no one on here who is not willing to help when they can.

I'm 76 & bought my '08 three yrs ago; I have put 8,000 miles on her ( it rains a little in the Portland, OR area )

Since last Fall, I've had my Spyder out twice. The other day I noticed that I was using the "Death Grip"? And, this has been an ongoing problem when first riding in the new year. What I did was just grab the ends of the handle bars, the very outer edge being right in the middle of my hand(s), this made it much easier to have that necessary light touch.

This may or may not work for you, but it worked for me.

And I do continue to tell myself, 'Relax the grip, you dummy.'

Jerry Baumchen

Funny, I keep telling myself the same thing Jerry. Lol.

Ken

[KLo5591]

I've actually found the opposite to be true. With the air bag at hardest/fullest setting the bike and center of gravity are higher and it doesn't hold in turns and curves as well. I personally find the lower settings better for more aggressive turns, etc.

Interesting. I'm never sure where i should set the front pre-load/rear pressure, other than by weight. Well since my rear air shock is a manual set and the front is a real pain-in-TA to change I just keep them both about 80% max. I may try to soften them up a bit and see if handling improves.

[LateLifeCrisis]

FYI - I just ordered foam grips from TricLed - $12.95 or 19.95 for two pair.

[Pirate looks at --]

We rode (600 miles) to Spyderfest '17 out of northern Indiana via Rt 31, 70, 55, 44 and had wind and trucks with us. At SF, Spyderpops installed BajaRon sway bar. We rode I-44, 70, 31 (in Indiana with 30 mph crosswinds and 40 mph gusts) and the sway bar made a big difference. If you don't have one, get one!!
Jim

I have to agree, the other suggestions are solid, but what you are describing is exactly what we felt on our RT when brand new. We would move significantly when passing big rigs, or they were passing us. Baja Ron fixed that completely. Just know that most important f us with RTs make the decision to install one of these and you will be way more comfortable on the machine and it will be much easier to practice the other tips listed in this thread. You WILL ado it eventually, there is no reason to wait.