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Member
Before I leave the dealership
So.... Tuesday I pick up my 2017 RT S and I am planning on driving it home (1.5 hours). This is my first three-wheeled bike. I have only ridden on two. I'm looking for any advice that will make my ride home as comfortable and fun as possible. I have been reading up as much as I can on do's and don't's. I read the operator's manual yesterday while I was at work. But I am a hands on learner so I will be reviewing as I touch the Spyder next week. What is killing me is the wait. I want it to be Tuesday already!!!! Wish me luck and I can't wait to ride!!!!!
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Originally Posted by Richzim275
So.... Tuesday I pick up my 2017 RT S and I am planning on driving it home (1.5 hours). This is my first three-wheeled bike. I have only ridden on two. I'm looking for any advice that will make my ride home as comfortable and fun as possible. I have been reading up as much as I can on do's and don't's. I read the operator's manual yesterday while I was at work. But I am a hands on learner so I will be reviewing as I touch the Spyder next week. What is killing me is the wait. I want it to be Tuesday already!!!! Wish me luck and I can't wait to ride!!!!!
Stay off the freeways for awhile. Find a large empty parking lot (or stretch of empty country road) and practice doing hard straight-line stops at speed; you'll be amazed at how well the bike performs and you'll gain additional confidence in it.
2014 RTL Platinum
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Very Active Member
Be light with your grip, pretend the throttle is an egg.
Take back roads home if possible so you can vary your speeds and get a good feel of the bike in some corners without having to keep up with traffic
Keep your foot off the brake while riding, some people rest their foot too close to the pedal
Remember, you have to steer in the corners, simply leaning won't steer the Spyder as it would on two wheelers
Upshift at about 4k rpm, and maybe let the bike downshift itself for the first ride out
In the corners, hold firm with the outside foot, push/pull equally with your hands
Don't tense up and relax, otherwise you'll be sore between your shoulder blades
Make sure they set the tire pressures for you before ya leave
Make them go through everything with you, regardless of how simple it may seem. It might help you remember something later on
If ya shut down anywhere for a break, don't forget that pesky "Mode" button when you go to restart
Don't forget, there's not a front brake lever up at your right hand....LOL
Enjoy it!!!!
2021 RT Limited
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Very Active Member
First Ride
Originally Posted by UtahPete
Stay off the freeways for awhile. Find a large empty parking lot (or stretch of empty country road) and practice doing hard straight-line stops at speed; you'll be amazed at how well the bike performs and you'll gain additional confidence in it.
I rode my ST home from NorthCarolina with no prior experience or training. Very unnerving first few miles.
I agree with Pete.
Find a parking lot and spend some time noodling around.
Get some practice turning figure 8s.
By all means check the ire pressure before the ride.
Have fun and let us know how it goes. Miles of Smiles ahead of you.
David C
2016 F3T
DIY Garage Door Opener & GPS Mount
Battery tender cable
Rear IPS Pack Rack
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After about 40 years of not riding anything, I rode my new 2016 leftover F3-T home about two weeks ago. The advice given by others is spot on. This is what I did:
1. Stay off the freeways, and take the county roads instead. It'll add to the time it takes get home, but you'll enjoy it more, learn a lot, and be safer.
2. I assume that someone will be driving you to the dealer, right? If so, have that someone follow you while you make your way home on those county roads. If they can stay relatively close behind, and prevent other cars from getting between you and them, you'll feel safer.
3. If you find a large empty store parking lot, stop and try some emergency maneuvers for a few minutes. - ie: sudden braking, swerving etc.
Try to relax on it (I'm still working on that, but I'm getting there...), and Have fun!
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Posted speeds
When my wife and I bought ours, we stuck to the posted speeds especially on the bends and corners until we got comfortable with how the spyder handled and rode. As time went on, (roughly about 300 miles later) the comfort level and confidence grew and so did our speeds.
I love how the earth rotates around the sun ... it really makes my day!
Currently Own:
2019 F3 Limited - Vegas White (Dark Edition) - His
(Baja Ron bar/links-Short reach bars-Center footpegs-Tall boy screen-Flag holders-LED Skidplate-Spydercuffs-Ultimate seat-LED Headlights)
*** BLOWN MOTOR Apr 21 @3,800 miles, motor replaced by BRP Jun 5, 21 ***
2019 RT Limited - Phoenix Orange (Chrome) - Hers
(Baja Ron bar/links-Skidplate-Spydercuff-Comfort seat-LED Headlights)
Previously Owned:
2013 RT SE5 (Orbital Blue) *31,000 Miles* - His
2012 RT Ltd SE5 (Pink Full Body Wrap) *41,000 Miles* - Hers
2021 Ryker 900 (Black) Sport Windshield - Foam Grips - Solo Comfort Seat
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Originally Posted by UtahPete
Stay off the freeways for awhile. Find a large empty parking lot (or stretch of empty country road) and practice doing hard straight-line stops at speed; you'll be amazed at how well the bike performs and you'll gain additional confidence in it.
I would not recommend doing hard or high speed stops on a brand new bike. This can overheat the pads and lessen the braking friction.
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Originally Posted by RinconRyder
I would not recommend doing hard or high speed stops on a brand new bike. This can overheat the pads and lessen the braking friction.
Good point.
2014 RTL Platinum
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Very Active Member
new brakes
Originally Posted by RinconRyder
I would not recommend doing hard or high speed stops on a brand new bike. This can overheat the pads and lessen the braking friction.
I beg to differ on this ..... new pads & new rotors need to be " mated " or broken in properly ... you can ask the dealer if they did this but I doubt they did .... maybe someone can post what it says on the info sheet that comes with BAJARON's EBC pads....... Mike
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Very Active Member
Make sure your wheels are torqued properly, your tires are inflated correctly, and they gave you enough gas to get home. My ex-dealer failed with all three.
2015 RTS Special Series
Russell Day Long seat
F4 Customs windshield
Sena 20s
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Very Active Member
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Active Member
On my first trip home from dealer I preferred following my wife rather than leading, especially if on unfamiliar back road path. Navigating was one less thing to worry about. Good luck and enjoy.
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Active Member
My advice
please read the do's and don'ts on this page, they are very helpful. Do not use a death grip and most advice i can give is RELAX. I just logged 1000 miles today since I bought my bike I was like you never owned a 3 wheel and only test drove one for about 15 mins a year before I actually purchased. I read and understood the do and don'ts and took a lot of advice from this site.
If you look for my past post you will see the hardest thing for me was fact my face hurt from the smiling all the way home, my trip home was around 2 hrs for my first ride it was great.
Originally Posted by Richzim275
So.... Tuesday I pick up my 2017 RT S and I am planning on driving it home (1.5 hours). This is my first three-wheeled bike. I have only ridden on two. I'm looking for any advice that will make my ride home as comfortable and fun as possible. I have been reading up as much as I can on do's and don't's. I read the operator's manual yesterday while I was at work. But I am a hands on learner so I will be reviewing as I touch the Spyder next week. What is killing me is the wait. I want it to be Tuesday already!!!! Wish me luck and I can't wait to ride!!!!!
Last edited by Chasinsparks; 07-09-2017 at 06:38 PM.
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Active Member
Body Position
One important thing to remember is that your body position on the hwy needs to be further to the right. My first ride home I kept my body position in the left hand track like I did on 2 wheels. At the first stop my friend that was following corrected me and told me to get my wheel off of the line.
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Very Active Member
I guess, as usual, im gonna be the one person who does things completely different. I had a 180 mile ride home from the dealer and I took interstates the entire way. The friend of mine who drove me to the dealer followed me. I prefer interstates because they are faster, duh, and I think safer in a lot of ways. Yes, people may cut you off but that happens on all roads. But there are no crossroads or driveways for people to pull out in front of you, no animals for the most part meandering in your way, plenty of lanes to choose where you want to travel. Roads are generally in better shape and have less debris in them. YMMV
Current Ride
2015 RT-S SM6 Cocaine
Pearl White
Diamond R Web Armrests
Shorty Windshield
Previous Ride
2012 RT SM5 The Beast
Pure Magnesium Metallic
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Very Active Member
Repeating some of the thoughts above in different words. Don't even think about trying to steer the Spyder like you do a two wheeler. There is NO counter steering with a Spyder. Steering is a full time job on a Spyder, especially in corners. Take it easy, know that it will be different, and you'll have it it down pat in a few hundred miles. As Bob said, if you have experience riding an ATV you'll be comfortable by the time you leave the parking lot.
Other than that, enjoy the automatic shift, and know that you can panic stop a lot faster and in a more controlled fashion than you could on your two wheeler.
Read the Do's and Don'ts thread at the top of the first page of General Discussion.
2014 Copper RTS
Tri-Axis bars, CB, BajaRon sway bar & shock adjusters, SpyderPop's Bumpskid, NBV peg brackets, LED headlights and modulator, Wolo trumpet air horns, trailer hitch, custom trailer harness, high mount turn signals, Custom Dynamics brake light, LED turn signal lights on mirrors, LED strip light for a dash light, garage door opener, LED lights in frunk, trunk, and saddlebags, RAM mounts and cradles for tablet (for GPS) and phone (for music), and Smooth Spyder belt tensioner.
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Active Member
First trip
Originally Posted by Richzim275
So.... Tuesday I pick up my 2017 RT S and I am planning on driving it home (1.5 hours). This is my first three-wheeled bike. I have only ridden on two. I'm looking for any advice that will make my ride home as comfortable and fun as possible. I have been reading up as much as I can on do's and don't's. I read the operator's manual yesterday while I was at work. But I am a hands on learner so I will be reviewing as I touch the Spyder next week. What is killing me is the wait. I want it to be Tuesday already!!!! Wish me luck and I can't wait to ride!!!!!
I rode from Nashville, TN to Prescott, AZ about a month after I purchased my RTS SE6. I had spend a good bit of time on SpyderLovers and learned to be watchful for the "dreaded orange screen". I'm an early riser and didn't know about the night time Orange tinted screen. I just about turned back for home before it got light enough for the orange to go away and I finally figured it out and stopped worrying.
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Active Member
New Spyder
Originally Posted by Richzim275
So.... Tuesday I pick up my 2017 RT S and I am planning on driving it home (1.5 hours). This is my first three-wheeled bike. I have only ridden on two. I'm looking for any advice that will make my ride home as comfortable and fun as possible. I have been reading up as much as I can on do's and don't's. I read the operator's manual yesterday while I was at work. But I am a hands on learner so I will be reviewing as I touch the Spyder next week. What is killing me is the wait. I want it to be Tuesday already!!!! Wish me luck and I can't wait to ride!!!!!
If you have come from a motorcycle, REMEMBER ... there is NO HAND BRAKE. Don't get yourself into a "situation" where you would normally grab the hand brake. THERE IS NO HAND BRAKE. That was the hardest thing for me to learn ... almost the hard way at a railroad crossing .....
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Active Member
Either you or your dealer run the unit up to 75 mph and certify you got round wheels. My first 4 front wheels were not.
2016 F3T Limited
F4 Windshield, LaMonster backrest, headlights, foglights with rings, Long Horn mirror lights, saddle bag and fender lights, swaybar, cat bypass, Centrtonics balancers, Fobo, Baker hand and lower wings, laser alignment, Dual power plate,Givi E47 center bag, Sensa 20s, Pitbull highway riding pegs, Tricled highway lights, empty bank account
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Very Active Member
I rode a friends Spyder for 5 minutes before I purchase mine. Rode the new (to me) bike home 1,500 miles with tornadoes in the area (Oklahoma) and 50 MPH+ side winds a good part of the way. Also towing my new RT622 trailer for the first time. Turns out I blew the seals in both front shocks early in the trip. (BTW, NO Can Am dealers stock shocks anywhere between Tulsa, OK and Mesa, AZ). I white knuckled it home with both front tires bouncing like beach balls at every bump. The selling dealer did take care of me with shocks but now I am finding that trip home was not representative of how the Spyder handles. (Thank God) I am now learning white knuckling is not a good thing. Having good shock absorbers is a good thing. Have Patience and ride easy within your ability and it will become easier. I come from riding a Goldwing for over 25 years and have owned a Can Am Commander 4WD. I think the 4WD experience better prepared me for the Spyder riding. More similar than 2 wheels.
Good Luck and go slow
2005 Windveil Blue Premium Mustang Convertible
2008 Honda GL1800/California Sidecar Trike, SOLD
2014 Platinum Silver Satin Spyder RTL, SOLD
Semper Fi
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Active Member
4 weeks ago I did what you are about to do. I had a 50 mile ride home with 10 minutes previous experience. Everything that's been said is spot on. Now with 900 miles on the clock it's getting much easier but steering still takes a lot more cinsentration than two wheels. I like the auto shift down so much I hardly ever bother to override it except for a quick overtake . In my first 2 minutes of riding sat at a level crossing in view of the dealership I switched off to wait fir the train and then couldn't start again. That kill switch is easily tripped. Good luck.
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Active Member
Bottom line, I did the same thing you're doing and no problem...at all...EASY TRIP. Not that all these suggestions may be good. You can be very confident!
2016 F3T Limited
F4 Windshield, LaMonster backrest, headlights, foglights with rings, Long Horn mirror lights, saddle bag and fender lights, swaybar, cat bypass, Centrtonics balancers, Fobo, Baker hand and lower wings, laser alignment, Dual power plate,Givi E47 center bag, Sensa 20s, Pitbull highway riding pegs, Tricled highway lights, empty bank account
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