Left Turns/Curves Still a Problem For Me....

[newbert]

I'm a new ryder, having my F-3T for only 10 days so far, and I've put only 300 miles on it at this point. I have not gone on the freeway and 99.9% of my miles have been on rural country roads.

Although I've gained confidence and experience with each ride, I find that I still have problems with left-hand curves and turns, both trajectory and throttle-wise. (Right hand turns/curves are fine). It seems that perhaps 50% of the time, I feel that I'm being thrown to the right and out of control when I'm heading left.

These are what I think may be contributing to the problem:

1. Lots of crowned roads, leaning to the right even thru left curves.

2. Loss of control (somewhat) of the throttle as the RH moves farther away from me. (Perhaps too much reach?)

3. On both left and right turns/curves, I lean into the turn by putting pressure on the outside peg. However, when I put pressure on the right peg (during a left hand sweeping curve), I may be pressing on the brake pedal as well.

These are all just guesses on my part, but nevertheless I get a bit nervous when approaching a left-hander now.

Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with this, whether it's a riding technique or an adjustment/add-on to the F-3 to try?.

Things that come to mind are a) a laser alignment - but the Spyder tracks well on smooth non-crowned roads as far as I can tell, b) BajaRon sway bar, or c) Try moving the bars closer to me (Via F-3's U-Fit system) - Might any of these help address the problem? Or do I need more miles under my belt before trying any of these?

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. I feel that I'm getting better and more confident at ryding, except for those left-handers!

Thanks!

[Slowpoke387]

Turning these machines shouldnt be too difficult. You need to lean in towards the turn and lead with your head if you can picture that. More seat time and you will eventually get it.
Now the crowned roads part. Everyone and i mean everyone is going to tell you that you need more experience on a Spyder. I can tell you that our F3L is absolutely terrible on crowned roads. A couple of thousand miles and its the same. Experience be damned, it's just plain terrible on crowned roads. Loosening the grip only allows it to drift off the road faster too.
We are in the process of doing a shock and sway bar install along with different tires to help the situation. In the meantime we have found that it helps if you are closer to the actual crown. Really helps it from drifting. Unfortunately you have to be pretty much on the yellow lines with your inside front tire so you have to be careful doing that. Deserted roads only lol.
Im learning that crowned roads really affect these things a lot and all we can do is minimize the effect.

[newbert]

I think moving the bars closer if you can so that you can still control the throttle in a left turn would help, although I can't imagine a turn on a road that is so tight you have to move the handlebars that much.

Did you mean that you lean on the outside peg when turning? It should be the inside peg. That would account for most of the problem I think.

I lean into the turn (lean left), by putting pressure on/standing on the outside (right) peg. I do the opposite in right turns/curves and it works great.

I should also clarify that the loss of throttle control doesn't happen on a sweeping curve, but only when I turn 90 degrees left, at an intersection for example.

Thanks.

[newbert]

Turning these machines shouldnt be too difficult. You need to lean in towards the turn and lead with your head if you can picture that. More seat time and you will eventually get it.
Now the crowned roads part. Everyone and i mean everyone is going to tell you that you need more experience on a Spyder. I can tell you that our F3L is absolutely terrible on crowned roads. A couple of thousand miles and its the same. Experience be damned, it's just plain terrible on crowned roads. Loosening the grip only allows it to drift off the road faster too.
We are in the process of doing a shock and sway bar install along with different tires to help the situation. In the meantime we have found that it helps if you are closer to the actual crown. Really helps it from drifting. Unfortunately you have to be pretty much on the yellow lines with your inside front tire so you have to be careful doing that. Deserted roads only lol.
Im learning that crowned roads really affect these things a lot and all we can do is minimize the effect.

Yeah - I hear you. I don't want to get into the habit of crossing over the yellow line to mitigate the crown.

If you get any improvement thru your shock and sway bar install, please let us know about it!

Thanks!

[Bob Denman]

With only 100 miles under your belt: go log some more "Saddle-Time", and it'll all become familiar to you soon!
(You just need some more time!)

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Turning these machines shouldnt be too difficult. You need to lean in towards the turn and lead with your head if you can picture that. More seat time and you will eventually get it.
Now the crowned roads part. Everyone and i mean everyone is going to tell you that you need more experience on a Spyder. I can tell you that our F3L is absolutely terrible on crowned roads. A couple of thousand miles and its the same. Experience be damned, it's just plain terrible on crowned roads. Loosening the grip only allows it to drift off the road faster too.
We are in the process of doing a shock and sway bar install along with different tires to help the situation. In the meantime we have found that it helps if you are closer to the actual crown. Really helps it from drifting. Unfortunately you have to be pretty much on the yellow lines with your inside front tire so you have to be careful doing that. Deserted roads only lol.
Im learning that crowned roads really affect these things a lot and all we can do is minimize the effect.

I haven't been through Conn in a long time .... but after the many times you have reported about the " CROWNED ROADS " you encounter ..... they must be HUGH .... Please send Pics ...... I'm not dissing you , but I've got 100,000 plus miles on three Spyders and I've yet to encounter a Road Crown that either surprised me ( because of it's size ) or had any effect on the Spyders handling....... Remember you MUST keep your hands on handlebars at all times

[AY4B]

Relax more and let your body find the right balance, every time you get back on for a ride, you will notice you did much better. After a while you will notice your body moving from side to side to compensate for the slightest of uneven road surfaces.

[irvin48]

everyone is an expert but me. i still have troubles too. but you do also have to learn to push
the outer bar more than pull the inner one in the curve. off camber curves are a crock.--
irv

[bmccaffrey]

For the first month i owned on my way home from work i used to take the most winding roads i knew logging miles and experience. Challenging myself.
After laser alignment and sway bar huge difference . I feel i can ride with most cruiser 2 wheelers through any corning know.

RIDE RIDE RIDE EMPTY PARKING LOTS WITH LOTS TURN EXERCISES. I also agree with Mike on the crowned road should not be an issue. We have our share in NY

[canamjhb]

OK. Now I am confused. Is it "lean into a turn pushing with the outside leg" -or- "lean into a turn putting pressure on the inside leg".
I have read both. Not riding aggressive enough to worry about the inside wheel loosing contact with the ground, putting pressure on the outside floorboard helps (me) with countering the centrifugal force of the turn and is more comfortable. Which is the correct way to do it?

[newbert]

You want your weight on the inside side of the bike. Whether you do it by pushing down on the left handlebar or standing on the left peg, that is what is meant by leaning into the turn.

By putting pressure on the outside peg you are nullifying any benefit you have from leaning into the turn. Maybe you're not really putting pressure on the outside peg so much as bracing yourself against it?

Remember, you had said left turns on crowned roads were troublesome for you. That is always going to be true, and it's not necessarily you. It's physics. With a right turn, the crowned road is working for you as if you were on a banked track. With left turns, everything is working against you; you will never be able to take a left turn on a crowned road as easily as a right turn. But, try this technique and see if it doesn't help you get over that.

Pete - You're from Utah so perhaps you're a snow skier? I equate what I've been doing on the Spyder to snow skiing (on packed surfaces). ie - when turning left, "setting the inside edge" of the right "ski" by applying pressure to the edge with the right foot. (And opposite for right turns). As I said earlier, that seems to work pretty well on the right curving sweepers for me, but not on the left.

Just to clarify, are you saying that's wrong when steering the Spyder thru the twisties?

Thanks.

[JerryB]

Hi canamjhb,

Re: "lean left into a left turn pushing with the outside/right leg"

I can only speak for myself. I ride an '08, have had it 3 yrs now & have put 8,000 miles on it.

The quote is what I do. I find that it works best for me. I cannot speak as to how others are comfortable.

Jerry Baumchen

PS) My first 'frisky' turn with my Spyder scared the sh** out of me. I truly thought that I was going off of the machine.

[canamjhb]

JerryB That is what feels best for me too. I lead with my nose and eyes through the turns and push the handle bar opposite the direction I am turning and utilizing my outside foot to stabilize me in the turn. Seems to me if I tried to put weight on the inside leg, centrifugal force and me pushing my leg from the inside would have the effect of trying to make me fly off the bike...... Not good. I only have about 1800 miles under my belt on a Spyder and am still learning. (And unlearning 25+ years of 2 wheeling) Good information here. Especially about the difference in turns on crowned roads......

[ARNIE R]

I had the same issue with left hand curves when I first got mine, it felt squirrelly as all get-out . Laser alignment helped some, however, it finally dawned on me that during the left hand curves, I found myself looking downward at the yellow center line instead of ahead where I wanted to go.

I still catch myself doing it from time to time, but I am getting better the more miles I put on the bike.

[SteveP]

With only 100 miles under your belt: go log some more "Saddle-Time", and it'll all become familiar to you soon!
(You just need some more time!)

Keep going , and don't overdrive your comfort zone

[jnt]

When we got our first Spyder, the owners manual had suggersted courses to set up with cones (we used 1/2 tennis balls) to practice handling skills. Worked very well.

Hope that helps.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I must be a TOTAL oddball on this leaning thing ..... I don't consciously think about leaning my 1100 lb Spyder ....that does NOT LEAN ....... To me it's like driving your car and leaning to make it turn better ... the Spyder drives and handles like a car .... minus one wheel.... I have followed other Spyder drivers and watched some of them practically hanging off their Spyder in the twisties , I'm not and I'm right on their tail !!!........... The ergonomics of the Spyder does not lend itself to leaning your body to either side .... To me the less ( un-necessary things )I have to think about , the attention I can give to what's going on around me .....that might KILL me if I don't notice it........ Mike

[UtahPete]

I don't consciously think about leaning my 1100 lb Spyder ....that does NOT LEAN ...The ergonomics of the Spyder does not lend itself to leaning your body to either side ....

The question was; how to handle an off-camber left turning curve on a Spyder that doesn't lean into the turn like a 2-wheeler? The answer is to put as much of your weight as possible on the uphill (inside) side of the bike to counterbalance the forces which are making him feel as if he's about to fly off the bike.

Actually, the Spyder does lean - to the outside. It's that force you're trying to counteract by shifting your weight to the inside of the turn. The picture below is an extreme example but the principle is the same.

sidecar racer.jpg

[canamjhb]

I think the leaning thing is just to compensate for the forces that want to throw you off the bike in a turn. I don't believe leaning will make you any better or quicker in turns. It just keeps you upright and from falling off. I am a newbe and know nothing. But, we're not racing side car hacks here. Just basic intuition.

[Fat Baxter]

I think the "need to lean" is largely psychological, as not every rider feels to need to do it, from what I've read here. But I do it anyway -- keeps me engaged with the machine, IMO.

As for the throttle issue, try using the cruise control more. One less thing to worry about as you're "chicken winging" it with your arms through the curves. I use the cruise control a lot, and generally leave it on in most regular, smooth curves. Now, if I'm tackling some twisty hills, that's different, of course.

[cmbspyderrss]

As a new Spyder RSS owner there is a lot of good and also confusing info here. Like anything, ride more, learn more.

These vids were pretty good to understand the Spyder before my first ride.



And then this nutbag

[Bob Denman]

Lean to the inside of the turn, and brace yourself by stiffening up the leg that's on the outside...
It IS a lot like skiing!

[Devious56]

You didn't say if you have attended one of Can Am's driving schools. My suggestion would be to check with your dealer and attend this class. You will spend a couple of days learning about riding a Spyder, and have the ability to experience many different riding situations that would take you a much longer time just riding on the road. Riding a Spyder is really quite different than riding a two wheeler, but the best tip I could give you is think about pushing on the handle bar instead of pulling on it, it seems to give you a little better control . And ride, the more you ride, the easier it will become, and you will figure out what is the best way for you. Good luck, and enjoy.

David

[Bob Denman]

I know the Lesters: they started out in the snowmobile magazine end of reporting.
I always like "SnowTrax" magazine.
But while snowmobiles and Spyders feel very similar: there are distinct differences.
On a sled: you get as low and forward as possible. In really aggressive cornering maneuvers: you may not even have your outside boot touching the running boards.
The body positioning on the Spyder is nowhere near as radical. You DO get lower, more forward, and to the inside... But you will still be able to brace your outside leg against your pegs or running boards. This helps to keep the centrifugal forces from trying to pitch you to the outside.
On a sled: your backside is literally against the side of the seat: that's what does the bracing for you on them.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

This one is pretty good at demonstrating the riding technique I suggest may be necessary to feel more comfortable on left turns on crowned roads. It's simple physics.

Yep it looks reallllllllllly cool ........ however I think a really competent Spyder operator could keep up with Him without all the DRAMATIC - EXCESSIVE leaning maneuvers. Personally I would not want to be Him ..... if a deer or some other emergency situation occurred while He was doing His Exaggerated driving maneuvers ...... Some here claim driving a Spyder is very much like driving a Snow-mobile .... Well I was into the snow-mobile thing for over 30 years .... and there is almost NO similarity ..... You lean a snowmobile over ( in turns ) for the same reason Skiers do ..... The snow-mobile track and the Ski have to have something to push against for them to work at their optimum. At very, very slow speeds for either to turn it's not necessary to lean them, however once you get to 10mph and over you absolutely need to ....... To drive a Spyder fast you don't NEED to do what is pictured in this video, in fact I think it's like driving with over-inflated tires ---- UN-SAFE ..... sorry if this bursts anyone's bubble................. Mike