Riding with a passenger.

[LouW]

I’m loving this Can-am Spyder RT but it’s completely different when my wife is riding with me. Cornering with a passenger seems strange. How do you guys adjust your suspension to compensate for the added weight?

[JayBros]

I don't. The biggest adjustment is in my right wrist. IMO teaching your bride to lean into the curves the same way you do makes the biggest difference. My wife came to the Spyder after 30 years as a stoker on a tandem bicycle and I told her to ride like a stoker and be glad she didn't have to pedal anymore. Although she seldom rides with me when she does she still behaves as though she was on a tandem.

[Mikey]

You will get a lot more body roll with a passenger on the back, that makes it feel very different, and at times bring the pucker factor gauge up a notch!! With my 2012 RTL, the stock shocks on the front are junk in my book, I set them up as high as I could and left them there till I just took them off two weeks ago! Turning them up did help with the body roll and handling, BUT, putting Elka stage 2's on the front made all the difference in the world for me and the pucker meter!!!!! Now what I need is change out the rear shock and some car tires and I will be styling!!! Don't know what year you have, but putting a little more pressure on the front shocks may help, do LITTLE adjustments at a time, till you find your happy spot!!! Good luck!!

[Navydad]

Car tires, BajaRon shock stiffeners, and a wife that leans her upper body into the curves. We can make pretty good time on a twisty road.

[2dogs]

I’m loving this Can-am Spyder RT but it’s completely different when my wife is riding with me. Cornering with a passenger seems strange. How do you guys adjust your suspension to compensate for the added weight?

Like JayBros, I adjust my wrist. When I have a passenger I slow the he!! down. To quote another poster here from way back, I leave the hooligan home.

[Peter Aawen]

Car tires, BajaRon shock stiffeners, and a wife that leans her upper body into the curves. We can make pretty good time on a twisty road.

with all that, as well as encouraging your pillion to lean in & look forward over your 'inside' shoulder on any curve; and if you want to go faster/corner harder, get your pillion also pushing/bracing themselves across the seat against the centrifugal forces with their outside foot, holding their weight 'down & in' against you/the Spyder with their inside knee, and actively pulling themselves down into the inside handgrip with their inside hand. Doing all this not only makes it easier for you as the ryder, but it also helps keep the machine more stable and gets your pillion actively involved with making spirited ryding a whole lot smoother, easier, and waaayyy more fun!

Of course, if as I generally try to do, you've left the 'hooligan' at home, not much of any of this will ever be much of an onerous task for your pillion, more just 'something to keep in mind' & sorta practice whenever they remember. But if that 'hooligan' in you (or them?? Altho, if you'd met the Child Bride, you'd understand why I deliberately add this comment... )occasionally slips the leash or maybe if you get to do some 2-up track time (it can be a blast!) then a pillion passenger who is practicing all this & is actively involved enough &/or does all this pretty much instinctively can make 'hi-speed cornering' on your Spyder almost as much fun as skillfully piloting a hack around a tight track with a talented monkey aboard!! But only 'almost'!

[Wmoater]

I ride 75 percent with a passenger. Probably about 8000 miles a year. Ron can explain this better than me but the bike is not level anymore once the passenger is on. I added his sway bar and Preload shock adjusters and it made a ton of difference. I also do not go as fast with the wife on the back. Sometimes she leans, sometimes she doesn’t. There isn’t a curve I’ve been around with her on the back I felt in any danger. Just slow down. No reason to tax you skills with the love of your life on the back. Enjoy the ride!

[Stache]

Change the ride, not the machine. Talk to your passenger. Find the riding style where you’re both comfortable.

If you change the hardware to improve the 2-up the change may negatively impact the 1-up.

[MRH]

Shocks will certainly help you out, but the sway bar is a must. Too much air in your tires will also make your steering feel off.

[2dogs]

I ride 75 percent with a passenger. Probably about 8000 miles a year. Ron can explain this better than me but the bike is not level anymore once the passenger is on. I added his sway bar and Preload shock adjusters and it made a ton of difference. I also do not go as fast with the wife on the back. Sometimes she leans, sometimes she doesn’t. There isn’t a curve I’ve been around with her on the back I felt in any danger. Just slow down. No reason to tax you skills with the love of your life on the back. Enjoy the ride!

+1 Very very well put. There are not many of us old flat trackers who have wives that enjoy the same thrill.

[Doug5283]

Mikey mentioned "the pucker factor"... First time I had the better half on the back, I could've turned a lump of coal into a diamond! You get the feel for it pretty quick though

[BajaRon]

You don't say which year RT you have. Some are much worse 2-up than others. One thing nice about the sway bar is it not only enhances 2-up riding, it does so without creating a harsh 1-up ride. Shocks or shock adjusters for the front will also give you more control. But you will need to adjust spring pre-load for the situation. Set correctly for 2-up and lots of storage will give you a stiff/harsh ride 1-up, lightly loaded if no adjustment is made. Easily done, of course, but not required for the sway bar upgrade.

What you want to do is level the ride in turns and set the shocks to handle the added load. Leveling the Spyder in turns helps maintain comfortable, confident seating positions as well as front wheel alignment. This, in turn, makes steering easier and more accurate. Eliminating most, if not all, steering adjustments in turns. Most people don't realize how many steering adjustments they have to make when in a curve with the stock suspension. Again, this varies by year, model, loading, etc. But is present in all stock Spyders. What riders do notice is fatigue in their shoulders and arms.

Even on straight roads where you have cross winds, or passing large trucks at freeway speeds can move you around with the stock suspension. You can get really stiff shocks which will go a long way towards addressing these issues. But the ride can be very harsh. The key is to get the sway bar and shocks dialed in so they work in harmony to give you great handling and control while preserving the nice cushy ride that you had with the stock suspension. It's not that difficult if you do it right. For most, it gives them a completely different machine.

Happy riding season everyone!

[Doc McCoy]

Baja for most shocks with pre adjustments wouldn't you have to take some tupperware off to get at the adjustment knobs?

[askitee]

I am the odd one here. At rider training we were told never ever ever have the pillion lean with you. If you need to adjust your posture quickly because you have seen something chances are your pillion will be in the wrong position and counteract your move. if they stay in their "lean position" and you need to stand the bike up you wont do anywhere near as well.

We were told the pillion should stay upright so that you are changing your position to compensate for the bike plus pillion. Also if the pillion decides to do their own thing in the name of helping, you just might have 3 competing forces working against each other.

When I have a hefty mate on the back I lean forward over the bars and into the corner, varying the amount depending on how much I need to adapt to the situation. You'll find it handy too if you overcook a corner and need to compensate.

If its my wife 55-60kgs no change
if its a mate 90-100kgs - rear suspension to max, tyre pressure to max pressure, and the above technique.

Find your favourite loop and try the technique until you master the amount of lean in and forward for each given situation. It also makes Nanny much happier, and you'll find you do it automatically just from the feedback the Spyder is giving you.