How do you avoid hitting potholes? 3 wheels makes it difficult!

[Lcfour]

As I don't have a Spyder yet, I'm curious as to how do you avoid the potholes? With 3 wheels in 3 planes it's gotta be harder to swerve around em than a motorcycle or a car. Is the suspension so good you don't even try to swerve? Just something I've been thinking about for awhile.

[ES44AC]

Its much harder to line things up so you will miss them than 2 wheels. My 2021 RTL is much better than my 2015 RTS in case you do hit one. I'd definitely avoid hitting potholes if you can.
My wife's 18' Camry hit a pothole in I-40 it destroyed the front tire and wheel. It was at night and 30 other vehicles hit that hole.

[Texas Al]

If you can’t completely avoid the pothole then line it up to the inside of the front wheel and the the outside of the rear wheel., and slow up.

[RICZ]

Eventually, you will get to know where your tires are and where they aren't. If it's not a huge crater, I put the pothole, or debris, between a front wheel and the rear.

[pidjones]

I hit one last night while blinded by oncoming lights. Luckily, it was square on the rear tire and the tire survived (and the suspension). Beware if traveling I-40 and I-640 in Knoxville. More potholes than pavement sometimes. On 640, it gets a lot like the way ES44AC described what happened to his wife - a mass of cars at the side of the road with broken rims. At least on 2 wheels you can "slalom" through them.

[Bfromla]

Try & Aim to Put them under the floorboards/pegs. Some still unavoidable best solution course: slow down. (Especially Some states more than others)

[ARtraveler]

The first time will be a lesson learned for most. Been there, done that. When they come up without warning is where the problems start. I usually try to just put it inside of either front wheel if I cannot avoid going around it.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

It can be very tricky to do .... experience as a driver will help get you there .... However just concentrate on NOT hitting one with the front wheel ..... the rear can deal with a pothole much better than a front wheel .... good luck ..... Mike

[BajaRon]

One thing to avoid, for sure, is looking at the pot hole. You go where you look. Guaranteed to hit it if you fixate on it. Always look where you WANT to go. NOT where you DON'T want to go. Takes practice. But pays off big time if you can master it.

[vito1943]

I'm a new rider of a Spyder, just four weeks so far, and I have found that I try to aim to put t he pothole or obstacle under the left foot floorboard. When I get it right I have avoided any of the wheels hitting the hole. But I have not always been successful in avoiding the holes or damaged spot on the road and the rear suspension has generally been pretty good at absorbing the jolt. I have a 2021 RT.

[2dogs]

One thing to avoid, for sure, is looking at the pot hole. You go where you look. Guaranteed to hit it if you fixate on it. Always look where you WANT to go. NOT where you DON'T want to go. Takes practice. But pays off big time if you can master it.

Yep, look at it and you'll hit it. It's inherent hand-eye coordination, and we all have it. Some of us are better at it than others but we all have it. Practice focusing on the safe way around the obstacle at low speed. Eventually, you'll become much better at it. Practice by locating marks on the pavement (that are not hazardous) and pretend they are an obstacle. Then identify the safest way around them and focus on that path. It's kinda fun once you get the hang of it.

[BajaRon]

Yep, look at it and you'll hit it. It's inherent hand-eye coordination, and we all have it. Some of us are better at it than others but we all have it. Practice focusing on the safe way around the obstacle at low speed. Eventually, you'll become much better at it. Practice by locating marks on the pavement (that are not hazardous) and pretend they are an obstacle. Then identify the safest way around them and focus on that path. It's kinda fun once you get the hang of it.

I played a lot of baseball back in the day. Coach would always say; 'Keep your eye on the ball'. That's because you were trying to connect with the ball by hitting or catching it. The same applies to potholes, except you DO NOT want to connect with it. So, you apply the reverse.

[redrazor]

If you can’t completely avoid the pothole then line it up to the inside of the front wheel and the the outside of the rear wheel., and slow up.

It is the trickiest thing .. trying to miss those darned potholes!! But, Al is right. Hardest part is seeing them in time to "make the move". It's the only time I miss my 2 wheeler

[2dogs]

I played a lot of baseball back in the day. Coach would always say; 'Keep your eye on the ball'. That's because you were trying to connect with the ball by hitting or catching it. The same applies to potholes, except you DO NOT want to connect with it. So, you apply the reverse.

Absolutely! If you've ever been a dirt rider you'd know exactly what I mean. For example, do you take the stump or the rock or the 6"s in between? All in 1/2 of a second. I'm getting a bit too antiquey for that anymore. Have fun ride safe and slow down.

[MonPaul]

As I don't have a Spyder yet, I'm curious as to how do you avoid the potholes? With 3 wheels in 3 planes it's gotta be harder to swerve around em than a motorcycle or a car. Is the suspension so good you don't even try to swerve? Just something I've been thinking about for awhile.

I give you credit thinking of this before you even got one! You are right, you will have 3 points of contacts with the road vs 1 or 2. You will get the feel after a while and if it isn't too bad you can line it up between the front and rear wheel. I do a lot of biking on rural roads, so roadkill is a different story!

[gkamer]

Never lose sight of the fact an innocent little puddle can be hiding the Grand Canyon. Trust me, I know.

[shakin_jake]

Yep, look at it and you'll hit it. It's inherent hand-eye coordination, and we all have it.

~~~its called target fixation Was discovered during world war 2 when the air force was training pilots to fly jets because the jet engined aircraft was faster than prop planes, the pilots following one another (follow the leader) tended to hit the plane in front of them


Best,


Jake
Reddick Fla.
Our FREEDOM rests on 4 boxes:

Soap, Ballot, Jury, and Cartridge

[Mikey]

Last ride the bride and I took, we were in four lanes of traffic, two one way, two the other, I saw some thing laying in the road at the center line ahead!! When we got a little closer I was watching people pass it and I figured out that the object was a piece of sheet metal someone had lost out of there truck, thing was like 2x3!!! Yup just as the truck that was on my left came up to it I was trying to set over to the right towards the brake down lane, didn't his frount end lift that darn sheet off the road and float the darn thing right in front of me and I have no where to go!! Avoid, hell no, I had to plant my bike right on it, the last thing I wanted was to have the thing float up and take one of us across the legs!!! Wow by the time it was over, I don't think I could have passed a BB out of my butt!!! Luckily no damage other than a heart check, and hearing lose from my bride screaming in the headgear!!!! So some times you look square down the barrel and some times you don't!!!!

[Eckhard]

They are even harder to avoid potholes with as a motorcycle(2 wheeler) has a single wheel track, a car has 2 wheel tracks and a Spyder has 3 wheel tracks. Just slow down and drive the road conditions is I what I would do. There are compromised but they don't fall down if you get off them.