Newbie Question about handling

[JohnRuckus]

Welcome to Spyderville!

TomTom, Jima,
I'm also a rather new rider. I have a '20 RT. I haven't had any of the alignment/suspension mods completed on my unit. I try to follow the suggestions that are in the many posts about handling. Hand grip, tire pressure, posture, etc. Those all seem to help a lot. I can't speak on the mods or your riding style and ability, but experience makes a huge difference. The more you ride and get comfortable with the machine the more you'll figure out what works for you and how the machine responds.

The 1 thing I haven't seen anyone say yet is consider taking the 3 wheel riding course. It is relatively inexpensive. You'll have a chance to get some ride time in on a closed circuit at very low speeds. You'll learn about turning, cornering, etc(basically everything in the manual about riding). You won't get the 2 up experience during the class though. You will at least have someone there that has riding experience who can hopefully give you suggestions and directions on basic riding. Who knows, maybe they'll even set up some extra ride time with you after. The caveat to all of this is that the course provides the spyder to ride and I don't think you're able to practice on yours.

It'll cost you about $100 and 16 hrs. I wanted 1 of these things ever since I first saw them a decade or so ago. When I finally took the course, I decided that I was going to buy my RT. When I finally took my first ride solo, I was relatively nervous, but ~$3K miles later I'm very satisfied with the purchase and ride.

[BajaRon]

Just got back Sunday from picking up my first Spyder, a 2019 RTL, and driving it 1500 miles home. And ditto to all of the above comments.

The one other observation I can add as a fellow newbie with 50+ years on two wheels is that I fought, and am still fighting, muscle memory. The desire to counter-steer and relax the inner turn knee, as on a two wheeler, was near terrifying the first 500 miles. The visual cues from the seat of my RTL is very similar to a GL1800 and my sub-conscious was/is playing off of this familiar environment.

Pushing off with the outside foot on the floorboard/peg and putting pressure on the tank with the inner knee is something that has converted me from wanting to sell it after 700 miles to now satisfied with my purchase. I still need more work on my skills, but at least I can keep it in the middle of the turn and enjoy the ride.

If you can persevere and turn the corner, as you have. You are on your way to an amazing experience. Just goes to prove that 'You Can Teach and Old Dog New Tricks'! I'm right there with you. And we are all rooting for you! It's just a matter of time now. Too many give up, succumbing in that initial period where you think you made the most ridiculously stupid purchase in your life. You are about to find out how wrong that initial impression was. It is an AWESOME transition!

[SpyderGoldwingOwner]

So I got a 2020 RT for my wife. She is steadily riding it better. I ride a Goldwing & do think there is a learning curve for the Spyder. I like riding it although 70+ mph I also feel a twitchyness with the front end steering. I will give it more time but may go the BajaRon sway bar route

[ARtraveler]

All good advice above.

A thread about driving the Spyder. Helpful to new riders.

https://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/...-Spyder-owners

[RickWB]

I've had my Spyder F3 for 2 months now, and amassed 2,800 km. I added foam grips off the start, check tire pressure often, and am awaiting the delivery of my BajaRon's sway bar. By instinct, I have slowed from the posted highway speed on corners, but learning the leaning procedures outlined in the link from ARtraveler. I just think there is a learning curve, and I have been riding with fellow Spyder owners, so following some of their routines. You will enjoy.

Rick

[DanDanTMM]

I rode 2 wheels for 14 years which some of that was a 2005 Wing. Due to an accident I took a 5 year hiatus from riding and jumped into a 2021 Spyder RTL n May. I'm sure the gap in riding helped me but I didn't have a huge learning curve due to coming here first and reading the "Read this first" post. I made sure I was relaxed and not gripping the bars super hard and tense so I didn't have the twitchy feeling at high speeds. I picked a busy section of I-40 with lots of trucks to see if I got blown around when passing and didn't notice any more turbulence than I remember having on 2 wheels. I did add the Bajaron SwayBar but it was for better handling on twisty roads.

[Piratezz]

SEAT TIME, SEAT TIME, SEAT TIME, and all of the above , Spyders are not motorcycles, they are a different animal, once you get around taming it, IT's A BLAST TO Drive....
I for myself love every KM, We ride alott 2up (cruising), and when I take it out by myself, then I drive the wheels off, ghegheghe....
It can do both.

It's been said numerous times, in this thread, Look where you want to go, and the spyder obeys...

[Mikey]

So I got a 2020 RT for my wife. She is steadily riding it better. I ride a Goldwing & do think there is a learning curve for the Spyder. I like riding it although 70+ mph I also feel a twitchyness with the front end steering. I will give it more time but may go the BajaRon sway bar route

I think you'll find a sway bar will improve the body roll and handling in the corners, it will stay flatten and feel more planted, the twitchiness, maybe tire pressure, shock adjustment, or just the road surface itself, these things feel everything threw the bars!! Just my 2 cents!!

[Mikey]

SEAT TIME, SEAT TIME, SEAT TIME, and all of the above , Spyders are not motorcycles, they are a different animal, once you get around taming it, IT's A BLAST TO Drive....
I for myself love every KM, We ride alott 2up (cruising), and when I take it out by myself, then I drive the wheels off, ghegheghe....
It can do both.

It's been said numerous times, in this thread, Look where you want to go, and the spyder obeys...

[Circ]

Please forgive me if this has been addressed but I haven't seen any mention of the pre-load on the rear shock. Mine is a 2018 so the newer units may not have this but if you do the manual suggests 20-90 lbs. I run mine around 50 because I only weigh 150 lbs. I have been experimenting with bumping it up slightly when my 110 lb passenger accompanies me. The schrader valve is located under the seat. Along with tire pressures, I check this frequently and there happens to be a small compartment adjacent to the valve that conveniently holds my digital gauge.

[Redbeard]

Ditto to what has been written. I have owned my 2020 F3 since April of this year. I had been off a two wheeler for 35 years so memory wasn't much of an issue for me.The first month was a good learning curve for me. Most days I would ride for 1/2 to 1 hour. Near me are both divided "highways" two lane either direction along with nice two lane roads with gentle curves. Spend a little time on each. Just don't push the curves beyond what you are comfortable with. As you become used to the spyder handling it will become second nature to you. Just don't get mad at yourself for it taking a little bit of time getting used to it. Just give it a bit of time and the spyder will treat you well-it just takes a bit of time on the seat to get to this point. Before you know it you won't give it a second thought to any worries you might have had. (and for me I did want to counter steer...but now I call it counter push -push with the opposite foot to the direction of the curve)

[Circ]

Along with tire air pressures, there is an air pre-load for the rear shock. It is located under the seat. My 2018 has a neat little 'digital air gauge' compartment right next to the schrader valve. Manual says "20 to 90 lbs". I run mine around 50 which is more than the chart recommends but it feels to be on the low side for my 150 lbs. I intend to do some more experimenting in the Black Hills next week. Sorry for the dupe, I had a brain fart. Tried to delete but do not have those technological skills.

[TomTom]

Shooting in the dark here. But you might see if this helps.

When I first got my Spyder, I found myself looking at the front wheels and where they were tracking, at slow speeds. Kind of unconsciously. I think it was because they were so prominent, unlike on 2 wheels. I also found it difficult to go where I wanted to go. Trying different things so solve this issue, I started looking farther ahead, as I did at speed. And this solved my problem. Hope this helps.

That is what I do when driving the motorhome on the interstate. When you look far enough ahead you reduce the sawing of the steering wheel. I'll have to try it on the RTL.

[pegasus1300]

I have to continually remind myself to "look up look up". I find as I have gotten older I want to drive off the front of the vehicle instead of finding a point down the road to drive to. Like Ron when I discovered that, my Spyder driving greatly improved as did my cage driving.

[Poasttown]

TomTom
My wife experienced the same side by side motion as you mentioned about your wife. Part of my switch to the spyder, 2019 F3L, was for her comfort and early on I was frustrated because this motion was not a good thing for her. She felt the need to hold on to the hand holds to try and stabilizer herself which gets pretty tiresome, quickly. The first ride after installing a BAJA Ron sway bar I looked in the mirror and she wasn’t holding on the the hand hold. I then installed the OEM arm rests which added another layer of security/stability. In addition, as mentioned many times, seat time is not only important for the driver but also the passenger. In our situation, my wife can see forward over the top of my helmet which I think also helps to counter act the swaying motion. I’m not sure if this is any proof of her comfort level after two years of riding, but only our second extended trip, is that I think she briefly fell asleep headed down the road.

On a side note. As I researched the Spyder I concluded that an additional $1500 to $2000 would likely need to be spent on the above items so my expectations were already set. A new seat was also on my list but for now the stock seat is doing ok.

Good luck
Poasttown

[TomTom]

We just bought a 2021 RTL this past Thursday. They were both 900 lb cruisers so we are accustomed to large and heavy motorcycles. It was a white knuckle drive the 50 miles home from the dealer. There was a strong cross wind and the RTL was absolutely squirrelly in the way it handled. Any little steering input made it feel like I was driving a jet ski or a car that has several inches of play in the steering. The way it wiggles around in the rear as the passenger feels it is absolutely unnerving to my wife.
From what I have been reading in this and other forums seems to be an upgraded sway bar and better shocks that the stock items. Is it possible that BRP thinks this is acceptable handling because they come from the snow mobile world?
I am looking for anything to make this handle better. I have already ordered a Baja Ron sway bar. What have others done to mitigate this?

ok, I got the BajaRon sway bar installed along with the Elka front shocks and the feel of the RTL has improved tremendously. Those two items along with the suggestions from everyone here has gotten me to the point that I am no longer questioning my sanity. It is much different than any motorcycle I have ever owned. I can keep it in the center of the lane even on I-95 with the trucks going past me at 70+. I think I need to get more seat time to see how I feel in a few months.

[mecsw500]

I have 47 years experience on 2 wheels.

My 30 mile ride home with my new 21 RT Limited was terrifying. The handling was horrible. I wanted to go back and swap my trade and start over. After a few rides I was getting better but it was still terrible.

So I signed up for the $99 MSF rider training course at the local community college. It was a $250 course for $99 through Can Am's website.

I did the class and oh boy did that help. I learned to have confidence that it wasn't going to flip over on corners and I no longer needed a death grip on the straight bits in between.

Can I add items to improve its handling? Probably. Will it change the fundamentally different way these things drive? Probably not. It's not a motorcycle, nor is it a car really. Will it handle like either? I doubt it. Is it as fast as either my bikes or my cars? Nope. It's just different.

Now it is fun and I enjoy riding it. The power assist on the steering I think is what the death grip and associated twitching makes the thing go all over the place. Ridden with a gentle touch it is as stable as anything out there.

I am not going to change anything on mine for a 1,000 miles or more either and then I might do subtle tweaks one at a time until I'm truly satisfied, or not, as it might be OK as it is anyway.

[JohnRuckus]

.... I am not going to change anything on mine for a 1,000 miles or more either and then I might do subtle tweaks one at a time until I'm truly satisfied, or not, as it might be OK as it is anyway.

I took the class, and I recommend it. It isn't going to make you an expert, but it definitely helps with understanding these machines a lot more than the average person would by just jumping on and twisting the throttle.

The more you ryde, the more comfortable you'll get. I'm glad you're finally enjoying it.

[Mikey]

Good way to think!!! There are things that will make a big difference, but like you said in do time!! To many jump, because some one else has done it before they even know what there bikes ride like, they don't know if they need it because they haven't had the seat time. Your heading in a good direction!!! Good luck!!

[190243]

Don’t know about a laser job up here in Canada they are calling them old school can’t find anybody that still do them.
Just saying.

[190243]

I just sat on my f3 and came home with no issues did corners at 60 mile a hr never been on one before. having a blast on it .

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

been riding two wheels for 50+ years and might need to unlearn some habits.

Not "might need to" but "will need to." And some of them will be good habits for 2 wheeler riding but are not good for 3 wheel riding.

[pidjones]

Remember how learning (even though you may have been told) counter-steering on the 2 wheeler made riding so much easier and enjoyable? The thing I learned on a Spyder is to bend your elbows and don't lean on the bars.

[Pooch]

On my 2021 RTL I found that the lower tire pressure in front made the most amazing handling change.

The dealer had them at the recommended 20 when I bought it.
During the ride time up to the 3000 mile mark the handling went from “oh chit, why did I do this” to “hey this thing must be settling in..its a very nice ride”.
Had not even looked at the tire pressures all this time.
At the 3000 mile first maintenance the dealer said the front tires were around 18 and he put them back to the recommended 20.
Rear tire had stayed at the recommended 28.

On the ride home the Spyder was a beast again…all over the road..like it was on beach balls.
I rode it a few days with the full air in the fronts, trying to be the operator guide responsible person then got really tired of fighting it on the road… so, sitting cold in the garage one morning I lowered the front tire air to 18-1/2 each (using a new JACO digital gauge).

It has been a pleasure to ride ever since.

[cyclerambler]

On my 2021 RTL I found that the lower tire pressure in front made the most amazing handling change.

The dealer had them at the recommended 20 when I bought it.
During the ride time up to the 3000 mile mark the handling went from “oh chit, why did I do this” to “hey this thing must be settling in..its a very nice ride”.
Had not even looked at the tire pressures all this time.
At the 3000 mile first maintenance the dealer said the front tires were around 18 and he put them back to the recommended 20.
Rear tire had stayed at the recommended 28.

On the ride home the Spyder was a beast again…all over the road..like it was on beach balls.
I rode it a few days with the full air in the fronts, trying to be the operator guide responsible person then got really tired of fighting it on the road… so, sitting cold in the garage one morning I lowered the front tire air to 18-1/2 each (using a new JACO digital gauge).

It has been a pleasure to ride ever since.

Will have to try this...my 14' corners horribly.
Tried and no luck. btw...re taking the class...we took the class before buying an RT...big mistake, as the class units were rykers...expected the RT to handle the same...Ferrari vs old buick...