Reddick to Jacksonville (Fla.) on a 2021 RT Limited

[shakin_jake]

Hello to all! I dont post a lot, & as far as that goes, I dont ride a lot either but I thought I’d talk about a ride I did at the front of this past week I made on my 2021 RT Limited from my homestead in north central Fla. up to Jacksonville Fla. Purpose of the ride- had some surgery scheduled at the Clear Choice dental implant center located just off I-95 and Bay <meadows Drive. I have some rotten teeth & decided to go the Clear Choice dental implant route, on both upper and lower jaws. My parents had problems with their teeth so I have an idea its partly genetic yet at the same time during the onset of the Covid Cluster Shmuck, I gave up on brushing my teeth. Then when I started losing a few teeth, I headed to a new Dentist (didnt care much for my previous dentist) for a looks see and was told I needed crowns on every tooth. It was basically at this point that I decided to go the implant route as the dentist I visited (it was a national chain) suggested I go with Dentures. Anywho, the aim of this post isn’t really to discuss the whys and wherefore of my dental decisions other than to say, if I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of my teeth. That said, up to the start of COVID, I was going to a dentist regularly & whatever dental care I needed, I had the work done, and my reference to if I knew I’d live this long, etc., etc. I mean I woulda, shoulda brushed more often, looked after my dental health better, all that good stuff. And I’m saying this reflecting on the surgical procedure I underwent this past Tuesday morning as they removed every tooth I had then installed 8 implants (4 on top, 4 on the botttom jaw). After their anesthesia wore off, the pain of the surgery hit me like a ton of bricks. Nuff said, you’re probably reading my report as you want to hear how the Spyder rode. In a word or two, absolutely spectacular

Those that are a little familiar with my history here on the forum know that I bought a 2020 Ryker Rally in the spring of 2020. I put 4500 miles on the odometer then traded it in for the current 2021 Can Am RT Limited. I picked up the RT in early August of this year (2021). So for Ive only accumulated 1500 miles on this Spyder RT and my ride from my homestead to Jacksonville earlier this week has been the longest trip Ive taken with it. I dont recall how many miles it is between the two points but it’s approximately a 2 to 2.5 hours ride using mostly highway miles with some interstate thrown in. The route I used was highway 301 (getting on 301 @ Citra Fla.) northbound to I-10 then east to and through Jacksonville until I picked up I-95 south for a short ways then got off at the Bay Meadows exit

The plan was to ride up to J-Actionville Monday afternoon, find a motel for the night then be at the surgical center at 6 AM Tuesday morning. Because of the Anastasia used to put me under, I agreed that I would have someone chaufer me home. To make that end, wifey pulled one of our trailers behind our 2010 F-250 and we loaded the Spyder into the trailer for the ride home

I need to mention the weather conditions. It was a chilly 60 degrees when I started out Monday’s afternoon, and I say chilly as the temps started dropping from there and the sky was cloudy & overcast, not a warm sunny 60 degrees Fahrenheit. I’m of the ilk that doesn’t believe in bad wether, only poor gear choices. That said I suited up wearing my Olympia Motorsports Jacket and matching over pants. Both Jacket & pants have some crash padding. The jacket isn’t Gore Tex but another proprietary water proofing liner with vents you can open or close. It’s definitely water proof and lucky for me, I didn[‘t encounter any rain. I should mention when I started out I had the over pants in my right pannier but 15 miles into the ride I poullled over and donned the over pants mostly for warmth. Again, if I haven’t convinced you that this was a chilly ride (for me), it most certainly was and I was using both the heated seat and heated grips that come standard on the RT Limited. The switch to turn on booth the seat and grip heat option is a double throw switch that has a high and a low setting, and trust me, I switched between high and low on booth circuits as my ride went on into the evening

I thoroughly enjoyed my tenure with the Ryker Rally and was able to ride it once from north central Fla. down to the Fla. Keys and IMO, the Ryker Rally was a viable touring machine, as many here use their Rykers touring but I have to go with the RT Limited as being a bit more comflortable from the stand point that the limited comes standard with just ability every touring amenity you would want that the Ryker as delivered doesn’t have. I want to be quick to point out the Ryker Rally I had was a very capable touring platform & really needed only a few mods to make it quite capable, namely wind protection, after market heated grips, some sort of cruise control and whatever luggage one would choose to outfit it. Actually, I was satisfied with strapping a waterproof duffel behind me. That’s all I needed but then I prefer to travel light when it comes to taking things along with me on tour

Okay so the heated grips and heated seat was a big hit on this short trip, as was the standard cruise control although I will admit to using the cruise control on my RT anytime I hit the local interstate (I-75) which is usually often locally as its the quickest way north or so if I’m headed to Ocala (southbound) do Gainesville (northbound) if I need something from the big cities

Something new to me that I used on this jaunt, Bluetooth speakers in the helmet I used. Plus another first for me was mounting a phone holder so I could use the mapping on my phone for navigational purposes. Although I’ve lived in north central Fla, for better than 20 years Ive never really spent anytime going to Jacksonville & admittedly, because I’m not familiar with the roads I used having only traveled this route twice in as many weeks prior, I really enjoyed being able to hear the mapping voice prompts when lane shifts came up. I’m not a stranger to riding in big cities as I spent the first 29 years of my life moving around Detroit Michigan yet I was intimidated by the traffic that rolls through Jacksonville, especially at night so again, the Bluetooth in my helmet was a real pleasure. On that front, I spared no expense acquiring my Bluetooth speakers. $30 from Amazon=:-) Something else, I was able to listen to the 6 speaker sound system that comes standard on the RT Limited while simultaneously listening to the mapping voice prompts. I kid you not! I’ve read more than one RT Limited owner on this forum complain about the chintsy (their words) radio and speakers that are standard on the RT Limited. You wont hear me complain about this sound system, I use it all of the time I ride & I have no trouble at all hearing music wearing my half helmet at interstate speeds. Is the quality high fidelity? No its not but 75-80 MPH, I’m impressed at what I can hear



Here’s a pic of the phone mount I went with (purchased from LaMonster). In the background is the truck & trailer rig I used to bring the Spyder back from Jacksonville. A few words about this trailer. The brand is Big Tex. It’s their 14 LP model. I believe the LP is an acronym for low profile, in reference to the height of the sides. The mgr at the place we bought this trailer (Gainesville) said it’s popular with contractors that load debris into the trailer using skid steers & the like. The interior dimensions are 7 foot width, 14’ length. The bed is hydraulic which is the main reason we went with it. Our primary use for it is on our farm mainly picking up fallen tree debris from our driveway. We dont have much in the way of frontage, as the driveway on & leading to our property is only 60’ wide, yet its tree lined on booth sides w/live oak, pine trees. In a week’s time we can easily fill a pick up bed full of tree limbs and other debris that falls from the trees. Before we bought this trailer we used our F-150 & F-250 to pick it up, then we’d have to hand unload the beds. Not since we bought this trailer. Push a button the bed lifts and dumps. Much easier. Big Tex also makes this in a 16’ length but 14’ is all we needed and of course I made sure my Ryker Rally would fit inside, which is the trike I had at the time we bought the trailer. IIRC we paid $7500 for it

To wrap up this trip report, for those that have been sitting on the proverbial fence, thinking about buying a Spyder RT but haven’t yet committed, I can enthusiastically endorse buying one of these new or used. I started doing demos at a few different Fla. Can Am dealers backin 2010 riding various Spyders and F3’s. It was a tough choice deciding between an RT or the F3. You know which one I went with and I have no regrets. Being in my mid 60’s (had my 65th birthday last month) I feel more comfortable riding on 3 wheels rather than 2. I bought a Ural Tourist new back in 2003.5? That was the half year model when Ural started using a Brembo disc up front. The sidecar rig was and can be a handful piloting. Not this Spyder RT Limited. The RT Limnited IMNSHO is a Cadillac, & in that vein, the Ryker Rally was a Ferrari! I recall someone on this forum comparing the Ryker to the Spyder, claiming the Spyder was a better machine. Nonsense! They are both highly capable trikes yet built for different experiences. Life is beautiful!


Best,


Jake
Reddick Fla.

[ARtraveler]

Very nice review.

Gotta love the RT. Have owned three and everything you say is right on, IMO.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Glad to read your nice rendition of the situation .... About the teeth thing, I have had similar issues. however I actually took the best care I could with mine... It didn't matter, my teeth issue was linked to my DNA ( ie. genetics ) .... My longtime family teeth history proves it. Glad you enjoyed the trip ....Merry Christmas ..... Mike