Your experience/thoughts on Spyder vs Other Trikes?

[kmonroe99]

I know this is a Can Am forum, and I'm a current Ryker Rally owner, but I'm looking to "move up." So I'm looking for experience/thoughts on the Spyder F3/RT vs HD Ultra or Honda conversions.

I'm looking for something with more driver comfort and ease of use; passenger use would only be about 10%. I despise the local (SE FL coast) Can Am dealer where I got my Ryker but there's not much other choice for local maintenance; lots of HD shops around. Yeah cost of the HD is higher and I've seen lots of comments that make me think I'd have to do a bunch of mod's for comfort and heat control right out the gate.

Comments?

[baxter]

HD has a straight rear axle- not the best comfort on today's roads.

[Rednaxs60]

Have a 2014 Spyder RTL. Tested the RTL and F3 with the MRS, mostly ride two up on the Spyder. Both were good but the Mrs preferred the RTL, hence it is in the garage.

The Spyder is designed as a three wheeler, not a new concept, see my avatar - '60/'70 vintage. Designed to tow up to 400 pounds, no two wheel or conversion has this feature - hence the aftermarket parts requirement.

If I were a solo rider most of the time, I'd have an F3, upgrade the suspension and go. A three wheel will never carve the roads like a two wheel, can come close but no cigar.

Like not having to put the foot down at a stop, always in first gear when starting out.

Accessories are inevitable - two or three wheels. Installed heated seat on the Spyder, missed this feature that I had on an 1800 GW.

Conversion to a trike while the motorcycle is under warranty is asking for a head ache.

Conversion to a trike is not inexpensive, and you are generally converting an older motorcycle.

Honda GWs are a good possibility, these motorcycles provide trouble free motoring for a long, long time.

Check the insurance requirements. Once a motorcycle is modified to a trike, it is no longer a factory OEM product. Insurance requirements differ depending on location.

I have an '85 GW Limited Edition to satisfy my two wheel riding. The Mrs likes riding it as well.

Dealerships for two or three wheels can be great, or problematic. Only one CanAm dealer on Vancouver Island, feel your pain.

It really is a consideration of a lot of issues. Your wants, needs and have to have, your budget. Flipping motorcycles is not a good investment.

Lots of varying opinions/thoughts on this subject. Look into renting an F3/RT for a weekend, same with other possible contenders.

Good luck on your quest. Cheers

[Arion]

I much prefer the single wheel at the rear of the machine. Remember the first Honda three-wheel ATV? I would feel much more comfortable with a Morgan Three-wheeler than I would a Reliant Robin. But that's merely my preference.

[kmonroe99]

Have a 2014 Spyder RTL. Tested the RTL and F3 with the MRS, mostly ride two up on the Spyder. Both were good but the Mrs preferred the RTL, hence it is in the garage.

The Spyder is designed as a three wheeler, not a new concept, see my avatar - '60/'70 vintage. Designed to tow up to 400 pounds, no two wheel or conversion has this feature - hence the aftermarket parts requirement.

If I were a solo rider most of the time, I'd have an F3, upgrade the suspension and go. A three wheel will never carve the roads like a two wheel, can come close but no cigar.

Like not having to put the foot down at a stop, always in first gear when starting out.

Accessories are inevitable - two or three wheels. Installed heated seat on the Spyder, missed this feature that I had on an 1800 GW.

Conversion to a trike while the motorcycle is under warranty is asking for a head ache.

Conversion to a trike is not inexpensive, and you are generally converting an older motorcycle.

Honda GWs are a good possibility, these motorcycles provide trouble free motoring for a long, long time.

Check the insurance requirements. Once a motorcycle is modified to a trike, it is no longer a factory OEM product. Insurance requirements differ depending on location.

I have an '85 GW Limited Edition to satisfy my two wheel riding. The Mrs likes riding it as well.

Dealerships for two or three wheels can be great, or problematic. Only one CanAm dealer on Vancouver Island, feel your pain.

It really is a consideration of a lot of issues. Your wants, needs and have to have, your budget. Flipping motorcycles is not a good investment.

Lots of varying opinions/thoughts on this subject. Look into renting an F3/RT for a weekend, same with other possible contenders.

Good luck on your quest. Cheers

When you say "I'd have an F3, upgrade the suspension and go." what do you mean by upgrades? For Can-Am's I always plan on a sway bar upgrade at a minimum. On an F3 I figure probably floor boards too.

[fatboy]

if your going new the rtl is the best of both together

[BertRemington]

It isn't on your list but what about a Vanderhall? There's a dealer in Naples.

And of course the Polaris Slingshot where you can get some excellent bargains at CycleTrader, et al. I'm almost went down this path but the dimensions were a bit daunting.

[blacklightning]

If you like the ryker, but just looking at more comfort, then I am thinking something along the F3t or F3 Limited would be down you line. The RT (in my opinion) is more comfortable, but the F3 would feel more familiar to what you have on the ryker because the feet are forward. Good luck.

[2dogs]

Check out that GW reverse trike modification that's made in Europe. That has some possibilities.

[BajaRon]

You are not going to find a vehicle with better 'Ease of Use' than the Ryker. It just doesn't get any easier than that.

You should ride the other possibilities. That will tell you very quickly which one you want. And the only reliable way to know as everyone has an opinion. But yours is the only one that counts.

Having said this. I am pretty sure one of the Spyder models is going to be your best bet.

[Rednaxs60]

When you say "I'd have an F3, upgrade the suspension and go." what do you mean by upgrades? For Can-Am's I always plan on a sway bar upgrade at a minimum. On an F3 I figure probably floor boards too.

I'd do a suspension upgrade, sway bar and shocks.

[canamjhb]

Check out that GW reverse trike modification that's made in Europe. That has some possibilities.

If you're referring to the Sturgis Trike, according to my dealer, they are no longer available in the U.S. They had overheating problems in spite of adding a 3rd radiator.

Lots of opinions and preferences, everybody's right and everybody's wrong. So, I will offer mine. First of all know that I am not an inexperienced rider and tourer. I have logged many hundreds of thousands of miles on 2 wheel (mostly Goldwings) and 3 wheel trikes including a Spyder RTL and Goldwing/California Sidecar trike.

I am a "modifier". I like to have the latest and greatest. My 2014 RTL had car tires, BajaRon sway bar, and upgraded shocks. I had it dialed in to provide the best ride possible. I loved riding it. But mine was not trouble free. It spent more than a month in the shop 3 different times for what should have been easy and routine fixes. The lack of good dealer support in my area caused me to sell the Spyder a week after my warranty expired.

Having set the stage, here is my assessment. To give a good comparison I will rate my vehicles base upon comfort, confidence, and ease of operation over the same bad roadway. There is a part of SR89 between Flagstaff and Page, AZ about 60 miles long. The road is mostly 2 lane with lots of passing lanes added. I have traveled this road dozens of times. It has a LOT of sections with uneven pavement, heat damage/cracks and bumps. Speed is 65MPH but usually travels at about 70.

Driving/riding experience on this road based upon my rating factors are, in order, my Buick, Goldwing trike, Spyder RTL, and lastly a 2 wheel Goldwing. Between the RTL and GW trike, I was MUCH more comfortable and confident on the GW. Apples to apples experience.

Important to know that my GW/CSC trike is wider and longer that HDs and has IRS. I toured western states over 4,500 miles last August on my GW trike. I also toured much the same previously on my RTL for a month at a time for 3 different years. I would not go back to a Spyder. I do have good, experienced, and reliable dealer servicing for my GW trike which is important to me.

[Gwolf]

I built my own trike, way back when no dealers were building or converting to trikes. The only real trike available back then were the old Harley Servi-car trikes or putting a side car on a two wheeler. I built my own trike out of a 2001 Harley Sportster. Took me about 3 years to work out all the details and get all the parts, but it worked out just fine. I rode it for about 20 years and ran up over 300,000 miles. Later on got another 2001 Sporty and kept a spare engine in the shop on a stand, ready to just drop in the trike.

My trike was in American Iron Magazine and part of the move to spin off the American Iron Garage that focused on home built customs over the Professional builds.

I had very few problems with the Sporty Trike.It was mostly just normal wear items. That was expected with putting 30,000 to 50,000 a year on it for a while, right after I retired.

The main differences to the Spyder are the power and the handling. The Sporty Trike had about all the power you could coax out of a carburated 1200 CC Harley engine. It still did not have what the Spyder came stock from the dealer with. To be fair, the old Sporty was a 5 speed, with a clutch, which couldn't compete the Spyder 6 speed with the paddle shifter. There was also the handling issues, with a single front wheel tending to tip up on tight turns. Never turned it over, but raised one of the rear wheels plenty of times and had to back off some.

Another advantage of the Spyder is the (for real) reverse gear. My Sporty had no reverse at all. You learn not to park where you have to push it back. Even most of the early dealer conversions had a clunky, un-dependable add on reverse. The reverse on the Spyders are internal transmission with the reverse gear being the same ratio as first gear, same as most manual automobile transmissions. The Spyder also carries a lot more fuel. Even adding an oversize tank to a Sportster won't get you but 4.2 gallons, with maybe 3.9 gallons being usable, if you burn on down into the reserve.

Loved the old Sporty trike, but wanted something a little faster, with better handling, and less maintenance. It was also getting difficult to get parts for a Harley that was over 20 years old.



.

[Tourer]

I had a Goldwing 1800 Motor Trike with independent suspension and the modified front end. Was a horrible side to side ride and cramped seating position. Was elated when I saw the new owner trailering it down my driveway.
Rode a few Harley trikes and their ride was also not as nice as the Spyder.
When I purchased the Spyder F3s was amazed how better it handled and rode a thousand percent better. There is no trike kit that is a substitute for a machine that was engineered to be a trike from its inception.

[Snoking1127]

I call HD trikes "pickup trucks" as in they ride like a heavy duty truck. I am 6'3" and the GW trike I looked at had a very cramped riding position. My friend with a GW trike wheels through corners faster than I thought he could. I like my 2018 RTL chrome, but hated the starfish OEM chrome wheels. I really liked the 2019 RTL Chrome wheels, however they are very expensive. So I bought PPA ORB chrome wheels and installed Vredestein tires on them. Had Federal Formosa tires on the OEM wheels, and the Vredestein tires are another step up. BajaRon HD Sway Bar and shock adjusters. LED Head Lights and rear turn signals. Ride On!

[Woodaddict]

I can say for sure that the rear straight axle can make the front wheel skip in a turn and not want to make turn smooth. My sister rented one, I got to drive it, with her on the back going on an interstate ramp, it just didn't want to make the turn easy. So I'm not a fan of any rear dual wheels on these aftermarket Harley or Honda. The Spyder comes with VSS, anti lock brakes, and can cut the throttle or even apply brakes for added safety. If buying new, first you have to buy the bike, then buy the aftermarket dual rear wheel kit, ends up costing MORE than a Spyder. If you buy used would be able to get a better deal. AND there is no safety features built into bike unlike the Spyder

[Gwolf]

I can say for sure that the rear straight axle can make the front wheel skip in a turn and not want to make turn smooth. My sister rented one, I got to drive it, with her on the back going on an interstate ramp, it just didn't want to make the turn easy. So I'm not a fan of any rear dual wheels on these aftermarket Harley or Honda. The Spyder comes with VSS, anti lock brakes, and can cut the throttle or even apply brakes for added safety. If buying new, first you have to buy the bike, then buy the aftermarket dual rear wheel kit, ends up costing MORE than a Spyder. If you buy used would be able to get a better deal. AND there is no safety features built into bike unlike the Spyder

If you do the conversion yourself and use the Frankenstein rear axle, it has a cut down 9 inch Ford rear with a differential. You don't have the staight axle problems, and the axles are much narrower than the dealer conversions, so you don't feel like you are driving a car with a motorcycle front end on it.

[tntnj]

I had a 2017 F3 LTD for 3 years (loved it) Sold it and bought a Harley Freewheeler (Hated it ) I did not like the way it rode, I could not get rid of the buffeting, and I did not like shifting it, Sold it 6 months later and bought a 21 RT base in Alabama and rode it home to NJ.

[Pirate]

I have a bare bones F3 and love it. Now, I did add sway bar, alignment, windshield and Pedal Commander. Can keep up with the Harleys but certainly not the sport bikes.

[jnt]

While I was still riding Beemers, my wife got a Spyder GS in '08. We of course had to farkelize it, which meant many test rides for me after each addition (cruise, shield(s), luggage, etc). I knew about spiders so when I was coming out of a nasty bout with Lyme I knew what I needed. Traded by Beemer on a 15 RTs. Ride it just as hard as I did the Beemers. Happy campers, here!

[RideOn]

A problem with equilibrium inhibits me from riding much on two wheels. As a long-term Harley owner, I gave them the first opportunity to convince me by riding both of their trikes. (There is a new trike based on the RoadGlide for 2023 but I expect it has the same problems.)

The Freewheeler has very tight ergonomics for me (6"1") with my knees rising above the gas tank on the standard floorboard position. The Tri-Glide is more accommodating in that respect. However, I could not believe the jarring, uncomfortable ride on both. The straight axle rides, as someone else mentioned, like an empty 1-ton pickup. It makes the HD better used as a paint shaker than a riding machine. Having to use a steering damper to control the front end is also a clue to its handling.

Instead I bought a used Spyder ST, and have since traded up to an RTL. In my opinion, far better trikes than either Harley. After owning the RTL a year or so, I tried out another Tri-Glide just to see. It confirmed for me that I'd made the right choice. The Harley still rides like a truck. It also does not have a "real" reverse but uses the starter motor instead for brief intervals in reverse.

I like the looks of the HD trikes, but can't stand to ride them. If you look through CycleTrader, you will see many HD trikes, even older ones, with very high prices but very few miles on them. I think that is testimony that a lot of people buy them to polish rather than ride.

I intend to keep my Spyder until it's time to give up riding altogether. Sorry, Harley.

[Pooch]

Loved my GL1800 Gold Wing IRS Motor Trike conversion. No one within 300 miles to service/fix the trike kit part in case something went wrong.
Reluctantly sold it and purchased a 2021 Spyder RTL.
It isn't my Gold Wing but its a really nice, comfortable vehicle and it's dealer is only 46 miles from me.
I do prefer the single wheel up front as on the trike vs. the 2 wheels up front on the Spyder.
You need to ride a 2020+ RTL and a motorcycle trike conversion to decide for yourself.

[tofriendscreek]

I haven’t ridden any other brand/model since I bought my first Spyder RS in 2009, but have a friend who has “experimented” with a number of alternatives to his Harley “trike with a trunk,” as he calls it. His assessment was “the ones with one wheel in front are akin to driving a dump truck,” where a Spyder is a sports car. It’s all about the machine you are most comfy owning and ryding.

[Pooch]

His “dump truck” steering experience could very possibly be that the Harley did not have a rake kit.
A rake kit makes all the difference in ease of steering on the motorcycle trike conversion or the Harley factory Tri-Glide.
It is an add-on for a Harley trike. The Tri-Glides do not come from the factory with a rake kit.. or didn’t. All my Tri-Glide friends have had to add it to their rides .. however I don’t know if Harley added it to their 2022 machines. And, of course, the Harley conversion kit rider friends added it first thing.
However, some trike kit conversion makers include it in the price of their kits.
I have had 2 Gold Wing trikes. The bike with the Motor Trike kit already had a 4-1/2 degree rake kit installed when I bought it. I had no problems at all, ever, with the ease of steering. The other Gold Wing we added to the stable had a Lehman Monarch II kit installed. And yes.. pulling that thing around a curve was tough. We had a 4-1/2 degree rake kit put on it and it too became just as easy to steer as the other trike.
Good luck with your decision and I wish you miles of smiles with it.

[RickWB]

Ernest - You indicated one Can Am dealer on Vancouver Island. There is actually 2 Can Am dealers on Vancouver Island. Ladysmith and Courtenay.

Rick