Think of changing from Freewheeler - is the Spyder any easier &/or safer?

[Strelnikov]

Gang - In '21, my balance left me, resulting in a total of one of my Road Kings - as well as scaring the crap out of me. Doc says no more two wheelers after 50 years, always Harleys. So, I went to a Freewheeler in '23. Took it around the Lake Superior Circle Tour with no problem after getting used to it.

Here's the thing. Steering is a herculean effort. Back wheels want to drive the bike forward in a straight line with me pushing/pulling the front wheel into the turns. This, in turn, makes me uneasy, especially in long curves where the back tries to throw me off the road.

So, does the Spyder configuration make this any easier and/or safer? And, yes, I understand that any three wheeled set up will have some of this. I'd be looking into the F or R series only.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

[hypurone]

It is night and day easier!! I rode a Harley Trike for all of about 8mins and had had enough.... The stability on a Spyder is excellent and steering effort in the newer ones (vs my 2015) is even easier... There is NO comparison!!

[old Timer]

Not even a close call in the ride, handling and ease of steering. All the Spyders have power steering. You definitely need to try one out. Think back to when you were a youngster with a tricycle and how easy they were to turn over. Also remember the 3 wheel ATC's that were pulled off the market because they were so easy to turn over. The Spyders are much more stable with all sorts of safety features that make them almost impossible to flip over.

You definitely need to check them out in person.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

It is night and day easier!! I rode a Harley Trike for all of about 8mins and had had enough.... The stability on a Spyder is excellent and steering effort in the newer ones (vs my 2015) is even easier... There is NO comparison!!

X's 10 ..... just be advised - Spyder's handle Waaaaaaaay different than two wheeler's .... Drive it like a car and you will be fine .... I also advise that you should (when it's safe to do so) practice "Panic braking it" - it will surprise how quickly it can stop! .... Good luck & enjoy .....Mike

[shakin_jake]

@ Strelnikov- I recommend for you to visit a dealer local to you that sells new Can Ams. See if they have any used F3’s or RT’s. Ask to demo one. You’ll know if you’d want to own on after a ride. FWIW I demo’d 3 or 4 before I decided to buy one. I bought the Ryker Rally 1st in 2020, then traded the Ryker in on an RT in 2021. That said, you may want to do a demo on a Ryker too. I miss the one I had and only traded it because I couldn’t afford both a Ryker Rally and an RT


Best,



Jake
Reddick Fla.
It’s never too late to have a happy childhood

[Peteoz]

Strelnikov, one thing to watch for if you take a demo Spyder ride is that you must keep a loose grip on the bars. If you hold on tight, you will find yourself doing constant, minor, over corrections which make the Spyder appear to wander over the road, but it is only your tight grip. EVERYONE does this on their first ride.
Everything else you observe on your first ride should be a plus over the Freewheeler.

Pete

[ARtraveler]

All advice above is right on the money, IMO of course. The two wheels in front is a much safer configuration than the one in front by most other trikes. In addition to the easier steering, you will find a much more noticeable comfort level in the Spyder. It's like going from an economy car to a Cadillac.

The proof is in the pudding. A test drive will convince you.

[Arion]

Every comment thus far has been spot-on as far as we're concerned. We have had three Spyders, and still own two of them, and couldn't be happier with them. Our opinion of one wheel in the front trikes is that they're very much like the original, and dangerous, three-wheel ATVs Honda sold years ago. Recall that they were a disaster and had the tendency to tip over when ridden hard. Harley, and other traditional, trikes may not be as much of a hand full as Honda's ATV but they don't appeal to either of us.

Disclaimer - yours truly will be 79 next Sunday and the wife turned 72 last week, and neither of us has any concern about stability or having to wrestle the Spyders all over the road. They're comfortable, stable, non-threatening, and they don't wear us out. Our two cents.

[Bartender]

I too switched from two wheels after 50+ years after balance went away following two weeks in the hospital with Covid. I ride with the buddy that has a Harley Trike and it just wears him out and he's constantly complaining about what a rough tiring ride he has. My 2022 Sea to Sky is no comparison.

[BajaRon]

You can't beat physics, and the Spyder has a great advantage there over any conventional trike configuration. Just another hat in the ring for relaxing your grip on the handlebars. The Spyder is very sensitive to input with instant reaction to even slight changes in handlebar angle. Something that is non-existent on 2 wheels or a conventional trike. You're brain will tell you, you didn't do it. Your brain will lie to you for awhile until you get used to how responsive the Spyder is. I'd say this is the biggest hurdle for an unsuspecting rider. Having been warned, you'll probably do much better than average.

And don't lug the engine, like you would on a Harley. It won't hurt to rev the motor up some. But it's not good to run too low an RPM on the Spyder.

[Strelnikov]

Appreciate all the comments. Will definitely plan to test drive a few once spring arrives here in IL.

Like a lot of you, I am an old fart biker (69) and the Spyder sounds perfect for me. Planning to do the Lake Huron Circle Tour in August and plan to be up on one by then.

Thanks, again.

[Mikey]

If you know someone or know of a place where you could rent or borrow one for a ride, do it!!! you will need a good ride, 50-100 miles! Relax and take a back road somewhere! Try not to over steer it, and fight it down the road.

[rjinaz86323]

Your story kinda sounds like mine. Rode Harleys for decades. When they got to be too much weight for my bad knees I bought a TriGlide. That was in 2016. My experience was similar to yours in that the back end wants to push the front end. I didn't fear it tipping over, just hard to steer. I rode a friends Spyder one time and I was hooked. A few weeks later (2021) I bought a F3L. Haven't looked back since. Wife likes it and I don't have to fight the steering. I can keep up with the 2 wheelers if I want to but usually I am busy enjoying the scenery, while they are enjoying the adrenalin rush. In the end we both end up at the same place. You will not regret it.

[Poasttown]

One way to get some spyder seat time is to take one of BRPs training courses. Even though I went into this course with a number of years riding it allowed me the opportunity to get the feel of the spyder and the associated learning curve in a controlled environment. Plus, we had different models we could ride during the course. Later when I wanted to do an actual road test the dealer seemed somewhat more comfortable allowing a test ride knowing I had the BRP course experience.

Not to get off topic but a note about the course. Mine consisted primarily of people not only new to Spyders but also had limited experience on two wheels. My course consisted of only about seven people and early on the instructor asked all of us what our goal was for the day. However, given the uniqueness of the Spyder we were all pretty much in the same boat.

Poasttown, 2019 F3L

[FrankR]

The state of Il. has a 3 wheel safety course. I believe it is free. They use Rykers, and it is a 1 day course classroom 3hrs. riding 3hrs. Same as PA.
Great way to learn and play on a can-am.
Good Luck and enjoy your future Can-am.

[PaladinLV]

Absolutely easier on the arms, hands, and fingers.
No more Spaghetti Arms after traveling those twisties!

AJM

[Peter Aawen]

Not specifically adding to the benefits of a Spyder over a Harley Tri-glide, but for anyone still considering the Harley, the following vid from Coach Bob might be of interest &/or concern...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvER0ydeQ8c

And here's why He bought a Spyder & not a Tri-Glide:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM6r0uuYfpQ

[old Timer]

Just finished watching the vid. He never talked about how easy it is to turn one over in a turn.....especially in an emergency situation. Don't forget the handling issues with the early Honda 3 wheelers.

[2dogs]

I wore out my home-made mini scooter years ago. From grade school until to today I've never been without a motorcycle except for the short time I belonged to Uncle Sam. Like many of us here I finally had to add a turd wheel (lol) or give up the freedom of the highway. I did two demo rides 2up with my wife on the Spyder and the Harley, and the results were a no brainer. It's ok with me and I certainly don't hold anything against them but I think tri gliders are simply stuck in the past.

[fatboy]

I have two 21 RTL for sale, petrol blue and marsala red if you're looking for a well-kept machine.

[tntnj]

I had a freewheeler, I could not stop the buffeting, I sold it an got another Can Am, an RT this time. It is 1000% safer than the freewheeler. If you test ride one, you will buy it.

[Quickdraw]

I had my heart set on a Tri-Glide, and while watching videos one night, I stumbled upon the Ryker. I mentioned it to my wife and how it was automatic. She then became interested so we went to the dealership the following day and bought that and the 21 RT. I have to say, I'm glad I didn't go with the Tri-Glide. I've never driven a Tri-Glide but have read enough to know that the Spyder was a much better decision for me. Plus, the wife got a bike she loves, so wins all around.

[vito1943]

When you first ride a Spyder, make sure your mindset is in the right place. Take it as a totally new experience, not a "motorcycle", i.e., 2 wheeler experience. Several years ago I flirted with the idea of a Spyder and went to the dealer to get a demo ride. But I was still thinking "motorcycle". I thought the vehicle was trying to throw me off, as did my wife as passenger. I ended up buying a new Goldwing. Jump ahead six years and at 78 I knew I needed something lighter than the Goldwing, or something different. I took a demo ride on a new Spyder RT on the assumption that this thing was not a motorcycle, but something else. It took me all of five minutes to decide that the RT was for me. Two and a half years later I have never had a single regret at making the switch, and my wife says she is more comfortable on the back of the RT than she was on the Goldwing.

I'll just comment about getting used to the 3 wheels rather than 2. The big difference is in the curves. Instead of leaning, you just steer it as you would a car. I found it instantly comfortable. My learning curve included not having a front brake lever (for the first 50 miles or so), not trying to put a foot down at stops (for the first 10 miles or so), not having to downshift and not having a manual clutch (about 10 minutes). The one aspect of riding a Spyder that took me a while to master was to ride in the center of the lane rather than in the leftmost third as I usually did with a two-wheeler. This took me a couple of hundred miles before I started to ride in the center of the lane without having to think about it.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I have two 21 RTL for sale, petrol blue and marsala red if you're looking for a well-kept machine.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd your not posting info on them here .....Mike

[larryd]

Appreciate all the comments. Will definitely plan to test drive a few once spring arrives here in IL.

Like a lot of you, I am an old fart biker (69) and the Spyder sounds perfect for me. Planning to do the Lake Huron Circle Tour in August and plan to be up on one by then.

Thanks, again.

This Great Lake Bike Tour SOUNDS INTERESTING??? Is this one Lake Huron ONLY???