Just Wondering Outloud

[MrBill1963]

Is it just me, or does it seem that the Spyder would benefit from a 6th gear. Just a thought, no complaint. 60mph and @ 4400 rpm seems high. 1st expierence with Rotax engine.

[AMTJIM]

Yeah, biblical history. Evoluzione had a 6 speed kit, got rid of reverse. There were some larger front pulleys available, too. It's all kinda gone away. I have finally stopped trying to find 6th, the rpm's are about 1k higher than most sport V-twins. I was always use to 4500 @ 75.

[boborgera]

Believe me with a 6 gear in the Spyder unless your going over 65/70 you'll never use 6Th.
And if you do every time you want to pick up a little speed you'll be dropping it down to 5Th.
Its not like my Tri Glide where at 65/70 in 6Th it's only turning 22 hundred rpms, And no down shifting necessary to pick up speed.

[Bob Denman]

Different animal... Try spinning that big twin to 9000 rpm or so and see what happens!
You won't see another gear on top until they re-work the cases to make more room...$$$$$$$

[boborgera]

Different animal... Try spinning that big twin to 9000 rpm or so and see what happens!

Why would you rev it to 9k, Its like me saying try starting your Spyder out in 5Th at 1500 rpm [ and see what happens.]

[NancysToy]

The Spyder engine doesn't even come alive until five grand. Let it spin! That's what it was built for.

[Motavar]

I thought the spyder was originally designed with 6 forward gears and BRP decided to dump the 6th and make a reverse instead.

[COOLMACHINE]

I thought the spyder was originally designed with 6 forward gears and BRP decided to dump the 6th and make a reverse instead.

That's my understanding as well.

[NancysToy]

I thought the spyder was originally designed with 6 forward gears and BRP decided to dump the 6th and make a reverse instead.

The Spyder was not designed this way, the engine/tranny was designed for the Aprilia that way. In the Aprilia form, the engine has a narrower power band, and needs the closer gear spacing.

[AMTJIM]

I love the manual transmission, but would have loved a CVT SE5. I love the feel of CVT.

[boborgera]

The Spyder was not designed this way, the engine/tranny was designed for the Aprilia that way. In the Aprilia form, the engine has a narrower power band, and needs the closer gear spacing.

I Might be wrong? but that engine was used in some of their [BRP] snowmobiles, Then adapted for the Spyder.

[r1100rider]

I have to disagree with most of you on this one I have 2 rs spyders and have the 30t on one of them the bike will very easily pull the extra gearing and dosnt cause you to downshift to pull a hill in fact in a drag race between the 2 bike almost no diff crusing at highway speeds big dif the higher gearing makes for a much more relaxed ride and less strained feel the spyder may not have the low end of a hog but it still is a v twin and does very well it will pull high gear down to some pretty low speeds 35 or so and pull back up the rs is 200 lbs less than an rt but there is plenty of power for higher gearing the fewer rpms make a big diff in what comes thru to the body yes 6 th gear would be nice or just spread out the 5 we have. My bet is the lawyers didn't want any higher
gearing to limiting the top speed

[Blue Star]

Why would you rev it to 9k, Its like me saying try starting your Spyder out in 5Th at 1500 rpm [ and see what happens.]

Okay. I can speak from experience on this. If you try to take off in 5th gear you will stall out each time after moving about 3 feet. Was worried for a moment that Orbit was broken down on me until I noticed what gear I had it in.

[SteveMac]

LOL
Most of us with the SM5 have been there. Kinda embarrassing. But when I have swivel head coming to a stop and I am enjoying the scenery, I have done this also. Immediately begins a frantic pumping of the left foot to get it into first before anyone behind me realizes it. Thankfully I haven't stalled completely very often. And never on a group rYde (praise the Lord)!!!!! The MoGang would never let me live that down. Merciless they are . . .

Okay. I can speak from experience on this. If you try to take off in 5th gear you will stall out each time after moving about 3 feet. Was worried for a moment that Orbit was broken down on me until I noticed what gear I had it in.

[Bob Denman]

I Might be wrong? but that engine was used in some of their [BRP] snowmobiles, Then adapted for the Spyder.

Nope! Rotax has built 4 stroke Vee-twins for some Ski doo models, and have a bunch of them in the ATV/UTV lineup, but they are completely different animals...
The closest to what we're using is in the Commander 1000: 85 horsepower one litre Vee-twin hooked up to a CVT tranny...
There's no doubt that all of the four stroke technology builds upon each previous effort though.

[pauly1]

"boborgera

Believe me with a 6 gear in the Spyder unless your going over 65/70 you'll never use 6Th.
And if you do every time you want to pick up a little speed you'll be dropping it down to 5Th.
Its not like my Tri Glide where at 65/70 in 6Th it's only turning 22 hundred rpms, And no down shifting necessary to pick up speed. "

Way different engines. The Tri-Glide has 69% more displacement, 30% more torque, and 60% more weight, giving 18% less torque/pound. (H-D doesn't publish HP figures.) Horsepower is for show, but torque makes it go. The H-D does have a much flatter/broader torque curve with >70 ft*lb @ 2,000 rpm, so it will pull much better at low rpm. The Rotax is a water cooled, high performance motor, the H-D is not. As the professor stated, let it rev 'cuz you don't have to worry about overheating.

I would use 6th gear on my GS on flatter ground just like my Ultra.

As a fine point, the Tri-Glide is more like 2800 rpm @ 70 mph.

	GS SE5	H-D
displacement	60.9	103	69%
torque	76.7	100	30%
rpm	6250	3250
hp	106	na	na
rpm	8500	na	na
weight, running order	745	1191	60%
torque/lb	0.103	0.084	-18%
hp/lb	0.142	na	na
rpm @ 70 mph	5091	2800

[harleyRick]

Red line on that Harley is 5,500 red line on the Spyder 9,000

[pauly1]

The Rotax engine is also dual overhead cams without pushrod mass/inertia to cause valve float.

Wayne

[woodchuck]

I have to disagree with most of you on this one I have 2 rs spyders and have the 30t on one of them the bike will very easily pull the extra gearing and dosnt cause you to downshift to pull a hill in fact in a drag race between the 2 bike almost no diff crusing at highway speeds big dif the higher gearing makes for a much more relaxed ride and less strained feel the spyder may not have the low end of a hog but it still is a v twin and does very well it will pull high gear down to some pretty low speeds 35 or so and pull back up the rs is 200 lbs less than an rt but there is plenty of power for higher gearing the fewer rpms make a big diff in what comes thru to the body yes 6 th gear would be nice or just spread out the 5 we have. My bet is the lawyers didn't want any higher
gearing to limiting the top speed

I have been saying this for quite a while. I also have the 30 teeth sprocket on the front and as you said about going to a lower speed in 5th gear and the will pull out with no problem. It does not bog down and has enough power to pull to a higher speed. But I still think it is still geared to low for my liking. A neighbor of mine who is a lot younger than I am said you old folks don't like the high reving motors. He is right.