Riding Techniques

[Bob Ledford]

Someone posted a post on the cornering of a Spyder RT that has me as a newbie am I doing it wrong ? The post said if you have your foot covering the. Brake while executing a corner turn you are doing it wrong and to quit it !

So how should I be setting up to make a corner? Right now I pick my lane, signal, slow down before entering the turn, pick my acceleration point, throttle on to exit the turn. Straightening up the bike and driver at the same time...gas and go! All this done with the brake covered but with minimal to no pressure on the pedal?

Used that technique in everything I have ever driven 2to 20wheels or two tracks with a big gun on the top.,iiijp

[NancysToy]

If it works for you, use it. The problem with the brake is that if you ride the pedal for long, the Spyder may go into limp mode. For most riders that means keeping your foot off the pedal, especially in corners.

[AlamoRyder]

Do your braking BEFORE the entry in to the turn. Do not brake (unless emergency) while turning. Braking takes you and your commands out of the equation on a turn. Never a good idea in a turn even in a car.

[Plyrod38]

I agree with RT. Ride as you would a two wheeler and brake in a turn only as an emergency measure.

[Spydee8]

Brake? We have a brake? Just joking!! Great advice!!

Dee

[otter28169]

Ever since I started riding dirtbikes, and four-wheelers, and snowmobiles, and go-karts, and shifter carts, and field cars, etc etc I have been taught to brake before the corner, set your line, and accelerate out. I personally love the feel of the torque when I am coming out of the corner.

[daveinva]

Here's the deal about the Spyder, and why it's NOT a motorcycle.

On a motorcycle, you're generally taught not to brake *in* a turn. Brake before the turn, then throttle out of it.

Of course, veteran two-wheel riders brake in turns all the time. The word there is *veteran*, as in, they (should) know what they're doing, and not using the brake too much in turns when your traction and suspension should be dedicated to your cornering, not braking.

Now, on a Spyder, the beauty-- and curse-- is that you can brake a heckuva lot more in a turn than you can on two wheels before you risk losing traction. That third wheel seriously ups your safety margin, and you can brake in turns all day and be none the worse for wear.

That said, braking in a turn still risks losing traction. And throttling out of the apex of a turn still works fine on a Spyder, just as on a bike. If anything, once you get the hang of it, it works GREAT-- on my RS, with all the extra suspension perks at work (swaybar, Fox shocks set to max, etc.), when I'm in the "zone," I can routinely "kick out" my rear tire on a turn and really zoom out of a curve. It's great fun, especially on a seriously twisty road.

Bottom line: the Spyder is far more forgiving a ride than most motorcycles. Depending on how you ride-- and how much attention you're paying to your riding-- that forgiveness will either afford you an extra margin of safety, or just enough extra rope to hang yourself with. Have fun... but ride safe!

[pathfinderjoe]

One of the reasons I like my M5 is that you can engage the clutch - drop off RPM - loose speed - before or during a turn - let out the clutch - never touch the brake - and away you go!!!

[Can-Am Poogs]

My advice to you comes from my experience scraping bodies of the road for the last 23 years.3 things to consider. Your skills and abilities and comfort level, the bikes capabilities, and environmental conditions. 3 levels of motorcycles riders, novice, intermediate, and professional. Be honest and rate yourself where you belong based on how long you have been riding, type of riding, and with two wheel types, how comfortable you are leaning a bike tight to the road. Most recreational riders are intermediate to novice, unless you are one of these street guys that can take to the track and lean a bike with your leg open and your knee an inch above the pavement, you are not a pro. The more experienced you are, the smaller you can make your lean angle to the road, the tighter you can corner at higher speeds. And if you think you are a pro and you are not, the lesson is a hard one to learn, and people seldom get a second chance. Whether you are on a bike or in a car, the safest and quickest way to make any type of curve is high low high. In an s curve it is apex to apex. Scrub off your speed before you enter into curve, if you are really good you can brake right up to the apex and accelerate hard from the apex without missing a beat. Most people tend to brake before entering the curve and coast with steady and even throttle application until right after the apex and accelerate out past the apex into the straight away or next curve. I would not recommend making a turn in neutral (clutch pulled in). Acceleration and deceleration through throttle input equals control of the bike. Pulling in the clutch while turning or driving aggressively in a turn is to give up control of your bike. I am not saying that you should never pull your clutch in, there are times and places, but this isn't one of them. In a panic or by inexperience if you release the clutch suddenly in a curve or coming out of a curve without your engine speed matching your vehicle speed (being in the wrong gear), you may lurch and get high sided off the bike (not a high chance of survival), or you may lock up the rear tire and low side the motorcycle (drop the bike). In a Spyder that equates to be thrown off and going for a different sort of ride, without the bike. Sorry not poking at anyone, just don't want to see anyone get hurt. Beautiful thing about our Spyders, 3 wheels and the same safety handling features as most high end cars. The short coming of a Spyder is, we can't lean it like you lean a 2 wheel bike. This means you can't make tighter corners at the same speeds as 2 wheel bike. And as we all know, our arms fatigue sooner. When you corner there is what we call Critical Curve Speed. The speed is determined by the friction your tires have with the road in conjunction with the radius you choose to take a curve at. In a two wheel bike lean angle is factored in for the bike. If you exceed the critical curve speed for your situation, doesn't matter what you are driving, you are done for. I haven't seen what that looks like in a Spyder yet. I am almost certain our VSS would kick in. Keep this in mind though. In a tight right hand curve where you have too much speed going in and the natural reaction is to over steer to the right (our two wheel friends would lean more, we would shift our weight more down and to the inside of curve), there will be strong forces trying to throw you off the left side of the bike. However your brake pedal is on the right side of the bike and we don't have a hand brake. Very few people can overcome the forces required to make a brake application before the speed becomes critical and make a recovery, because these forces are acting against you and time is not on your side. The majority of crashes where people take corners too fast, there isn't any braking, not because they didn't want to brake or think to brake, it is because they can't overcome the forces acting on their bodies required to make a brake application. Anyways...that's enough of that for a day!!!...Every time I get on my Spyder I tell myself I am driving one of the safest motorcycles on the planet, but I am still riding on the outside of a vehicle. Take control of what you can control, because the rest of what happens wont be up to you. Cheers. Is it April yet? I miss my Spyder.

[Bob Denman]

"You do the hokey-pokey and you turn yourself about..."

[Babyblue]

As a new rider of only 4 months, I read this forum voraciously. I own a 250 Yamaha and crashed 3 weeks after I started riding. (Now for sale..) My point is riding the RT was new, but I rode it home 85 miles driving it by the seat of my pants because the ease of handling this machine and reading this forum got me home. (Thanks for the tips Lamonster)

I NEVER leave my foot near the brake and use down shifting to slow me down into curves for the most part, pick my point then accelerate. I do touch the brake to let drivers behind me know my intentions.

Even though I have 2000 miles on it after riding for 4 months, I am taking an advance 3 wheel riding class in June to help me get more riding tips.

Sorry for the rambling.

Lori

[2 Stricklands]

Someone posted a post on the cornering of a Spyder RT that has me as a newbie am I doing it wrong ? The post said if you have your foot covering the. Brake while executing a corner turn you are doing it wrong and to quit it !

So how should I be setting up to make a corner? Right now I pick my lane, signal, slow down before entering the turn, pick my acceleration point, throttle on to exit the turn. Straightening up the bike and driver at the same time...gas and go! All this done with the brake covered but with minimal to no pressure on the pedal?

Used that technique in everything I have ever driven 2to 20wheels or two tracks with a big gun on the top.,iiijp

I think you are probably doing everything close to right. In most of the 2 to 20 wheels, you have the right foot on either the brake or the accelerator - but not both. On the Spyder, when you are ready to go you don' need to cover the brake. I learned to drive a standard and the left foot never touched the brake. I now have automatics, but my left foot still never touches the brake. Many folks wear out lots of brake pads by riding the brake (in an automatic) by leaving the left foot on the brake. I have never heard from nanny because I only put my foot on the brake when I intend to use it, like to slow prior to a turn or corner. I bet that is what you are doing because the beyond 4 wheels mostly require the right foot on one or the other.

[2 Stricklands]

Someone posted a post on the cornering of a Spyder RT that has me as a newbie am I doing it wrong ? The post said if you have your foot covering the. Brake while executing a corner turn you are doing it wrong and to quit it !

So how should I be setting up to make a corner? Right now I pick my lane, signal, slow down before entering the turn, pick my acceleration point, throttle on to exit the turn. Straightening up the bike and driver at the same time...gas and go! All this done with the brake covered but with minimal to no pressure on the pedal?

Used that technique in everything I have ever driven 2to 20wheels or two tracks with a big gun on the top.,iiijp

I bet you are doing things right because some of the vehicles (2 to 20 wheels) you drove require the right foot on either the brake or the accelerator, not both. I only put my foot on the brake when I intend to use it like to stop or slow down before a turn or corner, once I began to accelerate my foot is never on the brake.

[Bob Ledford]

It appears that I am batting about 500 which is not bad in my eyes.

one of the missing pieces of information I forgot to add is my previous riding experiences

Been riding business I was about 13 illegals since the legal.age in Florida was 14. Or 15 I forget now as that was some 56 years ago, Started riding a friends Zundapp in the long since gone Fl woods. I rode enduros, tried dirt short tracking with a steel shoe. Hated that was always eating large clods of clay. commutted nfrom Daytona Beach to Jacksonville FL for 4 years on a GW my stupidous thing was riding a Cushman Eagle from Daytona to Moline, IL as a teenager took me almost a week as i remember it now. But when you are 15 who cares?
pThanks again

PS. I very seldom use the brakes on the Spyder as it has enough drag on closed throttle to be necessary except to turn on the brak.e lights to warn the guy tailgating me!! I am s lowing down now you big dummy......

cu bike week 2013

[Bob Denman]

I find that it's best to not get trapped into over-thinking this one...
the bikes are pretty darn stable, and the laws of physics are already pointing in the right reactive directions.
So let it roll!

[Huntindawg1962]

use the same as taught in the motorcycle safety course - SLPR


Slow (slow before the turn starts)
Look (amazing but just like a 2 wheel - this thing will end up where you are looking too)
Press (just dont do the countersteer here)
Roll on the throttle.

And keep the foot off the brake or the nanny will let you know. As you get more experienced like the long post suggested you will tailor this as you go.

[chris56]

don`t laugh - but the nanny brakes for you - here is a test clip - couldn`t find out if it was me or my or my VSS ..http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/m...etails&mid=275

[NancysToy]

And keep the foot off the brake or the nanny will let you know.

Braking during the turn, in itself, will not upset Miss Nanny (VSS). Riding the brake too long without actually applying brake pressure will cause a limp mode, but the VSS won't be involved for that reason alone.

don`t laugh - but the nanny brakes for you - here is a test clip - couldn`t find out if it was me or my or my VSS ..http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/m...etails&mid=275

Glad you brought it up, Chris. Very true...it will use the brakes to try to maintain your turn line if the steering angle sensor, steering torque sensor, and yaw sensor readings indicate a need.

One more thing...the Spyder seems to like a little trail braking, and can be braked clear to the apex with a little practice. The Spyder is also far more stable and forgiving if you brake into or during a turn than a two-wheeler. There is no need to overthink this topic. Do what works for you. Yes, there may be a faster or more comfortable way through the corner, but this isn't track day.

[pathfinderjoe]

Rolling off the throttle - engaging the clutch - dropping off RPMs - dis-engage the clutch - rolling back on the throttle is a safe and effective way to slow down going into a curve. Some times safer than braking depending on road conditions and weather. Obviously not a technique used when driving aggressively.

[Illinois Boy]

Someone posted a post on the cornering of a Spyder RT that has me as a newbie am I doing it wrong ? The post said if you have your foot covering the. Brake while executing a corner turn you are doing it wrong and to quit it !

So how should I be setting up to make a corner? Right now I pick my lane, signal, slow down before entering the turn, pick my acceleration point, throttle on to exit the turn. Straightening up the bike and driver at the same time...gas and go! All this done with the brake covered but with minimal to no pressure on the pedal?

Used that technique in everything I have ever driven 2to 20wheels or two tracks with a big gun on the top.,iiijp

"Covering" the brake is not "riding" the brake, so if you are experienced at knowing the difference you could be fine. Most are not though.

NancysToy likely said it best though... for most riders it is best to keep your foot off the pedal to avoid riding the brake -- which can cause problems as mentioned.

If you enter the corner in the correct gear and speed setting (along with a correct "line" setup), as you say you do, then you should be able to slow the machine down enough, if needed, while in a corner simply by rolling-off some of the throttle. If rolling-off the throttle does not provide a fairly decent "slow-down", then i would suggest you are not in a low-enough gear when entering your corners.

As you mentioned, you want to accelerate out of the apex-peak of the curve -- so being in a lower-gear and higher RPM's should work out well for anyone.

Just my one-cent... (probably not worth two-cents).

Have fun, ride often, and ride alert!

[Bob Denman]

You gave us the full, "two-penny's" worth...

[Bob Ledford]

My advice to you comes from my experience scraping bodies of the road for the last 23 years.3 things to consider. Your skills and abilities and comfort level, the bikes capabilities, and environmental conditions. 3 levels of motorcycles riders, novice, intermediate, and professional. Be honest and rate yourself where you belong based on how long you have been riding, type of riding, and with two wheel types, how comfortable you are leaning a bike tight to the road. Most recreational riders are intermediate to novice, unless you are one of these street guys that can take to the track and lean a bike with your leg open and your knee an inch above the pavement, you are not a pro. The more experienced you are, the smaller you can make your lean angle to the road, the tighter you can corner at higher speeds. And if you think you are a pro and you are not, the lesson is a hard one to learn, and people seldom get a second chance. Whether you are on a bike or in a car, the safest and quickest way to make any type of curve is high low high. In an s curve it is apex to apex. Scrub off your speed before you enter into curve, if you are really good you can brake right up to the apex and accelerate hard from the apex without missing a beat. Most people tend to brake before entering the curve and coast with steady and even throttle application until right after the apex and accelerate out past the apex into the straight away or next curve. I would not recommend making a turn in neutral (clutch pulled in). Acceleration and deceleration through throttle input equals control of the bike. Pulling in the clutch while turning or driving aggressively in a turn is to give up control of your bike. I am not saying that you should never pull your clutch in, there are times and places, but this isn't one of them. In a panic or by inexperience if you release the clutch suddenly in a curve or coming out of a curve without your engine speed matching your vehicle speed (being in the wrong gear), you may lurch and get high sided off the bike (not a high chance of survival), or you may lock up the rear tire and low side the motorcycle (drop the bike). In a Spyder that equates to be thrown off and going for a different sort of ride, without the bike. Sorry not poking at anyone, just don't want to see anyone get hurt. Beautiful thing about our Spyders, 3 wheels and the same safety handling features as most high end cars. The short coming of a Spyder is, we can't lean it like you lean a 2 wheel bike. This means you can't make tighter corners at the same speeds as 2 wheel bike. And as we all know, our arms fatigue sooner. When you corner there is what we call Critical Curve Speed. The speed is determined by the friction your tires have with the road in conjunction with the radius you choose to take a curve at. In a two wheel bike lean angle is factored in for the bike. If you exceed the critical curve speed for your situation, doesn't matter what you are driving, you are done for. I haven't seen what that looks like in a Spyder yet. I am almost certain our VSS would kick in. Keep this in mind though. In a tight right hand curve where you have too much speed going in and the natural reaction is to over steer to the right (our two wheel friends would lean more, we would shift our weight more down and to the inside of curve), there will be strong forces trying to throw you off the left side of the bike. However your brake pedal is on the right side of the bike and we don't have a hand brake. Very few people can overcome the forces required to make a brake application before the speed becomes critical and make a recovery, because these forces are acting against you and time is not on your side. The majority of crashes where people take corners too fast, there isn't any braking, not because they didn't want to brake or think to brake, it is because they can't overcome the forces acting on their bodies required to make a brake application. Anyways...that's enough of that for a day!!!...Every time I get on my Spyder I tell myself I am driving one of the safest motorcycles on the planet, but I am still riding on the outside of a vehicle. Take control of what you can control, because the rest of what happens wont be up to you. Cheers. Is it April yet? I miss my Spyder.

You need to come😊 we are having a 80 degree F. Day

[Can-Am Poogs]

You need to come we are having a 80 degree F. Day

Oh I would love too. Never been that far south. The cabin fever up here is a killer. I want to ride so bad. It must be nice to just be able to get on the Spyder whenever you want, 365 days a year.

[Bob Ledford]

Thanks for the input from those that took the time to post data.

Over the past few months I find myself having made some riding technique changes. I find myself constantly trying to remember to shift the right foot off to the side to keep it off the brake pedal.

I have watched the tach rev's to stop lugging the engine. Now I am finding myself shifting when the engine revs hit the sweet spot.

I find myself not running ALL the gears every cycle.

I find my MPG average creeping up as the odometer numbers grow. Which is a good thing!

[Illinois Boy]

Thanks for the input from those that took the time to post data.

Over the past few months I find myself having made some riding technique changes. I find myself constantly trying to remember to shift the right foot off to the side to keep it off the brake pedal.

I have watched the tach rev's to stop lugging the engine. Now I am finding myself shifting when the engine revs hit the sweet spot.

I find myself not running ALL the gears every cycle.

I find my MPG average creeping up as the odometer numbers grow. Which is a good thing!

Sounds like you are figuring this out and seeing the benefits!