New and need advice

[Questions]

Hi, I am new to this and would like advice from this group. I am planning on retiring within the next year and would like to be able to tour on a bike, (trike). My wife will not ride on a two wheeler at all. Since I plan on almost always being 2 up, would you recommend a traditional trike or the Spyder. I am leaning towards the Spyder, but... I am also reading that the Spyder is uncomfortable for a passenger and the seat get too hot for extended riding, etc. Is this the case and is there anything thing you would do differently if you could do it over? With my wife, I probably only have one shot at this and want to get it right.

[Omcge]

Hi, I am new to this and would like advice from this group. I am planning on retiring within the next year and would like to be able to tour on a bike, (trike). My wife will not ride on a two wheeler at all. Since I plan on almost always being 2 up, would you recommend a traditional trike or the Spyder. I am leaning towards the Spyder, but... I am also reading that the Spyder is uncomfortable for a passenger and the seat get too hot for extended riding, etc. Is this the case and is there anything thing you would do differently if you could do it over? With my wife, I probably only have one shot at this and want to get it right.

Get a spyder RT. You won't be disappointed. I haven't had any heat problems.

[dndfindley]

Hi, I am new to this and would like advice from this group. I am planning on retiring within the next year and would like to be able to tour on a bike, (trike). My wife will not ride on a two wheeler at all. Since I plan on almost always being 2 up, would you recommend a traditional trike or the Spyder. I am leaning towards the Spyder, but... I am also reading that the Spyder is uncomfortable for a passenger and the seat get too hot for extended riding, etc. Is this the case and is there anything thing you would do differently if you could do it over? With my wife, I probably only have one shot at this and want to get it right.

My wife told me she would go 2 up only we got a Spyder. She is 6 ft and is comfortable on it. We have not gone on any cross country trips - only day rides so take this info as such. We have done as much as two to three hundred miles in a day. Ours is a 2012 RT and as such we stop a lot for gas That gives us a few minutes to stretch. We don't have any heat issues.

[NZSpyderRyder]

If I wanted a Spyder to go touring then my choice would be a new 2014 RT Limited and a trailer.
Enjoy your retirement.

[Chupaca]

you have to consider yoursekf as well. It will be a joint venture. I feel you will be happier driving a roadster than a trike both comfort and handling. If you are not comfortable driving then neither will enjoy much ryding. Can't stress enough the test ryde will tell. Then you can tweek comfort for both..!!

[Bob Denman]

(Potentiallly... )
You will get a very biased opinion in here...
So here's mine!
The Spyder will handle much better than a Tri-Glide; if you push them both to where the pace gets "interesting"...
The SE-6 on the new RT is just amazing! Paddle shifting may seem as if you're detracting from the "Biker Experience"; until you use it a bit.
Trailering was mentioned for long-distance touring; BRP makes it pretty easy to hook one up, and hit the road. Harley does not.

Now...
The Tri-Glide offers a VERY comfortable ride. MoCo has distance-riding figured out! But the controls are all a bit "heavier". They've also just released a new (sort of) liquid-cooled engine for their big Tourers; it might take some time for the results of their efforts to be seen in the real World.

[PrairieSpyder]

If I wanted a Spyder to go touring then my choice would be a new 2014 RT Limited and a trailer.
Enjoy your retirement.

[sddinnh]

you have to consider yoursekf as well. It will be a joint venture. I feel you will be happier driving a roadster than a trike both comfort and handling. If you are not comfortable driving then neither will enjoy much ryding. Can't stress enough the test ryde will tell. Then you can tweek comfort for both..!!

Both styles of trikes are expensive so - try them both and pick the one that suites you best because each has it's strong and weak points. I will tell you that it takes time for a spyder to "grow" on you, so the initial test drive may not tell you much. I know, it didn't me, but I spent a lot of time on two wheelers. I'm just crossing 1000 miles and am now just getting to start feeling comfortable with the spyder.

[easysuper]

My wife had also settled on a Spyder for our retirement bike as she had never done two wheels by herself and had taken a very bad spill on her bicycle several years back ending up in the hospital . She liked the comfort of the Spyder and felt safer , My big problem is that after less than a year of riding behind, she is went out , passed her endorsement test and is running the wheels of the thing and it looks like I need to figure out haw to afford another one !

[Gunny]

I have an RTS and at Spyderfest we purchased a brand new Ultimate seat. I love it the Long haired Col does not; however she sat on the new 2014 stock seat with a backrest and loved it; therefore the Ultimate is going back and the plan is to purchase a stock seat. I agree with everyone else it is something you have to ride but growing up on two wheelers and three wheelers I found that the Spyder performs and handles much better IMHO. Whatever you decide enjoy retirement and I am sure we will see you on the road.

[Dan_Ashley]

If I wanted a Spyder to go touring then my choice would be a new 2014 RT Limited and a trailer.
Enjoy your retirement.

You don't need a trailer...do what I do...wear clothes for three days. Go to Wal-Mart. Buy new ones. Throw the old ones away. It is cheaper than a trailer.

[Questions]

Thank you for the advice. Ha. I liked the Wal-Mart idea. My wife did not.

[mikehsanders]

We were retired one year when she allowed she would consider ryding on the spyder and that was the only way she'd get on a motorcycle. This was due to a death when she was young and her position was firm. She was nervous at first but now really enjoys it, though we try to stay off heavily traveled roads and our longest trip to date has been three nights. We got the roadster first but decided the tourer more closely met our needs. It's a 2013 RTL and we have had no problems. It has added to our enjoyment of retirement life. We're small 5'3" and 5'6" and have been quite comfortable. Looking forward to a trip out west this summer towing the Spyder.

[RyderJCF]

So I'm going to jump in here with the rest of the crew - a spyder rt is absolutely the machine for touring, trailer or not. Similar tales about the wife - I started riding again about 2 years ago - call it a midlife crisis. After a bit, she started riding with me but just didn't feel comfortable on 2 wheels. We had talked bout a spyder, but I liked,them2 wheel thing at first. So we went to our dealer a bit north of here - to look at a bigger bike and a spyder. Well, one test ride on the spyder and we were hooked! They had a great deal on a 2012 RT Limited with 4500 miles on it and we brought if home the same day. We love riding it (short or long) and often it's her that says "let's take the bike".

I'd definitely stay away from the 13's as you'll see on here, but my 2012 has been darn near perfect,

good luck!

[dndfindley]

You don't need a trailer...do what I do...wear clothes for three days. Go to Wal-Mart. Buy new ones. Throw the old ones away. It is cheaper than a trailer.

Love it!

[rnharriman]

I just retired also and didn't test ride the Spyder till that time, Took my wife on the Spyder for the first test drive she felt safe and I loved it and it was sitting at my house the next week.

[GeoffCee]

Couple of years back we went on a 10-day tour of Spain. Our RT was the only trike among a bunch of regular motorcyclists, mostly 2-up. By about day four the ladies had voted among themselves that our Spyder's pillion seat was their favorite place to ride and they reached this decision without ever having sat on it! They did it by the look of the seat alone. Needless to say my wife agreed! The comfort of the RT is a winner.

[Woody]

The hot seat issue pertains to SOME 2013 Spyders only. If you avoid the 2013, you won't have to worry about it. There was a major change in 2014, going to a larger 3 cyl engine (1330 vs 998 twin) and a 6 speed vs 5. Members here love the 14.

I am in the same boat as you, and if you are patient and persistent with the Search utility, you can find some very good info on this topic.

[1957cushman]

My 2012 Spyder RT has two big advantages over a trike. The SE5 auto transmission and two wheels in front designed like a car. I rode two wheelers from 1957 to 2012. The front of trikes are designed for two wheeling where making a corner compresses front wheel springs and shocks with no side load because you turn by leaning into corner. When putting two wheels on the back of a motorcycle (trike), the front forks now have a tremendous side load in turns that the original designers did not intend. If you are going to do much mountain driving with sharp turns, I would stay away from trikes for that reason.

[wis2013rtltd]

Hi, I am new to this and would like advice from this group. I am planning on retiring within the next year and would like to be able to tour on a bike, (trike). My wife will not ride on a two wheeler at all. Since I plan on almost always being 2 up, would you recommend a traditional trike or the Spyder. I am leaning towards the Spyder, but... I am also reading that the Spyder is uncomfortable for a passenger and the seat get too hot for extended riding, etc. Is this the case and is there anything thing you would do differently if you could do it over? With my wife, I probably only have one shot at this and want to get it right.

ride the Harley and the Wing Trike. The Harley ride is leaves much to be desired, storage is minimal, however dealer network and support are second to none. Wing is comfortable, storage better than Harley and you get the rock solid Honda reliability, a good dealer network and torque and power unmatched. TheWing triked just doesn't feel like a natural fit in corners and on long rides, the handling and effort seem subpar, then maneuvering in parking lots leaves a little to be desired. Ride them all, take a few days to think, narrow it down and you will be happy. Regarding the Spyder, go with a 14' if you are able, and spend some time on this forum and you will learn a lot. Good Luck!!

[MouthPiece]

You best be assured that she will have fun on either. There are some people who are "built" to ride a motorcycle and some that are not. Although my wife enjoys riding on our spyder and enjoyed our "two wheel days" as well, I can't say with all honesty that she REALLY enjoys seeing the sites as much as say getting in a VW convertable and covering the same territory. I'm not bashing my wife, but simply stating a fact. There are some people who prefer the amenities of a car. Additionally, I don't know for sure that a rider sees as much scenery as does the "pilot" of the machine. Seeing the sites is what it is all about is it not?? How can a passenger, unless he or she is so much taller, see the things that you see? I've tried several times to convince her that she just might like having her own spyder. She says no.

Bottom line is that for me going on a venture with either a spyder or two wheeler (note I did not mention a conventional trike) is an absolute "high". However, I cannot say that about my partner and that is what it's about is it not? Both of you?

Chris

[Questions]

Again, I would like to think everyone for their suggestions. After reading a lot of the posts here and on a conventional bike board, I was concerned about the heat. There are a lot of posts on here on how to "fix" the comfort and the heat issues. That what was giving me concerns. I will really look at a 2014 or 2012 to buy. Thank you everyone!

[gnirtsnod]

My 2012 Spyder RT has two big advantages over a trike. The SE5 auto transmission and two wheels in front designed like a car. I rode two wheelers from 1957 to 2012. The front of trikes are designed for two wheeling where making a corner compresses front wheel springs and shocks with no side load because you turn by leaning into corner. When putting two wheels on the back of a motorcycle (trike), the front forks now have a tremendous side load in turns that the original designers did not intend. If you are going to do much mountain driving with sharp turns, I would stay away from trikes for that reason.

I test rode an HD trike before deciding on my 2012 RT-S. The HD was like my Ultra from the rider seat to the front fender tip and like an over-sized beer cooler in the back..and it rode like I just described. I did not feel like the suspension on the HD trike was conducive to my somewhat aggressive riding style. The above quote provides the technical basis for what I experienced. ...Don

P.S. I love my Spyder.

[mclaw44]

So i figured I may as well add my two cents to this thread.

I to had a wife that was very worried about riding. Lots of bad stories out there. My first spyder was a '09 RS which I put a lot in to it for touring bike (they didn't make the RT then). She was OK with it. She would ride with me becasue she know I enjoyed it. Then along came our '13 RT-L and well she loves it enve drives it. Yes we may have a little heat issue but the fun we have, its easy to overlook. The one thing I had did change this year was is I added a F4 taller, wider windshield for her to stay out of the wind more which a big hit. She now loves to ride even more, actual asks to ride. As a side note she will even allow our kids (16, 12, and 9) ride.

My vote would be a '14 RT with a F4 windshield. Both of you will have a time of your life which you never forget.

[sassoman]

My wife and I do what you ae looking at doing.We have a 14 RT and we built a trailer,much more storage and much cheaper than a Can-Am trailer and tows great.We looked at all of our options ,Harley trike which we ruled out right away.Gold Wing was way too expensive and two different places for warranty work. We even looked at triking our 2012 Victory Cross Country. In the end we saw an ad for the rebates on the 13 RT so we went and looked.Based on the improvements and the fact that we could give up a few amenities for a base RT automatic and ad our own upgrades. We got a beautiful white machine and could not be more satisfied with our decision.We get compliments everytime we ride.Our rig should have well over 10k by the middle of summer. Your decision ,but mine would be a 14 RT.