Results 1 to 5 of 5
  1. #1
    RT-S PE#0027 widowmaker2011's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Orchard Park NY
    Posts
    335
    Spyder Garage
    0

    Default Full circle Spyder owner

    A little long …. So in 2006 my dealer notified me that BRP was going to invite me to go to San Diego to see a prototype vehicle early in 2007. I had seen marked up drawings of the spyder online and even though I didn’t know what it was called yet I assumed that’s what we are going to see. BRP flew us out to San Diego did an amazing launch event where BRP presented J Leno with serial number 001 and a select group of us got to go for a beautiful ride on the oceanfront and I was in love. My wife and I ordered Premier editions immediately and we ran all over the country with them for the first couple of years then graduated to the original RT and we had two of those and proceeded to do the same thing traveling state to state doing spider events homecomings etc. Every couple years I would trade up until sometime in the last few years I started to really not put a lot of miles on and began to lose interest. So to top it off, in November I got Covid and ended up in the ICU and recovery was drastically slower than I had thought ….even though I was back running my companies just a few weeks later it has been a long hard road back to normalcy and in the meantime I sold my 2020 RTL a ways back and I didn’t even think twice about it. I had owned 7 spyders and was done …. So I thought …
    I run about 10 car dealerships and happened to be at one of our Ford dealerships and I passed a 2008 spyder that was 100% stock sitting on the showroom floor. We take motorcycles once in a while on trades so it didn’t surprise me but I kept walking by it every day and finally walked over for a closer inspection. Original owner , had around 7000 miles and I would’ve scored about an eight out of a 10 as far as condition. With every day that passed it kept looking at me or I kept looking at it I don’t know which and I finally told the sales manager to write up a deal in my name then I took it home and next day. To say that ride home of only 15 miles was exhilarating is an understatement. We did thousands and thousands of miles on our RT‘s and don’t get me wrong they are the most comfortable touring machine I’ve ever ridden but as soon as I twisted the throttle on this 2008 GS rolling out of the dealership I realized what drew me to the spyder to begin with. The open air the exhilaration the feeling that makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck every time you get on the throttle and go into a curve. The evolution of the spyder has been an amazing thing but I found out in the last week that it has actually evolved perhaps too far for me and my personal taste. I immediately took off all the panels removed the seat did a full maintenance on it had our body shop paint it back to the original millennium yellow that my 2008 was (even though that as a one tough paint job to do with its tri-coat and pearl layers ) and it came out absolutely stunning. I just got back from another ride and the grin that I had in 2007 When I first rode the spyder in San Diego is back all over my face. I’m not saying I’ll never own an RTL again but I honestly wouldn’t hesitate to swing a leg over this GS and head on an 1000 mile trip. Have a safe holiday weekend I hope everybody gets some good miles this weekend no matter what you ride.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Back amongst the living May 2021
    2022 RT Limited Hyper Silver


    Out to Pasture:
    2013 ST Limited , Black Currant
    2022 F3L , Dark Edition
    2021 RTL , Chalk Chrome
    2013 RT Limited , Circuit Yellow Metallic
    2008 GS SM5 , Millenium Yellow
    2020 RT Limited Petrol Dark
    2014 RT Limited Champagne Black
    2012 RT Limited White
    2010 Timeless Black RTS SM5
    2010 Orbital Blue RTS SM5
    2008 GS SM5 PE 1941
    2008 GS SM5 PE2011

  2. #2
    Very Active Member ARtraveler's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Valley Springs, AR
    Posts
    41,274
    Spyder Garage
    8

    Default

    Thanks for the write up. I bought the first 2008 sold to a customer in AK. It was a SM5. Kept it two years and 26K miles before I purchased a Premier RTS (#474).

    Currently Owned: 2019 F3 Limited, 2020 F3 Limited: SOLD BOTH LIMITEDS in October of 2023.

    Previously : 2008 GS-SM5 (silver), 2009 RS-SE5 (red), 2010 RT-S Premier Editon #474 (black) 2011 RT A&C SE5 (magnesium) 2014 RTS-SE6 (yellow)

    MY FINAL TALLY: 7 Spyders, 15 years, 205,500 miles

    IT HAS BEEN A LONG, WONDERFUL, AND FUN RIDE.
    2020 F3L , Magma Red

  3. #3
    Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie Peter Aawen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Australia; Sth Aust, Adelaide Hills
    Posts
    9,522
    Spyder Garage
    0

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by widowmaker2011 View Post
    ..... but as soon as I twisted the throttle on this 2008 GS rolling out of the dealership I realized what drew me to the spyder to begin with. The open air the exhilaration the feeling that makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck every time you get on the throttle and go into a curve. The evolution of the spyder has been an amazing thing but I found out in the last week that it has actually evolved perhaps too far for me and my personal taste. ......
    Glad you've been able to re-find the Spyder and the spark that makes it work for you! I still get that same feeling every time I ryde my (slightly enhanced) 2013 RT Ltd!

    And I reckon you're right about the evolution too, at least for me'n the Child Bride! I've been lucky enough to have been able to do some 'extended test rydes' on just about every Spyder/Ryker model that's made it to Oz (well, so far anyway! ) and I hafta agree with that last bit I've quoted above - since buying my 2013 RT, there hasn't been anything new offered by BRP that gives me anywhere near that same feeling! Even an ECU Upgrade & suspension/handling improvements on any of the 1330's juuust don't done it for me in the way the V-Twin motor & the 'spritely response & handling' (by comparison ) of my 2013 currently do! Same goes for the Child Bride - doesn't matter that we've gone on short test rydes or longer test rydes on bigger engined newer models, none of them are as exciting or give us the same feeling; they are juuust a little 'too lazy', or maybe it's 'too refined' or 'too weighted down with pointless gee-gaws'?!? I really don't ever see us going back to two wheeled touring, but I think it'd take something much closer to the original Spyder concept than any of the current offerings to ever get us to part with our 2013 RT Ltd!
    2013 RT Ltd Pearl White

    Ryde More, Worry Less!

  4. #4
    Active Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2020
    Location
    Upstate NY
    Posts
    136
    Spyder Garage
    0

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Peter Aawen View Post
    Glad you've been able to re-find the Spyder and the spark that makes it work for you! I still get that same feeling every time I ryde my (slightly enhanced) 2013 RT Ltd!

    And I reckon you're right about the evolution too, at least for me'n the Child Bride! I've been lucky enough to have been able to do some 'extended test rydes' on just about every Spyder/Ryker model that's made it to Oz (well, so far anyway! ) and I hafta agree with that last bit I've quoted above - since buying my 2013 RT, there hasn't been anything new offered by BRP that gives me anywhere near that same feeling! Even an ECU Upgrade & suspension/handling improvements on any of the 1330's juuust don't done it for me in the way the V-Twin motor & the 'spritely response & handling' (by comparison ) of my 2013 currently do! Same goes for the Child Bride - doesn't matter that we've gone on short test rydes or longer test rydes on bigger engined newer models, none of them are as exciting or give us the same feeling; they are juuust a little 'too lazy', or maybe it's 'too refined' or 'too weighted down with pointless gee-gaws'?!? I really don't ever see us going back to two wheeled touring, but I think it'd take something much closer to the original Spyder concept than any of the current offerings to ever get us to part with our 2013 RT Ltd!
    Peter, is your 2013 the first year of the previous generation (2013-2019) RT, or the last year of the first generation of RT?
    Current Rides:
    2015 Spyder ST-S SM5
    2016 Honda Gold Wing ABS/Navi
    2022 Royal Enfield Classic 350
    2021 Royal Enfield Himalayan

  5. #5
    Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie Peter Aawen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Australia; Sth Aust, Adelaide Hills
    Posts
    9,522
    Spyder Garage
    0

    Default

    VStar, late 2013 RT's like mine came with all the suspension, brake, & frame refinements (some of which the earlier 2013's & even some 2012's got) that were originally intended to be part of the 'major refinements & upgrades included with the 1330 motor release' - only that triple cyl motor wasn't ready in time, so BRP carried over the V-Twin motor, ie, the last & most refined of the 998 motors. For some, that motor carry-over did cause heat issues due to the taller/longer motor being put back into a hole re-jigged for the wider/lower 1330 motor, but the 'Heat Remediation Recall' took care of that, even for those of us with late 2013's who never had any significant heat problems anyway!

    So like most late 2013 RT's, mine is one of those that is arguably the best of all things V-Twin bundled into the 'by then finalised' RT bodywork, teamed with all the upgraded suspension, brake, & frame enhancements originally intended for the 1330's which, once installed, resulted in a package that then lasted until 2019 substantially unchanged. Which to me means that I've got the best of all things V-Twin AND the 2014-2019 suspension, brake, & frame enhancements, PLUS a few additional 'minor' mods, real tires, & computer tweaks including an ECU Upgrade to really bring the whole package alive! Not too much in the way of 'isolating and de-sensitising electronics' taking away from the excitement of the motor's performance & the ryde that Widowmaker decries in his original post here, but enough to keep all that good stuff and yet make it a comfortable, spacious, & versatile Sports Touring machine that's still luxurious & smooth enough for even the most discerning (aging??) of ryders (like me'n the Child Bride! )
    Last edited by Peter Aawen; 05-31-2021 at 08:27 PM.
    2013 RT Ltd Pearl White

    Ryde More, Worry Less!

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •