Can an RS be made a comfortable cruiser for 2

[laserracer]

Looking at buying an RS for the wife and i to do weekend trips away... main factor is price .. as these.. seem well priced here in New Zealand looking at used probably 2008 ..2012.. whats needed to make these nice for touring.. more so from the passengers point of view.. like they say HAPPY WIFE HAPPY LIFE.....shes not a confident passenger on 2 wheels.. so looking at possibly seat options back rests, arm rests,..I know an RT is probably the preferred spyder for this task but they are about twice the price here

Cheers Dave

[Chupaca]

the back rest for sure. A cup/bottle holder. Different seat if possible (I changed to the comfort seat) foot peg extensions. Wife and I tour around no problem. Love the RS never a problem...

[DrewNJ]

There are quite a few of us that do some longer 2 up cruises. The RS is no cross country 2 up highway sofa, but with some creativity you can pack them like mules for some nice longer trips and have a good time.
Get the spyder first and start doing some riding. From there you will figure out what add ons work best. The bonus is that you can leave all that extra gear behind when you are riding solo.
Good luck!

[PistonBlown]

Hi mate,

Yes you can is the simple answer. Almost all the riders I know have RS' s and they are the most popular in NZ. Having said that you may want to also consider an ST. Not many around in NZ but they are basically like an RS thats aready had all the touring mods made to it.

Where in NZ are you? If you're in Canterbury we've got a couple of social events coming up and you're welcome to join us and check out some of the mods people have made etc. If you're a north islander then there is an active group on the meetup site that organise runs etc.

Canterbury Spyder Riders on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/CanterburySpyderRyders

Meetup Site (Mainly North Island)
http://www.meetup.com/Spyder-Riders-NZ/

Thanks,

Jos

[laserracer]

Thanks guys..yep certainly a backrest nice looking spyder Chupaca.....Thanks for the info DrewNJ..it was very interesting

Thanks Jos yep will look into the ST for sure just depends on $$$..pity i live in hamilton..but i have the spyder riders nz web page bookmarked

I have also read on another trike site although they were talking about trikes with 2 wheels in back and a single wheel up front that pillion feels like they are gonna fall off or slide off the seat due to G forces in the corners...anyone experienced this with a spyder ?

cheers Dave

[PistonBlown]

Not had any complaints about sideways movement from either my wife or daughter. However never ridden pillion so probably not qualified to answer. the grab rails on a Spyder are big and so I suspect that helps the pillion feel more secure on corners.

[DrewNJ]

No, should be no issue with that at all, unless they fall asleep....lol
The passenger does have to lean into the corners with the rider, especially if riding a bit aggressively or on tighter corners. I've never heard my wife or any of my kids saying they've felt like they are going to be thrown off. My wife does like the backrest as it gives her the security to take her hands off the hand holds and sit upright while cruising.

[laserracer]

Yeah thanks Jos ive been thinking about it and it seems that most of those complaints were from bikes converted into trikes...where i suspect the rear suspension is probably to hard and the front suspension has no sideways lean ..where as the spyder has some lean which helps counter the G forces a bit

Dave

[laserracer]

Thanks DrewNJ i think i better get myself and wifey down to our nearest spyder dealer and maybe throw her on the back and see how she handles it...shes gets **** scared on a 2 wheels and tends to lean the wrong way..but she comfortably sat on a RT and seemed fine .. mmind you it wasnt moving...lol


Dave

[napper39]

heres what i did but it still hurt my knees for moore then a 45 min ride so i got the rt.

[Bob Denman]

The only problem with turning a GS or RS into a bike with touring capabilities:

You can easily spend enough to put it squarely into the RT's pricing...

[sealfloorboards]

Along with a backrest, I would add Seal Floorboards if she is tall enough to fold up the passenger pegs and give her a nice flat surface to put her feet. Pegs can get very uncomfortable on a long ride for BOTH rider and passenger. I ship all over the world.

Ride in comfort,
John
sealcreativeoncepts.com

[DrewNJ]

The only problem with turning a GS or RS into a bike with touring capabilities:

You can easily spend enough to put it squarely into the RT's pricing...

It is kinda nice though to be able to strip all the luggage off when your just doing a day ride and don't need all the storage.

[Bob Denman]

I agree...
As long as the dollars can still make sense!

[ARtraveler]

My answer would be yes...but.... A picture of what I did to my 2008 GS.

All this was done pre RT days. I added fairing, saddlebags, trunk (not shown here), Corbin Seat with back rest, mirror extenders, handlebar risers, special Corbin rear fender, HID lights, and driving lights. Cost for these add ons was over $4K. I also did the same to our 2009 RS. Everytime I rode the RS it seemed very different from the RT.

The GS (looked like) a nice cruiser but lacked the qualities of long term riding comfort that the RT inherently has. I bought a Premier Edition RT when they first came out and the difference was like black and white. The GS/RS is more like a sport bike--IMO.

[daveinva]

I have an Ultimate seat with both backrests, plus Rivco passenger flootboards. About as comfy for a passenger as an RS can be.

That said, the trouble with two-up touring on an RS is there's just no room for stuff like there is on an RT, saddlebags aren't easy to use with a passenger. In fact, my M.O. has usually been I ride the Spyder and my GF drives her car when we go places together, then we use wherever we went to (house/hotel/cabin) as "home base" for touring. Still ride a few hundred miles a day together, but there's no limit to what we can pack given that it's all in the car.

Someday we'll *both* have Spyders, I figure... here's hoping!

[Bob Denman]

Do I smell the start of another infestation??

[tobor9]

Just look at my signature and see all i've done over the years to make my RS into something i really enjoy ryding. some day i'll trade for an RTS as I want all the things my wife's RTL has,but the RS can be a great ryde without spending too much$$$$,at least not at one time,plus I did all the installs.

[laserracer]

The only problem with turning a GS or RS into a bike with touring capabilities:

You can easily spend enough to put it squarely into the RT's pricing...

Probably looking at about $10,000..$15,000 difference between a used early RS and a RT....Difference between new RS and new RT about $20,000..

[laserracer]

Along with a backrest, I would add Seal Floorboards if she is tall enough to fold up the passenger pegs and give her a nice flat surface to put her feet. Pegs can get very uncomfortable on a long ride for BOTH rider and passenger. I ship all over the world.

Ride in comfort,
John
sealcreativeoncepts.com

Thanks John..yep will be surely looking at a set of floorboards and a backrest...its more about passenger comfort...than anything else..you know that old saying.... when wife not Happy things will be Crappy ..

Dave

[laserracer]

heres what i did but it still hurt my knees for moore then a 45 min ride so i got the rt.

Liking that back rest and arm rests

Dave

[Bob Denman]

Probably looking at about $10,000..$15,000 difference between a used early RS and a RT....Difference between new RS and new RT about $20,000..

The RS series starts at 15K
The RT series starts at 24K (approximately)

The used bikes grow much closer in price.
But... if you take an RS, and try to bring it up to RT comfort levels:
Saddlebags: $900
Backrest & Rear Trunk: $1200
Seat: $600
Floorboards: $500
Taller windshield: $200
Handlebar risers: $300
Passenger footpeg extenders: $200
Heated Grips $100
Cruise control:
This isn't counting the riding time that's lost during the process...

Do what you want; just watch out for the size of the money pile being spent.

[PistonBlown]

Spyders in NZ generally cost much more than the US and the gap between RS and RT is greater. In addition we don't have the same level of depreciation as you get in the US and Europe. Depreciation here is far more about condition and mileage than age. So the gap between the models remains in the second hand market.

So 'touring up' a RS tends to be the way a lot of NZ riders go. It also appeals to the Kiwi love of tinkering :-)

Of the 20 odd riders around here for example there are only two RTs and one ST. The rest are RS's, though probably not one standard one. I think STs and RTs are more common in the North Island but the majority are still RS' s.

Finally I believe finance here has a far higher rate of interest than the US which would also explain the attraction of the cheaper models.

[BikerDoc]

It really depends on the wife. I have seen some wives happy to tour on the RS with a simple backrest, and meanwhile know one guy that spent $10000 trying to get his wife happy with an RS and then finally had to trade it on an RT.. I believe they rent them in NZ. Maybe you could pre test before committing fully

[laserracer]

The RS series starts at 15K
The RT series starts at 24K (approximately)

The used bikes grow much closer in price.
But... if you take an RS, and try to bring it up to RT comfort levels:
Seat: $600
Floorboards: $500
Taller windshield: $200
Handlebar risers: $300
Passenger footpeg extenders: $200
Heated Grips $100
Cruise control:
This isn't counting the riding time that's lost during the process...

Do what you want; just watch out for the size of the money pile being spent.

Cheapest RS ive seen sold recently here in NewZealand was $10,000 nz dollars and the cheapest RT i can see at the moment is about $21,000 NZD and trying to buy without finance so im looking more at the lower end of the market and plan on doing my own maintenance as im an ex mechanic..but sure i can see how the extra parts can add up.. but you can add them over time so it doesnt hurt so much $$$$ wise