Why you should never let a non-rider ride your Spyder
A friend thought she would be nice by teaching a friend how to ride a Spyder. She got on the back and put the newbie at the controls and had her stop and start going up the street. Everything was going great until she asked her to make a U-turn, the newbie hit the throttle hard, got scared and jumped off. My friend was stuck with a driver's backrest between her and the handlebars, it doesn't help that she isn't very tall, the Spyder went over a curb then hit a big utility box before coming to a rest. No one was badly injured and the Spyder, at first glance, didn't appear to be mortally wounded. The pictures show the frame and the giant bend in it.
About a week after this happened another Spyder friend sent pictures of their wrecked Spyder. They let a friend try it out and they ran into the side of their house. I know of 2 other owners who had a spouse and a friend crash their Spyders last year.The moral of the story is don't let an unlicensed rider ride your Spyder.
2017 F3T-SM6 Squared Away Mirror Wedgies & Alignment
2014 RTS-SM6 123,600 miles Sold 11/2017
2014 RTL-SE6 8,600 miles
2011 RTS-SM5 5,000 miles
2013 RTS-SM5 burned up with 13,200 miles in 13 weeks
2010 RTS-SM5 59,148 miles
2010 RT- 622
Spyders are still motorcycles... all be it not the traditional on two wheels... but bikes all the same If they haven't taken a motorcycle course or some other kind of training class... sorry charlie , you can ride caboose in the passenger seat but leave the driving to someone who knows what the heck they are doing, lol. If anyone had a problem with that when it came to mine I would just simply say to them. "This is a 14k+ bike... you going to pay the repair bill " and watch the obvious "no" form on their lips Sorry to see the photos... hope repairs went ok and am glad nobody got hurt too bad.
Last edited by trobbins27; 04-13-2016 at 11:57 PM.
Words to live by. You are not only protecting your property but their lives as well. May seem mean, stingy, selfish etc but better dealing with an upset friend then paying a visit to the hospital or worse...
Gene and Ilana De Laney Mt. Helix, California
2012 RS sm5
2012 RS sm5 , 998cc V-Twin 106hp DIY brake and park brake Classic Black
Spyders are still motorcycles... all be it not the traditional on two wheels... but bikes all the same If they haven't taken a motorcycle course or some other kind of training class... sorry charlie , you can ride caboose in the passenger seat but leave the driving to someone who knows what the heck they are doing, lol. If anyone had a problem with that when it came to mine I would just simply say to them. "This is a 14k+ bike... you going to pay the repair bill " and watch the obvious "no" form on their lips Sorry to see the photos... hope repairs went ok.
Last May, Nevada changed the law and made a Spyder a "tri-mobile" and they no longer require an M endorsement to ride one. While none of these crashes happened in NV it still makes me crazy that they (NV) think that anyone can simply jump on and know how to ride one.
In the case of the pictured bike the offending party was going to pay out of pocket as they thought the damage was minimal. They wound up buying a new Spyder for my friend. While the Spyder may not have been an insurance total it would have been a major repair.
Moral of the story #2 is don't run over a curb on your Spyder. They can't take it.
2017 F3T-SM6 Squared Away Mirror Wedgies & Alignment
2014 RTS-SM6 123,600 miles Sold 11/2017
2014 RTL-SE6 8,600 miles
2011 RTS-SM5 5,000 miles
2013 RTS-SM5 burned up with 13,200 miles in 13 weeks
2010 RTS-SM5 59,148 miles
2010 RT- 622
Man that frame don't look good..Is the bike trashed now?
Yes, it was trashed
2017 F3T-SM6 Squared Away Mirror Wedgies & Alignment
2014 RTS-SM6 123,600 miles Sold 11/2017
2014 RTL-SE6 8,600 miles
2011 RTS-SM5 5,000 miles
2013 RTS-SM5 burned up with 13,200 miles in 13 weeks
2010 RTS-SM5 59,148 miles
2010 RT- 622
Last May, Nevada changed the law and made a Spyder a "tri-mobile" and they no longer require an M endorsement to ride one. While none of these crashes happened in NV it still makes me crazy that they (NV) think that anyone can simply jump on and know how to ride one.
In the case of the pictured bike the offending party was going to pay out of pocket as they thought the damage was minimal. They wound up buying a new Spyder for my friend. While the Spyder may not have been an insurance total it would have been a major repair.
Moral of the story #2 is don't run over a curb on your Spyder. They can't take it.
Luckily here in Georgia the "M" endorsement is still required But I once again agree with you completely. Clearly the folks making the rules in NV have never gotten on a Spyder as a newbie and experienced what the people you shared stories about have. Hopefully it doesn't take fatalities to get them to wake up and smell the coffee
Two cautionary tales about lending your machines to inexperienced folks.
Requiring a motorcycle (or trike) endorsement to ride a Spyder would at least require a rider to know how to maneuver, which the riders in your examples clearly didn't know. Not to mention the safety tips, too.
.....it's an offence to permit an uninsured person to ride/drive any motor vehicle on a public highway whether they have a relevant license or not.
If caught you can both end up in front of a magistrate and you could both be disqualified from driving for a time and you will be fined!
Then when you want to re-insure after your disqualification you'll find that, as if by magic, that your premium increased by probably double!
I took a 3-wheel MSF class before I bought my Spyder-- was a great investment.
That said, if I had to do it over again, I would have just taken the 2-wheel course. Only a few years ago, Virginia had a single M-license, so if you took either a 2-wheel or a 3-wheel, you got to ride ANY wheel motorcycle. They have since split that apart, so there are separate M2 and M3 licenses, which is I think is kinda dumb (while the 3-wheel class is helpful, 3 wheels aren't unique/challenging enough to warrant a license different from the M2, i.e. there should be a universal M license you can get from a 2-wheel class that allows you to ride 2 or 3 wheels, and an M3 that you earn from a 3-wheel class that lets you ride only 3 wheels).
Silver 2010 RS SE5: Triple Play, Taillight, Brightsides, Fender Tips, Easy Risers; Evo Sway Bar; Airhawk R & Beadrider; latch springs; Grab-On grips; Crampbuster; 24" Madstad smoke windshield & deflectors; N-R round bag & soft saddlebags; BRP handlebar bag; Throttlemeister; Spyderpops Missing Air Dam & Air Mgmt System; Rivco driver & passenger boards & pegs; ISCI parking brake extension; Ultimate Midrider Seat w/both backrests, Fox Racing Shocks, Yoshi R-77 exhaust and a whole lotta love!
When I insured my Spyder, I told the insurance company that I would be the only operator of it - it effected what I pay. Since that day, if someone who has never ridden a Spyder asks to try mine out, I can, honestly, say that my insurance doesn't cover them. If someone wants a test ryde, I refer them to Motosports in Hanover PA. I even offer to drive them there in my car (I also dramatically reduced my insurance rate by lowering the insurance on a passenger - I don't carry passengers!)
"Topper" is my Pearl White 2013 RT-LTD
Professional Retiree - liked it so much when I retired from the USAF, that I started another career so I could do it again!
Happy to be a member of the Maryland Spyder Web - find us at
I took a 3-wheel MSF class before I bought my Spyder-- was a great investment.
That said, if I had to do it over again, I would have just taken the 2-wheel course. Only a few years ago, Virginia had a single M-license, so if you took either a 2-wheel or a 3-wheel, you got to ride ANY wheel motorcycle. They have since split that apart, so there are separate M2 and M3 licenses, which is I think is kinda dumb (while the 3-wheel class is helpful, 3 wheels aren't unique/challenging enough to warrant a license different from the M2, i.e. there should be a universal M license you can get from a 2-wheel class that allows you to ride 2 or 3 wheels, and an M3 that you earn from a 3-wheel class that lets you ride only 3 wheels).
I tend to agree. I got my 'M' in a 2-wheel class, but I they didn't have trike classes at the time. It really helped build my confidence. But I could see where folks with physical issues preventing them from operating on two wheels would want to have a 3-wheel class.
Originally Posted by Bob Denman
If you were a pilot; would it seem smart to let a "Newibe" fly the Learjet for you?
My dad always said the jet airliners and his general aviation planes all "few the same." That came up every time there'd be a scene in a movie where some new pilot had to take over landing the airliner after the crew was incapacitated. (Hollywood . . go figure!)
But after I got my license, he took me out to learn how to fly a "real airplane" - a small tail dragger that was flying at it's purest. But he never let me near the controls of his Bonanza!
Ann,
How old was the Spyder?
When I had the "encounter" with a Subaru; my 2010 ended-up getting a new frame out of the deal...
Bob, it was a 2014 and it would likely have been repaired if they had a dealer with a certified tech. As I said the folks that wrecked it thought it had minimal damage and they did not want to file an insurance claim, after it was found to have a bent frame he agreed to buy a new one. My dealer in Henderson replaced a frame on a 2 or 3 year old RT also so, as you know, it won't "total" a Spyder to bend the frame.
2017 F3T-SM6 Squared Away Mirror Wedgies & Alignment
2014 RTS-SM6 123,600 miles Sold 11/2017
2014 RTL-SE6 8,600 miles
2011 RTS-SM5 5,000 miles
2013 RTS-SM5 burned up with 13,200 miles in 13 weeks
2010 RTS-SM5 59,148 miles
2010 RT- 622
I took a 3-wheel MSF class before I bought my Spyder-- was a great investment.
That said, if I had to do it over again, I would have just taken the 2-wheel course. Only a few years ago, Virginia had a single M-license, so if you took either a 2-wheel or a 3-wheel, you got to ride ANY wheel motorcycle. They have since split that apart, so there are separate M2 and M3 licenses, which is I think is kinda dumb (while the 3-wheel class is helpful, 3 wheels aren't unique/challenging enough to warrant a license different from the M2, i.e. there should be a universal M license you can get from a 2-wheel class that allows you to ride 2 or 3 wheels, and an M3 that you earn from a 3-wheel class that lets you ride only 3 wheels).
in NY if you take the road test on any 2 wheeler (including a scooter) you can ride any type of motorcycle (2 or 3 wheels) when you pass but if you take it on a trike you can only ride a trike.
Last May, Nevada changed the law and made a Spyder a "tri-mobile" and they no longer require an M endorsement to ride one. While none of these crashes happened in NV it still makes me crazy that they (NV) think that anyone can simply jump on and know how to ride one.
In the case of the pictured bike the offending party was going to pay out of pocket as they thought the damage was minimal. They wound up buying a new Spyder for my friend. While the Spyder may not have been an insurance total it would have been a major repair.
Moral of the story #2 is don't run over a curb on your Spyder. They can't take it.
First of all if you let anyone Ryde your Spyder, and there is a problem, you have no one to blame but yourself. I am going to guess that the person or persons in these cases were just plain bad drivers. Folks the Spyder is not that challenging to drive. I had some motorcycle experience 30 years ago and then jumped on the Spyder in a test drive and was able to do just about anything I needed to do, U-turns slalom stop at a stop sign. If it had been that hard, I wouldn't have shelled out $30,000.00 for the darned thing. So again I am guessing that these people that wrecked the spyders have a problem driving anything. As for a motorcycle endorsement, or a safety course, always great to have, but just like my college degree, I haven't used it since I graduated and got my first job! It's common sense and good safe driving that is needed to drive a Spyder around town. If you want to push it to the limit, that's where experience comes in!
White 2013 Spyder RT Limited. BajaRon Swaybar, Custom Dynamic Third Brake Light. Ultimate Custom Black and White seat with driver and passenger back rest. Gloryder Led Wheel lights.Custom Dynamics Led Bright sides, Amber and Red Fender lights, and Saddle Bag Bright sides.
2016 F3 Limited Intense Red Pearl. Lidlox, BRP Driver Back Rest, BRP Passenger Back Rest,Fog Lights, GPS, Signature Light! Custom Dynamics LED Bright Sides, Amber and Red Fender lights, and Saddle Bag Bright Sides.