Wavey.

I haven't been around here in a couple of years. After two fabulous years of ryding with the love of my life, he was killed on his (two-wheeled) motorcycle by a drunk driver. Couldn't bear to be around motorcycles of any kind for a long while.

Time passes, the lure of the wind in my face is great, and I've been thinking pretty hard for several months about getting another Spyder. Been haunting the local dealer lately, and was about ready to jump on a leftover '13 ST, when the dealer got on trade a '13 RT-S. 870 miles and with all the goodies I wanted, and a smokin' deal. I got a test ride this past weekend, and put a deposit on it.

So.....some questions/thoughts for all you extremely knowledgeable people.

I will be purchasing the extended warranty (something that was highly recommended when I purchased the RS, and I think it was money well spent).

I have asked the dealer to check on the status of the heat issue recall. This was a unit that they sold new, did all the service on, and was traded back in by the original owner (on an F3). Based on the incredibly low miles, in my mind it's unlikely the original owner brought it in for the recall work. I've told the dealer I won't take delivery of it until that work has been done.

Is there anything else I should be on the alert for? The heat issue recall is the only recall I'm aware of, but I realize it's not out of the realm of possibility that there might have been others. Also, I'm curious about any other common little fixes that others have done, as well as any recommended farkles. Personally, I can't think of any farkles it really needs, since the RT platform fixes all the ergonomic problems I had with my original RS, as well as adding all the extra storage, a powerlet, and heated grips.

I test rode because I was concerned I might miss some of the giddyup that the extra weight might take away from the 998's grunt power (~250 lbs more than the '09 RS). I could tell it wasn't as quick as the RS, but it still had more than enough power to put a big grin on my face.