Long Rides, Shawn Smoak and a "Perfect" Touring Bike

[kentompkins]

A few of you may know that I have ridden long rides in the last four summers with a small group named Country Roads Group Riding. I visited National Parks in the West (2013), Nova Scotia (2014), Canadian Rockies (2015) and, this year, the West Coast. Each of these rides was at least 7000 miles; most were 8000+. To see a couple of thousand pictures of this year’s ride, click here:

https://www.facebook.com/C0UNTRYR0ADS/?fref=ts

I assumed my 2014 RTS would run well though I was concerned about tires, brakes, oil – the expendables that need maintenance throughout the ride. The Spyder ran flawlessly hour after hour, day after day. I couldn’t have asked for a more trouble-free ride. Door to door (the trips start in Knoxville, TN) I rode just under 10K in three long weeks.

I noticed when I started out that my tires made a “wah-wah” sound so I was determined to have the alignment checked in TN. Both local dealers do not offer laser alignment and had no time to align it the old-fashioned way. So knowing that I would be near Pro Caliber in Vancouver, WA in a week, I made an appointment with them assuming no real problems occurred before that date.

The sound increased in volume and the front end was, indeed, out of alignment. I feared I might have to replace all three tires but was advised that I probably could complete the trip and get home on the tread I had.

I chose Pro Caliber because I knew that Shawn Smoak is a Service Dept. Foreman there and that he would go over the Spyder very carefully. Now, if you don’t know about Shawn and his almost daily vlogs, you should. He comes through VERY clearly as a Spyder rider, long time motorcycle rider and leading tech. You get a sense from his videos that there isn’t very much about a Spyder he doesn’t know. I knew my bike was in excellent hands.

The repairs took almost all day: they changed the oil, laser aligned the front, balanced the wheels at a local shop and then reassembled it all.

So, my first point is about my high respect and personal like of Shawn. He is a really caring, sweet guy and, as I said, knows everything about bikes especially Spyders. If you are in the Vancouver area, you should meet him. You’ll come away liking him as I did.

My second is that I can’t think of a better bikes for long rides than the Spyder. It is maturing as bike, there are more and more serious dealers out there (though still not enough), and it is easier to modify to our needs than many other touring bikes.

Finally, I have owned three Spyders since 2008. Each became a better companion on the road. For me, my 2014 is a perfect bike – stable, reliable and fun to ride. Shawn Smoak helped make my ride “perfect”. Search him out.

[JayD]

Though I have not taken the long rides like you (only 1000 to 1200 miles) I am just as thrilled with the performance, reliability and comfort as you are. I will admit I did need to make a few modifications like tri Axis bars, Corbin seat and backrest and highway pegs. I can now ride all day in comfort. That is saying a lot for my old worn-out body.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

[Bob Denman]

Ken,
I miss the "Mustache" Avatar...
How about bringing it back for a little while?
And you're right: Shawn does know his stuff!

[Ron2andia]

Great post and hope to meet Shawn at some point. Ty for sharing the trip also.

[lmadsen]

A few of you may know that I have ridden long rides in the last four summers with a small group named Country Roads Group Riding. I visited National Parks in the West (2013), Nova Scotia (2014), Canadian Rockies (2015) and, this year, the West Coast. Each of these rides was at least 7000 miles; most were 8000+. To see a couple of thousand pictures of this year’s ride, click here:

https://www.facebook.com/C0UNTRYR0ADS/?fref=ts

I assumed my 2014 RTS would run well though I was concerned about tires, brakes, oil – the expendables that need maintenance throughout the ride. The Spyder ran flawlessly hour after hour, day after day. I couldn’t have asked for a more trouble-free ride. Door to door (the trips start in Knoxville, TN) I rode just under 10K in three long weeks.

I noticed when I started out that my tires made a “wah-wah” sound so I was determined to have the alignment checked in TN. Both local dealers do not offer laser alignment and had no time to align it the old-fashioned way. So knowing that I would be near Pro Caliber in Vancouver, WA in a week, I made an appointment with them assuming no real problems occurred before that date.

The sound increased in volume and the front end was, indeed, out of alignment. I feared I might have to replace all three tires but was advised that I probably could complete the trip and get home on the tread I had.

I chose Pro Caliber because I knew that Shawn Smoak is a Service Dept. Foreman there and that he would go over the Spyder very carefully. Now, if you don’t know about Shawn and his almost daily vlogs, you should. He comes through VERY clearly as a Spyder rider, long time motorcycle rider and leading tech. You get a sense from his videos that there isn’t very much about a Spyder he doesn’t know. I knew my bike was in excellent hands.

The repairs took almost all day: they changed the oil, laser aligned the front, balanced the wheels at a local shop and then reassembled it all.

So, my first point is about my high respect and personal like of Shawn. He is a really caring, sweet guy and, as I said, knows everything about bikes especially Spyders. If you are in the Vancouver area, you should meet him. You’ll come away liking him as I did.

My second is that I can’t think of a better bikes for long rides than the Spyder. It is maturing as bike, there are more and more serious dealers out there (though still not enough), and it is easier to modify to our needs than many other touring bikes.

Finally, I have owned three Spyders since 2008. Each became a better companion on the road. For me, my 2014 is a perfect bike – stable, reliable and fun to ride. Shawn Smoak helped make my ride “perfect”. Search him out.

I have had Shawn do tires, services and warranty work on my 2014 RTS and can say that I have never had a technician more capable at what he does than Shawn. He has a wealth of information and likes to share it with you. I have said many times I hope Shawn never retires as long as I own a Spyder. When I leave my Spyder in the hands of Shawn, I know it will be treated as if it was his own. Th service will be done perfectly and the overall care of my machine will be respected. Meet Shawn someday if you can.

[Whitelightning]

I too have had great service from Shawn Smoak. He has been our go-to guy from the first break-in service. We highly recommend him and Pro-Caliber service. We started with him in Longview Washington and followed him the the Vancouver Washington store (very close to Portland Oregon). He's a little far from us now. I'm hoping If needed he will bring his B.U.D.S. system to Oahu if we really need help.