A wild ride!

[Shifter]

Currently riding a 5/2010 Spyder,... Different..and fun, exhausting fun keeping the v-twin Rotax above 5000 and keeping it on the road...I'm managing but.
Not so my mate that bought it, I'm an experienced motorcyclist of over 40 years experience, I've read up on SpyderRyding and in particular cornering, weight shift, braking, and since coming here the need to keep the revs up.
Ok. Back to last week, i took the newly purchased Spyder for a run over my favourite mountain with my mate on the back, I've adapted quite well and was enjoying the ride.
Came back to civilisation, found a fairly low traffic dead end Street area with a long straight and a 90 deg bend and got my mate to ride through the bend up the hill, do a 3 point turn then back thru the bend the other way and down the straight to do a uturn and repeat.
After 20 mins of this I decided to get on the back with him and coach him from the passenger seat...
A very bad move!!!!
He sets off. First gear second gear third gear and on a dead straight road suddenly we turn violently left and smash through 2 guide posts and headed for a tree!
I jump... Launching myself backwards and to the right, hitting the concrete path hard enough for my studded belt to rip a gouge in the concrete. I may have rolled don't know but I ended up laying on my back with all the wind knocked out of me!
Thought my back may be broken:-(
My mate yelled out was I ok? I told him to turn the engine off as I could hear it still running.
I got my mobile and rang my GF to drive out to where we were then got to my feet.
The Spyder had continued down a hill across a flat and ended up in the swamp at the edge of a duck pond!
He don't remember what happened but my guess is holding bars to tight and countersteered shot us hard left.
Inexperience meant throttle still on and panic resulted in no brake application
Lucky we both still alive! I'm battered and bruised and he's got a broken wrist he finds out today...a week later.
I'm heavily bruised where I landed and must've put my left hand down too cos my left wrists sore.
The Spyder came out relatively unscathed after I got a 4wd passer-by to tow us out and rang a tilt tray to get it back home where u washed the mud and grass from it, and it started up again after sitting for an hour.
I'm out riding it today but don't really fancy my mates chances of learning to ride this thing successfully.
Time will tell once his wrists ok
I definitely won't be getting on the back.
Need my head examined taking such a risk!mms_20160829_123941.jpgDSC_0378.jpgDSC_0399.jpg

[Pirate looks at --]

Glad you are both safe!

[Bfromla]

Glad you are both safe!

WOW indeed. Hard lesson to learn but at least your alive to learn
As with any bike you should know let the rider learn solo first, you can coach walking beside helping keep the rider at slower speeds & is easier to correct mistakes till comfortable. The bike survived too is great, I would still guilt trip your mate to help finance a Farkle least what I would do for my buds. Guessing this experience has not scared them away from trying again? I would suggest doing a dealers test ride however as they may be better suited for complications.

[wyliec]

Wow. It's like I was there tumbling off the spyder. Glad you and your mate are okay, along with the spyder.

[vided]

glad your ok

no good deed goes unpunished

[Bob Denman]

At least you both have "lived to fight another day..."
Heal quickly!

[al0vely]

Glad you are OK ... too bad there is no video.

Have you asked your mate ... why and how ?

[Chupaca]

Am glad you both came away in fairly good condition. I gave up teaching friends to handle vehicles seldom ended well just tell them take a class....Be safe and heal well....

[ARtraveler]

Glad it turned out all right. Pushing the limits can sometimes turn out bad.

[Ron2andia]

Glad you good!

[Shifter]

WOW indeed. Hard lesson to learn but at least your alive to learn
As with any bike you should know let the rider learn solo first, you can coach walking beside helping keep the rider at slower speeds & is easier to correct mistakes till comfortable. The bike survived too is great, I would still guilt trip your mate to help finance a Farkle least what I would do for my buds. Guessing this experience has not scared them away from trying again? I would suggest doing a dealers test ride however as they may be better suited for complications.

whats a farkle?

[Shifter]

Glad you are OK ... too bad there is no video.

Have you asked your mate ... why and how ?

yeah wouldve mate a good youtube vid!...he doesnt know what happened.
my guess is he had hold of bars too tight and it dont take much to initiate a sudden change of direction..an accidental countersteer maybe...dunno
he got x-rayed yesterday , a week after and hes got a broken wrist in a cast now.
my bruisings getting better , I can laugh without pain and cough with mild pain but a sneeze tonight was like a stab in the back.
Drag racing my 4 speed stickshift car tomoz its got the old Ford toploader Hurst shifted and I was concerned I wouldnt be able to shift but after a few runs through the gears tonight Im confident tomorrow may see a 13 out of the old dinosaur.
wonder what the Spyder would run over the 1/4 ???

[billybovine]

whats a farkle?

Definition in the urban dictionary. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=farkle

[Shifter]

Another thing the urban speed limits here are 60 kph and 50 kph, to run at 60kph I'm in second gear at 5000rpm...sounds way too busy at those revs!...but according to the dos and donts thats the right gear for the speed.
open road limits 100kph and 110 kph, now running in 4th is cool at those speeds, but second around town sound like its thrashing it!


Ridden two wheels for 40 years, current 2 wheeler Kawasaki GPZ900R and Victory Vegas, world's apart but the Spyder is a whole new Universe!
After reading the above on revving I've marked the tach at 5000 and trying to stay above that.
It feels manic and like an old RD350 2-stroke riding like that, just rode up twisty Springbrook mountain and then Beechmont mountain and stopped at the general store and I'm exhausted!.... Gotta be 100% on the ball, I've got the handlebar action and weight shift happening. Picking lines into corners that keep me in my lane....and it's hard work!

ps thanks for all your replys

[Shifter]

Over a month now and still got a sore left wrist from where I landed on it.
Tommos arms still in a cast.
I really got the hang of riding this thing now.
Dunno if Tommo will get the hang of riding it though.
General consensus from his friends is he be safer selling it on and driving his car.
Once his wrists our of a cast we will see if some carpark work can get his riding skills to come automatically and then turn him loose on the road.
It's a shame there's no tuition available for riding Spyders and having to hold an open bike license to ride one is just plain crazy as you then need to forget all you know about two wheel bikes to ride the thing.
It's mad.

[Aracknoid]

Another thing the urban speed limits here are 60 kph and 50 kph, to run at 60kph I'm in second gear at 5000rpm...sounds way too busy at those revs!...but according to the dos and donts thats the right gear for the speed.
open road limits 100kph and 110 kph, now running in 4th is cool at those speeds, but second around town sound like its thrashing it!


Ridden two wheels for 40 years, current 2 wheeler Kawasaki GPZ900R and Victory Vegas, world's apart but the Spyder is a whole new Universe!
After reading the above on revving I've marked the tach at 5000 and trying to stay above that.
It feels manic and like an old RD350 2-stroke riding like that, just rode up twisty Springbrook mountain and then Beechmont mountain and stopped at the general store and I'm exhausted!.... Gotta be 100% on the ball, I've got the handlebar action and weight shift happening. Picking lines into corners that keep me in my lane....and it's hard work!

ps thanks for all your replys

Wht are you concerned about keeping the engine reved up? Do you have a manual transmission? If you have the SE version. full clutch engagement happens around 3200-3400 RPM.If you are keeping the revs up for power 7500 rpm Horsepower, 5000 rpm for maximum torque, do you ride your other bike in this manner?

Good Luck

[missouriboy]

My 998 engine was plenty happy with 3500+ RPM for just cruising along. 5000 is only needed if you are expecting snappy throttle response.

If you feel that you're beating it to death by holding 5000 plus, I would agree that you are right!
(Disclaimer: I don't know what the conversion rate is these days for USA:Australian RPM. Could that be the problem? )

Seriously, I can see that you have enough vehicle experience to be able to feel what's "right" with nearly any engine. Just be aware to keep the clutch locked up if you have the Semi-Automatic transmission (SE5), for which 3500 suffices nicely.

[Tango]

Damn are you lucky! Glad your ok. Tom

[missouriboy]

I just remembered one more reason to watch that tach: your magneto doesn't juice the battery until you exceed 4000 RPM, so unless you use a battery tender often, you need to be above 4k to keep it charged.

I never had a battery tender, used 3500 as my MINIMUM RPM, and never had a battery problem... you'll still be above 4k a LOT.

[Shifter]

Ok well that explains Tommo's flat battery!
Got it jump started and going again but.....

Now he's back riding his Spyder I'm trying to get him out of suburbia to he can really get the hang of it and the buzz of riding it.
We go for a run on a very hot day out to Nimbin, he turns up at my place wearing shorts and casual shoes.
We set off over the mountain, he's riding well, we stop for fuel top up at the first town and he's complaining of sunburn on his unprotected legs, next town he buys zinc cream and slaps it on his legs, drinks a can of coke and off we go.
We get there unscathed.
On the way back it's still real hot we stop at uki pub and down some water , he has a smoke and then off we go on the last leg back over the mountain.
Getting off at my place he stumbles catching a foot on the peg, then notices the blisters on his inner calf!
Almost an inch tall bad blisters, I get him an ice pack.
Seems the heat from the exhaust combined with the heat of the day and the sunburn has done number on his leg!
He calls into the hospital on his way home. They bandage it and getting back next day to burst it and lean it up.
4th degree burns!
Has to go to Brisbane fora skin graft!
Well two weeks later now and he had the skin graft on Wednesday. Should be out Monday....
These Spyders can bite and burn too!

[Bob Denman]

By any chance, was he born under a bad sign?

[BUZZARD II]

Ah, this reads like a troll.

[Shifter]

Whys that Buzzard?
I did a search after posting, a search on heat problems and there seems to be some concern on the earlier models and talk of fans and heat deflectors.
Tommo's Spyder had heat wrap already on the exhaust and while I was riding it, some 8000kms in 3 months I found my leg got warm but then I wear jeans and motorcycle boots.
Shorts and casual shoes are not riding gear in my opinion.

[kep-up]

Another thing the urban speed limits here are 60 kph and 50 kph, to run at 60kph I'm in second gear at 5000rpm...sounds way too busy at those revs!...but according to the dos and donts thats the right gear for the speed.
open road limits 100kph and 110 kph, now running in 4th is cool at those speeds, but second around town sound like its thrashing it!


Ridden two wheels for 40 years, current 2 wheeler Kawasaki GPZ900R and Victory Vegas, world's apart but the Spyder is a whole new Universe!
After reading the above on revving I've marked the tach at 5000 and trying to stay above that.
It feels manic and like an old RD350 2-stroke riding like that, just rode up twisty Springbrook mountain and then Beechmont mountain and stopped at the general store and I'm exhausted!.... Gotta be 100% on the ball, I've got the handlebar action and weight shift happening. Picking lines into corners that keep me in my lane....and it's hard work!

ps thanks for all your replys

Please stop worrying about the 5000rpm stuff. Unless you are looking for quick acceleration. Just ride it. Your experience will tell you where the tach needle should be.

[Shifter]

Please stop worrying about the 5000rpm stuff. Unless you are looking for quick acceleration. Just ride it. Your experience will tell you where the tach needle should be.

Yeah thanks mate, that's waaaayyyy back, thanks to advice from here I just started riding it like any other bike .
I had to give it back to the owner anyway (it's his bike, he paid for it after all) much as I've grown to love riding it.
With Tommo's latest burn injury and resultant skin graft I just may be riding it again for a while.