Mike Ard
New member
As a former RS owner of over 5 years and current F3 owner I feel that the "review" of the F3 by the OP was lacking and somewhat misleading. Some of what was said was pretty subjective and I get that, but the assertation of performance issues with the F3 that has only 359 miles when compared to a broken in RS is unfair. If the OP were to ride my F3 that has over 1200 miles on it now, and is still not what I consider broken, would have a far different experience. My RS was a very potent performer but cannot hold a candle to my new F3. I find I can power through corners at speeds I would never dreamed of on the RS and it does it with no effort and it is getting better the more I ride. The torque this motor develops is amazing from a wide RPM range and will push you back in the seat pretty much in any gear.
I spent a whole bunch of money on my RS getting the seating and handle bars comfortable. The F3 is designed to be adjustable to a wide range of riders at minimal expense. Does it fit everyone? No but it does fit a lot wider range of people muc easier than the RS did/does. If you doubt this just look as all the after market handle bar and seating options available. My personal preference is the F3 seating position and can ride all day in comfort. I don't understand how riding crotch rocket style could possibly be comfortable let alone for all day riding but hey if it works for somone then great.
As far as the body work goes again that is pretty subjective and I personally like the F3 style and body work better than the RS. There is also something that was not discussed in the review in that the F3 has less plastic and therefore less to fiddle with when you do anything on the machine. With the RS there was a lot of time removing plastic panels to do anything. Even just checking the oil was a fiddely process with that cover and goffey attachment screws to mess with. With the F3 there is just a small panel that pops off and thats it.
Another issue that was completely overlooked was the extras. To put a passenger back rest on the RS was a major pain in the back side that involved stripping all the plastic from the handle bars back, the rear fender liner, seat and battery. Took me hours and hours to do this. The F3 took about 15 seconds to put the back rest on the first time. Same thing if you try and change the handle bars. Plan on spending a lot of time and a good deal of frustration just getting that silly handle bar cover off.
Something else that was not discussed is fuel mileage. The 1330 blows any of the 998's out of the water in this catagory. I ride with some RS and RT folks with the 998 motor and they fill up twice as often. I understand that a 25 mile test ride wouldn't show this so thought in fairness to the F3 I would point it out. Maintenence in general is another area that is a vast imporvement over the RS. Much longer interval's between oil changes and no valve adjustment ever.
My intent is not to run down the RS/RS-S as I owned and enjoyed mine for over 5 years. I did not feel that this was a fair and objective review and lacked some important information. I would encourage anyone in the market for a Spyder to look at all of the models. Determine your needs/wants and see which model fits you best.
I spent a whole bunch of money on my RS getting the seating and handle bars comfortable. The F3 is designed to be adjustable to a wide range of riders at minimal expense. Does it fit everyone? No but it does fit a lot wider range of people muc easier than the RS did/does. If you doubt this just look as all the after market handle bar and seating options available. My personal preference is the F3 seating position and can ride all day in comfort. I don't understand how riding crotch rocket style could possibly be comfortable let alone for all day riding but hey if it works for somone then great.
As far as the body work goes again that is pretty subjective and I personally like the F3 style and body work better than the RS. There is also something that was not discussed in the review in that the F3 has less plastic and therefore less to fiddle with when you do anything on the machine. With the RS there was a lot of time removing plastic panels to do anything. Even just checking the oil was a fiddely process with that cover and goffey attachment screws to mess with. With the F3 there is just a small panel that pops off and thats it.
Another issue that was completely overlooked was the extras. To put a passenger back rest on the RS was a major pain in the back side that involved stripping all the plastic from the handle bars back, the rear fender liner, seat and battery. Took me hours and hours to do this. The F3 took about 15 seconds to put the back rest on the first time. Same thing if you try and change the handle bars. Plan on spending a lot of time and a good deal of frustration just getting that silly handle bar cover off.
Something else that was not discussed is fuel mileage. The 1330 blows any of the 998's out of the water in this catagory. I ride with some RS and RT folks with the 998 motor and they fill up twice as often. I understand that a 25 mile test ride wouldn't show this so thought in fairness to the F3 I would point it out. Maintenence in general is another area that is a vast imporvement over the RS. Much longer interval's between oil changes and no valve adjustment ever.
My intent is not to run down the RS/RS-S as I owned and enjoyed mine for over 5 years. I did not feel that this was a fair and objective review and lacked some important information. I would encourage anyone in the market for a Spyder to look at all of the models. Determine your needs/wants and see which model fits you best.
