Spyder RT verses Goldwing.. We're confused

[irvin48]

we have close to 13000 miles on our 15 rts. our 2 up weight is close to
380 #. we have federals on the front at 20# and an altimax rear at 22#.
i usually have the rear shock set at the softest setting. have only bottomed
out once. remember, your wife is sitting almost over the rear wheel. she is
not going to get the same ride benefits you do. you are in the middle and are
at the center fulcrum of the vehicle.

a laser alignment will help the tracking, but if you run a lot of county and
township roads like we do, the tracking is not going to be the greatest.
they arent the flattest or smoothest.

 

[Pirate looks at --]

Could it just be, that you have gone from a 6 cylinder motor to a twin? Also might I suggest that the ryde will be smoother if you take the Spyder off the trailer!:roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:

 

[Wrongway]

Could it just be, that you have gone from a 6 cylinder motor to a twin? Also might I suggest that the ryde will be smoother if you take the Spyder off the trailer!:roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:

:hun:pps: No darn wonder it's so good on gas. Next week it's comin off that trailer and we'll see what happens:banghead::banghead:

 

[RinconRyder]

I will add that the time I felt the most vulnerable on a ride was on I-15 in Utah going around a long sweeping curve at 80 mph, the speed limit, on my 2005 Goldwing. I realized that if ANYTHING happened, like a rock on the road, or a rabbit running across, or whatever, and if I were to hit it I would be a goner.

And I feel just the reverse. Tight, high speed turns are a breeze on the Wing and definitely more exciting on the Spyder. I have even hit a mattress during a 65 MPH turn on the freeway curve on my Wing. It left the ground, briefly, but remained stable as a rock. Not sure what that would have been like on a Spyder. Rocks and rabbits can usually be avoided on a two wheeler. Not so much on a three.

I don't feel near as comfortable at high speed on the Spyder as I did on my Wing (or sport bike or sport tourer) so I usually don't ride near as fast as I would on two wheels. That's OK though 'cause it's the wifey's ride and she doesn't have near the experience I do. I am content to putt along at whatever she is comfortable with.

 

[Ben Burped]

Keep on keeping on !

The one thing to remember about this board, it is used mainly with topic issues with the Spyders and do not represent the whole owner co-olition. I have a 2014 RT added lights, got ride of the tires that BRP but on with auto grade and found a better and smoother ride.
I have never has the dreaded DSS alarms and have 22k on the bike and only 28K on the 2013 car.
For reference I am 4'10" have had both hips replaced over 9 times, right shoulder 4 and left 1. Now recovering from back surgery. But still rode to the Red Rocks Spyder event.
Don'r let the negatives get ya down. In all respect my DR's say I should be in a wheelchair now and show them up when I ride to the appointments.
I rode 2 wheels for 25 years, when to a trike and now to the Spyder and have never looked back. I never felt comfortable on the trike. Hard to steer and almost flip it around corners many times.
Big question you really need to ask is what type of riding will I be doing. Local store or touring around the country. What style can I sit on for 200+ miles a tank of gas.
Thats the big question. The one I had to ponder over myself being in the condition I am in.

I am so proud of you that you have been through all that you have and didn't let it keep you down! :2thumbs::2thumbs:

 

[Peteoz]

Yeah, I have noticed the same, Wrongway. The Spyder is definitely a harsher ride than the Victory Vision I had, due to the reasons expressed by others, but mainly the three wheels instead of two issue. I have replaced the tyres and shocks, have installed the Bajaron stabiliser bar, and have fiddled the shock, airbag and tyre settings extensively, and the ride has improved quite a bit.:thumbup:

It is still not as smooth as the Vision was, but you can get it mighty close (for a price).

Pete

 

[Mr. White]

As you see below, I have a '02 Wing, triked with a Motor Trike kit in '05. Mr. Cognac is a '14 Ltd with a comfort seat and trunk brake light. I had a sway bar on my '11 and could not tell much difference. I ride my Wing often and love it. It is a brute compared to Mr. C, and Mr. C is smoother and easier to ride....shifting, etc. My Wing is stronger in acceleration and very smooth on the Interstate at speed. The Wing does pretty well in the west Texas hills too. We have some Interstates posted at 80 MPH (Rednecks run 90+) and I can set the cruise on the Wing at 80 and go go go. Mr. Cognac is a little less stable at this speed and I normally cruse at the 75 MPH limit when not out in west Texas. The Wing CB is 3X my Spyder's.

If I could only have one, I would choose Mr. Cognac. I run 20 in front, 30 in the rear....OEM tires which I will change when the OEM wear out. The rear is my second Kinda.... (okay, no good). Mileage, 32 on the Wing and 36-38 on Mr. C. Tire wear....Wing....front 25-28K, rear are auto tires and I get 45-50K on them. FYI My Wing's differential and rear brakes are from a V6 Mustang.

Hint on tire pressure. As you know, it is different for different folks, single and two up, weight, etc. Put 24 or so in front and 34 in the rear.....take a ride, let out two pounds, take a ride, let out two pounds, etc. Find your personal pressure sweet spot. Enjoy.

Update. I wrecked Mr. Cognac in 2017 and bought a 2017 RS (Mr. White) when the 2018's came out....saved $$.

:spyder2:

 

[Wrongway]

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to respond here. It's good to hear that it's not just us or our imagination.
Like I've said, we love our Spyder and will continue to enjoy it together.
In the future I'll look at replacing the tires with real tires.
Other than that, play with air pressures and enjoy the safety.

thanks again

 

[Easy Rider]

Could it just be, that you have gone from a 6 cylinder motor to a twin?

Why would that have a noticeable impact on the ride quality ??

 

[ARtraveler]

To me and IMO, there can be a noticeable difference when going from one engine type--or--from one vehicle to another. I have three bikes and they are all different.

I have always felt the two cylinder was more crotch rocket and snappy feeling, and the three cylinder was more smooth. Bring in that six cylinder, GW and there is--to me--a noticeable difference in overall ride--not just engine sounds and feel.

I think the OP has a valid point. :thumbup:

 

[trucker1]

Like others have said I run around 50 to 55 lbs of air in the rear shock. And the oem tires are not the best. Got rid of them at 12000 miles. I usually run 17 in the front and 26 in the rear. Make our 2011 RT ride really nice. We had a 2003 wing but the wife got tired of getting dumped over in parking lot at times. Just don't like the trikes out wings. But everyone has their own taste in their rides. Now we wouldn't take anything for the spyder we have at this point.

 

[UtahPete]

No matter what you do to the Spyder, it's still a 3-wheel machine that is going to have more side-to-side motion than a 2-wheeler on any given road.

 

[WA5VHU]

Having gone from a 2010 Spyder RT and then to 2-wheels on a Honda NC700 (the wife took over the Spyder), I didn't really notice anything unexpected.

I then started having arthritis issues with both my knees so I sold the 2-wheeler and went to a Spyder RS and didn't notice anything unexpected at that time either.

Then I got knee replacement in both knees and sold the Spyder RS and bought a Honda CTX700 2-wheeler.

I didn't notice anything unexpected at that time however when the wife and I went on a motorcycle twisty vacation this summer she rode on the back of my 2-wheeler for a bit in the curves and said she really enjoyed the fun smooth ride.

I then went for a ride on her 2014 Spyder 2014 RTL, with and without her on the back and it scared the crap out of me! Ignoring the tremendous increase in power and speed compared to my little CTX (WOW!), the Spyder, with it's 3 wheels dipped left to right with every little ripple in the wonderful Virginia asphalt coverings they call roads. With a 2-wheeler you are on only one track so there is no left-to-right dipping in the road like there is on a 3-wheeler, particularly with the wide wheelbase of a Spyder.

Could this difference be some of what you are feeling?

How is it out on the Interstate? If you think the ride isn't right try setting the cruise control and letting go of the handlebars for a bit or at least steer with one finger and your thumb relaxed to see if you are the cause. There is also the wind buffeting issues...

 

[ibuycars]

spyder rt verses goldwing

this is my 5th spyder 2016 rt I have 2008 gw witch I triked after one ride the gw has independent suspension I keep the rt upstate ny gw long island rt handles better rides better had both on tail on the dragon this fall rt handled the best . the reason I am keeping the gw on long island I can do maintenance my self. first thing I would do to your rt is get rid of the factory tires put federals on front . I did my 16 rt at 3000 miles rear tire at 4000 mile tires still had plenty of tread on them the difference was nite and day. my dealer mechanic said it was the best spyder he ever rode. when I buy my next spyder before it leaves dealership all 3 tires getting changed . CHANGE THE TIRES WILL MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENTS

 

[rudym]

tire pressures and air bag

That's interesting and I'll try dropping the psi to see what happens.

I know when I bought the Spyder I had a 5 hour ride to bring it home and it felt horrible on the highway (it also had the stock swaybar then).
After checking here, I checked tire pressures and fronts were at 14 and rear was at 22. Based on what I read here I set the fronts to 21 psi and rear at 26 psi.
Took it for a ride and wow, big difference. Less twitchy and cornered better.

I didn't realize that adding the bajaron sway bar would require lowering the front psi.

I'll give it a try and see how it is.

I weigh 190 and my wife 150 - we set our F3T airbag on 55 psi
we run 18psi in the front tires
we run 26 psi in the rear tire
Plush plush plush
It has the sway bar and lazer alignment but that's more of a steering and handling benefit.

 

[bluep]

Ride

You need to get air right! 24. 25 in rear. 18 20 front! The more air you put in rear suspension the higher you lift rear! The higher the rear the more negative the caster in the front wheel setting! More negative causes more ducking and diving!! Run the rear as low as you can without bottoming! The lower you can run the rear the more positive caster you get on front! More positive more straight tracking,less ducking and diving! I weigh 255, wife 150, I run the lowest setting on my 2014 RTS if road is smooth no bottoming. If road gets bumpier add air as necessary. Get rid of the junk stock tires as soon as you can. Buy good car tires. This unit reacts like a car it don't lean like 2 wheeler. You need car tires!! I got 215/60/15 on rear, 155/60/15 on front. It took me 20000 mi to get it to handle right. I now have 87,000 on the spyder, love it!!

 

[spacetiger]

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to respond here. It's good to hear that it's not just us or our imagination.
Like I've said, we love our Spyder and will continue to enjoy it together.
In the future I'll look at replacing the tires with real tires.
Other than that, play with air pressures and enjoy the safety.

thanks again

I see you are getting a few comments, I'll add a few new ones. My first thought since you are riding 2 up is that your suspension springs are not up to the task. I have owned a 12 RTS and a 13 STL and have to add stiffer springs front and rear for both bikes. When the suspension springs are not up to the task, you easily bottom out - the impact of the shock bottoming out is the harshness you feel. Air pressure in the tires or setting the air pressure to set ride height doesn't help the weaker springs keep you from bottoming out the suspension.

An easy thing to check is the bottom of your skid plate. Based on my testing on the STL, I found the bike lowers 1.4" for every 1" compression of the front shocks. If you are bottoming out [alot], you will likely see damage (scrapes) to the bottom of your front end. Post back what you see after looking at the bottom front of the Spyder.

The stock STL front springs are 169 lbs/in straight rate springs (too weak IMHO), the fox shocks are 181 lbs/in and the ones I went with are 225 lbs/in.







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Jerry

 

[Neil Rupp]

Wing Vs Spyder

Prior to buying our Spyder in August I read as much as possible on this site to make sure we would be happy with the Spyder.
I read a lot of posts by former Goldwing riders who said that they loved the Spyder and the smooth ride.
After putting over 5,000 miles on our Spyder in 2 months, my wife and I think that the Spyder rides very rough.
Don't get me wrong, the pro's far outweigh the cons.
I've had the dealer (a reputable dealer) check out the rear suspension and everything checked out.
I had them install the bajaron sway bar which made a vast difference in cornering.
I have 74 psi in the rear air and the dash setting in the middle. The compressor is working and we hear the pst pst pst of the Spyder at appropriate times.
We're not sure if what we're considering a rough ride is due to 3 wheels tracking and the resulting twitchy feeling caused by this.
I don't hold onto the bars tightly and try to let the Spyder do it's thing without over-correcting the twitches.
Any input is appreciated because we really do love our Spyder and will never go back to 2 wheels despite the fact that we both feel 2 wheels is much smoother.

thanks
Greg

I had a Gold wing trike with a Roadsmith kit and put 15 K miles on it. I now have a 2014 RTS with 15 K miles and the Spyder wins hands down in all areas. As far as the ride comfort a two wheel heavy bike will ride better. I'm unable to hold up a big bike with a passenger so that's the reason for 3 wheels. My two cents, Neil

 

[den1953]

I have demo ridden 3 different Goldwing trikes. First was a 1500 with a solid rear axle and it rode and handled like a lumber wagon. The next two were GL1800 with independent rear suspension and the ride and hadling was much improved. The steering in town on all three required pretty good upper body strength for sharp 90 degree turns but not too bad out on the highway. ON the other hand I have demoed four different Spyders the first being a 2008 GS which was a little too much like a crotch rocket ergonomically and I remember the feeling of almost being thrown off by centrufugal force in curve & turns. The next two were RT Spyders the fist being a 998 V-twin. The ergonomics are pretty near the same as a Goldwing with knees bent 90 degrees and sitting upright. Handling was similar to a small car but nothing bad. Next was a 1330 powered RT and the motor was smoother and more refined but the trike was very nearly the same as the first RT. Last was a 2015 F3-S and that one fit me the best ergonomics wise. The lower stance and forward controls made the centifugal forces seem less. The handling was a bit more like a sports car but the ride was very smooth and the seat was absolutely plush. I am getting to where three wheels is going to be a necessity and I'm considering either the F3T or the F3 Limited based upon my demo experiences. The ergos and the higher center of gravity of the RT didn't quite agree with me but the F3 models seemed to have it in spades. If you like your ride loaded up the F3 Limited might be worth taking a test ride on before you go back top two wheels. Just my long winded 2 cents worth.

 

[halbar]

excellent post,

I will add that the time I felt the most vulnerable on a ride was on I-15 in Utah going around a long sweeping curve at 80 mph, the speed limit, on my 2005 Goldwing. I realized that if ANYTHING happened, like a rock on the road, or a rabbit running across, or whatever, and if I were to hit it I would be a goner. One day when I stopped at a truck stop in Mtn Home, ID with my 2013 RT I got to thinking I was feeling a whole lot safer on the Spyder at 80 mph than I ever did on the Goldwing at 70 mph. For me, the feeling of safety I have riding the Spyder has reinstilled the joy of riding. In my book safety is paramount. Comfort is just a close second.