little lessons learned along the way...

[Yazz]

I guess I will have to look into a touring windshield. I see so many people riding who don't seem to have any issue with the wind and are flying down the highway. Man I was holding on for dear life! But, it was my first experience. I probably haven't rode enough to know exactly what I need to add but it was a little uncomfortable to say the least.

The more you ride, the more confidence you'll get, the more relaxed you'll be. Take it at your own pace.

Next time you're on the expressway, try leaning a little forward into the wind. It works for me...

 

[Laila's Dad]

expressway take 2

okay for those paying attention to my ups and downs as a new rider you saw that i took my first trip on the freeway this past Sunday. It was not fun at all. The wind had me feeling I would be blown off of the spyder. I just was not prepared for that feeling. Well I was always taught that if something scares you then you better face it again quickly so that you will remember the worse so it won't be as intimidating next time. I took a 30 minute ride tonight and got back on the expressway and it was a totally different vibe(thank God!!!). I only got to about 62mph but it was comfortable. I felt wind but felt in control this time. I am thinking now that maybe Sunday was just an extra windy day. Also I am up to 320 miles, getting closer to that 600 mile check up.
:yes:

 

[ThreeWheels]

I'm another in the "get your M" camp, definitely take the class!
~ ~
And, heated handgrips are great even with gloves!

Also, look into ear plugs, even the disposable foam ones from walmart. They help a lot!

I read you signned up for the BRC. Good Choice.

And, YES, I totally agree. Get yourself some earplugs.

You may not be noticing it much now since you are practicing, but as you ride faster, and as you ride longer, the wind noise from your helmet can become very tiring and will make your ride uncomfortable.

Ear protection is not generally considered important, but trust me, it is...............................

At least you don't have to worry about heated gear......................

 

[Laila's Dad]

I read you signned up for the BRC. Good Choice.

And, YES, I totally agree. Get yourself some earplugs.

You may not be noticing it much now since you are practicing, but as you ride faster, and as you ride longer, the wind noise from your helmet can become very tiring and will make your ride uncomfortable.

Ear protection is not generally considered important, but trust me, it is...............................

At least you don't have to worry about heated gear......................

yes I signed up and have completed the course and have the M endorsement. It has probably been about 2 weeks since I became legal.

 

[Laila's Dad]

I have about 360 miles on the spyder and I keep learning more and more. A special shout out to Phyxius who commented onanother thread about cornering tips for a newbie. The comment was " 2) Use thighs/knees for grip, don't try to hold yourself with your hands, the steering is sensitive and you'll get jerky movement.". That was some great advice. I applied the advice tonight and it really helped. I think I'll try more freeway driving this Saturday. It should be in the 60's in Dallas.

 

[Laila's Dad]

Today was awesome!!!

Today, for the first time, I rode around town and when I got home I didn't want to put the spyder up. I wanted to head out again. It has taken about 400 miles but I am becoming a true spyder rider. To quote Bob Denman "and so it began...".

 

[Jharpo]

We are proud!

Those of us who have been following you on your journey to the true "Spyderland" are very proud that you have come so far. As I wrote on another site, I knew I had "got it" when one morning I was riding to work and I realized that I had been singing to myself. I finally had trusted my skills on the Spyder enough to relax and enjoy the ryde. I have been smiling and singing on my Spyder ever since.

 

[Oldmanzues]

I think, when you learning to do something, a very important thing to think about what you did wrong, but a lot important thing, what you did right. What I have read, you are doing lots of things right.:clap: Ride safe and have fun.
Oldmanzues

 

[Tx web rider]

wind issues

i wish i was closer i have both the touring windshield and the mastad brackets made a world of difference on the highway if i was closer we could put the touring on yours let you try it them both the mastad and the touring combo on yours to see the difference

im sure someone in the Dallas area has a touring you could try like this and see if you want to purchase one

for me the touring only came to my chin so all the wind hit me mid forehead causing loads of helmet noise and neck strain now with the mastad extender all the wind does is ruffle my hair a bit

 

[Laila's Dad]

i wish i was closer i have both the touring windshield and the mastad brackets made a world of difference on the highway if i was closer we could put the touring on yours let you try it them both the mastad and the touring combo on yours to see the difference

im sure someone in the Dallas area has a touring you could try like this and see if you want to purchase one

for me the touring only came to my chin so all the wind hit me mid forehead causing loads of helmet noise and neck strain now with the mastad extender all the wind does is ruffle my hair a bit

Yeah I definitely will have to look into shield options. One of the North Texas spyder riders offered to let me take a spin on his spyder that has a taller shield but I didn't make it to the last event to try it out. You mentioned that the touring shield came to your chin and with the extender it "ruffles your hair a bit". How tall are you? I am 6'4. For a long trip I will definitely need something to help with the wind. I guess a full face helmet will help too.

 

[Laila's Dad]

Got to work on my swerve...

Took a quick ride tonight because it was kind of chilly(I haven't mastered the art of bundling up on cooler days/nights). After about 30 minutes I was headed back home. Close to my house is a one way(two lanes though) street that is kind of a bumpy right before you get to the main highway. That bumpy street is also curvey. Coming around the last curve was a dead animal in my lane. The car in front of me of course straddled the carcass. I had time to swerve but due to a narrow lane and a drop off to my right I did not swerve enough to miss the entire animal. I think I caught the nose/mouth area with my left front tire. I am pretty sure that in the day time I could have made a clear pass. :banghead:

 

[FaranH]

I am pretty sure that in the day time I could have made a clear pass. :banghead:

Depending on the size of the roadkill, you'll also be surprised how good you can get at judging just the right way of having it run between the two front tires and still miss the back tire. That saves you a violent swerve and you'll get pretty good at it, most of the time. Don't recommend with sharp, pointy, or really hard objects though.

 

[NancysToy]

Depending on the size of the roadkill, you'll also be surprised how good you can get at judging just the right way of having it run between the two front tires and still miss the back tire. That saves you a violent swerve and you'll get pretty good at it, most of the time. Don't recommend with sharp, pointy, or really hard objects though.

:agree: Just inside the front tire work best. Cut some tennis balls in half (or use soccer cones), and practice this in an empty parking lot, when you are practicing your other avoidance maneuvers.

 

[Bob Denman]

I would suggest some practice at this maneuver as well...
I ALMOST managed to miss a "Quill-turtle" and the rear tire took about 20 quills to the sidewall... :gaah: pps:
Try to put the carcass JUST to the inside of one of the front tires; that's your best shot at minimizing the outcome...:shocked:

 

[Laila's Dad]

still learning



I have just about 550 miles on the spyder now. I found out today that being warm in cooler temps and cool in warmer temps makes a world of difference. Also, it takes a lot of practice to get used to "twisties". I have been taking roads with more curves to get practice in. I have to keep telling myself to trust the spyder and to hold on with my knees and guide with my hands. Wind has become less of an issue as i get used to riding more. Although riding alone isn't always the most fun I am glad that i have waited to ride in a group because I would hate to ruin someone's fun because I am scared to take a curve fast. NEVER ever do more than you are comfortable with because once fear sets in you are not in control any longer. If I would have enjoyed learning in school like I do learning about the spyder I would have a PHD by now. :joke:

 

[JKMSPYDER]

STILL LEARNING

I've had my ST-S less than a week and am getting more comfortable. Yesterday I took it out on a two lane county road with a lot of twisties. I did better, but still somewhat hesitant on sharp curves. But the confidence will come in time. Have you considered the
texas trike run or Spiderfest in April? I'm still considering Spiderfest.

 

[Laila's Dad]

I've had my ST-S less than a week and am getting more comfortable. Yesterday I took it out on a two lane county road with a lot of twisties. I did better, but still somewhat hesitant on sharp curves. But the confidence will come in time. Have you considered the
texas trike run or Spiderfest in April? I'm still considering Spiderfest.

I haven't considered Spyderfest. Not because I don't want go, because believe me I got all excited reading about the new location and sponsors too. Plus, normally the spyder is the odd man out at any other rally or motorcycle event, but at Spyderfest the Spyder is the main event...the only event. However to be honest, there is no way that I could mentally gear up for a trip that long. I just don't have the necessary spyder skill set yet to be on strange roads at night dodging deer on country roads. I have thought of the Texas trike run. That might be better suited for a first time road event. Plus I have to get floorboards and highway pegs. After about 30 miles my legs start "feeling the burn". Lol

 

[Laila's Dad]

Good ole Spyder...

I hadn't ridden my spyder in about a week. With a newborn in the house, it is hard to get away for more than a few minutes here and there. Well we needed some things for a family outing tomorrow so I figured that would be a good excuse to get the spyder out. Now I must point out that I didn't make this run to the store(Wal-Mart ofcourse) until after 12 am so I was looking for any excuse to ride. It has been in the 30's and 40's in Dallas the past week and a half so I haven't been real motivated to face the wind. Also, my spyder is not in the garage but is under the cover on my patio in my back yard so whenever I ride I have to unlock the gate, drive through the gate entrance(that I had to have widened for the spyder to fit through) and repeat the reverse steps once I get back. And believe me, putting the cover back on after long ride on a cold day is not as fun as you would think. Well I got my balaclava, thicker winter gloves, and thermals to combat the colder temps and it has been working so far which really makes a difference when it comes to being alert. A cold driver is only thinking about how cold it is, but a comfortable driver is checking out the things in front of him/ her and checking the mirrors for other vehicles. Well when I got to Wal-Mart and was getting off of the spyder I noticed a guy walking towards me(Keep in mind it is close to 1 am now) so I am thinking which WWE move will I use to protect myself. Well the guy gets there and says "how much do those cost?". I gave him some general information about new spyders versus used ones and price differences. Then the guy says "you inspire me" and I was like, "huh". He said, "Do you have a family?" andI told him yes. He said "I didn't think you could still have fun like this after you have a family". Initially I was thinking, "this guy must be high or something", but then I thought about how my family views motorcycles and what I thought about them prior to finding about the spyder and realized hewasn't talking crazy but was right where I was only 5 or 6 months back. For those of you that ride 2 wheels and 3 wheels and have for a long time you may forget or not realize that a lot of folks see a motorcycle and think"motorcycle gang" or think of a guy riding a wheelie down the freeway. So when you see someone that you don't see falling in any of those categories and a person who has some of the same fears related to anything that isn't a car/ truck you almost feel enlightened. I know that three wheel vehicles have been out for a long time but let me tell you, the spyder is not a Gold wing and I mean that in a good way. It really opened the door for a whole class of folks like me who couldn't quite get with 2 wheels but still wanted some of the thrills that those 2 wheels bring. The spyder is just a wonderful machine. Viva la Spyder!!!

 

[otter28169]

:congratsn another new addition to your family. Hope all is well. I too bought the spyder when I realized that being a family man I, wisely, knew that a motorcycle was a little too much. I parked my bike after my son was born and bought a spyder 3 years later. It was well worth the wait. Here's to lots of safe myles.
:cheers:
By the way, nice color choice :2thumbs:

 

[Laila's Dad]

:congratsn another new addition to your family. Hope all is well. I too bought the spyder when I realized that being a family man I, wisely, knew that a motorcycle was a little too much. I parked my bike after my son was born and bought a spyder 3 years later. It was well worth the wait. Here's to lots of safe myles.
:cheers:
By the way, nice color choice :2thumbs:

Thank you, yeah it is something about that orange that makes it look red in certain lights...many safe rides to you as we'll. :doorag: