Back road riding with motorcycles

[lakerider]

I had to give up my Ducati because of hip problems and I bought a new Can Am RS to continue enjoying the open road experience. The group I ride with are all Ducatis and BMWs. We just did an 1000 mile ride through the "Back of the Dragon" in Virginia and then on into West Virginia up Rt 219 to Snowshoe Ski Resort and onto Stauton, Va. and circled back into North Carolina. All of the roads were fantastic. My problem is I cannot keep up. The tighter the curves the more I fall behind. My question is, is that what I should expect or is there a way to ride a Spyder to keep up with sport bikes. :sour:

 

[bmccaffrey]

If you are sitting in the upright position and trying to corner hard will not work. Need to shift weight and butt in direction u are turning. U are not counter steering. It's like 4 wheeler or snowmobile. It will corner very well. It has 3 wheels not 2. Enjoy and ride hard:yes:

 

[Eagle1]

It is a learning process, takes time. You have to Lean I into the corner, use your knees to hug the tank. Cruise into the corner and power out. I ride with hondas, Kawasaki, Harleys and have no problem keeping up with my 2010 rt and riding 2 up. The crotch rockets are a different story.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

WELL.WELL.WELL

:lecturef_smilie:....If you haven't put on a performance " SWAY BAR " like the one BAJARON sells you really don't have much of a chance if any.........That sway bar will VASTLY improve the handling of your RS and do so without compromising the ride quality like stiffer shocks will ........JMHO....Mikeguyver :thumbup:

 

[Illinois Boy]

I had to give up my Ducati because of hip problems and I bought a new Can Am RS to continue enjoying the open road experience. The group I ride with are all Ducatis and BMWs. We just did an 1000 mile ride through the "Back of the Dragon" in Virginia and then on into West Virginia up Rt 219 to Snowshoe Ski Resort and onto Stauton, Va. and circled back into North Carolina. All of the roads were fantastic. My problem is I cannot keep up. The tighter the curves the more I fall behind. My question is, is that what I should expect or is there a way to ride a Spyder to keep up with sport bikes. :sour:

Your hip problem may prevent you from positioning yourself for the tight curves, however, as mentioned, you need to at least try to lean toward the inside of the curve. Right-turn... lean forward and to the right handlebar. Vice-versa on left corners.

However, if you find this difficult to do, then you need to learn to down-shift (if you are not already in the proper gear) and accelerate hard after the curve. You should be able to catch-up and stay with the crowd, if not in the corners, at least after. You also need to be in the rear of the group if you are dragging. If not, your invitation to join them again will be lost in the mail.

I will mention that most riders I go with say I can handle the tighter corners better than they can, because of their concern of sand/gravel and etc on the corner -- whereas the Spyder doesn't have to worry about that. However, on wider corners, or sweepers, the sport bikes you mention are always going to out-do the Spyder in that situation (that is if they are accomplished riders). (Large baggers and cruisers are not so much of a problem to keep up with, or out-do them in most situations.)

Try to become a bit more aggressive with your Spyder and see if you can become more agile with it. It may take some time, but it can be done -- as many of us have.

Best of luck to you.:thumbup:

 

[robmorg]

The advice you have already been given is what you want to do. Here are a couple more pointers along the same line..

1. As you lean into the turn, also lean down a bit. That lowers your center of gravity. Think of it as leaning over the inside handlebar.

2. New riders tend to hold the grips too tightly. Maybe not you as you have bike experience, but see if that's what you are doing.

3. Other than the leaning, the rest of the procedures in a turn are pretty much like a motorcycle.. Break before the turn if necessary, accelerate out of the apex, and keep your eyes where you want to go, etc.

4. Inflate your front tires about 2-4 psi over the amount recommended in the manual. That helps many riders gain a little more stability. Be sure the two front tires are inflated to exactly the same pressure.

5. There are riding suggestions in the owners manual. Check that out. Also check out this thread for new owners. Lots of very good advice there.

6. One of the forum vendors sells a beefed up stabilizer bar that really helps to tame the turns by counteracting the centrifugal force to a greater extent than the OEM bar does. Lots of threads on it here. Check out BajaRon's Sway Bar kit.

 

[Bob Denman]

The "Leaners", may be more maneuverable, but you can worry less about road surface conditions...
Practice will make perfect! :2thumbs:

 

[Rob Rodriguez]

Definitely get yourself a Baja Ron swaybar and either the Fox or Elka Shocks. I put the Ron Bar on my RS along with the Fox Shocks and it makes a HUGE amount of difference for cornering. It all but eliminates the Spyder leaning/pushing in the corners. Its really the way they should come from the factory in my opinion. This will allow you to push the corner harder with more stability and confidence.

Everything else said about leaning, riding it like a snowmobile, etc is true. Guess the only thing to add is push with your foot on the peg inside the corner. You're never going to stay with a sport bike in the really twisty terrain but you should be able to keep up otherwise for the most part.

 

[Chupaca]

Depends..!

practice and sway bar hiem joints and shocks will close that gap. You will not have any problem with the tourers, cruisers but crotch rockets are tough. If they are folks with a reason to live you will be close if they have no fear not so much...:thumbup:

 

[Bob Denman]

:agree: They'll build more speed coming out of a corner... Their power to weight ratios are much better! :gaah:

 

[dndfindley]

I had to give up my Ducati because of hip problems and I bought a new Can Am RS to continue enjoying the open road experience. The group I ride with are all Ducatis and BMWs. We just did an 1000 mile ride through the "Back of the Dragon" in Virginia and then on into West Virginia up Rt 219 to Snowshoe Ski Resort and onto Stauton, Va. and circled back into North Carolina. All of the roads were fantastic. My problem is I cannot keep up. The tighter the curves the more I fall behind. My question is, is that what I should expect or is there a way to ride a Spyder to keep up with sport bikes. :sour:

All of the advice given to you thus far is good and will help you to go faster. However you will never, ever be able to keep up with even an intermediate rider on a 600cc or above sportbike. If the sportbike rider is aggressive he will be able to carry much more speed thru the corner than you and he will be able to begin his acceleration out of the corner before you. You are handicapped by Nanny - he is not. Beyond that the sportbike is way lighter. A Ducati Diavel (not a sportbike but you mention Ducati's) has 162 hp and weighs 512 lbs. The Spyder RS has 106 hp and weights about 700 lbs. You do the math. However with practice you will be fast enough that your riding group will continue to invite you along as they will not have to slow down too much in order for you to catch up. You should take heart in that you will be faster than just about any Harley and other copycat cruisers and even Goldwings as most people who ride those have no interest in speed and twisties. There are of course exceptions but they are rare.

 

[robmorg]

HUH?!

... You should take heart in that you will be faster than just about any Harley and other copycat cruisers and even Goldwings as most people who ride those have no interest in speed and twisties. There are of course exceptions but they are rare.

Hmm... I agreed with everything you just said up until that part. I'm guessing that your background is on sports bikes rather than cruisers. :doorag:

 

[hchays]

I ride an RS and can tell you that tire pressure plays a big factor when riding back/curvy roads. As others have said it is a learning curve to get use to the Spyder, but it can be done. Rule #1 would be loosen up and let the Spyder do it's thing. I think the biggest issue people have is relaxing while riding it. I have ridden sportbikes and I can tell you that I would not hesitate to ride curves with a sportbike now that I have "mastered" my Spyder. It sounds like your riding with mostly sport-touring bikes and you should be able to hang with them now problem. Just loosen your grip on the bars, adjust tire pressure I run about 18# ( I'm 265#) and remember that you need to use your upper body to "throw it" into the corners as opposed to leaning it into corners. Also EASE out of the throttle when rolling into corners and EASE into the throttle when exiting the corner (this seems to make the nanny happier). Have fun and be safe chasing those sportbikes.

 

[robmorg]

... Also EASE out of the throttle when rolling into corners and EASE into the throttle when exiting the corner (this seems to make the nanny happier).

:agree: I think that's very good advice (...as well as the rest of what you just said).

 

[bmwlarry]

I also had a BMW for years and rode with buddies. I bought the spyder, went to a rally and had to drop out of the group rides for the same reason. This is exactly why I now also own a Suzuki V-strom. I am not able to keep up again.

 

[dndfindley]

Hmm... I agreed with everything you just said up until that part. I'm guessing that your background is on sports bikes rather than cruisers. :doorag:

Correct. But I stand by my statement as to cruisers. I particularly mentioned Harley's because there are more of them out there than other brands in the cruiser world. I base my statements on real world experience. I ride the Dragon often and many is the time I come upon HD's and other cruisers as well as Goldwings and they are moving kinda slow. I have done this on a previous RS and on my current RT. Needless to say it also happened when I was on one of my previous Yamaha's. During all my rides up there I can count on one hand the times a Harley or Goldwing caught me. There is one individual who is something of a legend around here who rides a yellow Goldwing who can beat some of the sportbikes and can hang with just about any of them. He is the exception. With a Harley even if the rider is exceptionally skilled he is limited by his machine which tends to drag a lot metal in the twisties.

 

[robmorg]

But you said "Most people who ride those [cruisers and Goldwings] have no interest in speed or twisties."

That's an astonishing statement that just struck me as extremely odd. :sour: I've been riding a few years myself - mostly big cruisers. I've also dragged a few floorboards on the curves. (That's why they mount them on hinges.)

I'm not sayin' cruisers can keep up with sports bikes. But the truth is I've never met ANYBODY on two wheels who didn't like twisties. Well, maybe a few folks on 80cc scooters

, but certainly not most of them. :2thumbs:

But, as you've noticed, there are those times when cruisers ALSO like to go slow, to take in the scenery. That may be especially true in the Smokies.

 

[Bob Denman]

Why is it always about speed? :shocked:
I'd rather look around, and enjoy the scenery. :thumbup:
After all; the quicker I get someplace, the quicker the ride is over! :yikes:

Yup! Call me a rolling roadblock! :roflblack:

 

[vided]

Why is it always about speed? :shocked:
I'd rather look around, and enjoy the scenery. :thumbup:
After all; the quicker I get someplace, the quicker the ride is over! :yikes:

Yup! Call me a rolling roadblock! :roflblack:

Amen on that. I'm always last on 2 or 3 wheels

 

[robmorg]

Bob, How fast did I hear you say that 1330 of yours can do 0-60?

Just kiddin' ya, but I'll bet even though you enjoy the scenery, as I do, you also enjoy a twisty or two as well - even on the Spyder, correct? :thumbup: