So, how fast can a spyder go and safely make a sharp right turn at an intersection?

I am by no means an expert. We have only had the Spyder (2013 STS) for a couple of months. My GF rides it mostly. She has put close to 5000km on it in about 2 months. I still ride my Goldwing. Whenever I take the Spyder for a run I immediately go in Snowmobile Mode. I've been riding sleds my entire life. I call the Spyder a Road Sled. I love taking it and running through the corners. It's nothing like 2 wheels. It won't corner as fast as some bikes for sure, but it comes close in some cases. Enjoy it for what it is. I sure do when she lets me ride it.

Thanks for the advice on this thread and others. I have been riding about a month with 1K miles.

To me the muscles pulling seem to have more fine tuning ability than pushing. I feel much more confident pulling now, no over steer back again. Seems much more control pulling.

Just did a google search and saw studies showing pulling strength is higher than pushing strength, so that could have something to do with it as well in maintaining a smooth turn.

It will go faster than most will dare.

If the "nanny" kicks in, you are trying to over ride the machine. It does not like that.

Allen42 said:

YES! Especially if you are heavily loaded, two-up, etc. BajaRon's helped mine very very much.


It's also very much technique. You definitely can lean into the turn and it will help. Also, I have found putting my weight on my legs, especially the outside leg, rather than trying to hug the bike with my knees, and then putting most force into *pushing* the correct side of the handlebar increases my "safe feeling" turning speed significantly.

But, unless you are looking for the adrenaline rush, you bought a touring bike, so take it easy and tour. (This is a case of the pot (me) calling the kettle black .... I like adrenaline!)

Regardless, ride more, then ride even more and get some practice in. I think you'll find you can keep up with any bicycle, and most cruiser sized bikes. I can keep up with my HD rider friends.

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I can easily out corner all the Harleys, Indians and Gold Wings I ride with on my base F-3. Stand on the outside peg, lean in and push the handlebar, don’t roll the throttle.

Locate the gravity increase button underneath the left hand grip. Hold that and slowly tap the defy centrifugal force button on the right hand grip. If all else fails go for the magic increase dial just to the left of the key.

Be sure you understand before doing this, you are breaking laws which are not normally enforced by the police, but you may be able to get some assistance from the EMS personnel.

The computer controlled nanny must have a full charge of magic powder in the holding tank or none of the safety measures will work. When this happens you are totally dependent on minimum airlift, or stall speed. Once you are committed, it becomes increasingly difficult to stop any part of the process.




Adding one last final thought here... the computers and the nanny built into the new Spyders do try to keep you from making really bad decisions while riding. There is no magic formula and nothing in the Spyder can cancel or allow you to break the natural laws of gravity, centrifugal force, or any other law of physics. It can do nothing more that attempt to stop you from going beyond the capabilities of machine and rider. In motion, the forces affecting the rider and machine change from second to second, and no matter how good the computer or how fast it reacts, it cannot anticipate what the conditions will be even 3 seconds into the future. It can only read the conditions and forces at the exact moment in the present and try to react accordingly. The engineers have attempted to set the danger zone well below what would result in a crash, but the computer cannot anticipate what is coming next. As with any vehicle, if you break the laws of physics and friction, you will lose the game.

An accurate take on the question and the overall area of discussion, Gwolf. The one critical thing that the VSS (Nanny) cannot control is the steering angle or the speed at which that angle is achieved. Some riders seem not to realize that jerking the handlebars is not a good idea. Or that the quickest cure for a lifted wheel is to steer, even slightly, away from it.

While it is possible to manage physics, and even use it to your advantage, you can never beat it. Trying to do so can be expensive and may also leave marks that will never go away.

VryGryFox said:

Or a left hand turn...

I am a new 2023 RTL rider, have about 300 miles in two weeks.

I have had two take a deep breath moments:

• A 270 degree turn off an overpass
  I did not think that I was going very fast but as the turn deepened, I was really hanging off the side of the spyder.
• A sharp left-hand turn
  Again, I was not especially aware of my speed (but it was a bit faster than needed, evidently) I was coming off of US90 onto a country road. I was hanging off the side and the right front tire actually got into the grass momentarily...

It appears that the Spyder really rolls quite deeply in not terribly fast corners. Would a better 'sway bar' make my life a bit easier?

I am starting to think that I can corner faster on my bicycle than my Spyder...

I guess I could find an isolated corner and keep doing the turn with a 5 mph boost every iteration until the Spyder does a rollover but that does not seem very productive.

Hopefully more miles will help me learn to gauge entry speed a bit better.

Any hints will be welcomed.

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You CANNOT just sit there upright like a statue when approaching turns at a good clip. There HAS to be some weight shifting involved, otherwise you'll be thrown off like a ragdoll.

The aftermarket sway bar will definitely help in making your bike corner flatter; that is, it won't look as tilted thereby keeping you and your bike more upright during the turn.

The bike's nannies is designed to kick in before it rolls over. Hopefully, you're not going at too high a rate of speed entering the turn. Always, ALWAYS slow down BEFORE the turn and slowly roll the throttle to accelerate out of it.

Hope that helps!!

In your owner's manual there is a section on how to ride your Spyder..

VryGryFox said:

Or a left hand turn...

I am a new 2023 RTL rider, have about 300 miles in two weeks.

I have had two take a deep breath moments:

• A 270 degree turn off an overpass
  I did not think that I was going very fast but as the turn deepened, I was really hanging off the side of the spyder.
• A sharp left-hand turn
  Again, I was not especially aware of my speed (but it was a bit faster than needed, evidently) I was coming off of US90 onto a country road. I was hanging off the side and the right front tire actually got into the grass momentarily...

It appears that the Spyder really rolls quite deeply in not terribly fast corners. Would a better 'sway bar' make my life a bit easier?

I am starting to think that I can corner faster on my bicycle than my Spyder...

I guess I could find an isolated corner and keep doing the turn with a 5 mph boost every iteration until the Spyder does a rollover but that does not seem very productive.

Hopefully more miles will help me learn to gauge entry speed a bit better.

Any hints will be welcome

Click to expand...

In addition to all the valuable advice provided here, please read "Do's and Don'ts for New Spyder Owners" It is a sticky thread in the Spyder General Discussion Forum.