Good morning! I'd like to thank this site for allowing me to join this wonderful organization. I have been reading the posts for several weeks and reviewing models/prices etc. In fact I was looking at spyders for years as a riding solution as I am mobility challenged. A little history, I was born and raised on a farm my past experience with motorcycles has been typical early 80's stuff, Honda ATC's, dirt bikes (YZ's), older on off 2 strokes (suzuki TS250 example). Anyhoo's when I was 15 (1986) I suffered spinal cord injury (SCI). As someone can imagine that kinda of experience leads to lifestyle changes and I stopped riding. Fast forward to today, now I have arthritis that's hit or miss, sometimes get back pain so severe I'm down for 3 days etc, but you work past it, pain treatment, arthritis treatment to overcome and keep moving. Now I'm 47 and really tamed back a bit and a few years ago I got the motorcycle fever again. I do walk with a forearm crutch but I'm not super stable but hey anyone can balance once upright right? So my main problem is I can't move my ankles at all so shifting is hard. I can press my feet down (foot brake) fine but coming up is more difficult.
But I found a solution! Good ole Hondamatic. 1982 CS450A. I get out and ride short distances but obviously it's not functional, first off I need to put on foot braces called AFO's in the business. Now mine are old heavy uncomfortable and don't fit right cause they 15 years old but they keep my ankles stable for balancing the bike. Now when I say disfunctional I mean I can balance the bike fine but problem is getting feet on and off foot pegs cause well I can't move my ankles and not much feeling down there. Once I'm up and going no problem, but stopping starting is quite hard to do as I do have hip muscles that are paralyzed too so that's what makes it hard getting feet on pegs. The main problem is I can't go anywhere because I can't carry my crutch or wheelchair or on a CM450A.
If you ever owned anything from 1982 you know the struggles. It's been a good bike really, just have to keep little things in check, run good fuel and no ethanol drain the carbs when storing etc.
I wll have some extra money coming in from my home sale etc and thought hey great midlife crisis mobile and a good investment. I went to my local dealer sat on 2009 RS with a nice price, sport bike feel, peg for feet, not very comfortable, windshield was super low, not comfortable. Soooo...tried a newer F3 tourer model, sit like a harley cruiser leg's extended forward and not comfortable and I had a heck of a time getting to brake pedal so this isn't going to work.
They have a used 2010 RTS 991 SMT with a trailer, wow this could really be a good solution, room for crutch and wheelchair too. Sit on it and very comfortable, windshield is functional, hey this is the one for me. Their asking 14.5 K but my concern it has 60 k miles. Do some research and nada book is lower than what they are asking but most of the research I've found is the spyders seem to hold value relatively well even 2008 9 10 models. More research I found info about difference between the 998 and 1330. More research found out about 2014 on up had good changes on the bikes for the better (SE6 trans). More research about the 2010 RTS find that well financing is going to be hard because of it's age and not going to get a good interest rate, or term (want a longer term lower payments), and the more I read the more I really want to be on a 1330 for many reasons......I start looking at used 2014 RTS on up, well they are out there in private sales, but there is no way to get a super low interest rate on a older bike and private sale. And I'm finding the 2014 on up are still running 14 K up price anyway. So now big rebates and super low interest on on 2017's yes! So after researching I want 2017 RT-S, SE6. I really dig the auto leveling seat, seems like a must have.
I start checking other dealers sites etc, well all of the dealers in my state all running about 21K to 22K before taxes/lic. So I start checking nationwide, if I buy from another state they running as low as 18 K beofre taxes/lic but they out of state and 1500 miles away! Now when your talking tax rates being a percentage, why wouldn't I purchase there at this low price and get serviced at my local dealer? That's a minimum of a 3 K swing in price, game changer if you ask me. 500 to 1000 to ship still a 2 K difference.....
Now here is my question, I keep reading get a good dealer, but how do you know it's a good dealer? I mean yes you have reviews/volume etc, but also keep in mind any service I need I assume it doesn't matter where you buy your cam am if they are a dealer they service it because it's under warranty. Is it acceptable to buy out of state and get serviced locally? If not why? (very sorry for the long post, but the devil is in the details)
But I found a solution! Good ole Hondamatic. 1982 CS450A. I get out and ride short distances but obviously it's not functional, first off I need to put on foot braces called AFO's in the business. Now mine are old heavy uncomfortable and don't fit right cause they 15 years old but they keep my ankles stable for balancing the bike. Now when I say disfunctional I mean I can balance the bike fine but problem is getting feet on and off foot pegs cause well I can't move my ankles and not much feeling down there. Once I'm up and going no problem, but stopping starting is quite hard to do as I do have hip muscles that are paralyzed too so that's what makes it hard getting feet on pegs. The main problem is I can't go anywhere because I can't carry my crutch or wheelchair or on a CM450A.
If you ever owned anything from 1982 you know the struggles. It's been a good bike really, just have to keep little things in check, run good fuel and no ethanol drain the carbs when storing etc.
I wll have some extra money coming in from my home sale etc and thought hey great midlife crisis mobile and a good investment. I went to my local dealer sat on 2009 RS with a nice price, sport bike feel, peg for feet, not very comfortable, windshield was super low, not comfortable. Soooo...tried a newer F3 tourer model, sit like a harley cruiser leg's extended forward and not comfortable and I had a heck of a time getting to brake pedal so this isn't going to work.
They have a used 2010 RTS 991 SMT with a trailer, wow this could really be a good solution, room for crutch and wheelchair too. Sit on it and very comfortable, windshield is functional, hey this is the one for me. Their asking 14.5 K but my concern it has 60 k miles. Do some research and nada book is lower than what they are asking but most of the research I've found is the spyders seem to hold value relatively well even 2008 9 10 models. More research I found info about difference between the 998 and 1330. More research found out about 2014 on up had good changes on the bikes for the better (SE6 trans). More research about the 2010 RTS find that well financing is going to be hard because of it's age and not going to get a good interest rate, or term (want a longer term lower payments), and the more I read the more I really want to be on a 1330 for many reasons......I start looking at used 2014 RTS on up, well they are out there in private sales, but there is no way to get a super low interest rate on a older bike and private sale. And I'm finding the 2014 on up are still running 14 K up price anyway. So now big rebates and super low interest on on 2017's yes! So after researching I want 2017 RT-S, SE6. I really dig the auto leveling seat, seems like a must have.
I start checking other dealers sites etc, well all of the dealers in my state all running about 21K to 22K before taxes/lic. So I start checking nationwide, if I buy from another state they running as low as 18 K beofre taxes/lic but they out of state and 1500 miles away! Now when your talking tax rates being a percentage, why wouldn't I purchase there at this low price and get serviced at my local dealer? That's a minimum of a 3 K swing in price, game changer if you ask me. 500 to 1000 to ship still a 2 K difference.....
Now here is my question, I keep reading get a good dealer, but how do you know it's a good dealer? I mean yes you have reviews/volume etc, but also keep in mind any service I need I assume it doesn't matter where you buy your cam am if they are a dealer they service it because it's under warranty. Is it acceptable to buy out of state and get serviced locally? If not why? (very sorry for the long post, but the devil is in the details)
