wiredgeorge
New member
My missus and I drove up to Waco to pick up a new to me Spyder RT. It is the stripped model with no radio unfortunately but I got i for under $12K and $12.9K out the door (Texas sales tax, registration and licensing). They went over the bike as I did the paperwork and checked belt tension, checked the oil and air pressure in the tires so I had to wait bit before setting off for home. The missus went down Interstate 35 towards San Antonio and I decided to go home via IH84 to Evant Texas and then down US281 towards home. While my ride was quite a bit longer, I enjoyed the ride and the lesser traffic. I won't drive on IH35 unless there is a compelling reason and certainly not on a bike/trike.
Anyway, the sales guy, Steward Solomon of Waco Motorsports explained most of the features and I was off. The skies were overcast and the wind was howling. The Spyder RT picks up more wind on its wide frontal area than did my 97 Goldwing trike (GL1500). The RT was buffeted quite a bit but was fully controllable. I spent a few minutes last night studying the owner manual and now believe I know how to adjust the suspension properly. I had no idea how to do this upon leaving the dealership so I am not sure how the suspension is set. The handling of the RT was far better than my Goldwing trike.
I didn't check gas mileage as I had no idea how to reset the trip meter. I know now and will check at first opportunity. I had asked about the power outlets fating and the manual says 3A. No compressors till I put in a fused heavy duty outlet.
Power? Most folks who find the power lacking on the twin cylinder version of the RT probably have never ridden a peaky street bike (like an RZ350) or an old two stroke motorcross bike with small displacement. Both appear to be gutless till you find the power band. 5k rpm at 55 mph on the RT is NOT close to its powerband and you need to row the shifter a bit to get rpms up to make the engine sing in its sweetspot. It has more than enough power for spirited riding. The Goldwing spoiled me with its low revving car engine... no need for downshifts in top gear at any speed to pass. I think most of the folks who appreciate the 1330cc engine are used to big car engines and not 125cc motorcross. Anyway, I am very happy with engine performance.
Then the gusting winds and clouds gave way to lightening and torrential rain as I got off US281 south of Blanco and onto FM473 towards Kendalia. It is winding a road as you will find and with many low spots and water had already started to collect in low places with 3 inches typical in low spots and hydroplane spots all over. The adjustable windshield came up to its upper position and shed water and the RT tracked like its momma is a duck. I am getting too fat to wear my rain pants comfortably but the RT provided superior protection and only the top of my thighs got wet and then not soaked. My tennis shoes remained almost dry. My shirt got a bit wet since I can't fasten the collar on my rain jacket... new rain gear is in my future I think (or a diet) but the RT makes riding in the rain a joy. It is THE BEST bike I have ever owned over almost 50 years in the rain. When it started raining, I discovered that the grips were really warm when I took off my leather gloves. I hadn't noticed the grip heat toggle was engaged... I also rode home with the cruise control on and couldn't figure out how to shut it off. I now know from reading the manual.
The windshield on the 2010 is a bit too high when in its lowest position to see over comfortably. I can see over it if I stretch a bit but it cuts my vision line when I sit in a normal position. I understand that Can-Am corrected this in 2011 and will be looking for a later shield if one fits.
Summary... well, complaints. My tailbone (as is normal on most seats) started to burn after about 200 miles. I probably don't need to read the safety manual before starting the bike every time. I wonder if there is a way to disable this feature? Windshield is a couple inches too tall. Alternate foot positions are needed for comfort such as floorboards. Cup holders are needed. A water bottle won't stay behind the windshield when you are moving as I had hoped. I already mentioned that suspension needed some tuning. Can't put key on key ring or a hook as there are no holes in the key (dealer gave me another key and a set of "key condoms - his words). Only other thing I can think of is that I wear glasses to drive and take them off to read. This means the little icons and all info on the screens is unreadable. I stopped for gas at about 50 miles thinking it was low and it turned out I was monitoring the temp gauge. The big digital speedometer is a godsend! The RT is a hit! A few small things to make it fit me and I think we will get along just fine.
Anyway, the sales guy, Steward Solomon of Waco Motorsports explained most of the features and I was off. The skies were overcast and the wind was howling. The Spyder RT picks up more wind on its wide frontal area than did my 97 Goldwing trike (GL1500). The RT was buffeted quite a bit but was fully controllable. I spent a few minutes last night studying the owner manual and now believe I know how to adjust the suspension properly. I had no idea how to do this upon leaving the dealership so I am not sure how the suspension is set. The handling of the RT was far better than my Goldwing trike.
I didn't check gas mileage as I had no idea how to reset the trip meter. I know now and will check at first opportunity. I had asked about the power outlets fating and the manual says 3A. No compressors till I put in a fused heavy duty outlet.
Power? Most folks who find the power lacking on the twin cylinder version of the RT probably have never ridden a peaky street bike (like an RZ350) or an old two stroke motorcross bike with small displacement. Both appear to be gutless till you find the power band. 5k rpm at 55 mph on the RT is NOT close to its powerband and you need to row the shifter a bit to get rpms up to make the engine sing in its sweetspot. It has more than enough power for spirited riding. The Goldwing spoiled me with its low revving car engine... no need for downshifts in top gear at any speed to pass. I think most of the folks who appreciate the 1330cc engine are used to big car engines and not 125cc motorcross. Anyway, I am very happy with engine performance.
Then the gusting winds and clouds gave way to lightening and torrential rain as I got off US281 south of Blanco and onto FM473 towards Kendalia. It is winding a road as you will find and with many low spots and water had already started to collect in low places with 3 inches typical in low spots and hydroplane spots all over. The adjustable windshield came up to its upper position and shed water and the RT tracked like its momma is a duck. I am getting too fat to wear my rain pants comfortably but the RT provided superior protection and only the top of my thighs got wet and then not soaked. My tennis shoes remained almost dry. My shirt got a bit wet since I can't fasten the collar on my rain jacket... new rain gear is in my future I think (or a diet) but the RT makes riding in the rain a joy. It is THE BEST bike I have ever owned over almost 50 years in the rain. When it started raining, I discovered that the grips were really warm when I took off my leather gloves. I hadn't noticed the grip heat toggle was engaged... I also rode home with the cruise control on and couldn't figure out how to shut it off. I now know from reading the manual.
The windshield on the 2010 is a bit too high when in its lowest position to see over comfortably. I can see over it if I stretch a bit but it cuts my vision line when I sit in a normal position. I understand that Can-Am corrected this in 2011 and will be looking for a later shield if one fits.
Summary... well, complaints. My tailbone (as is normal on most seats) started to burn after about 200 miles. I probably don't need to read the safety manual before starting the bike every time. I wonder if there is a way to disable this feature? Windshield is a couple inches too tall. Alternate foot positions are needed for comfort such as floorboards. Cup holders are needed. A water bottle won't stay behind the windshield when you are moving as I had hoped. I already mentioned that suspension needed some tuning. Can't put key on key ring or a hook as there are no holes in the key (dealer gave me another key and a set of "key condoms - his words). Only other thing I can think of is that I wear glasses to drive and take them off to read. This means the little icons and all info on the screens is unreadable. I stopped for gas at about 50 miles thinking it was low and it turned out I was monitoring the temp gauge. The big digital speedometer is a godsend! The RT is a hit! A few small things to make it fit me and I think we will get along just fine.
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Glad to hear that the ride home was a good one! :clap: :thumbup:
