A fun afternoon

[gkamer]

I had the opportunity to take part in Can Ams On Road Demo ride today at Allsport Powersport in Liberty Lake WA. I had a great time and really enjoyed the Spyder I was riding. I kept forgetting that unlike my Ryker, I actually had to shift gears.



But the demo route was excellently planned out. Lots of curves, twisties, hills, and some good stretches' where we could open them up a little. The good news, at least for me, is the heavy winds didn't hit until well after my ride. Not sure how the later rides went. Looking forward to the next demo ride in Spokane in a few weeks.

 

[cptjam]

Greg, nice to meet you. Glad you enjoyed the ride. Joe

 

[Pantera]

I had the opportunity to take part in Can Ams On Road Demo ride today at Allsport Powersport in Liberty Lake WA. I had a great time and really enjoyed the Spyder I was riding. I kept forgetting that unlike my Ryker, I actually had to shift gears.



But the demo route was excellently planned out. Lots of curves, twisties, hills, and some good stretches' where we could open them up a little. The good news, at least for me, is the heavy winds didn't hit until well after my ride. Not sure how the later rides went. Looking forward to the next demo ride in Spokane in a few weeks.

What did you think of the Spider compared to the Ryker?

 

[gkamer]

What did you think of the Spider compared to the Ryker?

I enjoyed it very much, but they are 2 different animals designed for 2 different types of riders.
The Spyder I thought was much more comfortable to ride. It did require more of a leg lift to get my foot over the seat, something my 68 year old hips did not appreciate very much. It handled bumps in the road beautifully. It was quieter and did not vibrate as much. The power steering really blew my mind.

I did not think it’s power from a stop was all that impressive. Having ridden a Ryker for a year, one thing I kept forgetting was you actually have to shift gears on the Spyder. On my Ryker, from a dead stop I could be hitting 80 mph in almost the blink of an eye. The Spyder got there, just not as quickly.

In an emergency situation I feel a lot more comfortable and confident with the high end torque of the Ryker to get me out of trouble. I do like how easy it is to make the Ryker my own as far as mods go and there seems to be an almost limitless assortment you can add, so long as your bank account can hold out.

I don’t think the Ryker is really designed for “Touring” though you could if you really wanted to. And of course storage on the RT was endless compared to the Ryker. Like I said in the beginning they are two different animals that fit some pretty specific niches.

One thing I didn't think I would miss was being able to ride with my wife, but I was wrong. I have a lot of fun out riding and would dearly love to share that experience with her. I'm sure however she would never feel comfortable riding 2 up on the Ryker and she would never consider getting her own. For that reason alone I am giving very serious thought to upgrading to a Spyder.

Budget right now does not allow for the 27-30K price tag of a new one, so I'm looking for a good deal on a used one. I'm not locked into a F-3 or RT as long as it's set up for her to come with me. Time will tell what path this story will take.

 

[gkamer]

Greg, nice to meet you. Glad you enjoyed the ride. Joe

Thanks Joe, I know I said it before but you and Ann did a fantastic job plotting out the demo route. It had a little bit of every thing to really whet the appetite. Well worth the 70 mile drive to play.