PrairieSpyder
New member
I just received the December issue of the American Motorcyclist and they include a guest column by Bill Sowers, from Princeton, WV, about transitioning to a Spyder from a 2-wheeler. Very good article. :thumbup::thumbup: Unfortunately, it's not available as an online link.
Edit: I'm going to transcribe the column here and hope it doesn't get me in trouble with the copyright police.
Adapting for the Road
Adding a Wheel Could Add years to Your Ride
by Bill Sowers
Several people have asked me why I stopped riding a lovely and nimble 2008 BMW F800ST and started riding a three-wheeled Can-Am Spyder.
This is not an endorsement of any particular brand. But I have to talk about the bike I own.
The BMW was quick and lightweight. It handled well, provided good gas mileage and was extremely fun to ride.
Do I think I can still handle the BMW like I used to? Sure. But can I? No.
And there is the difference.
What I thinkI can do and what I can really do are two entirely different things. It is human nature not to be honest with yourself when it comes to an activity you really love.
A motorcycle is constantly trying to fall down. Make any simple mistake, and down you go. Add rain, gravel, ice, wet leaves or just about any other factor (don't forget to put the kickstand down!) and down you go.
When I turned 80 two years ago, I began to notice a huge loss of arm and leg strength. I just didn't seem to be able to control the bike like before, particularly in slow situations like maneuvering through parking lots and backing up.
To be truthful, it sort of snuck up on me. I just didn't want to believe it, but, after dropping the bike a couple of times - which I had never done before - it hit me.
Many friends said, "Get a Honda, Kawasaki, etc., with an aftermarket three-wheeler kit," but I knew that I would never be able to ride a modified two-wheeler as aggressively as I would like. It's quite obvious that pushing that one front wheel into a turn with two rear wheels at speed just isn't going to work.
Two of my friends had already purchased the Spyder and were very high on them. So I went for a test ride. I almost crashed it.
I wasn't a fan.
It was so different from a two-wheeled bike.
My friends kept encouraging me to stay with it and learn. So, having no real alternative, I went ahead and tried again. I then purchased the 2014 Spyder RT Limited.
On my friends' recommendation, I installed a stiffer sway bar and high performance shocks. Huge difference.
I since learned that my initial problem was me: I was trying to ride it like a motorcycle. In fact, you don't lean or pull the Spyder around a curve, using counter steering. You drop a gear or two, push the opposite handlebar and accelerate. Simple. Works like a charm.
You can't high side or have the bike slip out from under you.
If you should get going too fast for a curve and lift the opposite front wheel, the computer ("Granny," as we affectionately call her) will take over and set it back down - and it almost certainly will correct the situation before the wheel even lifts in the first place.
Because I always had to be very careful and do everything myself on a two-wheeler, it was very hard to trust the Spyder to perform. But, as I have learned, it will.
It took a while, but now I'm very comfortable with he Spyder, especially after the 1,978-mile loop I took this past summer. I have 10,000 miles on it now.
There are so many really good features built into the bike for improved safety, performance and comfort. Having been in production for many years now, the Spyders are refined, and as with any vehicle with that history, any issues have been identified and fixed or otherwise eliminated.
What I am saying is this: Listen to what your body is telling you. Don't try to override your body or your age. If a differently performing or different-looking bike will make you more comfortable and allow you to ride a lot longer, get it.
Bill Sowers is an AMA Charter Life Member from Princeton, W.Va.
Edit: I'm going to transcribe the column here and hope it doesn't get me in trouble with the copyright police.
Adapting for the Road
Adding a Wheel Could Add years to Your Ride
by Bill Sowers
Several people have asked me why I stopped riding a lovely and nimble 2008 BMW F800ST and started riding a three-wheeled Can-Am Spyder.
This is not an endorsement of any particular brand. But I have to talk about the bike I own.
The BMW was quick and lightweight. It handled well, provided good gas mileage and was extremely fun to ride.
Do I think I can still handle the BMW like I used to? Sure. But can I? No.
And there is the difference.
What I thinkI can do and what I can really do are two entirely different things. It is human nature not to be honest with yourself when it comes to an activity you really love.
A motorcycle is constantly trying to fall down. Make any simple mistake, and down you go. Add rain, gravel, ice, wet leaves or just about any other factor (don't forget to put the kickstand down!) and down you go.
When I turned 80 two years ago, I began to notice a huge loss of arm and leg strength. I just didn't seem to be able to control the bike like before, particularly in slow situations like maneuvering through parking lots and backing up.
To be truthful, it sort of snuck up on me. I just didn't want to believe it, but, after dropping the bike a couple of times - which I had never done before - it hit me.
Many friends said, "Get a Honda, Kawasaki, etc., with an aftermarket three-wheeler kit," but I knew that I would never be able to ride a modified two-wheeler as aggressively as I would like. It's quite obvious that pushing that one front wheel into a turn with two rear wheels at speed just isn't going to work.
Two of my friends had already purchased the Spyder and were very high on them. So I went for a test ride. I almost crashed it.
I wasn't a fan.
It was so different from a two-wheeled bike.
My friends kept encouraging me to stay with it and learn. So, having no real alternative, I went ahead and tried again. I then purchased the 2014 Spyder RT Limited.
On my friends' recommendation, I installed a stiffer sway bar and high performance shocks. Huge difference.
I since learned that my initial problem was me: I was trying to ride it like a motorcycle. In fact, you don't lean or pull the Spyder around a curve, using counter steering. You drop a gear or two, push the opposite handlebar and accelerate. Simple. Works like a charm.
You can't high side or have the bike slip out from under you.
If you should get going too fast for a curve and lift the opposite front wheel, the computer ("Granny," as we affectionately call her) will take over and set it back down - and it almost certainly will correct the situation before the wheel even lifts in the first place.
Because I always had to be very careful and do everything myself on a two-wheeler, it was very hard to trust the Spyder to perform. But, as I have learned, it will.
It took a while, but now I'm very comfortable with he Spyder, especially after the 1,978-mile loop I took this past summer. I have 10,000 miles on it now.
There are so many really good features built into the bike for improved safety, performance and comfort. Having been in production for many years now, the Spyders are refined, and as with any vehicle with that history, any issues have been identified and fixed or otherwise eliminated.
What I am saying is this: Listen to what your body is telling you. Don't try to override your body or your age. If a differently performing or different-looking bike will make you more comfortable and allow you to ride a lot longer, get it.
Bill Sowers is an AMA Charter Life Member from Princeton, W.Va.
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