Don'tPanic
New member
I've always wanted a motorcycle. All my life. As long as I can remember.
There's something about the sound of the exhaust pipes, smiles on the faces of the riders, and the promised freedom that always attracted me.
You all well know how it goes - wife, kids, house, new kitchen, more kids, another house, new bathroom... My dream of buying a motorcycle stayed unreachable for a very long while... until I'd heard from someone - "have you ever seen a motorcycle parked at the shrink's office"? That was it for me. The decision was made right then. I took MSF course and got my license.
I was looking at Honda CBR 500R, then Shadow, then a naked bike, but something about the safety and visibility on the public roads kept me away from fully committing. Too many videos of bikers slipping on gravel, sand and wet leaves when cornering. Too many serious injuries and horror stories of motorcyclists being ran over by left-hand turners. I bought several books on motorcycle safety and mastering the two-wheeled machines. I've read them all.
Then I've heard that Can-Am encourages test rides and discovered that there's a dealership 3 miles away from my house. Scheduled my test ride, and rode this three-wheeled beast for about half an hour. I was hooked. There's no danger of low-siding, there's better visibility, there's safety and stability. The friendly smile and an understanding nod from the owner of Smith Marine USA didn't help my wife's pleas at all.
What color did I buy? Bright orange, of course
I'm 42, after all
The very next day I rode it to work. Two miles down the road I saw another Spyder approaching. I waved my hand like a little girl at a concert.
By the end of the ride my face hurt from grinning for 40 minutes. Parked it right under my office window and my colleagues had to remind me to stop staring out the window, saying "yes, relax, it's still there"
I understand now what it's all about.
I tried my best to express first ride impressions in this video (enjoy):
https://youtu.be/y5ksE90-2AQ
Ryde on!
- Joe
There's something about the sound of the exhaust pipes, smiles on the faces of the riders, and the promised freedom that always attracted me.
You all well know how it goes - wife, kids, house, new kitchen, more kids, another house, new bathroom... My dream of buying a motorcycle stayed unreachable for a very long while... until I'd heard from someone - "have you ever seen a motorcycle parked at the shrink's office"? That was it for me. The decision was made right then. I took MSF course and got my license.
I was looking at Honda CBR 500R, then Shadow, then a naked bike, but something about the safety and visibility on the public roads kept me away from fully committing. Too many videos of bikers slipping on gravel, sand and wet leaves when cornering. Too many serious injuries and horror stories of motorcyclists being ran over by left-hand turners. I bought several books on motorcycle safety and mastering the two-wheeled machines. I've read them all.
Then I've heard that Can-Am encourages test rides and discovered that there's a dealership 3 miles away from my house. Scheduled my test ride, and rode this three-wheeled beast for about half an hour. I was hooked. There's no danger of low-siding, there's better visibility, there's safety and stability. The friendly smile and an understanding nod from the owner of Smith Marine USA didn't help my wife's pleas at all.
What color did I buy? Bright orange, of course
I'm 42, after all The very next day I rode it to work. Two miles down the road I saw another Spyder approaching. I waved my hand like a little girl at a concert.
By the end of the ride my face hurt from grinning for 40 minutes. Parked it right under my office window and my colleagues had to remind me to stop staring out the window, saying "yes, relax, it's still there"
I understand now what it's all about.
I tried my best to express first ride impressions in this video (enjoy):
https://youtu.be/y5ksE90-2AQ
Ryde on!
- Joe
