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Compare a 500 mile ride on a Spyder with same on 2 wheels?
- Thread starter wyo85
- Start date
BLUEKNIGHT911
Sadly Passed Oct 2024 - RIP
IMHO I would try and get a test ride somewhere to compare the different models ..... and I would look for a low mileage machine, from 14 - 17 years ..... the newer ones have lots of issues if you arn't technically oriented ..... I'm 74 and just took a trip down to Jersey to see my Sister .... 340 miles on a 90 to 100 degree day, yes it was warm, but I wasn't really un-comfortable ...and I've taken this same trip on an 03 Wing in better weather and suffered more ... and I was younger ..... good luck .... Mike :thumbup:
JayBros
Well-known member
I agree strongly with Mike about test riding. If you have the opportunity to test ride an RT with a drivers backrest you may notice it adds even more comfort to the test ride experience. I was 73 when I bought my Spyder and could knock off repeated 450 mile days easily, and when I got a backrest was very pleased at how much fresher I felt at the end of the day.
There will be a learning curve before you will be completely comfortable on the Spyder. My wife and I have several back to back 600+ mile days on our RT. I am 66 and she is 63. We were tired, but not near as tired as we were after a 500 mile day on two wheels. We spent 40+ years on two wheeled touring bikes so the transition probably took a bit longer for us. The security that the third wheel offers makes traveling a bit more relaxing thus less fatigue.
ARtraveler
R.I.P. Dwayne
A test ride for sure. :yes:
BajaRon
Well-known member
I've been to California and back (east Tennessee) twice on my 2008 GS. About 6,000 miles total each time. 1457 miles in 1 day on 1 trip in 27 hours. Not recommending it. But it's all relative.
Good luck in your search. A Spyder is always going to be less fatiguing than 2 wheels. It's just a matter of physics.
Good luck in your search. A Spyder is always going to be less fatiguing than 2 wheels. It's just a matter of physics.
pegasus1300
Well-known member
My Spyder is also an old Dinosaur(2012RTL) but at 75 I can still knock off a 500 mile day and do it again tomorrow. You need to test drive a Spyder of your choice for an hour or half a day and see how you feel. Drive it like a car.
canamjhb
Well-known member
I've done several 500 mile days. On 2 wheels, on a Spyder, and on my GL1800 trike. Three wheels take a lot of stress away because of having more stability, more rubber on the road, and the ability to see the scenery a bit more. Overall, more relaxing riding 3 than 2 regardless of the configuration of the 3. Other than that, the biggest issue for long distance comfort is having a seat that will suit you well. Regardless of bikes, I have not found an OEM seat that works well for me for long distance. I have had to modify, add pads, or upgrade on every bike I have owned. Bottom line.....3 are better than 2 for long distance touring..... Jim
pidjones
New member
500 miles in a day is almost always going to involve interstate (or equivalent) miles. These are more fatiguing to me than 2-lane miles. On the slab, the 3 wheels is less fatiguing. And, 2-lane miles are more fun and less fatiguing on 2 wheels for me. What drove me to the Spyder is when you pull off the road. Approaching our 70's, the risk of a serious injury to either of us from a gravel parking lot drop became a stress that was ruining my pleasure.
cruisinTX
Member
I read through all of the previous responses; this one, "the risk of a serious injury to either of us from a gravel parking lot drop became a stress that was ruining my pleasure." Has become the biggest factor for me, especially when riding two-up. We got my wife a Spyder pretty quickly after a low speed tip over on a two wheeler back in the fall of 2017. Neither of us was injured except for my pride. That event made me realize at 63, I no longer had the reflexes and strength I had enjoyed for most of my life.
That said, we negotiated a very good deal on a used 2014 RTL with low mileage here on SL. The initial thought was to have that for my wife while I continued to ride two wheels. Upon going a good ways to pick up our RT, I figured it would be a pretty good test after having only test ridden a couple of Spyders before the 450 mile trip home. I had read a lot about the comfort and one very important thing to help ease the fatigue of switching from two wheels to three. With three wheels you get a bit of a swaying motion that is just the nature of the beast, unlike being on two wheels where you can track between most of the rough and uneven spots making the road seem smoother. With three wheels, that unevenness of the road is unavoidable and will cause great fatigue until you learn to let the machine move around under you while keeping your upper body as still as possible by just relaxing and let it happen. If you try to anticipate and fight the undulations of the road, it will just wear you out. Since I have always been a back roads type of rider, we took the back roads home from Denton, Tx to north of Amarillo. It took me at least a 1/3 of that rip to get the hang of letting the Spyder rock and sway while I remined still. Once I figured that out, the remaining 300 miles was a pretty relaxing and enjoyable experience.
As for the seat comfort, the RTL turns out to be the most comfortable seat I have ever sat on from the git go. That's comparing to multiple bikes & seats for almost 500K miles since beginning in 1968.
When it's all said and done; the Spyder is considerably less fatiguing than a two wheeler.
I too was one that read the writing on the wall about moving on from 2 wheels to 3. But I may add a word of caution about taking a Spyder out for a test ride and making a decision from that ride. The Spyder is a different animal from any 2 wheel vehicle in the manner in which it handles and can be scary at first if you have well developed muscle memory from 2 wheel riding. (50+ years for me.) I flew out to the mid-west and rode it home 1,500 miles when I purchased mine 3 weeks ago. At the end of the first day of the trip I was ready to sell it. Now that I have gained a different skill set on how to ride the Spyder, I am really enjoying it.
As for comfort, I was able to do 500+ mile on the Gold Wing, and I feel that I can do the same on my RT. No real difference in creature comfort, but the 3 wheels do add a sense of security the 2 wheels doesn't.
Oh, I did own a Fat Boy for a while and you will be appreciative of the overall comfort compared to your Fat Boy. I resigned my FB just to around town riding for a while and ultimately got rid of it because it just sat there unused.
As for comfort, I was able to do 500+ mile on the Gold Wing, and I feel that I can do the same on my RT. No real difference in creature comfort, but the 3 wheels do add a sense of security the 2 wheels doesn't.
Oh, I did own a Fat Boy for a while and you will be appreciative of the overall comfort compared to your Fat Boy. I resigned my FB just to around town riding for a while and ultimately got rid of it because it just sat there unused.
I am in the research mode. Injured my right hand at work and have not been able to ride my motorcycle since 5/03/21. Something about not being able to squeeze the front brake makes me nervous. Like the 2020+ RTs with the luggage capabilities. Planning on doing some long rides again. Really hoping I don't have to wrench as much on the Can-Am like I do on my 2005 HD. The HD has been a money pit with fixing the engine, primary, electrical and transmission with its leaking seals.
Northofthesix
Member
AtomicEd my story was very similar... had a couple scary parking lot incidents that caused me to give up my Yamaha Venture but wasn't ready to stop riding. Couple buddies owned Spyders and I thought that they sounded promising (although I had been mercilessly teasing one of them about his F3S "Mario-Cart" 
). I came across an incredible deal online, a dealership in northern Ontario (Thunder Bay) selling a 2018 RTL Dark used as a demo (700miles/ 1100km) for $10,000 off new list price. I had never so much as sat on an RTL before, but I hopped a plane, flew out and rode it home 1500km/ 900 miles home in 2 days. First 100 I was terrified and thought I had made a terrible mistake, but by the time I was home I was hooked. Added a back rest, BajaRon bar and lots of lighting and 25,000km later I am thoroughly in love with it. If you know it's time to move away from a heavy 2 wheel crusier.... it doesn't mean the riding needs to stop!!
). I came across an incredible deal online, a dealership in northern Ontario (Thunder Bay) selling a 2018 RTL Dark used as a demo (700miles/ 1100km) for $10,000 off new list price. I had never so much as sat on an RTL before, but I hopped a plane, flew out and rode it home 1500km/ 900 miles home in 2 days. First 100 I was terrified and thought I had made a terrible mistake, but by the time I was home I was hooked. Added a back rest, BajaRon bar and lots of lighting and 25,000km later I am thoroughly in love with it. If you know it's time to move away from a heavy 2 wheel crusier.... it doesn't mean the riding needs to stop!!I am going to go slightly against the grain here. If you read all the previous posts carefully, they are all rather experienced on their respective Spyders. The Spyder in our family is my wife's. Not long after we got it, I rode it for a weekend to the Southeast oHIo Spyder get-together in Zanesville, OH. I had ridden it around town a bit, so was somewhat comfortable with the controls, but this time, I was commited to an entire weekend.
We did a lunch ride that was 120 miles or so. Can't say that I was "whupped", but I certainly was not relaxed and refreshed at the end of the ride. I have done several 700+ mile days on my Goldwing and several 400+ mile days on my old Suzuki, but neither one of them tired me out as much as the lunch ride on the Spyder. Might get better with more saddle time, but for now, until I am pretty much forced to add a third wheel, I'll stick with my 2 wheels and enjoy them.
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We did a lunch ride that was 120 miles or so. Can't say that I was "whupped", but I certainly was not relaxed and refreshed at the end of the ride. I have done several 700+ mile days on my Goldwing and several 400+ mile days on my old Suzuki, but neither one of them tired me out as much as the lunch ride on the Spyder. Might get better with more saddle time, but for now, until I am pretty much forced to add a third wheel, I'll stick with my 2 wheels and enjoy them.
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cruisinTX
Member
Sounds like you need to learn to not fight the ride and just let it move around under you like I described in my post. My first 150 miles were as you mention, but after I learned "go with the flow" of the machine and road, it all became very relaxing.
I came to a Spyder after 35 years on 2 wheels. But at 78, and after a tipover of my Goldwing in my garage that I was unable to get the bike upright by myself I decided it was time for a change. But I will offer my observations about a test ride. I first did a test ride on a Spyder back in 2016, and I absolutely hated it. I did the test ride at the urging of my wife, but mentally I was not ready at that time for going to a 3 wheeler that needs to be steered rather than leaned. But the test ride I did earlier this summer was from the perspective of knowing I either needed a much lighter bike than the Goldwing, or needed 3 wheels. I was much more open to the experience and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I bought a new Spyder that day and now two months and 2,000 miles later I could not be more pleased with my decision.
As to the original question of fatigue, I'm not sure. On one hand the tension level is far lower when on the Spyder; no putting a foot down at stops, no concern about tipping over, no worries about a short trip on gravel or grass, and in that way it is less tiring. But steering a 1,000 pound vehicle does take more actual muscle exertion than does leaning even a big Goldwing at speed. So in balance I am not sure which I would say is less tiring, but if I had to pick, I would say that the Spyder is less tiring.
As to the original question of fatigue, I'm not sure. On one hand the tension level is far lower when on the Spyder; no putting a foot down at stops, no concern about tipping over, no worries about a short trip on gravel or grass, and in that way it is less tiring. But steering a 1,000 pound vehicle does take more actual muscle exertion than does leaning even a big Goldwing at speed. So in balance I am not sure which I would say is less tiring, but if I had to pick, I would say that the Spyder is less tiring.
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