WaltH
Senior Member
Today is the second anniversary of the beginning of my Spyder life.
In the past 24 months I have ridden motorcycles 92,900 miles as follows: Spyder 2008 GS = 36,500 miles; Spyder 2009 GS = 40,700 miles; and a Harley Fat Boy = 15,700 miles. The first year was 43,900 miles and the second year was 49,000 miles. Although I am getting somewhat “long in the tooth”, my riding has not decreased. About 47,000 miles is normal for me.
For a period of three years (2006 – 2008) I deliberately tried to reduce my riding in order to have a smaller carbon footprint, but this didn’t work out so well. I was in the third year of my effort before there was any decrease. This was also the year National HOG did not conduct any touring rallies (I try not to miss any of these). The urge to ride was too strong, and I am now riding as much as ever. I am thinking about other ways to reduce my carbon footprint.
The 2008 GS burned on May 4, 2009. The 2009 GS was delivered on May 15, 2009. I stopped riding the Fat Boy on January 13, 2009 (72nd birthday). I sold the Fat Boy two months later on eBay.
At first, the Spyder was used for touring and the Fat Boy was used for cruising. I would have continued to ride Harleys for a few more years, except that I had this very good alternative in my garage. Riding the Harley was more fun than riding the Spyder, but the Spyder was close (80-85%). There is nothing that can match the sheer joy of riding on two wheels. When I had both motorcycles, the Spyder was diminished by the daily comparison. With the Harley gone the Spyder seemed to be more fun. Now the memory of two wheels is fading somewhat.
Other than losing my first Spyder to a fire, I have had only two important mechanical issues. Early on with the first Spyder, I had a faulty electrical connector which was not installed correctly at the factory. This was 10 days in Limp Home Mode until the part could be replaced. I just got the second Spyder back from the shop for a leaking water pump. I will report on this in a separate thread. With the first Spyder I had the usual minor annoyances. These were absent in the second Spyder. I have not had any steering disease (yet?). Aside from the fire, both Spyders have been very reliable in that they never left me sitting at the side of the road. Reliability is ultra-important for me because I do a lot of long-distance riding.
Both Spyders were heavily modified for touring. After the fire, I had to “wash, rinse, repeat” with the second Spyder. I did everything possible to convert the GS model to a touring machine. When I ordered the first Spyder my dealer thought BRP would soon be introducing a touring model and it would be likely that I could retrofit some of the touring parts to my GS. So far, I don’t see anything to retrofit.
The Spyder RT is the motorcycle I wanted to buy in the first place. My GS/touring-machine is impressive, but it is not quite as comfortable as I would like. A good Harley trike conversion is more comfortable, but the Spyder handles better and is safer, IMO.
I am looking forward to the third year of my Spyder life. Hopefully, BRP will soon find a cure for the steering disease and we can all just get back to having fun with this marvelous machine.
In the past 24 months I have ridden motorcycles 92,900 miles as follows: Spyder 2008 GS = 36,500 miles; Spyder 2009 GS = 40,700 miles; and a Harley Fat Boy = 15,700 miles. The first year was 43,900 miles and the second year was 49,000 miles. Although I am getting somewhat “long in the tooth”, my riding has not decreased. About 47,000 miles is normal for me.
For a period of three years (2006 – 2008) I deliberately tried to reduce my riding in order to have a smaller carbon footprint, but this didn’t work out so well. I was in the third year of my effort before there was any decrease. This was also the year National HOG did not conduct any touring rallies (I try not to miss any of these). The urge to ride was too strong, and I am now riding as much as ever. I am thinking about other ways to reduce my carbon footprint.
The 2008 GS burned on May 4, 2009. The 2009 GS was delivered on May 15, 2009. I stopped riding the Fat Boy on January 13, 2009 (72nd birthday). I sold the Fat Boy two months later on eBay.
At first, the Spyder was used for touring and the Fat Boy was used for cruising. I would have continued to ride Harleys for a few more years, except that I had this very good alternative in my garage. Riding the Harley was more fun than riding the Spyder, but the Spyder was close (80-85%). There is nothing that can match the sheer joy of riding on two wheels. When I had both motorcycles, the Spyder was diminished by the daily comparison. With the Harley gone the Spyder seemed to be more fun. Now the memory of two wheels is fading somewhat.
Other than losing my first Spyder to a fire, I have had only two important mechanical issues. Early on with the first Spyder, I had a faulty electrical connector which was not installed correctly at the factory. This was 10 days in Limp Home Mode until the part could be replaced. I just got the second Spyder back from the shop for a leaking water pump. I will report on this in a separate thread. With the first Spyder I had the usual minor annoyances. These were absent in the second Spyder. I have not had any steering disease (yet?). Aside from the fire, both Spyders have been very reliable in that they never left me sitting at the side of the road. Reliability is ultra-important for me because I do a lot of long-distance riding.
Both Spyders were heavily modified for touring. After the fire, I had to “wash, rinse, repeat” with the second Spyder. I did everything possible to convert the GS model to a touring machine. When I ordered the first Spyder my dealer thought BRP would soon be introducing a touring model and it would be likely that I could retrofit some of the touring parts to my GS. So far, I don’t see anything to retrofit.
The Spyder RT is the motorcycle I wanted to buy in the first place. My GS/touring-machine is impressive, but it is not quite as comfortable as I would like. A good Harley trike conversion is more comfortable, but the Spyder handles better and is safer, IMO.
I am looking forward to the third year of my Spyder life. Hopefully, BRP will soon find a cure for the steering disease and we can all just get back to having fun with this marvelous machine.
