Finally

[challman]

OK.. I have posted several times and have mentioned learning how to ride the Spyder. I would like to tell anyone out there who either has just started riding one or who is thinking about riding one. Learning how to ride a Spyder is not as easy as it may appear. I am not talking about hopping on and going to the store I am talking about when it really becomes a blast to ride because it is no longer exhausting you, or beating you to death. I now LOVE my Spyder. I have put on probably a thousand miles this spring, and It is just more and more fun. The biggest trick in learning how to ride one is to get rid of the expectations of how it should operate since it has handlebars.

This thing actually drives like a really fast car which you drive from sitting on the hump and it has a handlebar instead of stearing wheel.


Have fun all I now no longer have time for much of anything besides the normal working home maintenance and Spyder riding

See you later I gotta go for a ride.

 

[Bob Denman]

Keep piling on the miles and smiles! :thumbup:

 

[daveinva]

:2thumbs:

Actually, I'm unsure whether the car analogy quite covers it. For one, in a car, I'm in a bolstered seat. In fast turns on the Spyder, physics still applies, and if you're not paying attention, it'll throw you well before it loses its grip on the road.

Here's what's helping me get the most out of my experience on my RS (for an RT, YMMV):

1. MOVE. YOUR. BUTT. Get off your butt, shift your weight into the turn, shift forward, use your thighs, stand on that outside peg. Basically, hang off that thing Drunken Monkey Style (TM), and you'll take most any kind of turn you want at very fun speeds. (FYI, a Beadrider really helps you move around on it-- *IF* you plan your turns ahead of time. If you just steer in a jiffy, that Beadrider will try to slide you right off, so Spyder emptor!)

2. It's not a motorcycle, it's not a car, it's a Spyder: I'm used to apex lines for cars and motorcycles; the Spyder follows neither. You drive like car, but you're in the center, and you're not as wide. Yet, the Spyder won't lean like a bike (you need to do that). Which means you have to learn a whole new set of cornering lines-- more aggressive than a car, but not as aggressive as a sport bike. I'm still getting the hang of this, but my "eye" for corners is getting better with every turn.

3. That said, rolling on the throttle through a turn works as well on the Spyder as it does on a motorcycle (and slapping the throttle shut in a turn upsets the Spyder nearly as much as it upsets a motorcycle :yikes.

4. That anti-sway bar mod really helps :doorag:.

To sum up what works for me: In a straight line, drive the Spyder like a car. In a corner, ride it like an ATV. Always throttle like a motorcycle.

 

[BikerDoc]

The acceleration and handling through curves reminds me of an old Porshe 911 that I drove, but as the man above says IT IS SPYDER - it s unique in its own right and part of enjoying it is recognizing how different it is from everything else - and I for one love that...

 

[Pennyrick]

I traded in my GL 1800 Gold Wing Trike for my new RT last week and so I was somewhat used to riding on three wheels but the posters above are correct it is a different experience.

Several years ago I owned an '80 Cadillac sedan at the same time as a '61 Austin Healey 3000. To me, the Gold Wing relates to the Caddy and the Spyder relates to the Healey. The way the Spyder carves in and out of corners, the slick, snick of the gearbox, the direct steering response and the way the engine likes the high rev range all remind me of my vintage Healey.

I loved my Gold Wing but my Spyder has put fun back into the driving.

 

[SpyderWolf]

:2thumbs:

Glad to hear you are now used to ryding your Spyder and having a blast on it.

 

[Questions]

First time on the Spyder

I am exactly like you. I didn't take to the :spyder2: quickly. I came off 2 wheels after 30 or so years. I am an old dog and you know about us!

But I persisted and used a this form for a lot of info as well as which mods would help my riding style.

I now have a love affair with that little red machine out in the garage. I look for things we are out of so I can run to the store (the one 25 miles from me, not the one down the street).

It is a blast to ride. I look forward to the twisties rather than dread them. It is definately in a class of it's own.

Ride safe but ride.

 

[Bob Denman]

No doubt; the learning curve is an interesting one! But it's worth every second of the initial horror that gives way to confidence... :2thumbs:

 

[geoshmo]

I have been on my spyder for about a month now and I can honestly say that for me it was not a problem getting used to the cornering. I have had many years of riding snowmobiles and ATV's and although the spider has a differant feel to a sled the idea is the same. Lean into the corners and feel the machine balance out.

 

[Insy]

No dispute with any of the above comments. When I am asked "How does it handle ?" My stock answer is that it is nothing like anything you may have driven or ridden before. It calls for a brand new skills set if you are going to get the best out of it and this can only be achieved with ride time. Lots of ride time. I have no great experience on RT's having ridden short distances only but have to say that my RS, with just basic performance mods is a machine that demands utmost respect. I liken it to a super bike with three wheels and you don't push the limits on a super bike unless you know what you are doing.
Notwithstanding Y stability, nanny systems etal, disrespect this machine and it will slap the taste right out of your mouth.

 

[ARtraveler]

:congrats::welcome: Looks like you have it all figured out. The learning curve is fun and the operation of :spyder2: becomes second nature as you progress.

 

[Bob Denman]

I have been on my spyder for about a month now and I can honestly say that for me it was not a problem getting used to the cornering. I have had many years of riding snowmobiles and ATV's and although the spider has a differant feel to a sled the idea is the same. Lean into the corners and feel the machine balance out.

Halleluyah! :2thumbs:hyea:hyea:hyea: :firstplace:

 

[SpyderWolf]

I have been on my spyder for about a month now and I can honestly say that for me it was not a problem getting used to the cornering. I have had many years of riding snowmobiles and ATV's and although the spider has a differant feel to a sled the idea is the same. Lean into the corners and feel the machine balance out.

:welcome: Glad you found us.

 

[dltang]

I have been on my spyder for about a month now and I can honestly say that for me it was not a problem getting used to the cornering. I have had many years of riding snowmobiles and ATV's and although the spider has a differant feel to a sled the idea is the same. Lean into the corners and feel the machine balance out.

:welcome: