Belrix
New member
So I just completed my first 200 miles on my new F3T Spyder after riding 2 wheels for a decade. I chose the Peak-to-Peak highway up to Estes Park, CO and then back home. This route take me through maybe 4000 feet of elevation changes and has a lot of twists and turns without being overly technical. This, with the ride back from the dealer, has added up to just over 200. Some impressions...
1. The amount of steering input seems extreme, especially when turning sharply at speed. Of course a motorcycle takes very little steerng input, you just give it a tap to get the counter-steer started then tip it into the turn. Not so with three wheels - that "tip" thing doesn't work
. My shoulders ache a bit from the push-back from the handles.
2. I had to drop back to motorcycle fundementals to get better turns. In "Proficient Motorcycling" and my MSF course, I was taught to "keep your head up" & "look through the turns". See, when I get nervous, my tendency is to drop my eyes & watch the road like a hawk. I have to remind myself to lift my eyes, look down the road, turn my head, and look to where you want the bike to go. The Spyder, like the Motorcycle, reacts nicely to the "she goes where you look" rule. Deliberately leaning toward the inside of the turn seems to help, too. It's kind-of a "point the chin" feeling. It's was deliberate effort yesterday that, I assume, will become second nature after a while.
3. I also found that snugging my inside-the-turn knee against the Spyder's body helped with the sensation that I want to tip over to the outside. (It's a false sensation, I know. I'm used to the lean and when I don't get it it's a "Whoa! What the hell is this" feeling.)
4. The ride seems rougher than the bike on uneven pavement. I think this is because I'm used to a bike that rocks front to back, as you go over bump a motorcycle doesn't shift side to side, it rocks up and down as the front wheel and then the back wheel hit the bump. The Sypder rocks side to side, too. Seems strange. I can probably tune some of this out by messing with the shock preloads which are still at stock defaults (and I'm not a default-sized rider).
5. I hit some rain on the way back. Wet roads. Three wheels feels much more secure. I like having the additional contact patch.
6. General Griping. Needs a taller windshield. I'm 6'3" and I've got a face full of wind. Stock seat gets hard after an hour. I miss my floorboards. Grips diameter is too thin, my hand is cramping (big hands, too). Need to increase front lighting, I had two cars pull out in front of me. Cancelling the turn signals needs a better "click" - it's mushy.
7. It likes the highway. I had some 65mph stuff down CO93 and it hunkers down and just does it without complaint.
8. People will stop and talk with you about it - it's a conversation starter.
9. The Syder is neither car nor motorcycle. It's "C. None of the above."
So - that's it - just random thoughts.
1. The amount of steering input seems extreme, especially when turning sharply at speed. Of course a motorcycle takes very little steerng input, you just give it a tap to get the counter-steer started then tip it into the turn. Not so with three wheels - that "tip" thing doesn't work
. My shoulders ache a bit from the push-back from the handles.2. I had to drop back to motorcycle fundementals to get better turns. In "Proficient Motorcycling" and my MSF course, I was taught to "keep your head up" & "look through the turns". See, when I get nervous, my tendency is to drop my eyes & watch the road like a hawk. I have to remind myself to lift my eyes, look down the road, turn my head, and look to where you want the bike to go. The Spyder, like the Motorcycle, reacts nicely to the "she goes where you look" rule. Deliberately leaning toward the inside of the turn seems to help, too. It's kind-of a "point the chin" feeling. It's was deliberate effort yesterday that, I assume, will become second nature after a while.
3. I also found that snugging my inside-the-turn knee against the Spyder's body helped with the sensation that I want to tip over to the outside. (It's a false sensation, I know. I'm used to the lean and when I don't get it it's a "Whoa! What the hell is this" feeling.)
4. The ride seems rougher than the bike on uneven pavement. I think this is because I'm used to a bike that rocks front to back, as you go over bump a motorcycle doesn't shift side to side, it rocks up and down as the front wheel and then the back wheel hit the bump. The Sypder rocks side to side, too. Seems strange. I can probably tune some of this out by messing with the shock preloads which are still at stock defaults (and I'm not a default-sized rider).
5. I hit some rain on the way back. Wet roads. Three wheels feels much more secure. I like having the additional contact patch.
6. General Griping. Needs a taller windshield. I'm 6'3" and I've got a face full of wind. Stock seat gets hard after an hour. I miss my floorboards. Grips diameter is too thin, my hand is cramping (big hands, too). Need to increase front lighting, I had two cars pull out in front of me. Cancelling the turn signals needs a better "click" - it's mushy.
7. It likes the highway. I had some 65mph stuff down CO93 and it hunkers down and just does it without complaint.
8. People will stop and talk with you about it - it's a conversation starter.
9. The Syder is neither car nor motorcycle. It's "C. None of the above."
So - that's it - just random thoughts.
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