I went for my first Spyder ride today, about 40 minutes, and thought I'd share my impressions.
Background: we had just finished trading in our two Can-Am G2 Outlander ATVs (1000 & 650) on a Spyder for my wife so she can ride with me on the street -- she'd rather rider herself than be a passenger, and of course I enjoy riding more solo so everyone wins. I'm still riding my R1200RT for a while and plan to get a Spyder for myself in a year or two, or sooner if I just can't wait. We had a deal made on a Magnesium 2013 ST-S SE5 but changed our minds at the last minute due to all the info on this forum about the heat issues on the 2013 models. Instead of taking delivery of the 2013 with the rebate and extended warranty we switched the deal to a 2014 version in pearl white, which of course won't even be here for a couple of months. The dealer, SK Northwest in Portland, OR was quite accommodating actually in spite of claiming no knowledge of the heat issues.
So, as a lifelong motorcyclist, now age 60, with recent experience on a Can-Am Outlander 1000 XT ATV and BMW R1200RT for reference, here are my impressions...
Steering -- As soon as I pulled out onto the 35 mph arterial I was struck by the "nervous" feeling from the steering. I expected it to just steer along and feel quite stable but it felt actually unstable, twitchy, and nervous. As the ride progressed I got used to it somewhat and expect that would continue, and I need to ride it solo and push it more so as to get more comfortable with it, but I confess this was an unexpected impression. With all the people here, with no doubt widely varying skill levels, that absolutely love their Spyders this must be something that one gets used to quickly, or perhaps the demo unit had a front end alignment problem?
Body roll -- I was also immediately struck by how much body roll there is. When weaving a bit within my lane I noticed that you give it steering input, it leans and then seems to take a set and make the turn. I now see why BajaRon's anti-sway bar is so popular and well regarded, it will be the first farkle we add.
Semi-auto transmission -- I was most curious about this. Interestingly no one in the dealership could answer some basic technical questions I had about this such as "when downshifting does the machine rev-match?". Well, as you know it does, and does it quite well. When upshifting I found that just a slight blip of the throttle timed with the shift helped make smoother shifts. I thought the auto clutch engaged and spooled up from a stop quite nicely. Overall I was impressed and think it is perfect for my wife. Not sure if I'll get this or the manual for my own Spyder, but I'll have a fair amount of time on my wife's machine once it arrives to make that decision. I'm assuming the manual shifts just like any motorcycle, right?
Engine/power -- Being a 1000cc v-twin with over 100 hp I expected the Spyder to be quick like any other liter-bike. Wow, it isn't. Now, I was riding two up, but frankly I found the power underwhelming. An enjoyable engine, and it sounds and feels great from 5,000-8,000 rpm, but I expect passing cars on a two-lane will take a bit longer on the Spyder than on the bike. Not sure if riding solo would improve this much. Not a dealbreaker, enough power to have fun, but I now see why BRP did the 1330 triple on the new RT. Don't you think this new triple will filter down into the rest of the line over the next couple of years?
Ergos & controls -- The riding position (ergos) of the ST seem pretty close to perfect for me. In the showroom my feet want to naturally be in a position a bit forward of the pegs on the RS and a bit back on the floorboards of the ST. In all it would be fine, and will be perfect for my wife, but I may end up with the RS just for a bit more "feel of control". I found the lack of a brake lever disconcerting after a lifetime of training my braking habits to be both front & back brake at the same time with the real braking coming from the front brake. With recent Can-Am ATV experience where the linked front/rear brakes are controlled by either the lefthand lever or the right foot I was reaching for the hand lever which I used almost exclusively on the ATV. Again, I'm sure I'd adapt. The throttle felt great, nice and light, easy to modulate, and with a fairly short twist for full throttle, which you'll need fairly often. ;-)
Brakes -- Fabulous! Perfect pedal effort, excellent power and control. Just wish there was some handlebar control also.
BRP safety mentality -- Someone needs to get the BRP attorneys off of the product planning team. Having to wait for the computer to boot and then acknowledge the safety warning before starting the engine, seriously? And the VSS nanny is VERY intrusive. Just making a left turn from a stop light with light throttle caused some retardation of the throttle by the computer. Sheesh, let us riders live at least a little bit!
Aesthetics -- the entire front of the ST is just beautiful, but as good looking as the front is the rear is that bad. The new sport rear fender that will be an accessory for 2014 should solve that nicely. It's what should be standard.
Bottom line: I like it but wish it had more power, less intrusive safety constraints, and hope I get used to how it handles so I can get the most out of it. (This is all probably a good thing since we already traded in our ATVs and signed the purchase contract!)
I hope some find this interesting, and that it might help newbies just investigating Spyders as I have been. Thanks to all for the countless posts I've read for days now!
Background: we had just finished trading in our two Can-Am G2 Outlander ATVs (1000 & 650) on a Spyder for my wife so she can ride with me on the street -- she'd rather rider herself than be a passenger, and of course I enjoy riding more solo so everyone wins. I'm still riding my R1200RT for a while and plan to get a Spyder for myself in a year or two, or sooner if I just can't wait. We had a deal made on a Magnesium 2013 ST-S SE5 but changed our minds at the last minute due to all the info on this forum about the heat issues on the 2013 models. Instead of taking delivery of the 2013 with the rebate and extended warranty we switched the deal to a 2014 version in pearl white, which of course won't even be here for a couple of months. The dealer, SK Northwest in Portland, OR was quite accommodating actually in spite of claiming no knowledge of the heat issues.
So, as a lifelong motorcyclist, now age 60, with recent experience on a Can-Am Outlander 1000 XT ATV and BMW R1200RT for reference, here are my impressions...
Steering -- As soon as I pulled out onto the 35 mph arterial I was struck by the "nervous" feeling from the steering. I expected it to just steer along and feel quite stable but it felt actually unstable, twitchy, and nervous. As the ride progressed I got used to it somewhat and expect that would continue, and I need to ride it solo and push it more so as to get more comfortable with it, but I confess this was an unexpected impression. With all the people here, with no doubt widely varying skill levels, that absolutely love their Spyders this must be something that one gets used to quickly, or perhaps the demo unit had a front end alignment problem?
Body roll -- I was also immediately struck by how much body roll there is. When weaving a bit within my lane I noticed that you give it steering input, it leans and then seems to take a set and make the turn. I now see why BajaRon's anti-sway bar is so popular and well regarded, it will be the first farkle we add.
Semi-auto transmission -- I was most curious about this. Interestingly no one in the dealership could answer some basic technical questions I had about this such as "when downshifting does the machine rev-match?". Well, as you know it does, and does it quite well. When upshifting I found that just a slight blip of the throttle timed with the shift helped make smoother shifts. I thought the auto clutch engaged and spooled up from a stop quite nicely. Overall I was impressed and think it is perfect for my wife. Not sure if I'll get this or the manual for my own Spyder, but I'll have a fair amount of time on my wife's machine once it arrives to make that decision. I'm assuming the manual shifts just like any motorcycle, right?
Engine/power -- Being a 1000cc v-twin with over 100 hp I expected the Spyder to be quick like any other liter-bike. Wow, it isn't. Now, I was riding two up, but frankly I found the power underwhelming. An enjoyable engine, and it sounds and feels great from 5,000-8,000 rpm, but I expect passing cars on a two-lane will take a bit longer on the Spyder than on the bike. Not sure if riding solo would improve this much. Not a dealbreaker, enough power to have fun, but I now see why BRP did the 1330 triple on the new RT. Don't you think this new triple will filter down into the rest of the line over the next couple of years?
Ergos & controls -- The riding position (ergos) of the ST seem pretty close to perfect for me. In the showroom my feet want to naturally be in a position a bit forward of the pegs on the RS and a bit back on the floorboards of the ST. In all it would be fine, and will be perfect for my wife, but I may end up with the RS just for a bit more "feel of control". I found the lack of a brake lever disconcerting after a lifetime of training my braking habits to be both front & back brake at the same time with the real braking coming from the front brake. With recent Can-Am ATV experience where the linked front/rear brakes are controlled by either the lefthand lever or the right foot I was reaching for the hand lever which I used almost exclusively on the ATV. Again, I'm sure I'd adapt. The throttle felt great, nice and light, easy to modulate, and with a fairly short twist for full throttle, which you'll need fairly often. ;-)
Brakes -- Fabulous! Perfect pedal effort, excellent power and control. Just wish there was some handlebar control also.
BRP safety mentality -- Someone needs to get the BRP attorneys off of the product planning team. Having to wait for the computer to boot and then acknowledge the safety warning before starting the engine, seriously? And the VSS nanny is VERY intrusive. Just making a left turn from a stop light with light throttle caused some retardation of the throttle by the computer. Sheesh, let us riders live at least a little bit!
Aesthetics -- the entire front of the ST is just beautiful, but as good looking as the front is the rear is that bad. The new sport rear fender that will be an accessory for 2014 should solve that nicely. It's what should be standard.
Bottom line: I like it but wish it had more power, less intrusive safety constraints, and hope I get used to how it handles so I can get the most out of it. (This is all probably a good thing since we already traded in our ATVs and signed the purchase contract!)
I hope some find this interesting, and that it might help newbies just investigating Spyders as I have been. Thanks to all for the countless posts I've read for days now!
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