First test Ride: Prospective Owner

[dancogan]

My wife and I headed to C&C Sports in Brighton, MI for our first test ride of an RT today. The Spyder was waiting for us outside and after the paperwork was done I was very pleased that the salesman gave us some suggested roads and then sent us off. No restrictions on where to go, and I was especially happy we were allowed to ride 2-up.

The bike was flawless. Wish I could say the same for the driver. lol It sook some time to get used to the handling. The handling seemed very sensitive at first, and it was a challenge taking a smooth line through the curves. The straight sections were easy. We pulled into a parking lot for some slow speed riding and then back onto the road. Finished up the test ride on the interstate at 75 mph, which it hit effortlessly. Came to a stop light and noticed that I had put my foot down! Now that really wasn't necessary. Reading through these forums and other posts really helped me know what to expect.

The differences from a 2-wheeled bike were more striking than I thought they would be. Riding a 2-wheeler, even on the straights, makes me feel like I'm flying. Obviously the Spyder is much more planted and doesn't have quite that feel However, I think the feeling of freedom and maneuverablity will increase as my abilities and confidence grow.

I've got a BMW R1200RT to sell. That's the hardest part - I love that bike. But physical limitations are making 2-up riding more and more difficult.

A future :spyder2: Ryder. :2thumbs:

 

[CSX4350]

The differences can make transitioning to a Spyder a bit of a challenge, which can take days, weeks, even months to fully get used to. My obstacles were mainly over-steering it, but I still catch myself grabbing for the hand brake occasionally. I had lots of trouble keeping it in a straight line at first, but once I loosened up and stopped manhandling the bars it totally changed the way it rode.

I am on my second one, the first one only lived for 4 days before a cager ran me over last year. Had I been on two wheels he'd have killed me. The Spyder gave its life to save mine. Rumors at the time talked about the RT so I waited for it to come out before buying another one. I've had my RT for 5 weeks & 1500 miles, and notice that I get more comfortable and accustomed to it all the time. Corners aren't the obstacle they were, and I'm going around them at a pretty good clip now. In fact, they are more fun than on two wheels since I don't pay any attention to loose gravel in corners when I'm on it.

I really look forward to taking a nice ride on my Spyder. In fact, I need a new clevis pin for my tractor, I think I'll ride to Tractor Supply and pick one up. Any excuse to put a few miles on it.