Going for a Spyder Test Ride - Advice from SpyderLovers?

[groundeffect]

I'm scheduled in for a Spyder Test Ride - tomorrow.

It's the middle of winter here and we've had some warm temps, and rain; so no salt on the roads, and they are clear and dry!!!



I've been doing a lot of research about the Spyder the last month or so, and I've learned a lot from YOU GUYS. So, THANK YOU.

Tomorrow I suspect will be another learning experience, in actually getting to ride on the Spyder ( SM, of course ).


I've very much looking forward to it. Do you have any recommendations on what I should look for when I do the Spyder test ride?

I know that counter-steering is not going to work!! haaha.

Any useful advance for a newbie about to take his first Spyder test ride, would be greatly appreciated, from all the SpyderLovers out there.


thanks guys!
Cheers.

 

[Lowflyingowl]

Hold on

Slow into the curves

Fast coming out of the curves

Did I mention, hold on!:2thumbs:

 

[RAL]

Any useful advance for a newbie about to take his first Spyder test ride, would be greatly appreciated, from all the SpyderLovers out there.


thanks guys!
Cheers.

Bring your checkbook.


RAL

 

[Smylinacha]

NO! Hold on and go FAST in the curves - it's way fun. Make sure you hug it w/ your legs or you will feel like you will be flying off the freakin thing. Also don't death grip the bars - it will make it a cr@ppy ride. Spyder likes to act spastic if you grip too tight - steering will feel twitchy. Just relax on the bars and you'll be good to go. Oh and it stops on a dime - you can really jam on it and you won't have to worry about anything. Remember, Spydie likes high revs - keep them up around 5K or more.

 

[Dragonrider]

Since it's your first ryde, you won't notice the lack of wind protection - I put the first 300 miles on mine before I put the big risers on, BUT I picked it up with the BRP +1 riser installed. Don't worry about those niggly bits, the fun begins after you get her home...

Also, if you have NO ATV or snowmobile experience, it will take a couple of hundred miles for you to become completely comfortable with it - especially the lack of a hand brake...

Just my $0.02

 

[Director]

Just hang off a little bit in the direction of the turns. The cornering is what I found strangest with the Spyder at first.

I am amazed that you are able to have a test ride on the Rock at this time of the year. Here in Southwestern Ontario, we are completely snowed under, and the roads that are clear are covered in salt.

Have fun!

Bruce

 

[BajaRon]

If you have been riding 2 wheels for a long time my advise is to relax and let the Spyder show you how it is done.

Having said that I know personally how hard that can be to do. I know I'm not alone in this. I absolutely hated my Spyder for about 300 miles. If I had not owned it I would never have purchased one after a test ride.

Not everyone that has a lot of saddle time on 2 wheels has felt this way but there are more than a few.

On the other hand, it seems that if you've had little or no 2 wheel experience you take to the Spyder much more quickly.

My problem was that my butt, hands, feet said I was on a motorcycle. And my head, with a helmet on, feeling the wind go by, and being out in the open, agreed. The problem, of course, is that I WAS NOT ON A MOTORCYCLE! But logic is not always the answer and it just didn't work for me at first.

Everything I naturally did was all wrong and the feedback was also all wrong. But the wrong-ness was in me, not in the Spyder.

Once I finally relaxed and let the Spyder be itself it all fell into place and it was GREAT! Now my 2 wheeler (which I love) sits and gathers dust.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it! hyea:

 

[NancysToy]

Just hang off a little bit in the direction of the turns. The cornering is what I found strangest with the Spyder at first.

I am amazed that you are able to have a test ride on the Rock at this time of the year. Here in Southwestern Ontario, we are completely snowed under, and the roads that are clear are covered in salt.

Have fun!

Bruce

I couldn't have said it better. One thing to add: Don't be surprised if you do not feel 100% comfortable on the Spyder right away. It takes a hundred miles or better to really get the feel for it an become one with the machine. I suppose for those with an ATV background or with no motorcycle experience it could happen sooner, but it took a while for this old fossil. After that, I was obviously hooked.

 

[docdoru]

I'm scheduled in for a Spyder Test Ride - tomorrow.

Do not judge the Spyder after the first run. I remember June 2008 when I thought for the first 400 miles that I made a $17K mistake! nojoke
Good luck and see you on your Spyder! :thumbup:

 

[WackyDan]

Do not judge the Spyder after the first run. I remember June 2008 when I thought for the first 400 miles that I made a $17K mistake! nojoke
Good luck and see you on your Spyder! :thumbup:

Agreed. Same here. Took about two weeks of ownership and riding to truly fall in love with the Spyder.

Also, I would not have bought the Spyder based on test ride alone. I too came here asking a lot of questions before and after the test ride. Without Spyderlovers.com I would have bought my new Vmax and be dead by now. :shocked:

 

[BillGargan]

Personally, I think newbies on Spyders should be instructed to lower their shoulders toward the handlebars when making aggressive turns. It requires far less skill and experience than shifting in the saddle in the same direction (to the inside of the turn) as the turn .

Just hang off a little bit in the direction of the turns. The cornering is what I found strangest with the Spyder at first.

I am amazed that you are able to have a test ride on the Rock at this time of the year. Here in Southwestern Ontario, we are completely snowed under, and the roads that are clear are covered in salt.

Have fun!

Bruce

 

[groundeffect]

Dragonrider

Thank you for your replies, everyone!

Hold on

Slow into the curves

Fast coming out of the curves

Did I mention, hold on!:2thumbs:

Bring your checkbook.


RAL

Smylinacha

Make sure you hug it w/ your legs or you will feel like you will be flying off the freakin thing. Also don't death grip the bars - it will make it a cr@ppy ride. Spyder likes to act spastic if you grip too tight - steering will feel twitchy. Just relax on the bars and you'll be good to go. Oh and it stops on a dime - you can really jam on it and you won't have to worry about anything. Remember, Spydie likes high revs - keep them up around 5K or more.

Thanks for the good advice.




Dragonrider

Also, if you have NO ATV or snowmobile experience, it will take a couple of hundred miles for you to become completely comfortable with it - especially the lack of a hand brake...

Thanks for your comments. I don't have a lot of time on either. When riding two wheels I use both the front and rear brakes at the same time. I suspect I will reach for the 'front brake lever' a couple times and not find it, but I'll use the foot brake also, of course.

It is an SM they have lined up for me, so I'm hoping to feel right at home with the clutch on the left.

Just hang off a little bit in the direction of the turns. The cornering is what I found strangest with the Spyder at first.

I am amazed that you are able to have a test ride on the Rock at this time of the year. Here in Southwestern Ontario, we are completely snowed under, and the roads that are clear are covered in salt.

Have fun!

Bruce

Bruce, I'm very surprised and pleased about the no-snow here. It's pretty unusual, but it is a wel comed site. We did have some snow in early Dec, but the week of rain washed it all away. I'm expecting to get some interesting looks from the ride - on a motorcycle in the middle of Winter, in Newfoundland, on a Spyder!




Thanks for the notes about it taking a while to get used to. I suspect it will be a different feeling from what I'm used to (two wheels), to be sure. I'll keep that in mind. I do like the idea of the three-wheel Y configuration though, I have to say.


Bill:

Personally, I think newbies on Spyders should be instructed to lower their shoulders toward the handlebars when making aggressive turns.

Thanks for the body position tips!




I have to admit, the steering issues that have been reported has made me nervous, as I guess anyone would be:dontknow:, but I will give it a shot and see how it works out. It will be around in an empty parking lot and then a drive through down, where the speed limit is from 30miles/hr (50km/h) - 50miles/hr (80km/hr). We'll see.


Thank you again, everyone. I hope to make a post after the ride today!
Cheers.

 

[SpyderWolf]

Have fun on the test ride, and try not to hit 110 mph during it like we did on ours. :thumbup:

 

[NancysToy]

Personally, I think newbies on Spyders should be instructed to lower their shoulders toward the handlebars when making aggressive turns. It requires far less skill and experience than shifting in the saddle in the same direction (to the inside of the turn) as the turn .

:agree: I tell them to try to kiss the back of their inside hand...so to speak.

 

[BumbleBee]

Bring your checkbook.


RAL

:agree: My exact words

 

[nipmip2002]

if your tailing a lead waite for them to go right then you go left and just keep on going.:2thumbs:

 

[Some Guy]

My tip: You don't need to put your feet down when you stop! :roflblack: :roflblack: :roflblack:

 

[wyliec]

Ask a lot of questions.

 

[AntelopeSpyder]

Test Ride

Which Spyder are going to ride? RT or RS? I rode both and fell in love with the RT.:2thumbs:

 

[groundeffect]

I Took The Spyder for test Ryde!

This is what I noticed from my first ever Spyder ryde:

Handling:
WOW, this thing is sensitive, responsive, very quick!
The SM is nice, I really do enjoy the feel of the clutch and having that control to pull the lever in to disengage.


Braking:
… you guys are right; it was sensitive also, but very good. It was a 2009 SM5 model, no squeaks in the brakes, just ABS stopping power. A coupe of times I found myself reaching for the front brake; but no front brake lever on the handle bars. I got used to it though, in the matter of 10mins.


Acceleration:
WOW, holy ***** this has A LOAD of power under its' panels! Yes, it does enjoy running at higher RPMs. The salesman said the gearing is slightly changed on the RS for 2010 to give more power and torque where needed. He also mentioned the throttle control was done via a cable, just like most motorcycles. (anyone confirm these things fot the 2010 rs????)

I purposefully jammed on the throttle. I was doing about 10mph and jammed it. For a split second the rear wheel spin and I slipped, but only slightly, as the traction control kicked in, reduced the power to the rear wheel and kept me on course.


Sound:
It even sounds powerful, even with the stock exhaust, which I like. I did notice it was not real loud either, which I like.



I did not experience any steering issues on the demo Spyder. We talked a lot about the steering issues, I asked a lot of questions. The dealer here is pretty small and has not seen any issues with they Spyders, but they did follow through on all of the recalls or service bulletins that came out. However, having rode the Spyder and feeling the ease of use in turning, I think I would be scared if the DPS were to fail. I still have concerns about that. I called and talked with a BRP tech today and inquired about the steering issues. They are the tech guys working for BRP, so mostly they will tell you what 'a customer wants to hear', I would assume. The gentalmen I talked with was very nice and did just that; "the DPS for 2010 are different then the 2008/2009 models and are more advanced with enhancements and fixes already built-in, before 2010 production started". I am not (yet) a spider owner, but he did spend 52minutes on the phone with me, answering my questions. I thought that was good customer service (at least pre-sales service - good job BRP).





THE VERDICT:I'm about 95% on ordering a Spyder RS 2010 !!! ….. just need about 5% of convincing before I'm all GO.