Going from Goldwing to Spyder

[North]

Gooday,
I'm thinking of going from a 2007 Goldwing 1800 to a Spyder 2017. What will I gain/lose on the change over. How is the spyder in tight turns, highway passing at higher speeds?? And anything else you can enlighten me on.
Thanks,
Gary

 

[Pirate looks at --]

You will gain stability that you done have on two wheels. You will undoubtedly loose a bunch of buttons and switches you never used on your Goldwing. As for handling in the corners, you will struggle at first, as it is a whole different way to ryde. Once you get a couple thousand miles under your belt you will be pleased as to how well it handles in turns. As for passing, the Spyder can pass anything on the road with ease! Plenty of power to handle what you need!

 

[2dogs]

The short answer.....

Read through the "Do's and Don'ts" on this site and most all your questions will be answered.

 

[Navydad]

I went from 40 years of touring bikes including a couple of Wings to a Spyder RT. My first thoughts were pretty much HOLY CRAP what have I done, this is not going to work!!! Well, after about a thousand miles it got better. After a year and a half and 22,000 miles we wouldn't go back to a two wheeled touring rig. We have put in several 500+ mile days on our RT and arrived much more relaxed than we ever have after a long day on two wheels. I am a junkie that still needs a two wheeled fix so I do have a motorcycle in the garage for that purpose, plus I occasionally get away for a few days alone and I take the motorcycle on those short trips. It is different and it will take some time.

 

[Chasinsparks]

My .02

I never had a Goldwing but had many cruisers and crotch rockets. I absolutely love the stability and comfort of my RTL.

What did I gain:

More muscles in my face from smiling everytime I go for a ride.

A lot of fans, people still love to come up and talk about the Spyder

A passenger, wife was not digging the two wheels, loves hanging out on the back.

Again the Comfort and stability.

After you put a few miles on and get used to the Spyder I feel you will really enjoy the ride.

Read the do and don't the men and women Spyder Riders on this site have put a lot information out there from experience. I thoroughly read and re-read and spent a lot of time on this board as a peeping tom, I feel it truly helped with the transition and made my riding more enjoyable.

 

[Grandpot]

I have a 2011 RTS with the 998 engine. When I'm doing 70 and want to pass, all I do is give it some throttle. Zooommm! I also have a Valkyrie. You won't be giving up anything. It's just different

 

[BajaRon]

Never had a Goldwing. My Valkyrie was as close as I ever got to one. But if your experience is like mine. You will hate your new Spyder at first. Your 2 wheeled brain will think you are on a motorcycle and it won't like what it does. It will feel twitchy and somewhat uncontrollable to you at first. But knowing that it is you and not the machine really helps a lot.

The 'Do's and Don't's' list people mention will help you over the learning curve more quickly. And this is the key. Some give up right away and never experience the great ride the Spyder provides.

Once you get the hang of it you will be really glad you did. It's a great experience and worth the effort.

Hopefully, you won't struggle like I did. Not everyone does. But if you do. Just take your time and you can always come back here for some specific answers if needed.

Good Luck! :thumbup:

 

[wingit3611]

Love it or hate it

The thing about a Spyder is if it is set up rite you will love it. (like riding on rails). If not set up rite it will dart around and you will hate it. Get an experienced rider to ride it. And ride one set correctly, rides like on rails.

 

[d.o.spyder-rts]

Not going into a lot of details, after being t-boned on my '05 wing in '09, I purchased my first spyder in 2012. You will find there is a learning curve. It took me around 500 miles to get used to riding the spyder. Like mentioned before, read the do's and don'ts for spyder riders in in the forum under the general tab. My current ride is a '16 RTS and I love it. Good luck with your decision. Dale

 

[fjray]

Don't sell the wing until you have spent a fair amount of time with a Spyder. The spyder is a fine machine and I can't say I totally regret owning it but we were never comfortable on it and after 15k and lots of upgrades it lives in the neighbors garage and we are back on a wing. The handling on the wing is effortless compared to the tricycle and if you have any upper back or neck issues you will find the Spyder challenging . If you can find one to rent for a long weekend or a whole week do it before buying. A test ride at the dealer doesn't mean squat. I still ride my old one on occasion but only solo cause my bride likes the wing better. Either way enjoy yourself.

 

[North]

You will gain stability that you done have on two wheels. You will undoubtedly loose a bunch of buttons and switches you never used on your Goldwing. As for handling in the corners, you will struggle at first, as it is a whole different way to ryde. Once you get a couple thousand miles under your belt you will be pleased as to how well it handles in turns. As for passing, the Spyder can pass anything on the road with ease! Plenty of power to handle what you need!

Thanks......... I ride two up often, the wing was just getting toooooo heavy in the slow riding, parking lots, etc. three wheels should sove this!!

 

[bscrive]

I have a 1800 Goldwing Valkyrie and my wife has a F3S. She keeps up to me just fine and passes anything out there pretty much as quickly as I do.

 

[cheska]

Canada

North go to the bottom of the Forum page look for chapters and groups. Click on Canada. Scroll through the posts you should be able to find some local information and maybe talk to some local folks. Good luck both wife and I had our own plus I have had 2
sidecar units and 2 back wheel trikes now the spyder its the best so far. Bob

 

[sylvester]

After having nothing but wings since 1975 and a million plus miles i would never go back to 2 wheels i only had a hard time for the 1st 50 miles after that it was a piece of cake. Went from a 02 wing to an F3 limited and never looked back, even with several heart surgeries i still managed to put 7000 miles on my 17.You won't regret it

 

[C. Lee]

I went from an 05 goldwing to a 16 RTL and the only thing I don't like is the helmet storage. I could fit 2 helmets in the goldwing trunk but on the RTL they don't fit in the trunk. There is a hook under the seat for the d ring chin strap but my helmets don't have a d ring, so I am left with taking them inside with me or trying to fit them in the frunk which is challenging with a communicator attached. Other than that issue, I wouldn't change back for the world, we absolutely love it and should have changed years ago. Chris

 

[gerald37]

I have had mind for one year now. Put about 16,000 miles on it. I have been riding motorcycles for over 63 years now. I traded a 2015 Goldwing for a 2015 Can Am Spyder RT. The first two weeks I thought I had made a real mistake. It takes quite a bit of riding to get use to it. After getting it aligned and just small adjustments like tires balanced, belt adjusted correctly and learning how to corner it. I love it now. I just got back from a trip to Sturgis. Five days I rode it 1900 miles. It was a little over 1000 miles round trip and about 800 miles in the Black Hill. After learning how to ride I feel I can corner it as fast as I could my Goldwing F6B. As far as passing vehicles I have had no problem. The speed limit on interstate 90 across South Dakota is 80 miles per hour and I had my cruse set on 82 all the way except west of Murdo where there was construction. At 82 on the Spyder's speedometer my GPS shows 80 miles per hour. To me it is just as comfortable to travel on as any of me 3 Goldwing's I have had. Where I really noticed it was riding in Sturgis, stop and go with all the bikes not having to but your foot down and holding the bike up. Younger I never noticed but when you get older there is a lot difference.

 

[canamjhb]

I still have an 1800 wing. My experience mirrors BajaRons. It has taken me over 15K miles to really become comfortable switching back and forth. Riding the Spyder requires more use of upper body strength coupled with learning an entirely different cornering technique. I have more than a few hundred thousand miles on wings and can regularly drag the hard parts in corners at both low and high speed. I doubt I will ever be able to match my riding abilities on the Spyder. But, I can now out corner my old buddies who ride GW trikes...... no contest. Three wheels -vs- two means there are times when road tracks and bumps are felt a bit more. The Spyder is more stable in poor conditions such as high winds and questionable roads. As for power, the Spyder is adequate. It is heavier than the Wing and has less power so acceleration and passing are not as spirited. But the Spyder is OK. It's a lot more fun and less stressful tooling around town and sightseeing in new areas. Today, if I had to pick either the Spyder or the Wing, I would go with the Spyder. Overall less stressful and more smiles, even if I may be a bit slower. Hope this helps.....

 

[ARtraveler]

:welcome: All the above have added some good points. Bottom line--I am thinking the only thing you will miss is putting your foot down to hold up the Wing.

The :f_spider: is efficient in everything else. :yes:

 

[gerald37]

Never had a Goldwing. My Valkyrie was as close as I ever got to one. But if your experience is like mine. You will hate your new Spyder at first. Your 2 wheeled brain will think you are on a motorcycle and it won't like what it does. It will feel twitchy and somewhat uncontrollable to you at first. But knowing that it is you and not the machine really helps a lot.

The 'Do's and Don't's' list people mention will help you over the learning curve more quickly. And this is the key. Some give up right away and never experience the great ride the Spyder provides.

Once you get the hang of it you will be really glad you did. It's a great experience and worth the effort.

Hopefully, you won't struggle like I did. Not everyone does. But if you do. Just take your time and you can always come back here for some specific answers if needed.

Good Luck! :thumbup:

This is all true. BajaRon sounds like I felt when I first got my Spyder. If I would have rented one for a weekend I would never own one now. It does take a little time. The one I purchased needed aligned, different tires, wheels balanced and big change was Ron's sway bar. When they are setup right and you put a thousand on one you will love it.

 

[Y-me]

Not sure if its is an issue for many but as the Spyder stands on its own you never have to consider its weight like you wold on a big bike like the Wing.