Roadster Raoul
New member
Hi. I've been lurking around here for a few months...trying to pickup some good info from you knowledgeable Spyder owners. I used to ride two-wheelers years ago and really missed it, but I have the back of a 700 year old man (or so it seems!), and don't really dare to ride them again. Even if I thought I could handle a bike at very low speeds or stopped, most of the bikes nowadays have really forward foot positions putting all the weight on my back, which would kill me. So I've been trying to decide the last few months if I should "take the plunge" on a Spyder. I took a short test ride on a RS at a dealer, and while my back didn't feel really bad while riding, the ride was fairly short, and I couldn't really tell how it would be. I knew I'd have to add risers and probably lower the pegs/add floorboards to make it really comfortable. So I was hemming and hawing for a month or so about whether I should buy or not, when I saw an ad on Craigslist from a Cadillac dealer (of all places!), for a 2009 Spyder SE5, that from the pics, seemed to have a LOT of extras/options so...
...I bought it!
hyea: It only had 1,500 miles and was owned by a 72 year old man...that was all the info I could get...(most)Cadillac salesmen don't know a lot about Spyders (although, I maybe getting the previous owner's contact info, I hope!). It had the Phantom kit w/6-spoke wheels, saddlebags, rack and backrest, fog lights, Hindle exhaust, 23"(?) touring windshield, 4.5 inch bar risers, driver floorboards, passenger peg extensions, front trunk liner, brake rotor and handlebar trim pieces, and even a hand brake! Plus, it had all of the original body panels, exhaust, windshield, cover and shop manual. As soon as I sat on it, I knew that the bar risers and floorboards made it just about the perfect riding position for me, and the rest of the options (with maybe a couple of tweaks) were things I'd probably want to add myself. The previous owner did a fine job of setting this up (for me, anyways). It did seem kinda funny seeing it sitting in a Cadillac showroom, with several boxes of the extra parts in the corner of the showroom, so I did my civic duty and made sure it didn't stay there for long! I think I got a pretty good deal...I tried to get them to throw in a Caddy, but they wouldn't go quite that far!
So far I have put about 300 miles on it, and I think my back can handle it (YES...I never thought I'd be able to ride again!). I'm still having problems with the corners, but I think that will come. I do have to make a couple of tweaks...I have to change the windshield, and have to do something with the brake pedal...due to the floorboards, it isn't the stock pedal, and can be a little tough to "find". I think it should be fairly easy to modify...
Well...I'm glad I finally joined here, and will probably wear you guys out with questions for a while...bear with me...:2thumbs:
Rick
...I bought it!
hyea: It only had 1,500 miles and was owned by a 72 year old man...that was all the info I could get...(most)Cadillac salesmen don't know a lot about Spyders (although, I maybe getting the previous owner's contact info, I hope!). It had the Phantom kit w/6-spoke wheels, saddlebags, rack and backrest, fog lights, Hindle exhaust, 23"(?) touring windshield, 4.5 inch bar risers, driver floorboards, passenger peg extensions, front trunk liner, brake rotor and handlebar trim pieces, and even a hand brake! Plus, it had all of the original body panels, exhaust, windshield, cover and shop manual. As soon as I sat on it, I knew that the bar risers and floorboards made it just about the perfect riding position for me, and the rest of the options (with maybe a couple of tweaks) were things I'd probably want to add myself. The previous owner did a fine job of setting this up (for me, anyways). It did seem kinda funny seeing it sitting in a Cadillac showroom, with several boxes of the extra parts in the corner of the showroom, so I did my civic duty and made sure it didn't stay there for long! I think I got a pretty good deal...I tried to get them to throw in a Caddy, but they wouldn't go quite that far!So far I have put about 300 miles on it, and I think my back can handle it (YES...I never thought I'd be able to ride again!). I'm still having problems with the corners, but I think that will come. I do have to make a couple of tweaks...I have to change the windshield, and have to do something with the brake pedal...due to the floorboards, it isn't the stock pedal, and can be a little tough to "find". I think it should be fairly easy to modify...
Well...I'm glad I finally joined here, and will probably wear you guys out with questions for a while...bear with me...:2thumbs:
Rick
