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How often do these things tip over??

I can lift the tire on my RT quite easily now that I have practiced it. We have 4 round abouts on the highway so I push it through them hard and fast. It never feels like it is getting close to tipping over but if caught off gaurd you have to fight the urg to counter steer to drop the wheel as you will veer off in the opposite direction of the turn.
 
Just don't get caught short while "tickling the dragon's tail"... you might get burnt! :shocked:
The LAST thing that we'd want to be doing, is reading about you in the paper for the wrong reasons.
 
VSS ??????

MY RT's don't have any VSS or anti-tip devices. I have lifted a wheel but it is very controllable and defiantly not any worse than running a corner a bit to fast on a MC or Car.

A bigger problem is being tossed off the seat like a lawn dart. Having done much snowmobiling is a plus as riding a RT and snowmobile is quite similar. You learn to lean off the seat.

A stiff sway bar is a must as the more yawl the more uneasy you will be.

How did you manage to dis-connect the VSS and why would you do this ?????????.:lecturef_smilie:....Mike
 
I drove my ebay Spyder for the first time today and it was a hoot! I think I need to pretty much forget everything I've learned about motorcycles over the past 40 years, as this is definitely a different animal.
Cornering is taking the most time to get used to, and I kept watching for the wheel on the inside of the turn to start lifting. So..... how hard is it to tip one of these? Will it give you sufficient warning, allowing you to correct before it finally goes? Has anyone here ever actually rolled theirs over (and lived to tell about it). I can only imagine how horrific that would be. As time goes on, I'm sure I'll get more used to it and learn the capabilities, but at this point I can only wonder how close it is to actually rolling over.

Seat time/seat time.....Took me till my 600mi to finally feel totally comfortable on curves and turns. It felt to me like it was trying to throw me off. Salesman and others on this forum advised to lean forward and into the turn while gripping with the knees. Gone through highway twisties at highway speeds and she's as stable as can be.
 
A diversion back to the OP. I suggest reading and studying the safety part of the manual and watching the dvd that should have come with your Spyder package. The information goes into explaining the characteristics of the nanny and controlling the vehicle under most circumstances.

As mentioned above, it should be pretty hard to flip the Spyder--but anything can happen under the right circumstances.
 
Extremely hard to do, However, it is not impossible. I seen the results of two rollovers personally. One, a RS, was the result of a really big young inexperienced rider attempting to spin Brodie's. Result, handlebar, mirror, and Tupperware damage. The second was a RT going two up a year ago New Years. The bolt came out of the top shock mount and during a low speed turn at an intersection the shock came out of the bracket causing the bike to collapse on one side, roll on its side, dumping the occupants, before righting itself back on its wheels. The bike was declared totaled. The owner switched to a HD trike.
 
I don't think I've heard of anyone actually flipping their Spyder other than a few that went into ditches or hit something.

Other than me.

Mine rolled. All the way over. The only thing I hit was a greasy spot in the road.
IMAG0540 (Medium).jpgIMAG0545 (Medium).jpgIMAG0550 (Medium).jpgIMAG0253 (Small).jpg

Ok, a big greasy spot. I was slowing down and ridding the center line trying to stay out of the fresh oil and having zero issues when wham. I was on my back. Best I can tell I got into it a bit and as the road turned the Spyder threw me and rolled all the way over and back on its wheels. The damage to the bike was mostly cosmetic but expensive none-the-less ($6700). I was lucky, I was in full gear that day (it was cool outside) and busted up my helmet pretty good, jacket and armor kept it a bloodless accident, but I still managed to break my collar bone, my shoulder and 5 ribs.

As soon as I could I was back on it again. No loss of confidence.

The Spyder is an amazing machine but it can very suddenly toss you even if you don't think you're doing everything right. There was no chance to respond, no super human reflexes could have reacted to the snap roll I experienced.

The only reason I tell this story is to let people know you CAN flip it and it hurts with full gear on. Had I not had any one piece of it, I would have had the incredible pain of nasty road rash on top of what I already broke. And had I not had my helmet on... well I probably wouldn't be telling this story. I'm all for freedom to choose what you want, but if retelling this makes one person wear their helmet and take their own safety seriously then I'm happy.

But I'll say it again. I haven't heard of anyone who's rolled their Spyder that wasn't hit, or hit something, or went off road into a ditch. That says a lot for the safety of the Spyder.

And I still ride the Sublime Green Machine
28976136_150x150.gif
 
FLIPPING A SPYDER

I don't think I've heard of anyone actually flipping their Spyder other than a few that went into ditches or hit something.

Other than me.

Mine rolled. All the way over. The only thing I hit was a greasy spot in the road.
View attachment 50720View attachment 50721View attachment 50722View attachment 50724

Ok, a big greasy spot. I was slowing down and ridding the center line trying to stay out of the fresh oil and having zero issues when wham. I was on my back. Best I can tell I got into it a bit and as the road turned the Spyder threw me and rolled all the way over and back on its wheels. The damage to the bike was mostly cosmetic but expensive none-the-less ($6700). I was lucky, I was in full gear that day (it was cool outside) and busted up my helmet pretty good, jacket and armor kept it a bloodless accident, but I still managed to break my collar bone, my shoulder and 5 ribs.

As soon as I could I was back on it again. No loss of confidence.

The Spyder is an amazing machine but it can very suddenly toss you even if you don't think you're doing everything right. There was no chance to respond, no super human reflexes could have reacted to the snap roll I experienced.

The only reason I tell this story is to let people know you CAN flip it and it hurts with full gear on. Had I not had any one piece of it, I would have had the incredible pain of nasty road rash on top of what I already broke. And had I not had my helmet on... well I probably wouldn't be telling this story. I'm all for freedom to choose what you want, but if retelling this makes one person wear their helmet and take their own safety seriously then I'm happy.

But I'll say it again. I haven't heard of anyone who's rolled their Spyder that wasn't hit, or hit something, or went off road into a ditch. That says a lot for the safety of the Spyder.

And I still ride the Sublime Green Machine
View attachment 50725
But think what it would have been like on two wheel touring bike........I think the Spyder saved the bacon.....IMHO....mike
 
VSS does not ALWAYS work!

It does work most of the time but my daughter and I have been tossed off mine like lawn darts as someone else said. It happened right before the Durango owners event.

We were doing MAYBE 15MPH in an 's' curve that went up a small hill to the left. the left front came up so high I thought it would flip all the way over. VSS did not even attempt to kick in and engine power remained constant, and yes do know what it feels like when it kicks in. When I thought it was going to come all the way over on me I pushed off the right side hard as I could to try and keep it from rolling completely. The spyder then came down hard on the left throwing my daughter off the left while I was smashing into the pavement on the right. We both had a little road rash, soreness and I needed a new helmet so it could have been much worse.

My daughters first words after getting to her feet were "We're still going to Colorado, right?". I thought that was kinda cool and it made us both laugh a little.

I have 20,000+ miles of fairly aggressive riding in on this Spyder and have had the nanny kick in on occasion while really pushing the handling on the twisties. This was truly a freak occurrance when all the planets aligned and we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
 
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I agree with all the other posters, the VSS kicks in before you will become unstable unless you hit a loading ramp with one wheel, or some such.

All of this is true if you've purchased a a genuine BRP Spyder. I only say this because there are some cheap Chinese knock-offs available from ebay.

If you've purchased one of those, then all bets are off.

I hope I am wrong, and you live a happy life of Spyder motoring.

Keep us posted so we know how you make out.

That's crazy!:banghead:
 
We're not the only folks that should worry about this

There is a dealer here that sells a three wheel car like this. I think of the video every time I pass and laugh at the fool that buys one of these. Most people must be smart because his inventory has not changed in two years. He just moves them around the lot from time to time.
 
I always end up breaking the rear loose long before I get lift in the front. That's why my rear tire (factory) only lasted about 5000 miles. I ride it like a sled and do a full weight transfer to the inside of the turn when riding hard in the corners. These things will corner really well but there is a fine line with "front to back" weight transfer to keep the rear tire hooked up if you're really pushing hard. I actually got it air born for a brief moment coming off the back side of a bridge in 3'rd gear at about 60. I juiced it on the bridge running with a motorcycle and I can tell you they fly flat. The nanny was already kicking in as it touched down, gave a little wiggle and away i went thru the s curves. Did scare the poo outta me but showed me that these machines are amazingly stable. If any of the tires rotate a different sped than the other, the nanny will shut it down on ya. Do what the other poster said and take it into a big parking lot and throw it around. You'll quickly realize they are incredibly stable. Ride Happy!:thumbup:
 
It does work most of the time but my daughter and I have been tossed off mine like lawn darts as someone else said. It happened right before the Durango owners event.

We were doing MAYBE 15MPH in an 's' curve that went up a small hill to the left. the left front came up so high I thought it would flip all the way over. VSS did not even attempt to kick in and engine power remained constant, and yes do know what it feels like when it kicks in. When I thought it was going to come all the way over on me I pushed off the right side hard as I could to try and keep it from rolling completely. The spyder then came down hard on the left throwing my daughter off the left while I was smashing into the pavement on the right. We both had a little road rash, soreness and I needed a new helmet so it could have been much worse.

My daughters first words after getting to her feet were "We're still going to Colorado, right?". I thought that was kinda cool and it made us both laugh a little.

I have 20,000+ miles of fairly aggressive riding in on this Spyder and have had the nanny kick in on occasion while really pushing the handling on the twisties. This was truly a freak occurrance when all the planets aligned and we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

That is extremely disturbing as I get the nanny to kick in every time I ride it.:dontknow:
 
I always end up breaking the rear loose long before I get lift in the front. That's why my rear tire (factory) only lasted about 5000 miles. I ride it like a sled and do a full weight transfer to the inside of the turn when riding hard in the corners. These things will corner really well but there is a fine line with "front to back" weight transfer to keep the rear tire hooked up if you're really pushing hard. I actually got it air born for a brief moment coming off the back side of a bridge in 3'rd gear at about 60. I juiced it on the bridge running with a motorcycle and I can tell you they fly flat. The nanny was already kicking in as it touched down, gave a little wiggle and away i went thru the s curves. Did scare the poo outta me but showed me that these machines are amazingly stable. If any of the tires rotate a different sped than the other, the nanny will shut it down on ya. Do what the other poster said and take it into a big parking lot and throw it around. You'll quickly realize they are incredibly stable. Ride Happy!:thumbup:

I think the hi-lited part above was the key to the nanny not activating on us when we were thrown. We were going soooo freaking slow that both wheels were rotating at the same speed so it did not immediately activate, maybe t kicked in and brought the left side down once the wheel came up high enough to trip a yaw/tilt/lean sensor for me but by that time I was off and hitting the ground so I could not tell.
 
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