How well do Spyders Tour and handle long high speed trips?

[YumaRed]

I was hoping some of the long time Spyder owners that have taken long trips could rate the Spyder for touring purposes. Does it handle the speeds and loads well? Handle 2 full sized adults on occasion? Comfortable for long rides? I know some mods are highly recommended from previous post.

Does the Spyder handle hot weather well? How would you rate the Spyder against other touring bikes with larger engines? I know this is a bit apples / oranges but I am very interested in taking long trips to see parts of the country I have missed.

Your opinions are very welcome... god or bad.

Thanks!

 

[ataDude]

I can't speak for two-up riding as no one is willing to sign my liability disclaimer... yet.

However, I knew when I purchased the SpYder that seat, shield, handlebars and forward foot-pegs would be needed for me... to travel or even go moderate daily distances.

Every motor I've ever had... 27-28 of 'em... needed the same tweaks for distance riding. Even the "king of comfort"... the GL1800... needed a seat and risers.

I recently returned from a 3-4 day AR ride... and it was wonderful... both in comfort and handling in the twisties.

See my thread "Now mine..." in the "mods" forum for things I've done to my SpYder. I'm a happy camper.

.

.

 

[Arachnid]

IMHO a windshield is the single most necessary item for the longer trips.
The CalCi and the F1's Evo III Slider are the most touted.There are many others.
Other problems that seem to need addressing are foot/leg position & vibration. Neither of which bother me that much.

Mike

 

[effgjamis]

just returned from a HD Rally in Ocala.
2 hr ride up and 2 hr ride home pluse 4 hrs at the rally running.
Almost 500 miles all.
Great ride up and the saturday ride. However, I had to leave early Sunday Morning ( ocala ) at 5:00AM and it was 49 degrees, yes, Florida does have its cold..
Brrrrrrrrrrrr.. however, I only stopped twice, to get a cup of coffee.
My speed was from a slow 40 to a high of 65, again Brrrrrr.
However, the spyder drove and rode like a champ.:2thumbs:
I would do it again, but, better Gloves, a neck muff (maybe). Thank goodness for the chaps and leather jacket.

The HD group is a great group of :chateeps, however, they did not allow those with spyders:spyder: to enter the parking lot slow race.....grrrrr... :yikes:

 

[tatt2r]

just returned from a HD Rally in Ocala.
2 hr ride up and 2 hr ride home pluse 4 hrs at the rally running.
Almost 500 miles all.
Great ride up and the saturday ride. However, I had to leave early Sunday Morning ( ocala ) at 5:00AM and it was 49 degrees.
Brrrrrrrrrrrr.. however, I only stopped twice, to get a cup of coffee.
My speed was from a slow 40 to a high of 65, again Brrrrrr.
However, the spyder drove and rode like a champ.:2thumbs:
I would do it again, but, better Gloves a neck muff (maybe) Thank goodness for the chaps and leather jacket.

The HD group is a great group of :chateeps, however, they did not allow those with spyders:spyder: to enter the parking lot slow race.....grrrrr... :yikes:

49 degrees ? thats toasty :2thumbs:

 

[dltang]

I was hoping some of the long time Spyder owners that have taken long trips could rate the Spyder for touring purposes. Does it handle the speeds and loads well? Handle 2 full sized adults on occasion? Comfortable for long rides? I know some mods are highly recommended from previous post.

Does the Spyder handle hot weather well? How would you rate the Spyder against other touring bikes with larger engines? I know this is a bit apples / oranges but I am very interested in taking long trips to see parts of the country I have missed.

Your opinions are very welcome... god or bad.

Thanks!

Hey Yuma,
My husband and I have had our spyders since March 2007. We have ridden to Valcourt, QC for the Spyder Homecoming and came home via Americade in New York State and then back through Canada to Michigan. In Aug. a group of about 10 of us went to the UP for a 4 day spyder ride and no one day had less than 200-300 miles on it. This past Sept. we traveled to Gatlinburg TN to join about 60-70 other spyder owners there. We absolutely love these bikes for long rides as well as our day to day transportation. I have soft saddle bags and a Bustec Hitch, the trailer is yet to come. My husband has the Givi hard bags and they are wonderful. We both have after market windshield which we couldn't do these trips without (we could but not as comfortably). I have highway boards that I added and the 3" NMN risers that I just love for a nice cruising position. I lean back on my biker's friend bag and I am ready for the road. We both just recently ordered the Russell Day Long seats (mine should be in any day now). I will say that daily riding the stock seat is pretty comfortable but for the long haul there is too much compression on my tail bone. So I hope this helps answer your question a bit. We love our spyders and will continue to use them for touring and everyday riding. Even in the our cold weather, we ride.

 

[bone crusher]

Okay,

I'll be the voice of dissent here...

I don't find the bike to be overly comfortable...then again, I'm comparing it to a Barcalounger (sp?)...

Anyway, the seat is wide and it takes some time to get used to...it feels more like you're riding a horse than it does a bike...they could've put a little more high density foam in the seat...would've been more comfortable, for sure.

I have the 1" BRP riser and it's good enough for me...I can lean into sharper turns at decently high speeds and can either stay upright or load my discs (meaning curling over) should I want to do so...I'd like to get pegs to straighten the legs out a little, but as long as you take a break ever hour or two, you're good to go...

I have to install my next mod...Triple Play and fender tips...

I love my Spyder...it's really a fun ride!

 

[bjt]

Hey Yuma,
My husband and I have had our spyders since March 2007. We have ridden to Valcourt, QC for the Spyder Homecoming and came home via Americade in New York State and then back through Canada to Michigan. In Aug. a group of about 10 of us went to the UP for a 4 day spyder ride and no one day had less than 200-300 miles on it. This past Sept. we traveled to Gatlinburg TN to join about 60-70 other spyder owners there. We absolutely love these bikes for long rides as well as our day to day transportation. I have soft saddle bags and a Bustec Hitch, the trailer is yet to come. My husband has the Givi hard bags and they are wonderful. We both have after market windshield which we couldn't do these trips without (we could but not as comfortably). I have highway boards that I added and the 3" NMN risers that I just love for a nice cruising position. I lean back on my biker's friend bag and I am ready for the road. We both just recently ordered the Russell Day Long seats (mine should be in any day now). I will say that daily riding the stock seat is pretty comfortable but for the long haul there is too much compression on my tail bone. So I hope this helps answer your question a bit. We love our spyders and will continue to use them for touring and everyday riding. Even in the our cold weather, we ride.

Yea, what she said.

 

[NancysToy]

Bone Crusher has a good point. For both my wife and I, the Spyder is very comfortable. Given that she is 5'2" and I am 6'0", that is a miracle. She just sits further forward on the seat. Nobody can make a call on comfort but you. I like seats that are humped like a "telephone pole". Others prefer a dish like the Corbin. Those seats put my legs to sleep. Some like hard, some like soft. It all depends on how you are built, and what you are used to. My advice, find a dealer and plop there on the demo for hours at a time. sit on it like you would ride it. You don't move around much on the road. We both did just that, until we were quite sure. Take demo rides if you can, we bought in winter, so that was impossible. In the end, only you can decide what fits...or can be modified to suit you well.
-Scotty

 

[YumaRed]

Many thanks to everyone that replied to my concerns!

The Spyder is going to be my first MC in over 20 years. I am really looking forward to doing some traveling / sightseeing and just simply letting the Spyder recharge my batteries after a crazy week at work. So this is why I want to make sure the Spyder is well suited for cruising on long trips.

Given all the positive reponses... I think the Spyder will fill my needs nicely.

SpyderLovers is a really great BB and the members are awesome! Thanks!

 

[McGone]

Long trip, speed and loaded

I rode my Spyder to Alaska and back this summer. That was over 11,250 miles round trip. I was more comfortable than on my Yamaha Venture 1300cc trike. I did 1025 miles the first day at 70-80 mph. I had a tent and sleeping bag on the passenger seat and a T-Bag on the luggage rack. I think it is a great touring bike. I could go 150-180 miles on a tank of gas. It was 95°F going across Oregon and Idaho and the bike had no heat problems, just the rider was getting slow baked.

I have the BRP 1" riser, a Laminar Lip windshield add-on, highway pegs and GIVI bags added. Everyone has different opinions about windshields so I am still waiting on the perfect windshield. Probably an adjustable or quick change so I don't loose all the air flow over me.

 

[Lamonster]

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6223&highlight=sturgis

 

[BRPjunkie]

Great to hear about these long rides. The biggest concern with a first year product and a thin not fully trained dealer network is the prospect of getting stuck far from home. Stories of Spyders stuck in local dealer shops waiting for parts is one thing, but stuck 1,000 miles from home waiting for service/parts is another issue. That is a risk you take on any bike, but risk is higher during the roll out of new product.

 

[smokster]

I rode my Spyder to Alaska and back this summer. That was over 11,250 miles round trip. I was more comfortable than on my Yamaha Venture 1300cc trike. I did 1025 miles the first day at 70-80 mph. I had a tent and sleeping bag on the passenger seat and a T-Bag on the luggage rack. I think it is a great touring bike. I could go 150-180 miles on a tank of gas. It was 95°F going across Oregon and Idaho and the bike had no heat problems, just the rider was getting slow baked.

I have the BRP 1" riser, a Laminar Lip windshield add-on, highway pegs and GIVI bags added. Everyone has different opinions about windshields so I am still waiting on the perfect windshield. Probably an adjustable or quick change so I don't loose all the air flow over me.

Very cool, any pictures of you camping set-up with the Spyder?
Pictures of the trip.?
I jave been thinking on how to get all my camping gear set. Any sugestions?

 

[NancysToy]

Very cool, any pictures of you camping set-up with the Spyder?
Pictures of the trip.?
I jave been thinking on how to get all my camping gear set. Any sugestions?

This was the way I set up for my first camping trip on the Arachnid. Clothes and most everything else in the black Helen2Wheels bag, bedding in the yellow Seal-Line bag, tent is the small green one, and Spyder outdoor cover in the red stuffsack. Anything else in the trunk and tankbag, including a small cooler. Larger folding cooler under all the gear on the seat. Same setup for my BMW, but I use the saddlebags instead of the trunk.
-Scotty

 

[Stuart49]

I've had my Spyder since last December and now have 12,000 miles on the clock. I've made a number of long rides, the first in early March from Pittsburgh down to Jacksonville, about 2400 miles r/t in about 5 days.

More recently I rode out to MN for a meeting, and stopped in Duluth on the way back for the Aerostich Very Boring Rally. This was also about 2400 miles in 5 days. I did several 7-800 mile days with no problem.

I have STOCK bars, not even the 1" rise, and until a few weeks ago was running the 'touring' screen with a laminar lip. Just installed the tall CalSci screen and it is wonderful!

For my MN trip I installed my aux fuel cell (3 gal, gravity feed) and this really stretches out my fuel stop distance - big help.

This coming April, to celebrate -60- I plan to do another Iron Butt 1000 mile ride- this time on the Spyder. I can't think of a better plan for 60?

Stuart Ostroff

 

[McGone]

SPYDER camping

Attached are some photos of camping and the SPYDER in Alaska.
The first is camping in Glacier National Park.
The second is the SPYDER at the Arctic Circle sign on the Dalton Highway.
The third is at Haines, Alaska torwards sundown and the sunset of my travels in the last frontier.