ARtraveler
R.I.P. Dwayne
Just got back from my trip to Maui, Hawaii. I had mentioned a while back that I had a Spyder rental reserved from a Scooter rental place.
The emotions pictures seem to be not working--so it's all script. Sorry!
Just wanted everyone to know that the rental went off without a hitch. The rental people were very nice to deal with, and they called me by name when I first arrived at their shop. There was not a lot of choice involved, they currently only have one Spyder and say it is the only rental one on the Island. We did see one other Spyder when we were out and about though.
The rental Spyder was an RS SM5. I am guessing about a 2010 since it is in the blue color. The Spyder performed without any glitches, except for getting overheated when we were forced to stop and wait for a traffic accident. Temps were in the 90's that PM. Engine check light went on and Spyder went to limp mode. I pulled out of the traffic lane to the emergency lane, shut it off to cool for about 15 minutes. When the traffic started moving again, the Spyder fired up with no problems and we headed back to the shop since it was the end of our ride for the day. We brought mesh jackets and light weight riding gloves with us. The rental agency did not have a good selection of helmets--so we had to make do with what they had.
The Spyder was in well used condition and I could tell that it has been abused in its rental life. The Spyder was in need of a brake job and I mentioned that to the owner. I also had a good Spyder discussion with them when I returned. They are considering adding an ST model to their fleet. No RT's because they said most people don't want the extra baggage equipment. They are also going to change their website about 60 mpg and say 30 mpg which is more realistic.
THE RYDE: Since we had the Spyder for a full day, I chose to ryde the famous Hana Highway. Been on it twice before in the cage, but this was a bucket list thing to ryde it on a Spyder.
The Hana Highway is about 35 miles of twists and turns driving through rainforest, changing vegetation areas, beautiful ocean vistas, and many pull offs with high waterfalls cascading down. There are over 600 tight turns (one way) and 54 one lane bridges. If you run into traffic, you just have to slow down and take your turn with the others. It takes about 2-2 1/2 hours to go the 35 miles. I was in first gear most of the way--tried second gear a couple times, but had to shift down to first very quickly. Averaged about 15-20 mph when moving along. We drove the highway both ways, so did 1200 tight turns and 108 single lane bridges.
We enjoyed the ryde on the Spyder--BUT--it ain't no RT like we were used to. The OEM seat, the low windshield, the footpeg position for both rider and passenger were all a little bit much for me and my back. I had to stop and we both had to get off and stretch every 10 miles or so. It turned out to be a ryde of endurance--but we would both do it again (hopefully on an ST next time). I put 23,000 miles on my first RS-SM5 so am familiar with the ryde. Five years ago, my back issues were not as severe.
I took a few pictures but have been having problems getting my new fangled camera to transfer from my albums to SL photo albums as I have done previously.
The emotions pictures seem to be not working--so it's all script. Sorry!
Just wanted everyone to know that the rental went off without a hitch. The rental people were very nice to deal with, and they called me by name when I first arrived at their shop. There was not a lot of choice involved, they currently only have one Spyder and say it is the only rental one on the Island. We did see one other Spyder when we were out and about though.
The rental Spyder was an RS SM5. I am guessing about a 2010 since it is in the blue color. The Spyder performed without any glitches, except for getting overheated when we were forced to stop and wait for a traffic accident. Temps were in the 90's that PM. Engine check light went on and Spyder went to limp mode. I pulled out of the traffic lane to the emergency lane, shut it off to cool for about 15 minutes. When the traffic started moving again, the Spyder fired up with no problems and we headed back to the shop since it was the end of our ride for the day. We brought mesh jackets and light weight riding gloves with us. The rental agency did not have a good selection of helmets--so we had to make do with what they had.
The Spyder was in well used condition and I could tell that it has been abused in its rental life. The Spyder was in need of a brake job and I mentioned that to the owner. I also had a good Spyder discussion with them when I returned. They are considering adding an ST model to their fleet. No RT's because they said most people don't want the extra baggage equipment. They are also going to change their website about 60 mpg and say 30 mpg which is more realistic.
THE RYDE: Since we had the Spyder for a full day, I chose to ryde the famous Hana Highway. Been on it twice before in the cage, but this was a bucket list thing to ryde it on a Spyder.
The Hana Highway is about 35 miles of twists and turns driving through rainforest, changing vegetation areas, beautiful ocean vistas, and many pull offs with high waterfalls cascading down. There are over 600 tight turns (one way) and 54 one lane bridges. If you run into traffic, you just have to slow down and take your turn with the others. It takes about 2-2 1/2 hours to go the 35 miles. I was in first gear most of the way--tried second gear a couple times, but had to shift down to first very quickly. Averaged about 15-20 mph when moving along. We drove the highway both ways, so did 1200 tight turns and 108 single lane bridges.
We enjoyed the ryde on the Spyder--BUT--it ain't no RT like we were used to. The OEM seat, the low windshield, the footpeg position for both rider and passenger were all a little bit much for me and my back. I had to stop and we both had to get off and stretch every 10 miles or so. It turned out to be a ryde of endurance--but we would both do it again (hopefully on an ST next time). I put 23,000 miles on my first RS-SM5 so am familiar with the ryde. Five years ago, my back issues were not as severe.
I took a few pictures but have been having problems getting my new fangled camera to transfer from my albums to SL photo albums as I have done previously.
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