I know its me but......

[Quartermain]

BTW, does anybody know if I can bring my leashed dog to the rally?

 

[spyder01]

I agree with all the above ideas but would add this,get yourself setup for the turn ahead of time.When you see the turn get your butt over and slowly start to lean so that once you enter the turn you wont be fighting the c-force so much bc your already in the right position.Also make sure you've got your foot in position to ease on the brake a little just in case.Two interesting things I noticed last week on my Maggie Valley trip.1,If you hit the brake in the middle of a fast sharp turn it seems to pull the bike deeper into the turn which is a good thing 2,If you get in way too fast,just at the point your thinking oh ****e,the computer grabs ahold of the brake(probably inside front)and you slow down and veer back towards the center of the road.A little unnerving but pretty cool.

 

[MonPaul]

Exactly the same here. I remember at about 1500 miles for me it felt like I had a different bike! You can try the push-pull with the handlebars, for me what helped was when I was taking a left turn I firmly planted my right foot on the floorboard because that is where your weight will go (the opposite side just like in a car.) Bottom line don't worry it will come, and your goal is to not think at all. Once that happens is when you will really enjoy your ride. Just know we have all been through what you are feeling - it is not you.

 

[PapaHotel]

It took me 3000 miles. A change from the RT to the F3 helped as it has a lower center of gravity and different riding position.

 

[Navydad]

Close to 50 years on two wheels and still have a couple in the garage that I ride regularly. I had a terrible time with my RT or rather it had a terrible time with me. I've known the salesman that sold me my RT for many years. He said he would buy a ticket just to see me ride the thing home. He was right, it was a show worth seeing. One day we went riding with a couple and they were behind us on their GW trike. We stopped for a break and they were full of suggestions for me and my wife who is also glued to the seat behind me. Some of the suggestions helped and some didn't, but eventually I got the hang of it. It does get better it's just comes quicker for some than others. We'll be in Maggie.

 

[SpyderAnn01]

Bring your dog! You would benefit from a training class, come to Las Vegas and I’ll teach you.

 

[johnsimion]

Thanks, Peter. I have heard that you should push with outside hand, pull with inside, don't pull, don't push etc. Guess it's who is telling you what works for them.
As I stated at first, I don't have any trouble making the turn, or even maintaining it through the curve. It's doing it at the speed that other traffic (bikes, cars, turtles, Nuns in station wagons) are maintaining. I feel I shouldnt have to brake for any gradual curve on a super highway, for example, but something inside says slow down, here comes that FEELING again. Downhill left's are a scary example, because the roads in this goofy state, while being crowned, actually go very slightly off-camber through the curve, which for me, seems to exacerbate the "feeling".
Once again, Thanks to all for listening (and chuckling).

I think it's way too easy to "overthink" this. It's a matter of confidence, and you get confidence with experience. And until you get that confidence, why not just ride slow, at speeds at which you ARE comfortable? So you have to slow down a lot to make yourself comfortable in curves. So what if you take the curve at less than the posted speed limit. It doesn't matter. You're supposed to be out there enjoying yourself, not worrying about what anybody else thinks and not worrying about how far you have to lean over or whether you push or pull the handlebars. You do what comes naturally. Go the speed at which you are comfortable and don't feel the need for a death grip.

Speed and confidence will come. Jeff Gordon didn't drive 200 mph the first time he got a driver's license, either.

 

[4 MARIE]

since everyone is weighing in, guess I will too. Don't think you need to hang off like Freddy Spencer, as our Euro=brother suggested.
For me personally, I use a mild head and shoulder shift to the inside of the turn. Nothing extreme actually fairly subtle. It is after all, your head that feels the centrifugal force. Also, and a lot of folks pointed this out, you maybe just barely/kind of know your RT. When you smooth out your entire experience
the cornering experience will smooth out too. Hang in there, it is worth the learning.

 

[Highwayman2013]

I would suggest a laser alignment would help. If the spyder is in a toe out condition it will not corner well. Lean into the corner and enjoy.

 

[Little Blue]

3 Wheel Classes

Maybe you should try a Spyder's Training Class. Also someone taking a little video might be the trick. I know from my learning curve, that 'You Can Do It'. For me it took about 3 months and 1000 miles. Enjoy your Time and Always RYDE SAFE....:thumbup:

 

[bikerbillone]

The learning curve for me was very steep. It took me some time before I didn't feel exactly as you do now. I just couldn't bring myself to trust the vehicle.

I don't usually recommend my sway bar kit for newer riders. Only because to fully appreciate it, most riders need to become both familiar and fairly comfortable with their Spyder. But I have had customers call me saying that they have just about given up on their Spyder for the very reasons you reference. But decided to give my sway bar a shot as a last ditch effort to keep it. More often with 2 up riders than single riders. But I've had both.

I try to avoid 'Pushing' my products. I think it somewhat tacky in a form like this. I am suggesting this only because I genuinely feel it may go a long way towards resolving your core issues. Just my opinion, of course. But whatever you decided to do. I highly recommend not giving up. Continue to relax and try to ride in such a way that you enjoy the experience. The improvement will come.

Good comment by BajaRon, keep at it until you trust your machine, that's important and only comes with the miles, only then you will feel comfortable an that takes patience.

 

[george123]

I felt the same way in the beginning. As others have said I felt much better after several thousand miles. One more thing that helped me: I was looking at the road too close to me, trying to maintain my spacing to the road stripe. That made me way too jerky with my steering corrections. I finally learned to look way down the road or at the vehicle in front of me. That made my corrections much smoother. Like landing an airplane, don’t spot the runway right in front of you, look way down the runway and you get a better view of where you stand. That made it much easier for me to stay steady and the steering came naturally without me having to concentrate on it so much.

 

[blacklightning]

Living in Canton, you indeed live in one of the greatest areas for spirited curve riding. I am a few hours away in the Cary/Apex area. As others have said, it will take practice and more practice to get comfortable. As far as changing out items such as sway bars and etc., I would wait on that. I still have the stock sway bar and have yet to come across many, if any that can leave me in the twisties. I do plan on upgrading, just to see how fast I can be. I had wanted to do it before the Maggie Valley rally, but life got in the way, and my wife is coming with me this time, so a more "comfortable" pace will be the word of the week. If I ever get to meet you there, or on another of our 3-4 mountain trips that we take, I would be glad to ride with you and give you any advice that might help. But it sounds to me like you just need to relax, practice, and go at your own pace. Things will get faster as you go along. Also, when riding 2 up, tire pressure and air pressure in the shocks can make a huge difference. Good Luck, and maybe I will see you next week. We arrive on Wednesday, and head home on Sunday. This year we will be staying in Boone, and just coming down to Maggie Valley for 1 day.

 

[Quartermain]

Living in Canton, you indeed live in one of the greatest areas for spirited curve riding. I am a few hours away in the Cary/Apex area. As others have said, it will take practice and more practice to get comfortable. As far as changing out items such as sway bars and etc., I would wait on that. I still have the stock sway bar and have yet to come across many, if any that can leave me in the twisties. I do plan on upgrading, just to see how fast I can be. I had wanted to do it before the Maggie Valley rally, but life got in the way, and my wife is coming with me this time, so a more "comfortable" pace will be the word of the week. If I ever get to meet you there, or on another of our 3-4 mountain trips that we take, I would be glad to ride with you and give you any advice that might help. But it sounds to me like you just need to relax, practice, and go at your own pace. Things will get faster as you go along. Also, when riding 2 up, tire pressure and air pressure in the shocks can make a huge difference. Good Luck, and maybe I will see you next week. We arrive on Wednesday, and head home on Sunday. This year we will be staying in Boone, and just coming down to Maggie Valley for 1 day.

Many thanks to all who responded. Was up on the Blue Ridge today and did pretty well. Seem to like left turns more than right. I'll get there.(May be late, but I'll get there.)
Hope to see you ALL in Maggie-Al

 

[BearBait]

I have had much the same set of issues as the OP here (and indeed, it gets better and better with every mile I ride), and I notice one odd thing: if I am following some other vehicle - a car or truck - and concentrating more on keeping my distance from it, I hardly notice curves which would give me white knuckles if I were riding through them all on my own. I don't know why this is so, but it definitely IS, and this convinces me, "Dude, it's all in your head. Hang tough."

 

[BajaRon]

I have had much the same set of issues as the OP here (and indeed, it gets better and better with every mile I ride), and I notice one odd thing: if I am following some other vehicle - a car or truck - and concentrating more on keeping my distance from it, I hardly notice curves which would give me white knuckles if I were riding through them all on my own. I don't know why this is so, but it definitely IS, and this convinces me, "Dude, it's all in your head. Hang tough."

It is always easier to follow someone through curves as it eliminates the unknown factor of whether or not you are going too fast. It gives you a definite point of reference. Seeing someone else do it in front of you gives you the confidence to try it yourself. This, of course, assumes you are not exceeding yours or the vehicles abilities.

For most of us, the limiting factor is not the machine.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Quartermain, as you know the Spyder IS different in several ways, and of course one of those is cornering. What your brain and body is used to after all those years of riding on 2 wheels is the fact your body never encountered a sideways push on it in corners. Why? Because you were leaning. The center of gravity of your bike and body was above the seat, somewhere in your torso. When you went around curves the centrifugal force pushing your bike and body outward was countered by the pull of gravity. If you could stop instantly in the curve you would fall over because the center of gravity would be inside the track of the tires. Since the centrifugal force is balanced by the pull of gravity the net force on your body was directed right at the tire track pushing you down into the seat. Your body felt no sideways push. Because a Spyder stays level in the corner there is no gravity pull inside of the tire track wanting to tip you over because your center of gravity is directly above the centerline of the bike track. Now the net force on your body pulls you to the outside. Think about when you've gone around a curve really hard in a car. You were pushed sideways, right? The same thing is happening now on the Spyder. Your brain is saying, "I'm on a motorcycle. Why am I feeling pushed to the outside?" Well, it's because you are not leaning. Your brain doesn't raise a fuss when you are in a car, does it? As others have said, your brain needs to reprogram itself, and that can take time.

It's all a matter of vector algebra. If you're not familiar with that math of science I believe you can learn enough to understand what's going on by Googling vector algebra.

 

[Quartermain]

Quartermain, as you know the Spyder IS different in several ways, and of course one of those is cornering. What your brain and body is used to after all those years of riding on 2 wheels is the fact your body never encountered a sideways push on it in corners. Why? Because you were leaning. The center of gravity of your bike and body was above the seat, somewhere in your torso. When you went around curves the centrifugal force pushing your bike and body outward was countered by the pull of gravity. If you could stop instantly in the curve you would fall over because the center of gravity would be inside the track of the tires. Since the centrifugal force is balanced by the pull of gravity the net force on your body was directed right at the tire track pushing you down into the seat. Your body felt no sideways push. Because a Spyder stays level in the corner there is no gravity pull inside of the tire track wanting to tip you over because your center of gravity is directly above the centerline of the bike track. Now the net force on your body pulls you to the outside. Think about when you've gone around a curve really hard in a car. You were pushed sideways, right? The same thing is happening now on the Spyder. Your brain is saying, "I'm on a motorcycle. Why am I feeling pushed to the outside?" Well, it's because you are not leaning. Your brain doesn't raise a fuss when you are in a car, does it? As others have said, your brain needs to reprogram itself, and that can take time.

It's all a matter of vector algebra. If you're not familiar with that math of science I believe you can learn enough to understand what's going on by Googling vector algebra.

Thanks for your input, Idaho. I do understand the principles of vector algebra, as I am one of those "analytical" guys who seem to figure out the reasons for why things do what they do.
As I said a few times, I know it is all in my noggin. And I AM getting better. Yesterday I rode through Maggie to the parkway, rode down to the end in Cherokee, picked up US 19 North, which is twisty as all get out, and never once dropped below the posted speeds. Just love living in this area!
Again, many thanks to all. Your comments and suggestions really helped! Hope to see you all next week in my back yard (Maggie).
SpyderAnn says I can bring my dog. Hope she's right.

 

[Roscojim]

When I bought my Yamaha Majesty 400 maxiscooter back in 2010, I was worried about going too slow. The friend I bought it from said, "Ride what's comfortable to you, and don't worry about others. Let people go by if they want to go by." I've always remembered that. Now I have a Spyder RT Limited, and I go the speed at which I'm comfortable. If that means going 60 mph with a speed limit of 65, then that's what I do. Yes, I tend to slow down a bit before curves and speed up in them. That's ok. The minimum speed on the Interstate system here in Iowa is 45 mph, and I'm WAY above that. The message is - ride what's comfortable for you.

 

[zyrlseb]

My wife and I have ridden two up on two wheels for years, some time ago we had a low speed fall (about 3 mph on a single track, she went to stand up because she saw a rut coming and tipped us over - I know TMI.) We decided to get three wheels - a trike kit or TriGlide was out of our price range. We got a low milage 2012 RT Limited for a super price. WA State requires that you have a 3 wheel endorsement. After about two years of riding I finally took the course offered by CanAm. Well worth the money (and I won't get a ticket if stopped). The course I took went into great detail about riding into corners and body positioning and three wheel riding in general.