I need a new seat for my RS!

[Michael211_2000]

My butt tore a hole in the OEM one today trying to hold on... eeek! :yikes:

Riding the RS earlier today on a divided freeway near town going ~40mph, a mini-van with 2 elderly ladies coming the other way suddenly (no turn indicator or anything!) made an illegal left turn not 25 feet in front of me! Arghhhh! :banghead:

Man do I ever thank Can-Am for those ABS brakes and stability control system, it's the only reason I'm able to post this. I stood on the brake and held onto the RS handlebars for dear life while steering for the rear of the min-van, and the RS dropped 30+mph in some 14 feet or so giving the min-van just enough time to get clear of my lane (thank GOD there wasn't another vehicle following close behind me come to think of it now!).

That just shook me up something fierce, I never even got my thumb on the horn button it all happened so fast...

Back in 2003 I T-boned another driver who did the same exact thing to me on a divided freeway, but I was in my 1-ton dually pickup truck and though it has massive brakes it also has a LOT more mass and could not stop in time... destroyed the other driver's truck, spun both vehicles around and into the ditch, and my truck took 3 months a whole new frame and front clip to repair and I spent a month doing PT so I could hold my head up straight again (pulled every muscle in my upper back and neck when my head whip-lashed). Now the back of my neck is hurting as I type this, great...

Anyways, I cannot imagine what shape it'd have put me in had the Spyder not been able to stop so fast today (or if somebody had been following right behind me at the time this happened for that matter; I never even thought to look in the mirrors to see if there was a vehicle behind me there simply was no time and nothing I could have done anyhows).

I swear other drivers are going to be the death of me this is the 2nd time in the 5 weeks I've owned this Spyder that I've had to do an emergency STOP because of another motorist not paying attention to their blasted driving.

ps. Yes I was wearing my full-face Can-Am GSX helmet with chin strap buckled up (I always do!), but no leather riding gear... need to find some good summertime leather riding gear blast-it! (Sigh!)

- Michael

 

[3tracs]

Yikes! Glad you're are okay. The excellent brakes on my Spyder have saved me more then a couple times from absent minded cagers...

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

 

[daltmeyer]

Just got in from a 100+ mile ride and my brakes saved both a chicken and a squirrels lives. Thanks to my Reevu helmet I knew I could brake hard as any traffic Id already put way back in my rearview.

I dont know why the chicken crossed the road.

 

[Michael211_2000]

Hey now! I too AM a "cager" (part time at least now that I have the Spyder), I still have the dually t-ton truck and a Camaro Z28 (my 1st car from when I was in high school in fact).

IF I'd been driving the dually truck earlier today for that errand I was running on the Spyder, there would be at least 1 less little old lady in the world now cause my dually would have T-boned that little mini-van right in the passenger side door where 1 of the little old ladies was riding; I recall they had the windows down and the passenger side lady was looking out at me with her eyes and mouth wide open as I was standing on my brakes trying to stop and stay atop the Spyder! Do they even realize just how close they came to killing ME today, I wonder...

I really gotta get some protective riding gear, I've been shopping for leather mesh jacket and pants ever since I bought this RS last month but haven't made a purchase yet... I could so easily have been rear-ended and thrown had their been another driver behind me today I'm just now realizing. :gaah:

- Michael

 

[spydaman60]

it sounds like a new pair of underwear might be in order too! :roflblack: glad you're ok bro!:thumbup:

 

[Michael211_2000]

I dont know why the chicken crossed the road.

Was he fleeing from the squirrel maybe? They can be territorial little turds. LOL!

- Michael

 

[Michael211_2000]

glad you're ok bro!:thumbup:

Thanks Spydaman... I'm just really shook-up right now and this being the 2nd time I've had to emergency stop the Spyder to avoid a collision with an automobile in such a short timespan is really eroding the confidence I was starting to feel with the Spyder. The Spyder can apparently stop on a dime (almost literrally!), but almost nothing else on the roads can... I'm starting to wonder if the true threat today wasn't so much the mini-van that turned right in front of me, but any vehicle that might have been following close behind me which wouldnt' have been able to match the Spyder's stopping ability!

I do appreciate the supportive comments, though. Everybody's going to have a close-call with an automobile while riding their Spyder's at some point I imagine... I'm just having more of them than I'd like, as a new Spyder owner and rider!

Regards!

- Michael

 

[daltmeyer]

A helmet is all the gear you had on? No gloves? Boots? You need real riding gear designed with a spill in mind.

I was thinking about Vansons properf leather jackets as I have one of their jackets I use for winter, but instead went with the Vanson Max Vent cordura. They come with all the armor and can be had on ebay for great prices. I wear a cooling vest underneath for the hottest weather... Or just wet a tshirt and wear that underneath.

Then some real riding pants.

 

[Michael211_2000]

Yes I know this. pps:

Most motorcycle riders I've seen around here lately don't even have helmets on, much less any other protective gear (it's suffocatingly hot and super humid in South-East Texas right now). I've been looking at leather riding gear on Ebay mostly, I don't like riding the Spyder with just a helmet and causal-wear street-clothes, it does indeed concern me. But I haven't even paid the sales tax on this Spyder yet, the seller just got the title in from their bank finally last week and hasn't mailed it to me yet so I'm on temp tags still... but when I get the title and register the machine in my name I'll have to pay yet another chunk of money to Texas. I'm trying to balance finances here while getting some benefit from having the Spyder and not getting killed by other drivers in the process... it's frustrating, money doesn't grow on trees and other drivers don't pay attention to what they're doing behind the wheel! :banghead:

:dontknow:

Thanks.

- Michael

 

[OldCowboy]

Check out the TourMaster textile riding gear. They have both jackets and pants that convert from summer mesh to winter insulated, waterproof togs. I took a very hard dump on my Harley at 55 MPH, slid about 100 ft, and walked away with only minor bruises. The only damage to the TourMaster pants and jacket were a couple of minor rubbed places. My helmet was badly dinged and had to be replaced, but I still wear the TourMaster pants and jacket.

 

[daltmeyer]

Many people around here and even some of my riding buddies dont wear anything but glasses so Im the odd man out. Are they really staying cooler than me? I doubt it. They are more sunburned than me though Im sure. Whos going to the hospital after even the mildest of crashes? Not me.

 

[coz]

brights on

hey michael, glad you're able to tell the story. are you leaving your brights on all the time? if not, you should. it makes a huge difference in how visable you are to others. :thumbup:

 

[Michael211_2000]

Check out the TourMaster textile riding gear.

I appreciate the advise and recomendations... but, here's the problem: I Ebay'ed for "TourMaster" and came up with about 12,000 resulting listings for their apparel. It's all different riding jackets and pants and gloves and very little of it means much to me. It's like trying to take a sip from a firehydrant. I have no idea what to focus in on for purchase with soooo many options... ughhh!

I know I'm a size XL in most things (shirts, pants and gloves), I know I need some safety riding gear that I can stand to actually wear in the Texas summertime (since we experience summer like 9 months out of the year here). If said gear can convert to wintertime use then that's a+ but not a requirement. But otherwise what to buy simply overwhelms me... I'd prefer to go with Can-Am riding gear (as such is my helmet), but it's extremely pricey to say the least. I'll keep working on getting more safety gear, but I can't just park the Spyder under my carport and cover it till I have every possible piece of wearable armor; I have to prioritize get what I can when I can and utilize the Spyder whenever I can (as it gets 34.5 mpg so far by my calculations, and my 1-ton dually gets oh about 12 mpg).

Anyhows, my posting was mainly to commend Can-Am on the Spyder's braking and stability control systems and to clear my head a little after this incident earlier today. While I appreciate the recomendations on safety gear, that isn't what this thread is intended to be about.

ps. I cannot believe people are riding without helmets at all, if I even lift the clear visor on my helmet for more than 1/4 mile I end up with grit and bugs in my eyes in-spite of the flip-down sunglasses it has... how can they ride without full-face protection and not get crap in their eyes constantly? It'd drive me nuts! And the black "love-bugs" are coming out in force here now, my helmet and the Spyder's frunk got socked with their guts on my errand run today.... yuk!

- Michael

 

[Web Runner]

riding gear

I really gotta get some protective riding gear, I've been shopping for leather mesh jacket and pants ever since I bought this RS last month but haven't made a purchase yet... I could so easily have been rear-ended and thrown had their been another driver behind me today I'm just now realizing. :gaah:

- Michael

Hey bud,
glad you made it out of that situation ok.
For riding gear, I would recommend the Tourmaster Flex Series 3 mesh jacket. I have been using mine for about a year in hot and cold weather. I really enjoy it because it is like having three jackets in one. First, the base jacket is all mesh, so it really lets air flow in and out when riding in warm weather. Second, it has a durable outer shell that is water resistant and zips on and off. The outer shell also has zippers on the back, arms and shoulders that you can open for ventilation. Third, the outer shell is great during cold weather riding and the bonus is that Tourmaster includes a thermal liner that can be attached (with zippers) to the inside of the mesh jacket for really cold weather riding. Also, there is armor to help protect your spine, shoulders, elbows and forearms. It's also machine washable. You will need to let it air-dry, though. I bought mine at Wild West Honda in Katy, I think they stock them all the time.

 

[Michael211_2000]

Are you leaving your brights on all the time? if not, you should. it makes a huge difference in how visable you are to others. :thumbup:

Uhhh, no I don't. In fact I had to adjust the low-beams down a bit as people kept flashing their high-beams at me whenever I would go out on the Spyder after sunset... the low beams were a bit too high and everybody was thinking I had the high-beams on.

I'll consider flipping the high-beams on for daytime driving from here on though... that's not a bad idea, thanks! However, these 2 ladies in the mini-van today appeared to have been talking with each other while driving and given how fast they suddenly turned immediately in front of me I think they almost missed the driveway they were wanting... ergo, they weren't paying any attention whatsoever to what was in front of them, and even an 18 wheeler would not have likely caught their attention (it just would have run right over them). Disturbing, I see this far too often around here where I live... every tree along the road thru my neighborhood has missing bark about 2 feet up from the roots where cars and trucks have run off the road and hit them. Almost every day somebody runs off this road in my neighborhood alone.... which doesn't bother me particularly, if you take yourself "out" without hurting another motorist that's for the BEST in my humble opinion! I wish more roads were like the one thru my neighborhood, there'd be far fewer careless drivers left. LOL! (But I'm dead serious I promise you!) :clap:

- Michael

 

[daltmeyer]

Check out robsperformance on ebay. Hes closing out Can-am gear. Seriously good prices on jackets and pants, etc. I believe hes a site sponser and he has size charts on all his auctions. Can-am pants and jacket charts are pretty accurate IMO.

I got a bunch of stuff from him for cheap.

Let me see if I can get this link to work:

http://stores.ebay.com/ROBS-PERFORMANCE-MOTORSPORTS

 

[Michael211_2000]

Hey bud,
glad you made it out of that situation ok.
For riding gear, I would recommend the Tourmaster Flex Series 3 mesh jacket.

Thanks... and great recomendation I just pulled ~327 of them up on Ebay and am reading their specs and looking at prices! About $200 for a black XL one with free shipping?

- Michael

 

[Web Runner]

Tourmaster

Thats a good price, I think I paid a little more than that at the dealership. For rain pants, I would look at the Tourmaster Sentinel line. However, the zipper on the back of the rainpants that you would use to attach the pants to the jacket does not match. I had a seamstress fix that for me :thumbup:. Now, I'm set!

 

[Larry rt]

Try Olympiamotorsports.com
The have a 3 peace jacket , rain gear, insulator and outer , with armor .
I tried BRP's summer jacket , sent it back , too heavy and more for winter.
Ther should be a dealer near you. I got the one that has large pocket that you unzip and roll down , great for hot wearer. They also have large openings on sleeve and back.
Which ever you prefer, I recommend you try them on.
PS: it has a rain suit insert and insulation that you can remove. Good luck on your choice !

 

[Michael211_2000]

Am I just being extremely unlucky here (2 emergency stops in 5 weeks of ownership, about 600 miles of Spydering), or does this sort of thing happen often to other riders? I'm beginning to feel like the Spyder is a magnet for bad drivers! :dontknow:

Thanks.

- MIchael