I Remembered!

[MMcc]

Interesting topic

On Thursday I headed to a MC dealer that handles Honda, Yamaha, BMW, and many other brands. Since I had sold the last of my two wheel about a year ago I wanted to try out the new models to see if I was missing anything by ryding the spyder. Guess what, after 4 or 5 demo rides I thanked the sales person and said I just could not find anything that tweaked my interest. No problems starting, turning was fun with the lean and splitting lanes again was nice. I had almost forgotten how to use a front brake lever. Since my RT is an SE5 I thought I might not like the shifting again but that was fine. Getting back on the spyder for the ryde home I was thinking to myself. "if I ever once thought that I made a mistake buying the spyder" this afternoons test rides convinced me that I did not. Two wheels have been in my blood since I started legally riding 53 years ago. Now I cannot see myself going back to two wheels. I just can't see myself traveling 300 or 400 miles a day on two wheels. The spyder allows me lots of comfort and piece of mind. No surprises on the road cause by uneven pavement, potholes, gravel on corners. BTW. the test rides were cut short by rain, not much but the dealer was uncomfortable with anyone taking another bike out since is was drizzling. I opened the rear trunk, put on my rain gear and left the parking lot. Many who were there to also test drive just stood in the tents and watched me ryde happily away. Maybe I made a some converts to 3 that day.

 

[Bob Denman]

:2thumbs:

 

[NancysToy]

On Thursday I headed to a MC dealer that handles Honda, Yamaha, BMW, and many other brands. Since I had sold the last of my two wheel about a year ago I wanted to try out the new models to see if I was missing anything by ryding the spyder. Guess what, after 4 or 5 demo rides I thanked the sales person and said I just could not find anything that tweaked my interest. No problems starting, turning was fun with the lean and splitting lanes again was nice. I had almost forgotten how to use a front brake lever. Since my RT is an SE5 I thought I might not like the shifting again but that was fine. Getting back on the spyder for the ryde home I was thinking to myself. "if I ever once thought that I made a mistake buying the spyder" this afternoons test rides convinced me that I did not. Two wheels have been in my blood since I started legally riding 53 years ago. Now I cannot see myself going back to two wheels. I just can't see myself traveling 300 or 400 miles a day on two wheels. The spyder allows me lots of comfort and piece of mind. No surprises on the road cause by uneven pavement, potholes, gravel on corners. BTW. the test rides were cut short by rain, not much but the dealer was uncomfortable with anyone taking another bike out since is was drizzling. I opened the rear trunk, put on my rain gear and left the parking lot. Many who were there to also test drive just stood in the tents and watched me ryde happily away. Maybe I made a some converts to 3 that day.

Very well said! It sums up a lot of my feelings. Although I have not completely gotten two wheels out of my system, any thoughs of touring on one or using them as my favorite means of transportation have been vanquished by the Spyder. The comfort, the piece of mind, the ease with which they handle bad waether, passengers, or a trailer, all make the Spyder the one I grab when I open the garage door.

 

[MouthPiece]

This thread is a true testimonial to the spyder. Thanks, Scotty, for posting. (A) it comes from a very reliable and trusted source. (B) it provided info for some of us who may become alarmed when they see a post like this only to have this alarm assuaged by a good explanation, and (C) it hit home for very many of us.

Chris

 

[Yfactor]

I still find myself longing for two wheels at times but get in the seat of the RT and it goes away fast.

 

[NancysToy]

I think I'm getting the hang of this two-wheeled thing again. Today I rode my former California Highway Patrol BMW R1100RT. The freeway flyer felt pretty good! It sure can eat up the highway. I even ran her up to three digits for a short while, just to let her stretch her legs.

I noticed...

1. Louder than my Spyder, in terms of wind noise
2. Smoother than my Spyder
3. Kicks my butt a bit more on the bumps
4. Turn signals on their respective grips are a pain...and I sure miss automatic cancelling
5. The bike was a lot less work while carving the corners
6. I don't have to wait for it to boot up...but I do have to wait for it to warm up before I can turn off the enrichment and throttle down to ride
7. I worry more at slow speeds
8. Lots more air...great in this warm weather, but not nearly as nice if it is cold or wet

I was pretty sure that I was going to sell the Beemer oilhead, but now I am not so sure. It is a joy to use on the highway. It almost brought as many smiles per mile as the Spyder. Now I remember why I fell in love in the first place.

 

[SteveMac]

Love it! Keep posting about your various rides. Some of us (OK, me) can live vicariously through you!

 

[NancysToy]

I got my RT back from the shop today. New throttle body, new DPS, and they also replaced the steering position sensor and encoder magnet. I must say thet I had not realized just how badly the steering had deteriorated. It is once again a joy to ride...and much easier to steer than in quite a while. Tracks better down the road, too. Kudos to Jeff at Leaders Marine for troubleshooting it and curing it. I did think it still had a problem when I first started down the road from the shop. At 50 mph the front end started to shake violently. I turned around and headed back, but it seemed to be getting better. I rode a little farther and it settled down nicely. It seems that my Ride-On is definitely still liquid, and I suspect the tires were stored on their sides while the Spyder lay dormant in the shop. No harm, no foul! Smooth as a baby's bottom for the rest of the way home...and I finally got to properly experience what the BajaRon swaybar has really done for me.

I will miss...
The lack of head buffeting on my BMW RT
Far less backlash wind on the Beemer
The effortless way the BMW carves up the highway...at triple digit speeds if you wish

I welcome back:
The stability
The mental ease one has while riding a Spyder
Not having to look for sand or gravel in every corner
The large and convenient storage capacity

It was nice to be forced to ride two wheels again, though. I won't neglect the bikes for as long the next time. For long road trips, though, the Spyder will likely get the nod.