daveinva
New member
After four wonderful years happily riding my 2010 RS, all I can say is, holy :cus: would I get a lot of tickets on an F3. :2thumbs:
Did a demo ride this afternoon at Coleman Powersports in Falls Church (shout out to a great BRP event on an otherwise cold & dreary day). The nicest thing was the BRP guys saw me ride up on my Spyder they told me not to even bother with the demo group, I could pick out an F3 (I chose an SE, like my RS) and go out on my own, "just be back in 20 or 30 minutes."
Didn't have to tell me twice.
Short version: I didn't love it, but I really really REALLY liked it. Maybe even enough to consider buying one, although to be honest I'd prefer an extended test ride (here's hoping the local EagleRider adds an F3 alongside their RS and RT).
The long version?
The Pros:
1. The 1330... wow, I really had *no* idea, guys. Since I had never ridden the new RT, this was my first experience (ever) with the triple. It just pulls and pulls and pulls. I love my high-revving RS, enjoy "spooling up" the RPM, but the F3's torque is SERIOUSLY addictive. It felt almost like an electric bike, the torque comes on like a switch. When I got back on my RS to head home, in comparison to the F3 it felt like I was riding an old turbo with five seconds worth of lag built in. Seriously, this thing's a rocket.
2. Did I mention the 1330 yet? I didn't manage a burnout-- wasn't that kind of demo ride, alas-- but this thing got up to the speed limit like nothing else. I don't know if the numbers reflect it-- it may just *feel* faster than the 998-- but that's the deal: it *feels faster* than the 998. Before you know it, you're at 55+ and backing off the throttle, your head on a swivel looking for any cops you might have missed on the way up.
3. The lower gearing is REALLY weird to get used to coming off the RS (not to mention my Ninja, which doesn't get any great torque before you hit 9K RPM!). I forgot to brush up on the recommended shift points for the 1330 so I just kinda played it by ear, but I still found myself a bit confused, especially on downshifts. But, overall, I put this in the "Pro" column because around the city streets there was no low-end lag like you get on the RS, where you're either screaming in first gear or risking lugging it in second gear. I just felt POWER, anywhere in the powerband, instantly accessible whenever I wanted to wring it out. Soooo intoxicating. Soooo illegal... if I wasn't paying close attention, that is. :joke:
4. RAILS. No kidding people-- the F3 rides on RAILS. I took sweepers and sharp corners at speeds and angles that would normally require me to do full "monkey style" hanging off the RS, and all I had to do with the F3 was grip the tank with my knees and push my feet into the outside peg. I didn't set the Nanny off once, I didn't have to shift my butt at all, the suspension and low seat/low center of gravity. It all makes me really want to spend a weekend with this thing in West Virginia and see what it could REALLY do in the twisties.
5. Okay, everyone has their personal opinion on the "style" of bike they enjoy. Me, I'm partial most to standards, with sportbikes next, and VERY distantly cruisers. I've never felt confident with my feet forward on two wheels, especially on a heavy bike at slow speeds. It honestly just strikes me as a really stupid way to ride a motorcycle, like you're hurting your ability to control the bike just to look cool and feel like you're riding a couch down the highway.
Again, personal opinion, right? :joke:
But let me tell you: the F3 is comfortable as a cruiser. And functionally, it seems to make far more sense than one would think. Unlike a two-wheel cruiser, slow speed maneuvering and weight are meaningless on a Spyder, so you lose no ability to control the F3. In fact, as others have noted, in comparison to other Spyders you likely *gain* more control on the F3 with that seating position. It literally feels like a different vehicle than the RS, ST, and RT (and, in a way, it is, given the frame differences). Meaning, I'd think it pretty dumb to make an RS or even an RT into a cruiser given how much you have to "shift and lift" into turns and corners on those bikes. But from the 30 minutes on the F3, with no obvious need to "lift and shift"... it was quite pleasant to sit on the rolling couch.
Anyway, at least from a performance standpoint, don't let the cruiser seating turn you off from the F3, definitely test ride it first.
---
Okay... there WERE Cons... there are always Cons.
6. The engine had a very odd hum to it. I normally ride with earplugs but this time around I left them out in order to listen to the bike, and once you get above a few MPH there is just this really odd, even annoying hum coming from just in front of you. Is that the sound of the radiator fans whirring? Do they come on automatically even when the bike isn't hot? Whatever it was, it's not a sound I've heard on any other Spyder before, so maybe it's just the difference with the 1330?
7. The wire throttle... meh. I rode the 2013 ST during a demo back at the BRP Owner's Event in Maggie Valley, so I'm familiar with how different the wire throttle feels from the analog one on my RS. While I didn't like it that much on the ST, I *really* didn't like it on the F3. There seems to be an abrupt "dead spot" when you come to a stop-- like, the F3 would downshift (either automatically or by my hand) as I came to a stop, and at about 3 or 4 mph it felt like the engine just shut off, everything got quiet and the power seemed to cut out, but everything was still on. If this is standard for the new throttles-- or an idiosyncrasy of the 1330-- it's something I'd have to get used to.
8. The wind blast on the F3 is something else, alright. Had no windshield on mine, and full blast it's intense. It's FAR more windy than even my Ninja, which might as well be naked for the sorry excuse of a windscreen that bike has. It was fun for the demo, but I couldn't tour on an F3 without a decent shield.
9. The strangest thing: the SE gear selector sticks out *just a little further* from the switchbox than on my RS, i.e. it's about half-an-inch closer to the end of the handlebar. This resulted in my being unable to put my whole left hand on the grip, the outside of my palm had to ride just a little bit on the lip at the end of the handlebar, otherwise without the room I'd be pressed up against the gear selector. Now, I don't have giant bear paws, just your average pair of mitts, but it's a difference from my RS that I noticed immediately. I'd have to figure out an aftermarket grip solution to take care of that (or just saw off that lip
).
10. I didn't choose the right U-Fit. I had normal bars and 4 pegs, but I think I'd prefer the short bars. That's a meaningless "Con," of course, easily fixed.
---
Bottom line: Again, I'm not sure the F3 is enough to get me off of my RS, but I think a large part of that is both my familiarity with my RS, as well as all the farkling and "dialing it in" that I've managed to do over the years. Like I said above, while I didn't love the F3 at first ride (or sight, for that matter, but like others, it grows on you, especially in person), I did really like it-- which to be honest was the same feeling I had for my RS when I first bought it, before I did everything to make it my own. Thus, as a blank canvas, I think I could do quite a bit with the F3 to make it perfect for my needs.
That said, I think I might hold out for a while, see what else BRP comes up with in the coming years. If they could put that 1330 into an ST, that might be enough to get me off the fence. Or, even better, finally build that leaner...
P.S. Last thing... riding around Arlington, I got more looks and thumbs up from kids on the F3 than I have in years on my RS. Guess the RS has been around long enough to lose its luster, but *everybody* noticed-- and heard!-- the F3 coming. Buy one, and you'll definitely be a rock star again! :thumbup:
Did a demo ride this afternoon at Coleman Powersports in Falls Church (shout out to a great BRP event on an otherwise cold & dreary day). The nicest thing was the BRP guys saw me ride up on my Spyder they told me not to even bother with the demo group, I could pick out an F3 (I chose an SE, like my RS) and go out on my own, "just be back in 20 or 30 minutes."
Didn't have to tell me twice.
Short version: I didn't love it, but I really really REALLY liked it. Maybe even enough to consider buying one, although to be honest I'd prefer an extended test ride (here's hoping the local EagleRider adds an F3 alongside their RS and RT).
The long version?
The Pros:
1. The 1330... wow, I really had *no* idea, guys. Since I had never ridden the new RT, this was my first experience (ever) with the triple. It just pulls and pulls and pulls. I love my high-revving RS, enjoy "spooling up" the RPM, but the F3's torque is SERIOUSLY addictive. It felt almost like an electric bike, the torque comes on like a switch. When I got back on my RS to head home, in comparison to the F3 it felt like I was riding an old turbo with five seconds worth of lag built in. Seriously, this thing's a rocket.
2. Did I mention the 1330 yet? I didn't manage a burnout-- wasn't that kind of demo ride, alas-- but this thing got up to the speed limit like nothing else. I don't know if the numbers reflect it-- it may just *feel* faster than the 998-- but that's the deal: it *feels faster* than the 998. Before you know it, you're at 55+ and backing off the throttle, your head on a swivel looking for any cops you might have missed on the way up.
3. The lower gearing is REALLY weird to get used to coming off the RS (not to mention my Ninja, which doesn't get any great torque before you hit 9K RPM!). I forgot to brush up on the recommended shift points for the 1330 so I just kinda played it by ear, but I still found myself a bit confused, especially on downshifts. But, overall, I put this in the "Pro" column because around the city streets there was no low-end lag like you get on the RS, where you're either screaming in first gear or risking lugging it in second gear. I just felt POWER, anywhere in the powerband, instantly accessible whenever I wanted to wring it out. Soooo intoxicating. Soooo illegal... if I wasn't paying close attention, that is. :joke:
4. RAILS. No kidding people-- the F3 rides on RAILS. I took sweepers and sharp corners at speeds and angles that would normally require me to do full "monkey style" hanging off the RS, and all I had to do with the F3 was grip the tank with my knees and push my feet into the outside peg. I didn't set the Nanny off once, I didn't have to shift my butt at all, the suspension and low seat/low center of gravity. It all makes me really want to spend a weekend with this thing in West Virginia and see what it could REALLY do in the twisties.
5. Okay, everyone has their personal opinion on the "style" of bike they enjoy. Me, I'm partial most to standards, with sportbikes next, and VERY distantly cruisers. I've never felt confident with my feet forward on two wheels, especially on a heavy bike at slow speeds. It honestly just strikes me as a really stupid way to ride a motorcycle, like you're hurting your ability to control the bike just to look cool and feel like you're riding a couch down the highway.
Again, personal opinion, right? :joke:
But let me tell you: the F3 is comfortable as a cruiser. And functionally, it seems to make far more sense than one would think. Unlike a two-wheel cruiser, slow speed maneuvering and weight are meaningless on a Spyder, so you lose no ability to control the F3. In fact, as others have noted, in comparison to other Spyders you likely *gain* more control on the F3 with that seating position. It literally feels like a different vehicle than the RS, ST, and RT (and, in a way, it is, given the frame differences). Meaning, I'd think it pretty dumb to make an RS or even an RT into a cruiser given how much you have to "shift and lift" into turns and corners on those bikes. But from the 30 minutes on the F3, with no obvious need to "lift and shift"... it was quite pleasant to sit on the rolling couch.
Anyway, at least from a performance standpoint, don't let the cruiser seating turn you off from the F3, definitely test ride it first.
---
Okay... there WERE Cons... there are always Cons.
6. The engine had a very odd hum to it. I normally ride with earplugs but this time around I left them out in order to listen to the bike, and once you get above a few MPH there is just this really odd, even annoying hum coming from just in front of you. Is that the sound of the radiator fans whirring? Do they come on automatically even when the bike isn't hot? Whatever it was, it's not a sound I've heard on any other Spyder before, so maybe it's just the difference with the 1330?
7. The wire throttle... meh. I rode the 2013 ST during a demo back at the BRP Owner's Event in Maggie Valley, so I'm familiar with how different the wire throttle feels from the analog one on my RS. While I didn't like it that much on the ST, I *really* didn't like it on the F3. There seems to be an abrupt "dead spot" when you come to a stop-- like, the F3 would downshift (either automatically or by my hand) as I came to a stop, and at about 3 or 4 mph it felt like the engine just shut off, everything got quiet and the power seemed to cut out, but everything was still on. If this is standard for the new throttles-- or an idiosyncrasy of the 1330-- it's something I'd have to get used to.
8. The wind blast on the F3 is something else, alright. Had no windshield on mine, and full blast it's intense. It's FAR more windy than even my Ninja, which might as well be naked for the sorry excuse of a windscreen that bike has. It was fun for the demo, but I couldn't tour on an F3 without a decent shield.
9. The strangest thing: the SE gear selector sticks out *just a little further* from the switchbox than on my RS, i.e. it's about half-an-inch closer to the end of the handlebar. This resulted in my being unable to put my whole left hand on the grip, the outside of my palm had to ride just a little bit on the lip at the end of the handlebar, otherwise without the room I'd be pressed up against the gear selector. Now, I don't have giant bear paws, just your average pair of mitts, but it's a difference from my RS that I noticed immediately. I'd have to figure out an aftermarket grip solution to take care of that (or just saw off that lip
).10. I didn't choose the right U-Fit. I had normal bars and 4 pegs, but I think I'd prefer the short bars. That's a meaningless "Con," of course, easily fixed.
---
Bottom line: Again, I'm not sure the F3 is enough to get me off of my RS, but I think a large part of that is both my familiarity with my RS, as well as all the farkling and "dialing it in" that I've managed to do over the years. Like I said above, while I didn't love the F3 at first ride (or sight, for that matter, but like others, it grows on you, especially in person), I did really like it-- which to be honest was the same feeling I had for my RS when I first bought it, before I did everything to make it my own. Thus, as a blank canvas, I think I could do quite a bit with the F3 to make it perfect for my needs.
That said, I think I might hold out for a while, see what else BRP comes up with in the coming years. If they could put that 1330 into an ST, that might be enough to get me off the fence. Or, even better, finally build that leaner...
P.S. Last thing... riding around Arlington, I got more looks and thumbs up from kids on the F3 than I have in years on my RS. Guess the RS has been around long enough to lose its luster, but *everybody* noticed-- and heard!-- the F3 coming. Buy one, and you'll definitely be a rock star again! :thumbup:
