INITIAL IMPRESSION
I bought this new 2016 F3s Special a few weeks ago and other then riding it 45 miles home I have not ridden it since today because of snow/inclement weather. I put just over 150 miles on it today so this my opinion from being a newbie to both Spyders and trikes. I’m not new to motorcycles and these are just my thoughts and opinions.
My ride started out good and getting used to the controls was easy.The “eco” button telling the bike you read the safety card is not only a joke but just plain stupid. It is meaningless safety drivel a lawyer must have advised the engineers to add. With that said I’ll say no more about it. The “mode” switch and those extra up/down/left/right switches appear to do nothing.I need to play with it more but with all the info in the display I noticed there is no clock!
WINSHIELD
The windshield I added was a MADSTAD and it is bottom level ok at best. Tilting the windshield does nothing to keep head buffeting from happening. Raising the windshield causes too much airflow under the windshield and the narrowness of the screen forces air directly onto your hands and boy was it cold. I’ll check their customer service and maybe trade my screen for a larger one, I’ll post feedback later as they appear very customer friendly.
SIDE VIEW MIRRORS
I noticed the side mirrors are not very adjustable.I lose about 25-33% of my rear view as my Givi luggage and passenger grab handles block visibility. It is good in that you can see not only completely behind you but all the way to the other side of the road regardless which mirror you are looking at. I did need to turn my head VERY hard left/right to check for traffic. Mirrors that angle outward a bit more would be helpful.
YUP IT’S A TRIKE
The bike at highwayspeed tracks like it’s on rails! I did not need to keep adjusting my steering to eat miles.That was the good but the bad and not the bikes fault was that it is a trike.No more leaning and the bike feels where you want her to go. No more finding that sweet spot between potholes/debris nor are you availed an escape route as the bike is verywide.The very good is that I felt very stable and the independent suspension ate up the potholes.The SE6 made shifting a joke and my loweringof the brake pedal (see previous post) allowed easy access when breaking.
NOW FOR THE VERY BAD
When I was at highway speed I noticed EXTREME vibration beginning at 63MPH.This vibration was so TERRIBLE that I initially thought it was a mechanical problem, it is. The vibration was not consistent and would come and go, I just needed to achieve 63MPH and BAM ….random extreme vibration. Realizing from prior reading in this forum that Can Am was already on it I turned around and headed to my dealer. They ordered me the items necessary to fix it (hopefully) from Can-Am (without labor $35.). I feel it is in VERY poor taste to make a customer pay to fix an apparent mechanical design flaw on such an expensive machine.I’ll post my response to this issue when the part comes in and I test it on the highway.
MY FINALTHOUGHTS
Overall I cannot say I’m yet to be in love with this bike. It’s the first impressions thing coming back to haunt me.Maybe with the corrected windshield and the belt vibration dampener I would be posting better more positive initial thoughts. When these two issues are addressed I’ll post my response. Thanks for any comments and your time.
I bought this new 2016 F3s Special a few weeks ago and other then riding it 45 miles home I have not ridden it since today because of snow/inclement weather. I put just over 150 miles on it today so this my opinion from being a newbie to both Spyders and trikes. I’m not new to motorcycles and these are just my thoughts and opinions.
My ride started out good and getting used to the controls was easy.The “eco” button telling the bike you read the safety card is not only a joke but just plain stupid. It is meaningless safety drivel a lawyer must have advised the engineers to add. With that said I’ll say no more about it. The “mode” switch and those extra up/down/left/right switches appear to do nothing.I need to play with it more but with all the info in the display I noticed there is no clock!
WINSHIELD
The windshield I added was a MADSTAD and it is bottom level ok at best. Tilting the windshield does nothing to keep head buffeting from happening. Raising the windshield causes too much airflow under the windshield and the narrowness of the screen forces air directly onto your hands and boy was it cold. I’ll check their customer service and maybe trade my screen for a larger one, I’ll post feedback later as they appear very customer friendly.
SIDE VIEW MIRRORS
I noticed the side mirrors are not very adjustable.I lose about 25-33% of my rear view as my Givi luggage and passenger grab handles block visibility. It is good in that you can see not only completely behind you but all the way to the other side of the road regardless which mirror you are looking at. I did need to turn my head VERY hard left/right to check for traffic. Mirrors that angle outward a bit more would be helpful.
YUP IT’S A TRIKE
The bike at highwayspeed tracks like it’s on rails! I did not need to keep adjusting my steering to eat miles.That was the good but the bad and not the bikes fault was that it is a trike.No more leaning and the bike feels where you want her to go. No more finding that sweet spot between potholes/debris nor are you availed an escape route as the bike is verywide.The very good is that I felt very stable and the independent suspension ate up the potholes.The SE6 made shifting a joke and my loweringof the brake pedal (see previous post) allowed easy access when breaking.
NOW FOR THE VERY BAD
When I was at highway speed I noticed EXTREME vibration beginning at 63MPH.This vibration was so TERRIBLE that I initially thought it was a mechanical problem, it is. The vibration was not consistent and would come and go, I just needed to achieve 63MPH and BAM ….random extreme vibration. Realizing from prior reading in this forum that Can Am was already on it I turned around and headed to my dealer. They ordered me the items necessary to fix it (hopefully) from Can-Am (without labor $35.). I feel it is in VERY poor taste to make a customer pay to fix an apparent mechanical design flaw on such an expensive machine.I’ll post my response to this issue when the part comes in and I test it on the highway.
MY FINALTHOUGHTS
Overall I cannot say I’m yet to be in love with this bike. It’s the first impressions thing coming back to haunt me.Maybe with the corrected windshield and the belt vibration dampener I would be posting better more positive initial thoughts. When these two issues are addressed I’ll post my response. Thanks for any comments and your time.
Last edited:
It's nice to see that you're getting a few miles under your belt, and making some relevant observations! :clap:
opcorn:
yikes
hyea:. I'll even talk to her and wipe her down with detailer. That's another investment I would suggest, get a few cans of Black Diamond Detailer from Lamonster Garage. I prefer the can, but he also has it in bottles.
That's too funny, I do that many times a day but just didn't have the courage to come out of the closet like that. My hat comes off to you fellow vet. Gonna go sit on my Spyder now and do so with a smile.
