Need help in curves!

[Red Recluse]

I have only ridden my new spyder about 3 times so far. I am having a lot of difficulty in the curves. I have to slow way down and then have trouble staying on my side of the lines. Anyone have any suggestions for me?

 

[Buelldog]

Training Exercise

I have only ridden my new spyder about 3 times so far. I am having a lot of difficulty in the curves. I have to slow way down and then have trouble staying on my side of the lines. Anyone have any suggestions for me?

Go to a large unoccupied parking lot........Practice figure eights,practice figure eights!!Look where you want to go not where you are going........lay out the inside perimeter of the figure eight with some small cones or empty milk jugs or what ever you have.You want to make sure you are accelerating through the turns.....no coasting.....your sweep will get smother and smoother the more you practice. Read your owners manual under riding skills section.......there are also other good training exercises shown there.:thumbup:

 

[VaughnCat]

take your time. . .

I have only ridden my new spyder about 3 times so far. I am having a lot of difficulty in the curves. I have to slow way down and then have trouble staying on my side of the lines. Anyone have any suggestions for me?

Take your time, you will get used to it. Unlike a motorcycle or car, the Spyder steers real quick; small steering input = big results. I think it is harder to get used to for those of us who road motorcycles for years. Focusing ahead in the turns/straights should help you stay on line. At first I thought the Spyder was real spooky, but with time and miles came confidence in the Spyder. We have over 4K on the RT in just over 2 months, and almost 1K on the RS in a couple of weeks. Put some miles on your Spyder and you will learn to love it. Have fun!

 

[Big Arm]

Go to a large unoccupied parking lot........Practice figure eights,practice figure eights!!Look where you want to go not where you are going........

welcome Valerie
You have a couple of the best teachers right there in your neck of the woods, there in Greeneville. They go by their alias's, BajaRon and Lamonster, but you may have a hard time catching them.:roflblack:

 

[pierrelogic]

Each time you enter a turn, imagine yourself attempting to lean forward and in far enough to KISS your inside handlebar. That will give you a great body position to execute a smooth turn.

 

[truck 85]

what they said

the best thing to do it practice and the speed will come and so will the fun :2thumbs:nojoke

 

[Gimpy Girl]

I just got my Spyder on Thurs evening, and know just what your feeling. I come from riding a Harley Roadking, and this is way different. I've gone to an empty train station parking lot and have done circles until I'm dizzy. Lots of figure 8's and then back to circles the other direction.

You have to train your brain to trust in the bike, and have faith that you'll roll through that turn with out issues. What everyone has said about pratice is dead on. Keep on pratcing, and doing circles, and you'll start to get the hang of it. :thumbup:

 

[Red Recluse]

Thanks for everyone's advice.

I want to thank everyone that gave me advice for making it through the curves. I am going to practice every chance I get. (if it will stop raining).:2thumbs:

 

[BajaRon]

I have only ridden my new spyder about 3 times so far. I am having a lot of difficulty in the curves. I have to slow way down and then have trouble staying on my side of the lines. Anyone have any suggestions for me?

Hello Valerie! Didn't know we had another SpyderLover in our back yard! Lamont hasn't said a thing to me! He's always keeping me in the dark (and the fact that I don't pay much attention doesn't help! )

Some good advise has already been offered. Really it is simply a learning curve (Ah, no pun intended). Some (like me) take longer than others. I was simply terrible on the Spyder when I first got started. It took about 300 miles of riding before I really got comfortable. But it did improve steadily once I began to relax.

So hang in there and try to relax.

Issues tend to aggrevate themselves. In other words, if you have trouble in turns your brain registers this as you approach a turn You tense up, focus on all the wrong things and try too hard to get it "Just Right". Every mistake re-enforces the negative experience and you set yourself up for more problems next time. This pattern takes effort to break and it starts with relaxing. I know I keep mentioning this but it is a most important step.

I don't mean go limp, it is more a frame of mind which helps you work with the Spyder and not against it.

As mentioned, the Spyder is VERY responsive! Though this is a good thing once you master it, it can be disconcerting at first.

So....

#1 - Take your time
#2 - Relax
#3 - Look Through the turn, not At the turn
#4 - Do not hug the centerline going into the curve. Try to start and finish the turn in the center of the lane
#5 - Go for Smooth, Smooth Smooth, no jerky movenents

It will come to you and when it does you'll really begin to enjoy your Spyder.

 

[spyderryderaus]

The tips I give my customers
1. relax your shoulders, elbows and grip (as the other guys have said the spyder is very responsive so any undue input from being tense will go through the bars)
2. sit as far forward on the seat as comfortable, so you have more weight over the front end.
3. don't carry a passenger until you get the feel for it (when carrying a passenger get them to put as much input into the ride as you do, a couple of passengers I have had have really ridden the bike with me and we can get going as quick as if I didn't have them on)
4. lean into the corner, get your helmet out to the mirror
5. apply power just before the apex of the corner, this helps push the 300kgs of bike around and also pushes the inside front wheel down. your natural response when applying throttle is also to lean forward.
6. trust the electronics. this is the hardest bit of all.
spend as much time as possible on the spyder and you will have as much fun, if not more, than the guys on 2 wheels

 

[Prense01]

Straigten the arm that is on the outside of the turn. Don't lock that arm straight...only a slight bend at the elbow. The steering will fight the direction of your turn...wanting to return to center somwhat. Make minor corrections in your turn by simply adjusting your body position. All of my turning control is handled by my arm that is on the outside of the turn. If done correctly, you can all but let go with your hand on the inside of the turn and not notice any instability. Do not focus attention on the road directly in front of you. Look at the exit of the curve if possible. If the exit is not visible, look as deep into the turn as you can looking deeper and deeper as you progress until the exit is visible.

I can hold corners as smoothly on this bike as I could on two wheelers...granted not quite as fast. This is a really fun machine to corner with.

Chris :spyder:

 

[bruceofthebronx]

Curves

I also had trouble for sometime but like anything else, practice makes perfect. I cannot lean my body like most people can but I push my foot down on the foot rest, opposing side of the curve and it helps (me). Good luck, ride safe. If you need any additional help with your curves, let me know. lol.

Bruce

 

[Desert Spyder]

Sometimes I feel I'm not doing it right when I follow other ryders but then I'm not sure how they feel. I use a lot of body english in the twisties: leaning, butt steering, lifting the outside bar, tweaking the gas, downshifting, upshifting and I'm still lagging behind. I've got 0 experience with 2-wheelers and 12,000 mi on the Spyder. I usually go 2 up when with other ryders and that may have something to do with it: she may not be leaning far enuff into the curves but then most passengers don't from what I see from behind (hate that word). I might be playing it conservative in the turns with a passenger for her safety because when I'm solo I'm more agressive. Everybody's right, everybody's wrong. Do whats best for you. Strength, weight, endurance, and most of all the bike will determine what happens in the turn. At the end of a good run, I'm pooped!

And thats good!:clap:

 

[LaughingHeart]

It took me a while to feel comfortable in curves and turns too. At first I slowed down a lot. It felt like the bike wanted to tip or toss me off. Then I relaxed my grip and began to lean my body into the turns. After a while I realized the bike was really stable and I just needed to trust what it was doing and flow with it. I practiced a lot. Now I keep up with my husband's BMW in the curves. It is a blast! Just take your time and get comfortable with how the bike feels when it is turning. Good luck and have fun.

 

[SpyderGirl]

welcome All I have to say is that 24K miles and 2 1/2 years and I am still learning. Practice makes perfect. Learn to trust your machine. Proper tire pressure and adjustments to the suspension can also make a difference. And when you ride with a passenger, that does change how you ride. I can't take turns nearly as agressive or as fast when I have my 230lbs husband on the back.

Ride safe and enjoy the ride. The skills and comfort will come.

 

[moabgirl]

This is all good advice!

There is a distinct learning curve to riding a Spyder (especially after riding on 2 wheels for years). It took me 3 days of riding to feel comfortable turning left. I looked like a back-arse-wards NASCAR driver, only turning right at first. You'll soon relax and enjoy the ryde!

 

[retread]

Get some small traffic cones or cut some tennis balls in half, then set them out in a course to ride in a vacant parking lot. Start out with them spread out and tighten them up as you get more comfortable, practice helps get the most out of Spyders.
I run 18 to 20 PSI in my front tires, 26 to 30 in the rear, and the shocks either at the highest or next to highest setting.
Also, it could help to almost "chin" on the inside grip in a curve.

john