daveinva
New member
Please pardon the long post-- I'd like to be thorough on this one!
I’ve mentioned previously that I’ve been looking into getting a Spyder in the D.C. area. But I had never been on a trike before, so I figured I’d take a trike class to learn the particulars and see if three-wheel riding was for me.
Searching online, I found that a local instruction school, Apex Cycle Education in Woodbridge Virginia, was offering their first ever trike/sidecar class this past weekend.
http://apexcycleeducation.com/
The class was an Evergreen Safety Course (practically identical to a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course): Friday night through Sunday afternoon, 5 hours in a class room, 10+ hours on the range, 17 range exercises, a 4-exercise riding exam and a 50-question written exam. If you pass both tests, you get a waiver for your M license from the Virginia DMV, just walk up and get your M stamp. (In Virginia, the M license covers both motorcycles and trikes—unsure how long that law will last, but that’s how it works today).
The best news, however: EVERYONE in our class, all 12 of us, were on Spyders-- an all-Spyder trike class! :2thumbs:
Riders were encouraged to bring their own trikes, we had three do so: two brand new 2011 RTs (one RT-S, one RT-S Limited) and a 2010 RS-S SE5, all automatics. We then had four other Spyders leased by Apex—2 standard 2011 RT-Ss, 1 standard 2010 RS-S, and an automatic 2011 RS-S SE5, for a total of 7 Spyders on the line.
Most of the class wanted to learn on the automatics, but I was fine learning the manual, so my ride for the entire weekend was the standard 2011 RT-S in black (two of the Apex Spyders started the class with less than five miles on them, my RT-S had 700 miles on it).
I’ll save my impressions of my first time on the Spyder for later in the post, but for now, more about the class:
1. If you’ve ever taken an MSF course, the ESC course was practically identical: oval and figure-eight exercises, weaving exercises, emergency braking in curves and in the chute, and swerving tests.
Nothing was too challenging for me—the hardest part was getting used to the clutch (I’ve driven a standard car for years, but there’s plenty to keep you busy on bike/trike, especially when you’re learning how to ride the three-wheeler for the first time). Stalls were a wee-bit embarrassing, but to be expected (I remember how often I stalled my car back when I first learned it—I had a LOT less time to practice on the Spyder and by day two I was getting the hang of it).
Still, I was glad I had that 750 miles on it—being out of a break-in period didn’t make me feel so guilty when I accidentally revved the RPM up (That said, I’d be VERY reluctant buying any used Spyders from Coleman without knowing their pedigree
(Actually, on a serious note-- the 2010 RS had a raging brake squeal and the 2011 RS had a nice chirping sound going on, sounded like the belt... since we were the very first class, and that 2011 was brand new, I admit to being a bit concerned about the dealer service here in setting the rigs up / maintaining them)
2. Apex had great, entertaining, safety-conscious instructors. They weren’t as knowledgeable about the Spyders as I would have liked—we spent plenty of time figuring out the reverse gears and the parking brake on the RTs— but it was *their* first class too, they were learning as we were, I'll cut them slack.
3. The four Apex Spyders were loaned to them by Coleman Powersports in Woodbridge. I know plenty of people rag on our very mercenary friends at Coleman (with some justification), but credit where credit is due, this was a class move by them, and frankly a fantastic marketing tool for their Spyder sales department.
4. The course was held in the parking lot at the Potomac Mills mall (right in front of the Ikea) and we had curious onlookers of all ages watching us ride throughout the weekend, with a number of folks asking for further information on both the Apex class and the Spyder. Unfortunately, we had to stop riding a couple of times to shoo away people who were TOO curious about the Spyder (we had one parked off to the side that attracted a couple of Ikea-shopping parents who somehow found it socially acceptable to place their children atop someone else's ride without asking... :lecturef_smilie
The owner of Apex also visited with us on Sunday to get our feedback to the course, and I suggested that they need to ensure they get *even more* Spyders for the future—with pairing up, the four rigs were barely enough for our class. In future trike classes, I expect the Spyder to be far more popular than the other options they had available.
5. As for the other options, Apex also provided traditional trikes and sidecar rigs for our use, but we all were naturally drawn to the Spyder—I’d still like to learn the regular trike and sidecars someday, but since I’m in the market for a Spyder, it only made sense for me to ride one. In return, I got an extended shakedown in a controlled environment to learn all that I could about the handling characteristics of the vehicle. MUCH better than just putting around a dealer parking lot for a short test ride before buying— or worse, braving street traffic in an unfamiliar vehicle! Plus, you get taught valuable lessons on how to safely operate a three-wheeler that you otherwise might not ever get.
6. All the riders passed the tests and those that needed their M waivers obtained them. As a nice bonus, Apex provided a “goodie bag” filled with coupons for Coleman (including $200 off a new or used vehicle, and plenty of 10%-15% coupons for gear and accessories) and Federicksburg Motor Sports, as well as a *lifetime* discount for EagleRiders motorcycle rentals (10% off daily rentals and all gear, 5% off weekly rentals).
Now, at $350 :shocked: the Apex class wasn’t cheap—taking a trike class at the local community college would have been a lot less—but this was a nice perk for passing. Plus, as a safety class, you might be able to get a nice insurance discount (alas, since ESC isn’t technically an MSF course, not all insurance providers may recognize it—you’d have to ask around to see if your provider does honor it).
Anyway, for D.C.-area riders who either own a Spyder or are curious as to whether it’s right for them, I highly recommend getting into the class (I see on their site there's another one coming up in June). Just be sure to ask if you can reserve a Spyder for the course to guarantee your spot as they are clearly popular.
You’ll learn a lot about how to ride in a controlled and fun environment, and if you need to get your M license, it’s a better way to do it than just showing up at the DMV and praying you pass the test. And again, as a pre-purchase test ride, you can’t beat the experience, you’ll know real quick whether the Spyder is right for you.
--------------------------
Now, on to the fun stuff: MY first impressions of the Spyder RT-S:
7. I don’t know if every student would agree with me, but I found it to be VERY easy to ride. BRP has made us an incredibly forgiving machine.
You walk into an MSF two-wheel class, and they drill it in your head that a 250 cc bike is THE “beginners” bike, and it most definitely is—you pop a clutch or scram the throttle, you’re still getting into trouble on day one, 250 cc or not.
Even with 900cc in my RT-S, however, between the weight of the trike and my, ummm, significant girth, I never felt like it was beyond my ability to control the vehicle. If you have experience in either ATVs or snowmobiles, it’s very much like that, but even if you have ridden just go-karts before, it’s a very similar feel. Experienced motorcyclist or coming over from a car, the Spyder is far less intimidating than a two-wheeler.
8. My dear ol' Dad would have looked at a Spyder with disdain: “Too much s$#% to break!”, but all those gizmos and doodads make for a very refined ride. The DPS, the ABS, the stability control… I always felt safe on it, far safer than I feel on two wheels.
Now, on the first day I *did* manage to get it onto two wheels (and only in first gear! Oopsie!) coming into a left turn too hot and not shifting my weight over. The instructor then got to use me as an example for the rest of the class of how important it is on the Spyder to shift your weight to the inside of the turns.
Not by a lot—my tight turns improved noticeably just by standing up a bit on the pegs, shifting one cheek over on the seat, and then sitting back down, and I got into the habit of setting my butt over *before* I entered into the turns… just that little movement made all the difference in the world, and far better than a shoulder dip (with the butt-shift you still keep your eyes up level with the horizon while looking through the turn, whereas if you just should dip you're barely shifting the center of gravity, if at all, and you're tilting your head instead of keeping it level, affecting your cornering).
9. I don’t know if it was my poor novice technique or if it’s common to the Spyder, but I noticed in higher-speed starts from a full stop, I’d get a lot of shimmy as the vehicle first got up to speed. I know from reading and others that traditional one forward / two back trikes do this, I guess I somehow expected the reverse trike layout of the Spyder to avoid that. Again, perhaps that was just me still getting used to a smooth start on the standard versus something unique to the Spyder-- it wasn't too hard to compensate for, I just made sure I relaxed my grip whenever I did a faster start from a stop.
10. Hard braking was SUPER easy on it, and you could even brake in curves if necessary (something I’m not confident enough to do on a two-wheeler). Those big wheels up front stop you when you tell them to stop, that’s for sure. You WILL dive the trike, and you WILL rise off the pegs, but you'll stop like no two-wheeler or traditional three-wheeler on the road (something the instructor drummed into us, reminding us that in mixed-group riding the Spyders should ride drag whenever possible due to their greater ability to stop on that dime than a bike).
11. I do, however, miss the handbrake, especially on left turns when your right foot isn’t that close to the pedal brake any longer. Even if I got an automatic and junked the clutch, I’d still consider aftermarket options for adding a handbrake (Spyder veterans—does anyone know with the available aftermarket handbrake mods, do they replace all the functionality of the pedal brake or do they just mirror the pedal brake, i.e. do both brakes feed into the same brake line and can be used interchangeably / simultaneously? I’d love that kind of flexibility).
12. Fit and finish was nice, but not stellar. Everything fits together well enough (a couple of gaps, however), but the paint job could be better. Plus, the entire thing is a mass of rather flimsy and insubstantial plastic (Can’t BRP make that frunk a little more solid? I felt like I was closing a plastic tub of cookies). You don't mind that kind of plastic on a motorcycle-- you understand why they're saving all that weight-- but on the Spyder it comes off as incongruous: here's this thing that looks as big as a small car but it's clad in cheap-o bike plastic and wobbly mirrors that feel like it could snap off in your hands.
Also, unlike a motorcycle, a lot of things I’d like to look at before a ride are hidden from view by the tupperware (I’m guessing the only way to do a halfway-decent tire inspection on an RT, short of putting it up on a stand, is to ride forward a couple feet, look, ride forward a few more feet, look, etc.). I’m no tinkerer, I’m happy to have a dealer do most of the work, but I totally wanted to get those panels off just to *see* what the heck was underneath those sections, I simply don’t trust a rig I can’t see working. Any Spyder I owned would get Dzus fasteners in about thirty seconds flat. :thumbup:
13. I went into the class hoping to ride an RS automatic, so of course I got stuck with the RT standard, heh. We unfortunately didn’t get an opportunity to try out the other rides. Not an Apex rule—we just lost a lot of time on Saturday-- dunno if you saw the weather reports but we rode through a MONSOON in Virginia on Saturday, it rained all day out on the range and we eventually had tornado warnings throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Still, the Spyder can navigate a driving rainstorm if necessary, in weather I'd refuse to take a motorcycle out in).
14. However, by and large, I had no complaints with the RT—in fact, nothing but praise.
I’m a younger guy (sub-40) so I didn’t think the big touring trike would appeal to me (with all due respect to my esteemed elders, I can’t get over my natural bias against all you retirees on Goldwings! :doorag, but riding the RT all weekend was ridiculously comfortable all weekend long (with one exception, my knees, but I'll cover that below). The RT was noticeably slower off the line and harder to take tight turns than the RS models in class—the greater weight and different distribution of weight almost certainly ensures that—but it was still nimble enough to enjoy myself.
The RT's creature comforts, however, were VERY welcome: the seat was crazy comfortable (more lumbar support than I figured it’d have going by its looks alone). Plus, on Saturday, in the cold rainy weather, I just flipped on the heated handgrips and seatwarmer and it made all the difference in the world (so much so that I’m convinced I’d aftermarket heated handgrips into the RS, I’m totally sold on how awesome / necessary those are in bad weather). Alas, since it was a safety training course, I didn’t get to test out the fun stuff like the radio, oh well. But I *did* make use of the ample storage space for things like water bottles, towels, my course book, etc.
I did get to sit on an RS there that had the BRP passenger backrest, just to see if it’s something my girlfriend would enjoy sitting on if she chose to ride two-up with me. I quickly concluded that no way in sam-heck would she enjoy sitting on that
. But the passenger seat on the RT is like a freakin’ Barcalounger, I’d actually be jealous of a passenger on one of those :2thumbs:.
After reading the Spyderlovers forum I thought I’d feel more mod happy about the RT, but I didn’t see a lot I’d change out from the factory. About the only thing I would add in a heartbeat are floorboards and/or cruising pegs—after two days in the saddle in the standard position my knees couldn’t stop asking me why I hated them so much. Also, more lighting / visibility is always better, so I can see why pucks and more rear lights make sense (the factory brake lights were nearly impossible to see in the bright sun we finally got on Sunday, even on the RT). Also, unsure if I’d need risers, but an extra three inches couldn’t hurt. Still, from the factory I was quite happy with all that the RT-S comes equipped with. Heck, it's nicer than my girlfriend's new SUV (alas, costs about the same, too :shocked.
Anyway, I came away with a lot more respect for the RT, and more appreciation for the veteran Spyder owner adage to avoid buying an RS and turning it into an RT—you’ll be able to make the RS more comfortable, but you’ll never turn the RS into a true touring rig, even after spending a gazillion on it... the RT is just that different, and better for the purpose.
-------------------
The verdict: The class was great—for us as novice riders, and for Apex, Coleman and ultimately BRP as a marketing tool.
The Spyder? It’s even better. Easy to learn, incredibly forgiving even for someone who has never gotten on a motorcycle or trike in their life, and super fun to ride.
The best thing about the class, however, is that it quickly showed we students how much we DON’T know.
Novice riders-- and even (especially?) experienced riders-- pick up all sorts of bad habits; that which does not kill you only waits to kill you later. All MSF instructors I know joke at the end of their classes, even with the M license waiver, all the Basic Rider Course class does is certify a rider to safely operate a three-wheeled vehicle at 15 mph within the confines of a cone track in a football-field-sized parking lot. :firstplace:
Even with two whole days on the range, you still don’t cover stuff like mirrors, signals, etc.—in fact, I don’t think I looked at my dash *once* the entire time on the range, I had to pay complete attention to the turns in front of me and the other riders around me. The kind of situational awareness that one needs on a public road isn’t something you can teach a new rider in a weekend—what the class teaches you is the basic tools to help you teach *yourself*, on your own, in months of parking lot practice exercises and years (a lifetime, really) of refresher practice on your own, and in structured settings. Practice, practice, and practice again is a cheap (and fun!) investment, especially when compared to a broken rig, or worse, a broken you.
Ultimately, the only downside to this entire weekend is that after my second or third exercise on that Saturday, I knew I wanted a Spyder! I’m still hoping to find enough money to *responsibly* buy one this year (whaddya mean, I can’t empty out my savings account on toys?)—if I have to wait until next year to get one, after this weekend’s fun, it’ll be a lonnnng, painful wait...
ray:
Safe riding...
I’ve mentioned previously that I’ve been looking into getting a Spyder in the D.C. area. But I had never been on a trike before, so I figured I’d take a trike class to learn the particulars and see if three-wheel riding was for me.
Searching online, I found that a local instruction school, Apex Cycle Education in Woodbridge Virginia, was offering their first ever trike/sidecar class this past weekend.
http://apexcycleeducation.com/
The class was an Evergreen Safety Course (practically identical to a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course): Friday night through Sunday afternoon, 5 hours in a class room, 10+ hours on the range, 17 range exercises, a 4-exercise riding exam and a 50-question written exam. If you pass both tests, you get a waiver for your M license from the Virginia DMV, just walk up and get your M stamp. (In Virginia, the M license covers both motorcycles and trikes—unsure how long that law will last, but that’s how it works today).
The best news, however: EVERYONE in our class, all 12 of us, were on Spyders-- an all-Spyder trike class! :2thumbs:
Riders were encouraged to bring their own trikes, we had three do so: two brand new 2011 RTs (one RT-S, one RT-S Limited) and a 2010 RS-S SE5, all automatics. We then had four other Spyders leased by Apex—2 standard 2011 RT-Ss, 1 standard 2010 RS-S, and an automatic 2011 RS-S SE5, for a total of 7 Spyders on the line.
Most of the class wanted to learn on the automatics, but I was fine learning the manual, so my ride for the entire weekend was the standard 2011 RT-S in black (two of the Apex Spyders started the class with less than five miles on them, my RT-S had 700 miles on it).
I’ll save my impressions of my first time on the Spyder for later in the post, but for now, more about the class:
1. If you’ve ever taken an MSF course, the ESC course was practically identical: oval and figure-eight exercises, weaving exercises, emergency braking in curves and in the chute, and swerving tests.
Nothing was too challenging for me—the hardest part was getting used to the clutch (I’ve driven a standard car for years, but there’s plenty to keep you busy on bike/trike, especially when you’re learning how to ride the three-wheeler for the first time). Stalls were a wee-bit embarrassing, but to be expected (I remember how often I stalled my car back when I first learned it—I had a LOT less time to practice on the Spyder and by day two I was getting the hang of it).
Still, I was glad I had that 750 miles on it—being out of a break-in period didn’t make me feel so guilty when I accidentally revved the RPM up (That said, I’d be VERY reluctant buying any used Spyders from Coleman without knowing their pedigree
(Actually, on a serious note-- the 2010 RS had a raging brake squeal and the 2011 RS had a nice chirping sound going on, sounded like the belt... since we were the very first class, and that 2011 was brand new, I admit to being a bit concerned about the dealer service here in setting the rigs up / maintaining them)
2. Apex had great, entertaining, safety-conscious instructors. They weren’t as knowledgeable about the Spyders as I would have liked—we spent plenty of time figuring out the reverse gears and the parking brake on the RTs— but it was *their* first class too, they were learning as we were, I'll cut them slack
. 3. The four Apex Spyders were loaned to them by Coleman Powersports in Woodbridge. I know plenty of people rag on our very mercenary friends at Coleman (with some justification), but credit where credit is due, this was a class move by them, and frankly a fantastic marketing tool for their Spyder sales department.
4. The course was held in the parking lot at the Potomac Mills mall (right in front of the Ikea) and we had curious onlookers of all ages watching us ride throughout the weekend, with a number of folks asking for further information on both the Apex class and the Spyder. Unfortunately, we had to stop riding a couple of times to shoo away people who were TOO curious about the Spyder (we had one parked off to the side that attracted a couple of Ikea-shopping parents who somehow found it socially acceptable to place their children atop someone else's ride without asking... :lecturef_smilie
The owner of Apex also visited with us on Sunday to get our feedback to the course, and I suggested that they need to ensure they get *even more* Spyders for the future—with pairing up, the four rigs were barely enough for our class. In future trike classes, I expect the Spyder to be far more popular than the other options they had available.
5. As for the other options, Apex also provided traditional trikes and sidecar rigs for our use, but we all were naturally drawn to the Spyder—I’d still like to learn the regular trike and sidecars someday, but since I’m in the market for a Spyder, it only made sense for me to ride one. In return, I got an extended shakedown in a controlled environment to learn all that I could about the handling characteristics of the vehicle. MUCH better than just putting around a dealer parking lot for a short test ride before buying— or worse, braving street traffic in an unfamiliar vehicle! Plus, you get taught valuable lessons on how to safely operate a three-wheeler that you otherwise might not ever get.
6. All the riders passed the tests and those that needed their M waivers obtained them. As a nice bonus, Apex provided a “goodie bag” filled with coupons for Coleman (including $200 off a new or used vehicle, and plenty of 10%-15% coupons for gear and accessories) and Federicksburg Motor Sports, as well as a *lifetime* discount for EagleRiders motorcycle rentals (10% off daily rentals and all gear, 5% off weekly rentals).
Now, at $350 :shocked: the Apex class wasn’t cheap—taking a trike class at the local community college would have been a lot less—but this was a nice perk for passing. Plus, as a safety class, you might be able to get a nice insurance discount (alas, since ESC isn’t technically an MSF course, not all insurance providers may recognize it—you’d have to ask around to see if your provider does honor it).
Anyway, for D.C.-area riders who either own a Spyder or are curious as to whether it’s right for them, I highly recommend getting into the class (I see on their site there's another one coming up in June). Just be sure to ask if you can reserve a Spyder for the course to guarantee your spot as they are clearly popular.
You’ll learn a lot about how to ride in a controlled and fun environment, and if you need to get your M license, it’s a better way to do it than just showing up at the DMV and praying you pass the test. And again, as a pre-purchase test ride, you can’t beat the experience, you’ll know real quick whether the Spyder is right for you.
--------------------------
Now, on to the fun stuff: MY first impressions of the Spyder RT-S:
7. I don’t know if every student would agree with me, but I found it to be VERY easy to ride. BRP has made us an incredibly forgiving machine.
You walk into an MSF two-wheel class, and they drill it in your head that a 250 cc bike is THE “beginners” bike, and it most definitely is—you pop a clutch or scram the throttle, you’re still getting into trouble on day one, 250 cc or not.
Even with 900cc in my RT-S, however, between the weight of the trike and my, ummm, significant girth, I never felt like it was beyond my ability to control the vehicle. If you have experience in either ATVs or snowmobiles, it’s very much like that, but even if you have ridden just go-karts before, it’s a very similar feel. Experienced motorcyclist or coming over from a car, the Spyder is far less intimidating than a two-wheeler.
8. My dear ol' Dad would have looked at a Spyder with disdain: “Too much s$#% to break!”, but all those gizmos and doodads make for a very refined ride. The DPS, the ABS, the stability control… I always felt safe on it, far safer than I feel on two wheels.
Now, on the first day I *did* manage to get it onto two wheels (and only in first gear! Oopsie!) coming into a left turn too hot and not shifting my weight over. The instructor then got to use me as an example for the rest of the class of how important it is on the Spyder to shift your weight to the inside of the turns.
Not by a lot—my tight turns improved noticeably just by standing up a bit on the pegs, shifting one cheek over on the seat, and then sitting back down, and I got into the habit of setting my butt over *before* I entered into the turns… just that little movement made all the difference in the world, and far better than a shoulder dip (with the butt-shift you still keep your eyes up level with the horizon while looking through the turn, whereas if you just should dip you're barely shifting the center of gravity, if at all, and you're tilting your head instead of keeping it level, affecting your cornering).
9. I don’t know if it was my poor novice technique or if it’s common to the Spyder, but I noticed in higher-speed starts from a full stop, I’d get a lot of shimmy as the vehicle first got up to speed. I know from reading and others that traditional one forward / two back trikes do this, I guess I somehow expected the reverse trike layout of the Spyder to avoid that. Again, perhaps that was just me still getting used to a smooth start on the standard versus something unique to the Spyder-- it wasn't too hard to compensate for, I just made sure I relaxed my grip whenever I did a faster start from a stop.
10. Hard braking was SUPER easy on it, and you could even brake in curves if necessary (something I’m not confident enough to do on a two-wheeler). Those big wheels up front stop you when you tell them to stop, that’s for sure. You WILL dive the trike, and you WILL rise off the pegs, but you'll stop like no two-wheeler or traditional three-wheeler on the road (something the instructor drummed into us, reminding us that in mixed-group riding the Spyders should ride drag whenever possible due to their greater ability to stop on that dime than a bike).
11. I do, however, miss the handbrake, especially on left turns when your right foot isn’t that close to the pedal brake any longer. Even if I got an automatic and junked the clutch, I’d still consider aftermarket options for adding a handbrake (Spyder veterans—does anyone know with the available aftermarket handbrake mods, do they replace all the functionality of the pedal brake or do they just mirror the pedal brake, i.e. do both brakes feed into the same brake line and can be used interchangeably / simultaneously? I’d love that kind of flexibility).
12. Fit and finish was nice, but not stellar. Everything fits together well enough (a couple of gaps, however), but the paint job could be better. Plus, the entire thing is a mass of rather flimsy and insubstantial plastic (Can’t BRP make that frunk a little more solid? I felt like I was closing a plastic tub of cookies). You don't mind that kind of plastic on a motorcycle-- you understand why they're saving all that weight-- but on the Spyder it comes off as incongruous: here's this thing that looks as big as a small car but it's clad in cheap-o bike plastic and wobbly mirrors that feel like it could snap off in your hands.
Also, unlike a motorcycle, a lot of things I’d like to look at before a ride are hidden from view by the tupperware (I’m guessing the only way to do a halfway-decent tire inspection on an RT, short of putting it up on a stand, is to ride forward a couple feet, look, ride forward a few more feet, look, etc.). I’m no tinkerer, I’m happy to have a dealer do most of the work, but I totally wanted to get those panels off just to *see* what the heck was underneath those sections, I simply don’t trust a rig I can’t see working. Any Spyder I owned would get Dzus fasteners in about thirty seconds flat. :thumbup:
13. I went into the class hoping to ride an RS automatic, so of course I got stuck with the RT standard, heh. We unfortunately didn’t get an opportunity to try out the other rides. Not an Apex rule—we just lost a lot of time on Saturday-- dunno if you saw the weather reports but we rode through a MONSOON in Virginia on Saturday, it rained all day out on the range and we eventually had tornado warnings throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Still, the Spyder can navigate a driving rainstorm if necessary, in weather I'd refuse to take a motorcycle out in).
14. However, by and large, I had no complaints with the RT—in fact, nothing but praise.
I’m a younger guy (sub-40) so I didn’t think the big touring trike would appeal to me (with all due respect to my esteemed elders, I can’t get over my natural bias against all you retirees on Goldwings! :doorag
, but riding the RT all weekend was ridiculously comfortable all weekend long (with one exception, my knees, but I'll cover that below). The RT was noticeably slower off the line and harder to take tight turns than the RS models in class—the greater weight and different distribution of weight almost certainly ensures that—but it was still nimble enough to enjoy myself. The RT's creature comforts, however, were VERY welcome: the seat was crazy comfortable (more lumbar support than I figured it’d have going by its looks alone). Plus, on Saturday, in the cold rainy weather, I just flipped on the heated handgrips and seatwarmer and it made all the difference in the world (so much so that I’m convinced I’d aftermarket heated handgrips into the RS, I’m totally sold on how awesome / necessary those are in bad weather). Alas, since it was a safety training course, I didn’t get to test out the fun stuff like the radio, oh well. But I *did* make use of the ample storage space for things like water bottles, towels, my course book, etc.
I did get to sit on an RS there that had the BRP passenger backrest, just to see if it’s something my girlfriend would enjoy sitting on if she chose to ride two-up with me. I quickly concluded that no way in sam-heck would she enjoy sitting on that
. But the passenger seat on the RT is like a freakin’ Barcalounger, I’d actually be jealous of a passenger on one of those :2thumbs:.After reading the Spyderlovers forum I thought I’d feel more mod happy about the RT, but I didn’t see a lot I’d change out from the factory. About the only thing I would add in a heartbeat are floorboards and/or cruising pegs—after two days in the saddle in the standard position my knees couldn’t stop asking me why I hated them so much. Also, more lighting / visibility is always better, so I can see why pucks and more rear lights make sense (the factory brake lights were nearly impossible to see in the bright sun we finally got on Sunday, even on the RT). Also, unsure if I’d need risers, but an extra three inches couldn’t hurt. Still, from the factory I was quite happy with all that the RT-S comes equipped with. Heck, it's nicer than my girlfriend's new SUV (alas, costs about the same, too :shocked
.Anyway, I came away with a lot more respect for the RT, and more appreciation for the veteran Spyder owner adage to avoid buying an RS and turning it into an RT—you’ll be able to make the RS more comfortable, but you’ll never turn the RS into a true touring rig, even after spending a gazillion on it... the RT is just that different, and better for the purpose.
-------------------
The verdict: The class was great—for us as novice riders, and for Apex, Coleman and ultimately BRP as a marketing tool.
The Spyder? It’s even better. Easy to learn, incredibly forgiving even for someone who has never gotten on a motorcycle or trike in their life, and super fun to ride.
The best thing about the class, however, is that it quickly showed we students how much we DON’T know.
Novice riders-- and even (especially?) experienced riders-- pick up all sorts of bad habits; that which does not kill you only waits to kill you later. All MSF instructors I know joke at the end of their classes, even with the M license waiver, all the Basic Rider Course class does is certify a rider to safely operate a three-wheeled vehicle at 15 mph within the confines of a cone track in a football-field-sized parking lot. :firstplace:
Even with two whole days on the range, you still don’t cover stuff like mirrors, signals, etc.—in fact, I don’t think I looked at my dash *once* the entire time on the range, I had to pay complete attention to the turns in front of me and the other riders around me. The kind of situational awareness that one needs on a public road isn’t something you can teach a new rider in a weekend—what the class teaches you is the basic tools to help you teach *yourself*, on your own, in months of parking lot practice exercises and years (a lifetime, really) of refresher practice on your own, and in structured settings. Practice, practice, and practice again is a cheap (and fun!) investment, especially when compared to a broken rig, or worse, a broken you.
Ultimately, the only downside to this entire weekend is that after my second or third exercise on that Saturday, I knew I wanted a Spyder! I’m still hoping to find enough money to *responsibly* buy one this year (whaddya mean, I can’t empty out my savings account on toys?)—if I have to wait until next year to get one, after this weekend’s fun, it’ll be a lonnnng, painful wait...
ray:Safe riding...
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hyea:
