New Member In Search Of Info - which F3 Ltd's have rear Air Suspension?

[JWK70]

Hello all, I currently ride a 2006 Suzuki Boulevard C50 and have been considering transitioning to 3 wheels for a few years now. I'm most likely going to make my purchase in the spring of next year and am starting to do the research and info collecting now in preparation for that. I'm sure I'm not the first to have such a post and I will do my best to stay away from oil and tire questions.
I have lurked around for a bit and finally decided it was time to join the community and try and gain the knowledge I need.
I live in Ontario Canada and have a BRP dealer not more than 15 minutes from my house and took an RT LTD for a test drive last year with my wife. They told me what route to ride and said if I wasn't back in 15 minutes they would come looking for me. When I asked if I could take a longer ride I was told NO. I asked if I could rent one for a day to better get the feel of it, again the answer was no they don't rent them out....
I did some on line searches for Spyder rentals in Ontario and came up empty. There are several in Quebec and I am in the midst of trying to rent one in September so my wife and I can get some time on it. Originally I was thinking of purchasing an RT LTD because I wanted the air suspension in the rear thinking the ride will be softer then my Boulevard for my wife and also the heated grips and seat. The place I'm hoping to rent from only has a F3 LTD available on the weekend I can go and I have come to find out that it has the rear air suspension which was a pleasant surprise. I have also come to learn that you can also get the heated seat and grips on the F3 LTD. So my first question is do all F3 LTD have this or only after a certain year?
I'm also wanting one with the 1330 and SE6 which if I'm remembering correctly started in 2014, if I'm wrong please correct me.
I will most likely be buying a used Spyder so please feel free to give me some tips on things to look for since my Spyder knowledge is pretty much nil at this time.
I'll end it here for now before this gets to lengthy and I bore everybody, thanks.

 

[Copperman]

The F3 Limited was introduced in 2016. It didn't have a top box or the automatic air suspension. It had the air suspension, just a manual fill.

In 2017 the top box and automatic air suspension was added to the F3 Limited.

All the F3 Limiteds have heated hand grips and the newer ones have heated passenger grips. My '16 F3 Limited did not have heated passenger grips, although, my wife's 2021 F3 Limited has them (not sure when it started). No F3 Limited has a stock heated seat. I don't think it's a BRP option.

The 2014, '15, '16 & '17 RT Limiteds have a Garmin GPS as standard equipment. A GPS was not standard equipment on any F3 Limited. 2018 and newer RTs and F3s have the BRP Connect.

All F3s and 2014+ RTs have the 1330 motor. The Limiteds are only available with an SE6.

Hope this helps.

 

[JayBros]

Find a dealership that will let you take decent length test rides if they want to sell you a Spyder and thoroughly test ride both RT and F3.

 

[JWK70]

Since my first post I have reserved an F3 rental for a weekend and my wife has made air bnb arrangements. I'm looking forward to that weekend now.
Copperman, thanks for the info, I want one with a top case so that info is appreciated.
In late September of last year my brother in law and I did a motorcycle trip to northern Ontario and heated grips would have been very appreciated on several of those mornings.

 

[larryd]

Another thing you may want to look at on the F3's is the final gearing...When BRP wanted to improve the performance on certain models they went to a 89 tooth rear sprocket...Some model F3's had the 79 tooth rear sprocket like all the RT's do...

If your planning to do a lot of hilly and mountain riding, and riding 2 up and maybe pulling a trailer, I'd want the 89 Tooth set up...Or maybe you would just like a "Hot Rod"??? larryd

 

[JWK70]

Thanks for the info larryd, if I’m remembering correctly going to a larger sprocket in the rear gives you a bit more pull off the line.
The majority of my riding (80-85%) is solo and the hills where I live aren’t that bad.
A few years back my wife and I went white water tubing and at one point my wife came down tail bone first on a rock and cracked her tail bone. It still bothers her which is why she doesn’t ride with me as much as she used to. I have a mustang seat on my Boulevard and the passenger seat is several inches wider than the stock one and more comfortable. Even with that she needs a break about every hour or so and on rough roads it’s even more frequent. On a good day she can go out for about 4 hours and she needs to call it a day. I’m hoping the rear seat on the Spyder, which seems wider then my mustang seat, combined with the top case back rest will help her and allow her to ride with me more. That is also why I would like the air rear shock, I’m hoping it will help smooth the ride out for her.

 

[Rednaxs60]

Joined the Spyder fraternity in March this year, still have an '85 Goldwing Limited edition for two wheel enjoyment. Test rode a 2020 RT LE and a 2018 F3 Limited before I bought. Rode two up on both, Sonya preferred the RT LE over the F3 Limited, bought a 2014 RT LE, these are the Goldwings of the Spyder family. Her brother bought the 2018 F3 Limited that we rode, his wife prefers the F3 over the RT, go figure.

Seating position for the pillion on the RT is not as high as that on an F3. The pillion on an F3 can see over the riders helmet - height dependent, not quite so on the RT. The RT LE has the ACS system, adjust remotely on the fly. An F3 Limited requires you to set the air pressure manually to suit the additional weight when a pillion or luggage is added. The F3 is more sporty than the RT, lower centre of gravity, better feet placement for a taller rider. Less plastic on the F3 to remove to do maintenance, an RT is like a GW, lots of plastic to remove no matter the work/maintenance.

The 2014 to 2019 RT LE Spyders are the same regarding body style. You can store a helmet in the right saddlebag and front trunk (as long as nothing else is in the front trunk). I have installed handlebar Lidlocs on my Spyder to compensate. The 2018 F3 Limited that we rode had a rear trunk that can hold 2 full face helmets.

The Spyder is designed to tow up to 400 lbs. BRP has a trailer and wiring harness, no other manufacturer has a motorcycle rated for towing, nor is it recommended. There are aftermarket towing items.

If you are a DIY maintainer, recommend getting the manual(s) for whichever Spyder you decide on, and the B.U.D.S. software. Your post mentioning the dealer close by does not engender a good feeling about the service you may require if the Spyder goes in for work. The dealer out here on the island will loan/rent a Spyder for a weekend because it takes a few Kms to do a good assessment of the Spyder.

I grew up just south of Barrie Ontario, family is now in Larder Lake up north. Snowmobiling was the name of the game in the winter. You mention you are in Ontario, riding a Spyder is almost identical to riding a snowmobile. Same principles apply. If you are a snowmobiler, the Spyder is just a summer extension of the snowmobiling season, and the learning curve should be very short.

These Spyders are very addicting. Sold my 1500 and 1000 V-Strom to make room in the garage for the new Spyder. Like not having to put my foot down and balance a larger motorcycle when riding, especially with a pillion rider and/or towing when travelling. Have put 8000 Kms on mine since end March when I bought it, came with 9100 Kms on the clock.

Look for the options that may have been added such as an upgraded sway bar, drive belt tensioner. If you find a low mileage Spyder that is to your liking, find out what maintenance was done and when. My Spyder had one oil change in 7 years, not a plus in my books. A low mileage Spyder that is a few years old will require a good maintenance routine be done.

Spyders have a significant electrical requirement. Make sure you have a good battery, or just renew it when you get the Spyder. Went to get the 2018 F3 so that Sonya's brother could road test it with his wife and the battery was dead. Load test indicated thta hte battery was still good, but the recovery rate was borderline. Boosted the engine, started - no error codes, 1/4 mile and limp home mode came on. Replaced with a new battery, all good. Moral of this is Spyders are power hogs.

Every motorcycle out there has its idiosyncrasies. JMHO for the Spyder is suspension. Lots of opinions and choices out there. There is a company in the Peterborough area that specializes in snowmobile and motorcycle suspensions and could be a good resource regarding this.

Your riding profile indicates primarily solo riding. I'd get an F3; however, the pillion may have a different view on this after you get a Spyder. Read lots of posts where the pillion feels more secure and safe on the Spyder and starts to ride more. Sonya likes riding on the Goldwing(s), and has toured on these; however, since I got the Spyder she has been an instigator of wanting to go for a ride. Passenger arm rests are a must for the pillion.

Good luck on your test ride. Need to find a dealer or rental place, and ride an RT as well for comparison.

Cheers

 

[JWK70]

Lots of good info in your post Rednaxs60.
I bought my Boulevard in March of 2020 and it only had 7110km on it. I bought it certified from a Yamaha dealer in Woodstock and they had to replace the original tires. They had no idea of maintenance history for it so I took it into a Suzuki dealer in London and had them changes all the vacuum lines, cooling system hoses, coolant, oil change, final drive gear lube, spark plugs, rubber brake lines and flush the brake fluid. Wasn't cheap but it gave me good piece of mind.
If I need to I'll do the same to whatever Spyder I buy.
I've chatted with several Spyder owners that I've run into and the person we bought our house from a few months back has a 2014 RT and they all say good things about that dealership. Perhaps the person I had last year was having a bad day.....it was just after things started opening up after our first Covid lock down. I do know they don't rent them and I would be willing to go there again and see if they are friendlier since everyone I've spoken with likes the service they received there.
I do basic service to my Boulevard and also to the motorcycle I had before that and will to the Spyder. After I purchase one I will look for the appropriate manual as well.
As for which one I buy, it will be which ever one my wife finds the most comfortable for her so that she will hopefully be able to ride with me more. I know that on older model RTs there is a switch so that the driver can change the air pressure to the rear shock and that on newer models that switch disappeared, I'm just not sure when that happened.