New to Spyder World - Looking for some advice

[MarkLawson]

The 998 V-Twin has some significant heat and range issues. The radiator is mounted just forward of your right leg and will blow hot air on your leg & into the body. The exhaust system also routes under the body panels and is another source of significant heat, enough to boil the gas in the fuel tank. The 1330 moved the radiator to the front of the Spyder, splitting it into two radiators, one on each side of the front trunk ('frunk'), by the front wheels. No radiator heat now hits the rider or blows into the body. The exhaust now runs down and under the Spyder, so no heat coming from it either to boil the fuel tank. The 1330 also have a 6-speed transmission and runs at much lower RPMs than the 998's 5-speed. On my 998, I'm starting to look for gas at around 110 miles on the tank. The 1330 can go over 200 miles before fill up.

1330, without a doubt.

 

[ARtraveler]

For all the long distance riding you do, and two up at that, I would sure recommend the RT since it has the 1330 engine. Many advantages for touring and comfort.

Quieter, more torque, less maintenance scheduled, and even better mpg--by about 10 mpg over the 998 engine.

Semi-auto is also good. You will not miss the clutch at all.

A test drive of flavors is still recommended--just to make sure which one you ultimately like.

Let us know, and post a picture. I have a feeling you are going to get one or the other. :yes:

 

[PistonBlown]

As most Spyder riders on this site have RT's then I can guarantee that's what most will recommend

I do similar journeys to you on a standard RS without issues, however I'm in my 40's and I don't do those with a pillion. A very rough comparison with 'normal bikes' would be:

• RS - Yamaha FZ
• ST - Yamaha FJR
• RT - Honda Goldwing
• F3 - Yamaha V Star

An ST would perhaps be the closest match to what you ride at the moment but if comfort, particularly for the pillion, is becoming more of a factor then RT sounds a better bet.

The 998 engine, surprisingly for a V-twin, likes rev's. The 1330 engine has a smoother power delivery and it produces a little bit more power but that's offset by the weight so the RS/ST 998 are actually quicker than an RT 1330.

Personally I'd say the RT 1330 is a more comfortable ride but the RS/ST 998's are more involving.

Tank range on an RS/ST 998 is a pain for long distance touring. Here in NZ I carry petrol cans when doing long journeys at night as the gap between open petrol stations can exceed the tank range. No idea what it's like on an RT 1330 but I'm guessing with the improved fuel economy would make this better.

 

[Deanna777]

:welcome: to this site!

I would go with the RTS- SE 6 it is great for long distance traveling, Excellent gas mileage( after the 3,000 mile break-in) Higher Torque, smoother ride, less fill- ups, 1330 Ace Rotax engine, quiter engine, 1200-W Alternator, 6 Speed Transmission, Adjustable suspension, Comfortable, less trips to the dealership for maintance, new Sach's shocks, a lot of room for storage. Hope this info helps.

My first spyder was a 2012 RTS-SE5, last year I upgraded to the 2014RTS-SE6, and I love it, because what I listed above + many more reasons. Keep us posted on which model you end- up getting.
I am also from Vermont Deanna

 

[Fjrwillie]

Test Drove at RT-S

Well the results are in. I am convinced that the RT versus the ST route is the way to go. MeAsWe (GF and her nick name, real name Crystal) test rode a RT yesterday. The dealer had prepared one for each of us to take out on the road. MeAsWe has her cycle license as well. She fell in love with the RT and felt far more relaxed on a Spyder than a bike.

Like everyone says this is not a 2 wheel motorcycle. Forget what you know about riding 2 wheels, it just don't apply to 3. I can confirm this is true and the ride is different. We rode of about 40 minutes on some back road highway here in Mass. I experienced the twitchy straight line that some folks have spoke about. By the end of the ride, that was pretty much gone, as I loosened the grip on the handle bars. It became quite intuitive that there was only a foot brake and no hand brake, except for when I was coming to a full stop I still reached for the hand brake at times. Sharp cornering will take some time to (maybe a day) to get a good handle on. It is different, much different than the bike. Let me just say I was NOT expecting this to handle like my FJR. Initial impression is after a 400 mile day of riding my shoulders will feel worked until they get in shape. While I have old torn rotor cups in one shoulder this was not effected by steering, which is a big phew. Compensating for the shoulder rebuild will be less hand cramping from braking and clutching. I really enjoyed the electronic clutch and might consider one on a future FJR purchase. Yamaha had one as well that did not go over well in the US market.

Other observations, the Spyder was definetly not a rocket like the FJR off the line, but this is not a big deal. I never do burnouts, lift a wheel or race away from lights on the FJR so why would I do this on the Spyder. Also during the test ride I really did not get on the throttle that much.

Now for where the RT excelled way over the FJR. I do a lot of national Grand Tours, which are national scavenger type hunts. This year one of them is the Pirate Tour, where you seek out towns with AR, AHOY, AYE or AVAST in the name, ride to the town, find a sign with the name of the towns, take a picture of the sign with your bike in it and rally flag. I no longer have to worry where I can pull over, will the tilt of the bike on the kickstand be ok and what I am pulling over on the road into. I can do dirt, gravel, grass and gravel, soft stuff, wet grass, the surface doesn't matter as long as it is not more than 4 inches of water. How do I know this, because MeAsWe kept asking me why am I pulling over on the side of the road. I said I was testing. At one point I headed off the road to a old cement like platform with lose pebbles. MeAsWe said I don't think you can go this way, but I did. Viola there was a section of grass and a lip to a paved drive way and we headed right for it. Not a lot of speed but nothing I would have tempted with the FJR. Then there was the dirt road with eroded washed out spots with larger rocks exposed. Not a lot speed but navigated that with ease, steering the bike around the really bad spots. THIS IS WHAT IS SELLING ME ON THR SPYDER. Now I can pickup those spots with ease.

So with all of that said, I will end up with a RT in the barn, I just gotta find a price I can live with. MeAsWe can't wait to have one so she can bop around town in. Me too, she can drive now when I simply don't want to and I can ride pillion and enjoy the scenery too. WOOHOO:yes::clap: Willie

 

[MarkLawson]

As far as steering is concerned, there's a reason it is different than your 2-wheeler. On 2 wheeler, you steer using a technique called 'counter steering'. That means to turn right, you actually nudge the handlebars slightly left to initiate a right hand lean, which then results in your right hand turn. Over the years your brain no longer has to tell your arms how to do it, they already know. Brain says 'turn right' & the arms take it from there. On the Spyder, when your brain says 'turn right' & your arms do what they have always done, you end up going left, which can spook you. I know when I first rode a Spyder, I hadn't considered the difference in turning technique required and had a very difficult time with it. even going straight was a challenge since that involves constant course corrections. I finally pulled off the road to think about what was happening and why. I figured it out and then began thinking about how to make the turn instead of just assuming I knew how already. With a little thought and retraining, all came together. Now I can switch between my Spyder and Goldwing and have no problems steering each.

Now, remembering to put my feet down at a stop on the Goldwing is another story... :yikes:

 

[JayBros]

I think you will be very satisfied with your choice. Now, do yourself a big favor and do two important things: RTFM and watch the videos. There is a wealth of very good information in both mediums. Good luck and have fun.

 

[Fjrwillie]

I think you will be very satisfied with your choice. Now, do yourself a big favor and do two important things: RTFM and watch the videos. There is a wealth of very good information in both mediums. Good luck and have fun.

Can you broadcast the manual thru Bluetooth radio while riding ???? So I can LTFM it :dontknow:

Willie

 

[PistonBlown]

...I do a lot of national Grand Tours, which are national scavenger type hunts. This year one of them is the Pirate Tour, where you seek out towns with AR, AHOY, AYE or AVAST in the name, ride to the town, find a sign with the name of the towns, take a picture of the sign with your bike in it and rally flag. ...

I did the TT2000 in Feb this year which is the New Zealand version of one of those. Did 54 checkpoints (photo of bike, rally t-shirt and landmark) and 1,353 miles in little over 32 hours - obviously did stop to sleep. The Spyder was fantastic for that, just ate up the miles and was so comfortable - and that's on a standard RS. My stop times at the checkpoints was much shorter than on a bike and it's surprising how much time that saves you overall.

 

[Fjrwillie]

Pulled the trigger

Yesterday at 6pm I put a deposit down on a RT-S, a white one. Why white, because it matches our helmets. MeAsWe is really really REALLY!! excited about the new bike. She gets to go on the treasure hunts again. I didn't realize that she enjoyed the journeys so much. So sometime in the next 2 weeks we fly into Chicago from Massachusetts and ride the 970 or so miles home. What a great way to break in a new bike. Of course we will be capturing the Whispering Giant in Ottawa IL and then the one south of Akron OH, which is right next to the one in West Middlesex, PA. Unfortunately the one in Williamsport PA, rot has taken its toll and they had to take it down and store it sometime after May. Filling in the journey to home will be umpteen Pirate towns. This will keep us off the interstates, which is the way we like to roll (3 vs 2 wheels).

Pretty excited about the new acquisition and looking forward to becoming a regular here. If ya in the New England area give a holler and we will meet up for coffee, maybe some breakfast or you can hit on one of our great diners out here. I don't live very far from the old Worcester Lunch Car Company factory and the Miss Worcester Diner right across the street has killa food.

Now to get some posts up on how to route some wires for my GPS's. Doesn't have to be neat, just needs to work.

Willie