Not feeling the magic.......

[Fat Baxter]

OK, folks, not to belabor the issue, but........

I echo the sentiments Kreimer raised in his "seeking advice" thread - http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?73253-Seeking-advice - I have a new, 2014 RT-S with just over 500 miles on it; I've been out on it five times now. I'm not at all comfortable in turns at highway speeds. Gentle sweepers I used to blast through on my Beemer at posted speeds (55-60) without a thought now scare the bejesus out of me. The rational part of my mind notes that the nanny isn't kicking in, therefore the speed and rate of turn must be within design specs. But the primitive, monkey part of my brain is screaming, wondering if I'll live through the turn. I find I can't make these turns without slowing down to 45-50. Traffic behind me piles up.

I did a LOT or research before I purchased my Spyder. For several years I've been contemplating moving from two wheels to three, either a trike or a sidecar rig. I KNOW you have to steer, not counter-steer. I KNOW you have to lean some (as the sidecar crowd puts it, "un-ass yourself"). I KNOW you should relax your grip and not overcontrol the handlebars. I got all that. But I cannot shake the impression that the inside front wheel is going to leave the ground at any moment, and/or that the bike will depart the pavement at any instant. To me, the machine just doesn't feel secure in a turn.

In a straight line, the Spyder is OK, kinda. The front wheels sure seem awfully busy and bear constant attention at any speed. No cruising comfortably and enjoying the scenery! (BTW, tire pressure is in spec.). I realize the Spyder is a different beast, but holy moly! Is all this normal? A pre-purchase test ride at the dealer's didn't bring out this issue -- not long enough, or challenging enough, apparently.

I read the "Do's and Do Not's" how-to-ride sticky a long time back; I read all the feedback in Kreimer's thread. I don't know what, if anything, I'm doing wrong, or what more I can do.

I hear that a laser alignment makes a big difference (my dealer doesn't do them), but will it make enough difference to boost my confidence in a turn? I don't see how that could happen, though; the basic engineering should get me through a turn.

If I don't figure this out soon, I'll probably dump the bike and eat the loss -- I am definitely not having fun. Any more thoughts out there? Thanks for any support!

 

[SPYD3R]

Time + mileage

TIME + MILEAGE will cure that illness....
it did me...
your 'habit' ingrained in your brain is reverting to a two wheel ride... you will 'reprogram' your brain in time... it has taken some of us 500 miles for that reprogramming to happen... some as little as 0 miles... it took me about 200 before i started feeling comfortable... and even after 40,000 + miles, every now an then my 'two wheeled' brain kicks in and i get that emply feeling in my gut...
don't worry my friend... you will learn, and enjoy your new toy...
but remember: ride safely....
Dan P
Easley, SC
SPYD3R

 

[SNOOPY]

Time is your friend here.

Your confidence will build w more time on the bike.

A swaybar upgrade will make it "feel" much better too. :thumbup:

 

[snics]

Sway Bar

I agree on the Sway Bar upgrade.
Had it installed at SpyderQuest and what a difference it made.
Even my wife see's the difference, so it must work.....

 

[PrairieSpyder]

I also agree with getting a Baja Ron bar. If the front end feels "busy" you should look into an alignment, for sure. As others have said, miles of experience will be your friend. If you don't feel comfortable on the highway, take it on the secondary roads and take the curves at speeds you feel comfortable with. Just practice. Eventually you'll be taking them faster and faster.

 

[DrewNJ]

Don't give up, relax, and keep riding.
Everyone that has NEVER spent any time on a spyder thinks it's easy and you just jump on and go. While you won't tip over, there is more to riding the spyder than non-owners would ever believe. Compared to 2 wheels, riding the spyder (especially when riding the twisties hard) will wear you out quicker.

Do you remember the first time you were on two wheels? How uncomfortable you were. Not knowing where/when to put your feet down, slowing before the turns to power out, keeping your head up and pointed to the exit of the turn? Slow speed turns and parking lot maneuvers? :yikes:

Learning the spyder is like learning to ride all over again. While some of the traits are similar, MANY of the ergonomics are quite different. Many of us felt the same way. I remember riding home thinking I just made probably the most expensive mistake I had made in a long time.....and I grew up riding 2 wheels and still do ride 2 wheels.

It's normal, and just like you learned 2 wheels, you'll learn 3. And the more you ride, the more comfortable you will become. Relax and ride. Most of us agree that you need a good solid 1000 miles to become fairly comfortable.

 

[DrewNJ]

Oh, and while the "mods" are great on these machines, ride it and spend time on it first. Then figure out what changes, if any, will work best for YOU.

 

[Purple Guy]

I agree, Sway Bar + time is all you need to get more comfortable on your Spyder.
5 rides are not going to do it.
A couple suggestion would be, find a empty parking lot, set up some cones (see image) and practice your turns.
When out on the road look even further into the up coming turn than you would on your 2 wheeler, this one really did the trick for me...

 

[lwrydr]

Ryding the Spyder

When I was first riding my :spyder2: I had the same feeling you do....I now am approaching 10k miles on it and feel a lot better riding it. Like was said above, it just takes time. Every once in a while I get on my Harley for a 2 wheel fix. The worst problem I have then is the turn signals. Enjoy you new ride.

 

[coz]

i agree

i felt the exact same way when i got mine. it will just take more time riding it. it WILL get much much better. a few months from now you'll love the bike. relax and trust the bike. go back to july of 11 and read some of my posts. i was all worked up about it. it took me a long time to ''get it ''.

 

[Chupaca]

Try this..!!

find a fellow spyder ryder and do some rydes together. Switch rydes and see if yours is off in any way. You said you have ryden five times..how many miles have you gone..?? From your explanation it is what we all felt starting out. More ryding in relaxed situations will get you comfortable. Less crowded roads where your not pressured by traffic....:thumbup:

 

[j-mak]

feeling the magic

I know where your coming from. I came off a Goldwing (loved it) but at my age it was getting to heavy. I to rode a dealer demo, different but, but i could see I would get used to it. I wrote the check for a new 14 RTL. 38 miles latter and I was in the owners office offering him his choice, give me back my Goldwing, ripe up the check, and I would pay him for the 38 miles or we would be going to court. it was just not safe to ride. at first he said he had never heard of the same problems we both were having. after he realized I was serious he just said let me have the bike for an hour. after the lazer alignment it was rideable, after the new sway bar, it was fun to ride, now after spending this past week-end at a rally at Pittbull powersports, and a new pair of elka shocks I have a bike that is very stable, and FUN to ride. what the dealers don't tell you is all this costs money. the problem starts at BRP there should be a performance package you could buy from the factory. I watched Pittbull uncrate a new RT and get it ready for the show room , one of the things they did was lazer align the bike before the customer ever see's it.
sorry for the rant, but I only told you what happened to me, and how I solved my problems. I wouldn't trade my RTL for my old Goldwing now. if you would like to call me, please do.

 

[PW2013STL]

I agree with all posted here. It also took me awhile to unlearn my 40+ years of two wheel riding skills when on the Spyder. I do not have the Ron bar and I am sure it helps, but I can take turns above the posted speed and I have never lifted a front wheel although I have kicked nanny on many times.
As others have stated it takes time and practice. Try leaning down and forward into the turn and push on the outside foot as you look far down the road past the turn.

Once I got the hang of it I am finding that I am enjoying the ride more then I did on my last two wheeler

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

 

[cognaccruiser]

It takes time and differs for everyone

5 rides and about 500 miles isn't a lot of time on a Spyder especially coming off a 2 wheel machine but you should be starting to feel more comfortable. I think that it is a gradual process and probably not an instantaneous sense of mastering the Spyder with all the unlearning that is involved coming off 2 wheels.
I completely agree that a laser alignment and a Bajaron swaybar will improve things significantly. Also, play around a little with the front tire pressures. I've settled on about 19 to 20 psi for the fronts and find it feels better than 17 to 18 psi.
I agree with you that sometimes it just doesn't feel like you are going to make a corner but you will. The Spyder surprises me at what it CAN do vs what it may feel like. The Spyder does require a bit more effort in turns. You should get used to that with time but each person is different and the amount of time probably varies for everyone.
Don't give up as it will or should grow on you.

Gary

 

[Ivorspyder]

T

Elka Shocks,Baja Rons Swaybar and Laser Alignment.My bike was as stable as any Goldwing on turns.I felt that after I traded my Goldwing but once I upgraded great.

 

[jcthorne]

You need more time and miles. Preferably with lots of twisties.

That said, some of the issues you noted are solvable problems. You need an alignment. The front end should not be busy and the bike should cruise straight with very little input down the freeway.

The baja ron sway bar will go a long way toward confidence in the corners. But you still need seat time and miles. Several thousand miles, not hundreds. The bike will be stable and will out corner most cruiser 2 wheelers. Once you get the knack and comfort of riding it. Been there and done that. I am at 5000 now, and just really getting to the point of comfort in twisties, not proficient yet, just comfortable at group ride speeds.

One more item to be aware of, once you get more comfortable and your corner speeds come up, depending on your loaded weight, you may bottom out the stock shocks/springs and experience bump steer. Scared the bejeebers out of me twice. If that happens, Elka shocks are next in line. They also do a great job of making the whole ride feel much more planted.

 

[spyder3]

Its all been said....too soon to give up.

 

[FullCircle]

I also just traded a Gold Wing for a RT and I have just over 600 miles on it. I will admit it felt different but I never felt unsafe on it. To me it handles a lot better than the Gold Wing trikes I had been test driving before I decided to go with the Spyder. After a couple hundred mikes I can take cures as well or better than I could on the Gold Wing. When on the interstate the Spyder is more stable especially in big truck traffic. I set the curse and often ride with only one hand and let the other rest. The spyder runs straight down the road without darting or pulling one way or the other.
We have a very curvy road near by and I took the Spyder down it a few days ago just to see if I could get a wheel up and I couldn't the Spyder preformed as it was designed to. In one curve there was also a lot of loose gravel as soon as the rear wheel started to slide you could fell the Spyders system take over and it straightened itself up without any input from me. I haven't got it over 5000 rpm's yet so 98 mph is as fast as I've had it but as soon as it get's broken in a little better I'll give it a better test.
I think if you will relax and enjoy the ride the Spyder will do the rest.

 

[Roadster Renovations]

I agree with what everyone has said. Only thing I would add is change the rear shock adjustment. Go from highest to lowest, ride it, and then go up in increments until you find the spot that works best.
I traveled the same road that I had rode our RTS home from in July the other day. That was over 11,000 miles ago. I couldn't help but remember how scared at how the bike handled. I kept thinking "What have I got myself into?". I am now so comfortable on the bike that I would never go back to two wheels...
Take your time, give your body time to adjust, and I'm sure you will do fine.

 

[robmorg]

Its all been said....too soon to give up.

Yep! Everyone who has replied in this thread has hit the nail on the head. Now, all you've got to do is believe it's true. Not that easy at first, I know.

I have enjoyed every two wheeled cruiser I owned over the years. But NOW, after more than 3000 miles on the Spyder, I cannot remember one that I enjoyed any more than my RT. I love riding it so much, I just can't stay off the thing! I even like riding it in the rain, because it handles so well.

As for the sway bar, I was sceptical at first too. But after Magdave and PK took the time to explain to me exactly what it did, I bought one. I have to agree, it is the best addition I have made to my Spyder. Here's that thread, by the way. I hope it helps you, too.