BajaRon
Well-known member
5,550 safe, enjoyable miles out to CA and back. Just got in last night. Great trip! Got to meet a few great SpyderLovers along the way.
Wish I could have made the big event in Hollywood to meet everyone. But family (Niece's Wedding) has to come first.
There were a few "Firsts" for me on this trip. Braking into a Bushtec trailer with brute force at the hotel in Flagstaff, very memorable! Man that thing was tough! And who carries a claw hammer in a M/C tool kit!? I met someone who does!
Long distance on the Spyder is no problem, what a great machine! Here are some things that I discovered.
Fuel - I have always wondered how our 10.8:1 compression ratio lives happily with 87 octane. Never made sense to me. So I dicided to do a mileage test. I-40 is basically flat, straight and a good way to give each grade a fair try. My reasoning... If higher octane gives me more power then I should be able to go farther on the same amount of fuel (better mileage).
I rounded everything off to .5 mpg.
87 Octane - I ran this the 1st day and half the 2nd day (1300+ miles) and averaged 33.5 mpg. Very consistant. High was 35, low was 33. I ran this grade on the return trip with pretty much the same results.
89 Octane - I ran this the 2nd half of the 2nd day and all the 3rd day (1200+ miles). I did a bit better but not enough to make much difference. I did have a high was 40 mpg but several runs of 33 & 34 mpg brought this down. Low was 32 mpg. Average was 34 mpg, 1 mpg better overall than 87 octane. I ran this grade on the return trip with pretty much the same results.
92/93 Octane - I almost didn't give this grade a try. After virtually no difference (coming or going) with mid-grade I didn't figure I'd do much more than spend more money. But I decided to give it a try on the last day coming back (700+ miles).
My 1st tank didn't impress, 32.5 mpg. I'd put about 4 gallons of Premium on top of the Mid-Grade remaining in the tank. I don't think this should have made a huge difference but maybe it did.
My subsequent runs with Premium were better. 35 mpg, 38 mpg, 36 mpg, 35.5 mpg and 35 mpg. This averages out 35.5 including the first run of 32.5 mpg (with my rounding to .5 mpg).
Not a huge improvement over Mid-Grade but if you throw out the low 32.5 run it looks better. I have a 1200 mile round-trip to Lansing Michigan planned for later this month. I will give Premium Grade fuel another shot.
I've made several mods to my Spyder (OK, well, Lamont has made several of them for me...I'm a BUSY GUY!) Here is a list of how some of the more important mods worked.
What Worked
Risers: A great mod! More comfort for the long haul, better steering control, better seating position. I can highly recommend this one.
Handlebar Mount Mirrors: This really completes the riser mod. It gets the mirrors up an over your hands and shoulders and closer to your face. Though the mirror size is virtually the same as stock you get a much bigger, clearer view of what is behind you. And I got less vibration buzz than with the extended stock mirrors.
It is great to be able to easily adjust the mirrors to get a different view when needed. And I also like that they move with the bars. It really helps with backing up.
NMN lights: Everything that No Magic Man makes works. That's just the way Evan runs his business. I've now got just about every light he offers and they are all great. I really like the mud flap LED set and the additional, center tail light. The LED turn signals also do a great job.
Red Line Water Wetter: With all the talk about overheating and a hot trip ahead we decided to give this a try. Drain out 1 quart of 50/50 anti-freeze, add 4 oz of Water Wetter and top off with distilled water. This gives you the optimum 30/70 mix.
It dropped both mine and Lamont's temps 1 bar. We were running 4~5 bars before the change and consistantly ran 3~4 bars after the change. We ran in temps up to 104 degrees.
Cruise Control: Long distance, I have a right shoulder that gives me fits of pain no matter what I ride, Spyder or 2 wheeler. I have never been able to figure out what causes it but I do know that getting my right hand off the bar helps immensily.
Throttle locks are great and I have used them in the past. But a true cruise control is what works best for me. I had the Audiovox CCS-100 Universal vacuum unit on my Spyder and it performed ok. There have been some dependability issues with this unit and I have always wanted to try an electric. I purchased and installed the new Electronic Universal unit on my Spyder just before this trip.
It took me several days because I tried every combination of mounting points, etc., that I could. Since it isn't specifically designed for the Spyder I had to experiment with several aspects. If I had it to do again I think it would be a 1/2 day job, since now I know what works well.
I used it all the way out and back from California. I'd guess I put at least 2,500 miles on my Spyder in CC mode. I have some complaints about how it functions but it may be a settings issue and not a problem with the unit. I need to experiment a little more with the DIP switches to see if I can get it to work a little better.
Can-Am Passenger Seat Bag: This is a great addition to get a bit more storage space on the Spyder without going the saddle bag or trailer route. The bag rides very well, is well made and has several handy features. It also works, somewhat, as a back rest.
I was a bit put off by the strap/latch mounting system because you have to release the two forward straps to open the seat for fueling. But as others have stated before, it really is not an issue. It takes 5 seconds to unlatch and it snaps back up just as quickly with no adjusting. I like the bag!
Well, the summer is yet young with plenty more riding to do. Hope to see some of you out there getting your fun's worth!
Wish I could have made the big event in Hollywood to meet everyone. But family (Niece's Wedding) has to come first.
There were a few "Firsts" for me on this trip. Braking into a Bushtec trailer with brute force at the hotel in Flagstaff, very memorable! Man that thing was tough! And who carries a claw hammer in a M/C tool kit!? I met someone who does!
Long distance on the Spyder is no problem, what a great machine! Here are some things that I discovered.
Fuel - I have always wondered how our 10.8:1 compression ratio lives happily with 87 octane. Never made sense to me. So I dicided to do a mileage test. I-40 is basically flat, straight and a good way to give each grade a fair try. My reasoning... If higher octane gives me more power then I should be able to go farther on the same amount of fuel (better mileage).
I rounded everything off to .5 mpg.
87 Octane - I ran this the 1st day and half the 2nd day (1300+ miles) and averaged 33.5 mpg. Very consistant. High was 35, low was 33. I ran this grade on the return trip with pretty much the same results.
89 Octane - I ran this the 2nd half of the 2nd day and all the 3rd day (1200+ miles). I did a bit better but not enough to make much difference. I did have a high was 40 mpg but several runs of 33 & 34 mpg brought this down. Low was 32 mpg. Average was 34 mpg, 1 mpg better overall than 87 octane. I ran this grade on the return trip with pretty much the same results.
92/93 Octane - I almost didn't give this grade a try. After virtually no difference (coming or going) with mid-grade I didn't figure I'd do much more than spend more money. But I decided to give it a try on the last day coming back (700+ miles).
My 1st tank didn't impress, 32.5 mpg. I'd put about 4 gallons of Premium on top of the Mid-Grade remaining in the tank. I don't think this should have made a huge difference but maybe it did.
My subsequent runs with Premium were better. 35 mpg, 38 mpg, 36 mpg, 35.5 mpg and 35 mpg. This averages out 35.5 including the first run of 32.5 mpg (with my rounding to .5 mpg).
Not a huge improvement over Mid-Grade but if you throw out the low 32.5 run it looks better. I have a 1200 mile round-trip to Lansing Michigan planned for later this month. I will give Premium Grade fuel another shot.
I've made several mods to my Spyder (OK, well, Lamont has made several of them for me...I'm a BUSY GUY!) Here is a list of how some of the more important mods worked.
What Worked
Risers: A great mod! More comfort for the long haul, better steering control, better seating position. I can highly recommend this one.
Handlebar Mount Mirrors: This really completes the riser mod. It gets the mirrors up an over your hands and shoulders and closer to your face. Though the mirror size is virtually the same as stock you get a much bigger, clearer view of what is behind you. And I got less vibration buzz than with the extended stock mirrors.
It is great to be able to easily adjust the mirrors to get a different view when needed. And I also like that they move with the bars. It really helps with backing up.
NMN lights: Everything that No Magic Man makes works. That's just the way Evan runs his business. I've now got just about every light he offers and they are all great. I really like the mud flap LED set and the additional, center tail light. The LED turn signals also do a great job.
Red Line Water Wetter: With all the talk about overheating and a hot trip ahead we decided to give this a try. Drain out 1 quart of 50/50 anti-freeze, add 4 oz of Water Wetter and top off with distilled water. This gives you the optimum 30/70 mix.
It dropped both mine and Lamont's temps 1 bar. We were running 4~5 bars before the change and consistantly ran 3~4 bars after the change. We ran in temps up to 104 degrees.
Cruise Control: Long distance, I have a right shoulder that gives me fits of pain no matter what I ride, Spyder or 2 wheeler. I have never been able to figure out what causes it but I do know that getting my right hand off the bar helps immensily.
Throttle locks are great and I have used them in the past. But a true cruise control is what works best for me. I had the Audiovox CCS-100 Universal vacuum unit on my Spyder and it performed ok. There have been some dependability issues with this unit and I have always wanted to try an electric. I purchased and installed the new Electronic Universal unit on my Spyder just before this trip.
It took me several days because I tried every combination of mounting points, etc., that I could. Since it isn't specifically designed for the Spyder I had to experiment with several aspects. If I had it to do again I think it would be a 1/2 day job, since now I know what works well.
I used it all the way out and back from California. I'd guess I put at least 2,500 miles on my Spyder in CC mode. I have some complaints about how it functions but it may be a settings issue and not a problem with the unit. I need to experiment a little more with the DIP switches to see if I can get it to work a little better.
Can-Am Passenger Seat Bag: This is a great addition to get a bit more storage space on the Spyder without going the saddle bag or trailer route. The bag rides very well, is well made and has several handy features. It also works, somewhat, as a back rest.
I was a bit put off by the strap/latch mounting system because you have to release the two forward straps to open the seat for fueling. But as others have stated before, it really is not an issue. It takes 5 seconds to unlatch and it snaps back up just as quickly with no adjusting. I like the bag!
Well, the summer is yet young with plenty more riding to do. Hope to see some of you out there getting your fun's worth!
Last edited:
