Performance mods or scrap F3-S?

[Bob Denman]

Thanks, but I'll stand by what I said...
Friends will always find something to rib one another about...

...But they accept each other as they are; and will defend one another's choices. :thumbup:

 

[PMK]

Thanks, but I'll stand by what I said...
Friends will always find something to rib one another about...

...But they accept each other as they are; and will defend one another's choices. :thumbup:

Bob, I agree. Sometimes though, friends don't like to wait...It happens all the time when we do group rides on the bicycle. This may easily be the case with the F3. At 115 hp, it is not going to set the world on fire, but is still very cool (still think it looks like a lawn tractor from the front). For the majority of buyers, the machine is fine.

Reminds me of some testing I did a while back. Cannondale was making motorcycles. We got one to play with, not purchased but on loan to see what our opinion was. I spent some time on the bike and had a modified Yamaha YZ426f to compare to. As we discussed the bike as a group after we rode it. Everyone loved the suspension. Most found the bike easy to ride. My comments were the bike was lacking serious power and needed a better map for fuel and ignition. To this I added, a bike with no hit and less power is always easy to ride and never taxes the suspension. When Cannondale said the map was the most aggressive we knew then it was over. Returned the bike and moved on.

Like this guy with his F3, friends or not, if it does not keep up make a change. I'm sure if we all told him $2k and it will run like a sport bike he would make it happen.

PK

 

[Tazzel]

Bob, lighten up.

A Spyder is not for everyone.

If I only rode as a single rider I would not own a Spyder. I grew up on two wheels, still enjoy two wheels, and currently would have no issue riding two wheels. The wife does not enjoy two wheels, so the Spyder was a great compromise for this house.

Consider too, it may not be peer pressure but rather wanting to ride with friends. If the Spyder has limitations for him to ride in that group, then he should find what works. The idea of changing his social lifestyle to fit him riding a Spyder seems silly.

Life is short, get the most fun from each mile. He's 33, maybe at 63 he will be restoring an F3 to ride to cruise nights...

PK

Last time I checked the speed limit was only 75. He wants to ride with a group that push the limits, I get it. Spyders are for people that want to have fun but also want to stay as safe as possible doing the thing they love.

 

[Bob Denman]

I remember those bikes: they looked like a great package...

...and then it all went no-where! :shocked:

When I was into fast snowmobiles; we always had a rule that you waited at the next intersection for the group to meet back up...
everybody rode their own pace; nobody got left behind, and we had serious horsepower, riding with kids on Indy Lites (340cc fan- cooled sleds...)

 

[PMK]

I remember those bikes: they looked like a great package...

...and then it all went no-where! :shocked:

When I was into fast snowmobiles; we always had a rule that you waited at the next intersection for the group to meet back up...
everybody rode their own pace; nobody got left behind, and we had serious horsepower, riding with kids on Indy Lites (340cc fan- cooled sleds...)

In regards to your sled days, some groups are fun and respectful to all riders. Other groups while fun are less respectful and take each ride like it is the world championship.

The Cannondale was neat, but they should have built the first version with a proven engine into their chassis. I was digging deep in the clothes drawer the other day, found an almost new Cannondale MX400 T shirt. Might be worth a lot on EBay...not.

PK

 

[Bob Denman]

What color, and what size? :shocked: nojoke

 

[Wippi01]

I'm with PMK on this one! The Spyder also was a compromise for me (riding with my wife!). And I'm 43 (is this to early for compromises? )
What I don't get: if you spend 20+ grand - why don't you inform yourself properly? Maybe he's got money to burn (good for him then...), but if I make a purchase I try to know everything that is to know beforehand!

 

[Bob Denman]

I absolutely agree that it can be a "compromise" machine...
The desire to ride; wrestling with:
Old Age
Infirmity
An otherwise unwilling better-half"
A concern for one's safety...

What balance do you need; for the equation to work for you? :dontknow:

In my situation: The Missus just saw one, and LOVED the idea!
I was already in the position of no longer being able to hold a big touring rig up, and diabetic neuropathy had made shifting with my left foot a very "iffy" proposition. :banghead:
We saw them; I did some research about them, and bought my 2010 RT without ever having dropped my hams into the seat... :shocked:
The first two miles from the dealership, I was SURE that I had just made a $25,000 mistake! :gaah: I was all over my lane with it, and the more I fought; the worse it got! :yikes:
Finally I thought: Ski Doo knows how to build :cus:, that'll track down the trail straight... Relax on the bars, and let's see what happens...
The Clouds parted, the Sun shined, and all became clear!

 

[Mike Ard]

Break in

It has been my experience that more modern engines don't break in as quickly as older engines. The new harder materials and coatings make it so the rings don't seat as quickly as they did in the "old days". There are a number of things that I listen to and feel that let me know when my engines are broken in. First is how tight the engine is when you start to rev into the higher rev band when new and as it frees up as it gets broken in. Then there is the pitch of how the engine sounds and feels. As the engine breaks in the pitch changes and the engine smooths out. Probably the easest to tell is fuel mileage. As the engine breaks in the gas mileage goes up.

That said you can baby an engine too much which is nearly as bad as pushing it before it is ready. My key to proper break in is reving through the gears up to when the engine feels tight and not push beyond that point and never running at a constant throttle. As the engine loosens up I push as far as the engine lets me and is "happy". When I am done I have an engine that wants to rev right to the limit and is very smooth doing it.

As for how long it takes I never go by the manual but rather what the engine tell me along the way. For example our new Jeep trail hawk is just now broken in and has 5,500 miles on it. Our Scion FRS had almost 7,000 miles on it before it really started to sing but once it did.....boy does it ever!

My Dad taught me to listen to and feel the engine back when I was just a kid and the lessons he taught me have served me well over the last 55 or so years.

One comment on sleds is my favorite sled was the original Ski-Doo TNT 340 RV. It wasn't worth a damn in deep powder but was almost better than sex on broken trails.

 

[PMK]

I absolutely agree that it can be a "compromise" machine...
The desire to ride; wrestling with:
Old Age
Infirmity
An otherwise unwilling better-half"
A concern for one's safety...

What balance do you need; for the equation to work for you? :dontknow:

In my situation: The Missus just saw one, and LOVED the idea!
I was already in the position of no longer being able to hold a big touring rig up, and diabetic neuropathy had made shifting with my left foot a very "iffy" proposition. :banghead:
We saw them; I did some research about them, and bought my 2010 RT without ever having dropped my hams into the seat... :shocked:
The first two miles from the dealership, I was SURE that I had just made a $25,000 mistake! :gaah: I was all over my lane with it, and the more I fought; the worse it got! :yikes:
Finally I thought: Ski Doo knows how to build :cus:, that'll track down the trail straight... Relax on the bars, and let's see what happens...
The Clouds parted, the Sun shined, and all became clear!

25k mistake on the ride home for you...My first ride was 250 miles, at night, in the rain with a helmet that did not fit. I had several hours to consider various other possibilities. However one common thought kept me headed home, my wife was wanting to enjoy something new to her and do it together. She commented a few nights back after I installed a set of Corbin armrests for her. She is noticing many of the mods are for her...doesn't bother me really, if she enjoys riding and these are small prices I pay, then so be it. She does also realize I have gotten some great used items and since I do all the work on the machine, she knows it is even a better value. Also it is done by me for her.

PK

 

[PMK]

Last time I checked the speed limit was only 75. He wants to ride with a group that push the limits, I get it. Spyders are for people that want to have fun but also want to stay as safe as possible doing the thing they love.

I would tend to agree with that applying to many riders of Spyders.

As for pushing the limits, I know I have never ridden with the original poster that I am aware of. For all we know, their limits are possibly less than ours.

I have a friend that says I drive my Tacoma like an old man. He get's furious over that when we go to lunch. If we do a mountain bike ride, he then thinks I am trying to kill him since he can't keep up. It all depends, when I need to go fast I can, but seldom need to any more.

Kind of like the old age and treachery overcomes youth and talent T shirts...

PK

 

[Mike Ard]

25k mistake on the ride home for you...My first ride was 250 miles, at night, in the rain with a helmet that did not fit. I had several hours to consider various other possibilities. However one common thought kept me headed home, my wife was wanting to enjoy something new to her and do it together. She commented a few nights back after I installed a set of Corbin armrests for her. She is noticing many of the mods are for her...doesn't bother me really, if she enjoys riding and these are small prices I pay, then so be it. She does also realize I have gotten some great used items and since I do all the work on the machine, she knows it is even a better value. Also it is done by me for her.

PK

Same with me.....Thought my 2010 RS was a huge mistake when I first got it but over time learning new techniques and unlearning others came to love the Spyder. Watching some of the youtube vidios, especially the ones bashing the spyder you can just tell that they have never been on one and don't have a clue!

 

[Bob Denman]

25k mistake on the ride home for you...My first ride was 250 miles, at night, in the rain with a helmet that did not fit. I had several hours to consider various other possibilities. However one common thought kept me headed home, my wife was wanting to enjoy something new to her and do it together. She commented a few nights back after I installed a set of Corbin armrests for her. She is noticing many of the mods are for her...doesn't bother me really, if she enjoys riding and these are small prices I pay, then so be it. She does also realize I have gotten some great used items and since I do all the work on the machine, she knows it is even a better value. Also it is done by me for her.

Mine was only about 60 miles...
When my Missus say them, her first comment was, "They could be like the GoldWing we had, when we were first married." (That was 1983...)
I knew that I was in it... the learning curve was less than 250 miles for me. I was coming out six years of riding a heavily-modified Yamaha Grizzly in the dirt, rocks, mud and weeds...
As an insurance Dude; I've been less impressed with speed, than I am with drivability.. :thumbup:
As a fifty year Type One Diabetic; I understand my own physical limitations... :shocked:

 

[PMK]

That's the thing about this topic and other like it. Spyders, while different are fun in their own way. A sport bike they are not. A sports car they are not.

Sadly the original poster got a line from his dealer. Whether he was well informed or not was his choice.

PK

 

[Bob Denman]

:agree: Totally! :2thumbs:

 

[spr_chicken]

I ride with a group of sport bikes every other Sunday. Most are 600cc and 750cc. I don't seem to have any issues keeping up with them on the roads we ride on. Most of them are pretty impressed on how well my F3s handles and how quick it is stoplight to stoplight and pulling out of the turns.

 

[Capt. Bob]

My 2015 F3S is sort of like my "sport trike" because of the light power assisted steering and suspension mods. I have a Harley Tri Glide Ultra as my "Barco Lounger" trike. It took a ton of mods for me to get comfortable with the Spyder. My 250 mile ride home was frankly painful with no backrest, footboards or windshield. I don't know about the OP but when I have gotten the Spyder to the ton mark, the thing feels kind of loose and seemingly pushing through a lot of air. Many years ago, I owned a broad series of sport bikes and they all felt very planted at 150. They were designed for those speeds and there was no drama. Taking a Spyder up over 100 seems like a royal waste of time and certainly was likely not what the machine was intended for.

I would think at age 33 that this is likely not the "bike" for the OP. However, I am also concerned that the OP doesn't have much of an appreciation of the depreciation the trike experienced when he drove it off the showroom floor. I don't think he will be happy with the hit he is going to take on the resale but he could chalk it up to a learning experience. I have NEVER just accepted what someone is telling me that is trying to sell me something. I would do my own independent research and often times found that the salesperson was much less informed than I was at the time of purchase. Oh, lest the OP think that I am just an old geezer which I am, I have a street legal sports car that will do 0-60 in about 3 seconds and 0-100 in under 5 seconds with a top speed of about 160+ .

 

[Grandpot]

Just a thought

Everyone seems to agree it is not the fasted thing on wheels. If you are the hot rod tinkering type, why not do an engine swap with something that really has some performance. If you do that, the biggest concern will then be vehicle stability. Just thinking out loud.

 

[StanProff]

My 2015 F3S is sort of like my "sport trike" because of the light power assisted steering and suspension mods. I have a Harley Tri Glide Ultra as my "Barco Lounger" trike. It took a ton of mods for me to get comfortable with the Spyder. My 250 mile ride home was frankly painful with no backrest, footboards or windshield. I don't know about the OP but when I have gotten the Spyder to the ton mark, the thing feels kind of loose and seemingly pushing through a lot of air. Many years ago, I owned a broad series of sport bikes and they all felt very planted at 150. They were designed for those speeds and there was no drama. Taking a Spyder up over 100 seems like a royal waste of time and certainly was likely not what the machine was intended for.

I would think at age 33 that this is likely not the "bike" for the OP. However, I am also concerned that the OP doesn't have much of an appreciation of the depreciation the trike experienced when he drove it off the showroom floor. I don't think he will be happy with the hit he is going to take on the resale but he could chalk it up to a learning experience. I have NEVER just accepted what someone is telling me that is trying to sell me something. I would do my own independent research and often times found that the salesperson was much less informed than I was at the time of purchase. Oh, lest the OP think that I am just an old geezer which I am, I have a street legal sports car that will do 0-60 in about 3 seconds and 0-100 in under 5 seconds with a top speed of about 160+ .

My John Deere tops out at 7

 

[SpydaRay]

Fast and fun

I ride exclusively with sports bike ryders and like a previous poster they are impressed with it as I ride with a couple 600s and 1000s. I never have a problem staying with them and for me it handles great at top speed. Most spokes bike ryders will only get there bikes a little over 100 for only short periods of time. And im only 34 years old. I had a two wheel 600 zx6r and i love and enjoy riding my spyder alot more. I have the normal F3 that i have to manual shift so its still has its fun. and the feeling of going from 2nd to 3rd will throw you back. Its all preference and good riding. I think the spyders arent really marketed well from younger riders and most ppl associate them with older riders and women which isnt true. you can have tons of fun on a spyder young and old. Thats why i have been contemplating doing a you tube vlog to show ppl you can ride these and have a blast. it is definitely not a sports bike but there is nothing wrong with riding it like one as the torque is great in the mid gears. Ryde on fellas. sorry for any typos im not a english major.