Riding Comfort

[corventure]

Ok... so I have been following this site for quite a while. I do not have a Spyder but am inquisitive. I must say that I am impressed with the technology. The factory backing seems to be very good and better than most motorcycle co's. I like the tech that has gone into control, performance and ease of opperation. Sooo...
This weekend I had a chance to test ride the RT at the International motorcycle show in Long Beach Ca. Even tho the ride was only about 20 min. I felt it would give me a good first impression. I have followed this site and looked on line enough to know the controls, so it was no problem doing the parking lot test drive before going out on the roads. Simple controls from suspension to wind screen adjustments. It is truly not a motorcycle, but I have experience with snowmobiles and 4 wheel atv's. I would say I was comfortable.... even for a new riding experience. This should be fun.
Ok out on the road and into traffic. The steering was fine tho it seemed to be jerky. I tried to smoothly transition from one lane to another between lights. I got better within a few blocks. Turning corners I even felt comfortable enough to lean my body and push the RT around turns to a point that I felt the stability control check in. Then we turned to a street the led us to the highway on ramp. What is this??? Just a short blip at highway speeds and back on streets. There were enough stop lights that I got to play with adjustments at traffic lights. Then finally back to the parking lot. I wanted to shift into 2nd but the computer would not let me.... Ah Lucy...it is doing some thinking for me!
Anyhow... my first impression... The experience was fun. I like the engineering and quality, however..... the ride is extremly rough!!! I could not believe how rough the ride was. I would think that even with the suspension set up tight, it should have not been so uncomfortable! Every little bump, joint in the pavement between lanes and minor spot on the road was like riding a..... sorry to say it...a lawnmower! My
feeling is it was unacceptable. I asked the representative if this RT was set up for two heavies and he said no... it was set up for comfort. Wow!!!
So I am asking you who have a heck of al lot more experience riding these machines then me, what your thoughts are from my experience. Was there something wrong with this Spyder? I expected the ride ro be less smoothe than a two wheel motorcycle because of the 3 wheel stance, but nothing like this.
I am still inquisitive and will again test ride one in the future, but for first impressions I think CanAm really missed the mark. If my lady had been with me in the SO position, I'm sure she would have been real quick to get off the thing when we stopped.
Enlighten me my friends... I am still interested.

Corventure Dave

 

[sandrunr1]

I find the Spyder a bit rough also but I also ryde a Honda Fury and it is no smoother. Just less wheels. Yes, it feels the bumps and cracks so I let a little air out and it does help. 13 lbs in the front wheels and 24 in the back. Works for me. BTW, I have an RS as does my wife and we would not trade or sell either one. We will not ryde an RT as I may be old but I am still sporty. LOL

 

[BikerDoc]

I find the Spyder ride to be quite smooth. The shocks are adjustable and tire pressures vary a lot by comfort and handling feel that you want - and you need to find your own comfort zone.. 20 mins isn't long enough for that to happen.. It really sounds like something wasn't right with that bike I have ridden the Spyder over 750 miles in a day and then gone out that night.. I have ridden a lot of bikes where have that distance of vibration would have been exhausting. Good luck.. keep trying...

 

[hrlygrl]

Ok... so I have been following this site for quite a while. I do not have a Spyder but am inquisitive. I must say that I am impressed with the technology. The factory backing seems to be very good and better than most motorcycle co's. I like the tech that has gone into control, performance and ease of opperation. Sooo...
This weekend I had a chance to test ride the RT at the International motorcycle show in Long Beach Ca. Even tho the ride was only about 20 min. I felt it would give me a good first impression. I have followed this site and looked on line enough to know the controls, so it was no problem doing the parking lot test drive before going out on the roads. Simple controls from suspension to wind screen adjustments. It is truly not a motorcycle, but I have experience with snowmobiles and 4 wheel atv's. I would say I was comfortable.... even for a new riding experience. This should be fun.
Ok out on the road and into traffic. The steering was fine tho it seemed to be jerky. I tried to smoothly transition from one lane to another between lights. I got better within a few blocks. Turning corners I even felt comfortable enough to lean my body and push the RT around turns to a point that I felt the stability control check in. Then we turned to a street the led us to the highway on ramp. What is this??? Just a short blip at highway speeds and back on streets. There were enough stop lights that I got to play with adjustments at traffic lights. Then finally back to the parking lot. I wanted to shift into 2nd but the computer would not let me.... Ah Lucy...it is doing some thinking for me!
Anyhow... my first impression... The experience was fun. I like the engineering and quality, however..... the ride is extremly rough!!! I could not believe how rough the ride was. I would think that even with the suspension set up tight, it should have not been so uncomfortable! Every little bump, joint in the pavement between lanes and minor spot on the road was like riding a..... sorry to say it...a lawnmower! My
feeling is it was unacceptable. I asked the representative if this RT was set up for two heavies and he said no... it was set up for comfort. Wow!!!
So I am asking you who have a heck of al lot more experience riding these machines then me, what your thoughts are from my experience. Was there something wrong with this Spyder? I expected the ride ro be less smoothe than a two wheel motorcycle because of the 3 wheel stance, but nothing like this.
I am still inquisitive and will again test ride one in the future, but for first impressions I think CanAm really missed the mark. If my lady had been with me in the SO position, I'm sure she would have been real quick to get off the thing when we stopped.
Enlighten me my friends... I am still interested.

Corventure Dave

I think the Spyder has a good ride, but I have read that tire pressure makes a huge difference....more so than normal mc

 

[NancysToy]

I find the Spyder a bit rough also but I also ryde a Honda Fury and it is no smoother. Just less wheels. Yes, it feels the bumps and cracks so I let a little air out and it does help. 13 lbs in the front wheels and 24 in the back. Works for me. BTW, I have an RS as does my wife and we would not trade or sell either one. We will not ryde an RT as I may be old but I am still sporty. LOL

I urge you to be careful with running 13 psi up front. If you look at the sidewalls, you will see a minimum pressure of 15 psi printed on them. Tire manufacturers seldom print minimum pressures on the sidewalls, and when they do, it is normally for safety reasons. Having a tire unseat itself off the rim in a turn would make for a lot rougher ride than a couple more pounds of air in the tires.

 

[Y Rider]

My RT Limited rides very smooth. I run 17 in the front and have the Elka shocks. When I first got the Spyder it rode like a lumber wagon. There was a problem in the rear air bag suspension sensor causing it to fully inflate to the max. Once this was fixed the ride became very smooth. However, I still feel the bumps but it by far the best ride outside of a 4 wheel cage that I have ever owned. :thumbup:

 

[Marker]

After riding our 2010 RTS SE5 I noticed that the ride was rough so I paid close attention to the adjustable air shock settings and tested the air pressure in the air bag and let out all the air in the air bag and the air bag did not re-inflate as it was suppose to . I took the spyder back to the dealer and they had to reprogram the ACS as the program was flawed. I ride with 25PSI in the front tires and 30PSI out back. Now I love the ride of our spyder and how it handles . I weigh about 185lbs. Maybe the spyder you test drove had malfunctioning air ride settings?

You should take another RT spyder out for a test ride from another dealer or a different RT spyder from the same dealer.

This is what some model 2011 RTS are experiencing and maybe the one you test drove is too http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?34760-Issue-with-RTS-Air-suspension

 

[STUNMUN]

Riding an RT

Ok... so I have been following this site for quite a while. I do not have a Spyder but am inquisitive. I must say that I am impressed with the technology. The factory backing seems to be very good and better than most motorcycle co's. I like the tech that has gone into control, performance and ease of opperation. Sooo...
This weekend I had a chance to test ride the RT at the International motorcycle show in Long Beach Ca. Even tho the ride was only about 20 min. I felt it would give me a good first impression. I have followed this site and looked on line enough to know the controls, so it was no problem doing the parking lot test drive before going out on the roads. Simple controls from suspension to wind screen adjustments. It is truly not a motorcycle, but I have experience with snowmobiles and 4 wheel atv's. I would say I was comfortable.... even for a new riding experience. This should be fun.
Ok out on the road and into traffic. The steering was fine tho it seemed to be jerky. I tried to smoothly transition from one lane to another between lights. I got better within a few blocks. Turning corners I even felt comfortable enough to lean my body and push the RT around turns to a point that I felt the stability control check in. Then we turned to a street the led us to the highway on ramp. What is this??? Just a short blip at highway speeds and back on streets. There were enough stop lights that I got to play with adjustments at traffic lights. Then finally back to the parking lot. I wanted to shift into 2nd but the computer would not let me.... Ah Lucy...it is doing some thinking for me!
Anyhow... my first impression... The experience was fun. I like the engineering and quality, however..... the ride is extremly rough!!! I could not believe how rough the ride was. I would think that even with the suspension set up tight, it should have not been so uncomfortable! Every little bump, joint in the pavement between lanes and minor spot on the road was like riding a..... sorry to say it...a lawnmower! My
feeling is it was unacceptable. I asked the representative if this RT was set up for two heavies and he said no... it was set up for comfort. Wow!!!
So I am asking you who have a heck of al lot more experience riding these machines then me, what your thoughts are from my experience. Was there something wrong with this Spyder? I expected the ride ro be less smoothe than a two wheel motorcycle because of the 3 wheel stance, but nothing like this.
I am still inquisitive and will again test ride one in the future, but for first impressions I think CanAm really missed the mark. If my lady had been with me in the SO position, I'm sure she would have been real quick to get off the thing when we stopped.
Enlighten me my friends... I am still interested.

Corventure Dave

(Front) I didn't particularly love the RT ride initially but rode an RT with Elka shocks and had to have a pair. It changed the handling a LOT. The shocks seemed to make the bike hug the road better. The standard shocks on the bike you road had 3 adjustments for softness. Without knowing what they were adjusted to makes me think they were on the hardest setting.
(Rear) The RT has an air bag which on the LTD self adjusts to the load however the driver can choose a setting from soft to hard even while riding. Which RT did you ride?

 

[bone crusher]

I urge you to be careful with running 13 psi up front. If you look at the sidwalls, you will see a minimum pressure of 15 psi printed on them. Tire manufacturers seldom print minimum pressures on the sidewalls, and when they do, it is normally for safety reasons. Having a tire unseat itself off the rim in a turn would make for a lot rougher ride than a couple more pounds of air in the tires.

17/27 for me...

 

[Kraut]

Riding Comfort-Relative

I think "Rough" is a relative thing, I personally love the ryde on my 2010 RT. I say relative because my point of reference is from owning/riding: (1) BSA 441 "Thumper", (2) Triumph 650 TT, (3) HD Sportster, and finally, (4) HD "Soft Tail". After this progression, my RT is a ryding dream. As far as the SE5 paddle shifter goes, it will up-shift to second once you're over 3 grand on the tach-which is pretty good speed for a parking lot (IMHO).

 

[Gunkandpudge]

Never been on a motorcyle

Never been on a motorcycle in my life but purchased a RT 2010 a year ago. Fun, never had so much fun....well maybe the hnoney-moon some 43 yrs ago. We recently, same wife, road from Hot Springs Arkansas down to Gulf Shore Alabama. We did take two days, 7 hours the first day and bout 4 hours the second. we had a ball down and back. We got over 30 miles/gal with the two of us and all storage areas filled. We were comfortable, stopping bout every two hours just to make sure our legs worked. Luckily we live in a part of the country where we can ride 12 months of the year. i would hate to put the spyder up for a month or two, just saying.

 

[NancysToy]

Never been on a motorcycle in my life but purchased a RT 2010 a year ago. Fun, never had so much fun....well maybe the hnoney-moon some 43 yrs ago. We recently, same wife, road from Hot Springs Arkansas down to Gulf Shore Alabama. We did take two days, 7 hours the first day and bout 4 hours the second. we had a ball down and back. We got over 30 miles/gal with the two of us and all storage areas filled. We were comfortable, stopping bout every two hours just to make sure our legs worked. Luckily we live in a part of the country where we can ride 12 months of the year. i would hate to put the spyder up for a month or two, just saying.

:welcome:

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

COMFORT PROBLEMS

I have 20 years on gold wings prior to 2009 when i got my GS/RS and i thought the Gold Wings were the Cadillac's of touring/comfort bikes......UNTILL THE SPYDER....this is the ROLLS ROYCE...in comparision....I think your demo might not have been set up correctly.....I live in Vermont and have to ride some gravel roads at times and there is just no comparision....the Spyder wins hands down....especially on washboard....Mike...:thumbup:

 

[ARtraveler]

I am on the side of those who think the RT is very comfortable for riding. I have owned many bikes over the years--and some have been pretty uncomfortable.

The fact you did not come away from the test drive more happy,could be a couple of things.

The bike was not set up properly, and you were riding as an inexperienced rider.

There is a learning curve of 250-500 miles for most people. I was at the high end--even with over 40 years of riding two wheelers.

You mentioned twitchy steering--that is usually the result of over input on the handlebars. Most everyone does it at first. RT is set up to compete with Goldwing and I think it rides just as good, if not better. I have done several 500 mile days--and was glad I had an RT to ride on.