Your delusional if you think you can ride harder sitting on your ass with your feet out in front of you vs. being able to use your legs for body control....
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RS rider takes the F3 for a demo ride.
- Thread starter Rob Rodriguez
- Start date
Colin
New member
I guess I must be doing something wrong then?? Or my riding buddies are trying to make me look good.
And to be honest, I haven't been delusional for at least a couple of months
Still Shopping
I haven't bought my Spyder yet, but am doing my research. I currently ride a Suzuki Boulevard c90t, so I am quite used to the cruiser style set up. That is why I am looking at the F3. I have always ridden cruisers except for my first bike way back in the 80's (Honda V65 Magna-a standard). I have been of the opinion that the RS set up would not suit me, because of WHY I am looking at the Spyder. See, my knees are getting worse, seemingly by the month. I am predicting that in a year, 2 at the outside, I will HAVE to give up 2 wheels and go to 3. All that being said, I am a long distance rider, state coordinator for Run For The Wall, every May I do several days of 300+ miles. I always thought it was my seat, but after reading these posts I may have to say it is the cruiser "stance" that has been causing my tail-bone issues. I may have to forego the F3, and start focusing on the ST. I would say RS but, I really don't think the sitting on my heels thing will work for me, especially with knee issues. I am not a fan of the RT either, just TOO big. I will try them all eventually though and posts like this are making me THINK, which is always a good thing before spending that much $$$. BTW, I ride most of the time, regardless of weather. My bike currently gets in excess of 20k miles per year, vs. my car getting less than 10K.
I haven't bought my Spyder yet, but am doing my research. I currently ride a Suzuki Boulevard c90t, so I am quite used to the cruiser style set up. That is why I am looking at the F3. I have always ridden cruisers except for my first bike way back in the 80's (Honda V65 Magna-a standard). I have been of the opinion that the RS set up would not suit me, because of WHY I am looking at the Spyder. See, my knees are getting worse, seemingly by the month. I am predicting that in a year, 2 at the outside, I will HAVE to give up 2 wheels and go to 3. All that being said, I am a long distance rider, state coordinator for Run For The Wall, every May I do several days of 300+ miles. I always thought it was my seat, but after reading these posts I may have to say it is the cruiser "stance" that has been causing my tail-bone issues. I may have to forego the F3, and start focusing on the ST. I would say RS but, I really don't think the sitting on my heels thing will work for me, especially with knee issues. I am not a fan of the RT either, just TOO big. I will try them all eventually though and posts like this are making me THINK, which is always a good thing before spending that much $$$. BTW, I ride most of the time, regardless of weather. My bike currently gets in excess of 20k miles per year, vs. my car getting less than 10K.
Mike Ard
New member
I wouldn't give up on the F3 just yet. Most of the people who are commenting in a negative fashion really don't have enough experience on it to be credible. I have found the F3 to be exceptionally confortable especially compared to the RS style riding position.
Try them all and make up your own mind. These fourms are fine and a lot of good information can be found on them but you still need to consider that the negative seems to bubble to the surface and is not necessarily representive of everyones experience.
Sarge707
Active member
I had 33,000 Miles on the RS/GS I traded for the F3 and there is No comparison. The F3 corners way better and faster "Without" you feeling like your going to be tossed off the side AND it can also limp along like a Sunday cruiser in real comfort AND I can get Much more pressure on the brake pedal when my legs aren't scruncthed UP like a pretzel?
Its Not as fast 0-60 GS=4.5 F3=4.8 But the torque of the engine More than makes up for this in other area's .
It NOT for everyone But I love it and You can "Make Up" your own mind- Isn't America Great!!!:clap:
wyliec
New member
Your buddies were trying to make you feel good, at least the RS buddies were.
Ain't that the truth. Still funny how the f3 kool-aid kids try to ram it down our throats.
Don't get me wrong, the f3 is a nice machine, but it's not hanging with an RS in the twisties riding hard...or in the straights really.
It's a cruiser, you just don't have the same body weight control with all your weight on your ass. It is what it is.
Body positioning is key when riding the corners hard. And there is nothing like hanging off the side in a hard tight turn, feeling the back tire on the edge of sliding out vs. staying hooked up!
You need your legs to ride like that....
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bmccaffrey
New member
Agree!!!!!
Like sport bike and cruiser.
And i have ridden both.
Not a cruiser could beat through corners and yes i have an rs.
The only thing with the f3 is the 1330 and lower gearing which makes lower end
Different strokes for different folks.
Everybody has a faster bike :roflblack::roflblack:
Mike Ard
New member
Have to admit to some confusion. How stating "try them all and make up your own mind" is trying to "ram it down our throats"?
I don't care what anybody rides but from what I have seen a lot of folks have moved from the RS line to the F3 and have been very happy. I have not seen anyone as yet wishing to go back. The only spyders the dealer where I live have left are RS/RSS. A whole line of them sitting out front. One of the few RS spyders that they did sell this year was my used 2010 RS that was sold within 3 hours of me trading it in to a guy on a 2012 RSS. They sold every F3 and RT that they could get their hands on.
It may also be true (or not) that you may be a faster rider than me but I stated and maintain after riding both for an extended period of time that the F3 is faster, more comfortable and handles better than the RS/RSS.
Again I would say to anyone in the market for a spyder RIDE THEM ALL and decide for yourself which one meets your individual needs.
Not really disagreeing. Also, i would never say I'm faster than anyone, that's not my style..... We ride, and enjoy riding. We also don't care what anyone else chooses to ride, as long as they DO ride it. We have fun on everything, and I find myself very lucky to see some really interesting machines. We DO ride pretty hard sometimes and I've had a lot of fun on track days too!
The cram down throat comment is a generalization, not directed at you. It's funny because every time something new comes out, there is all the hype and hoopla and the people on here saying its so much better....blah blah blah, gotta buy and "trade up"... Blah blah blah.... Then the smoke clears and people realize that it's not always the truth. Seeing quite a few newer very low mileage f3s out there.....
As for people moving from RS to f3, that's great. But a lot of those moves were people who do more cruising/touring and many already had their RS setup that way. Remember, for a long time the RS was about the only thing out there so cruiser peeps were converting an RS to a cruiser. The f3 is a cruiser by design, so it works.
However, I have yet to see any true RS sport rider go to an f3 for performance gains, mainly for the reasons a few of us have posted.
Remember, the average age on here caters to the cruiser/touring comfort crowd....not the sport riding crowd.
What's even funnier is that I unfortunately find my RS moving to that sport touring end of things as its seeing more 2 up riding than solo. Mainly because I have other bikes that are more fun to chase the corners on.....maybe I'll buy an f3 or RT....but if I do I already know I'm going to be slower in the curves.
The cram down throat comment is a generalization, not directed at you. It's funny because every time something new comes out, there is all the hype and hoopla and the people on here saying its so much better....blah blah blah, gotta buy and "trade up"... Blah blah blah.... Then the smoke clears and people realize that it's not always the truth. Seeing quite a few newer very low mileage f3s out there.....
As for people moving from RS to f3, that's great. But a lot of those moves were people who do more cruising/touring and many already had their RS setup that way. Remember, for a long time the RS was about the only thing out there so cruiser peeps were converting an RS to a cruiser. The f3 is a cruiser by design, so it works.
However, I have yet to see any true RS sport rider go to an f3 for performance gains, mainly for the reasons a few of us have posted.
Remember, the average age on here caters to the cruiser/touring comfort crowd....not the sport riding crowd.
What's even funnier is that I unfortunately find my RS moving to that sport touring end of things as its seeing more 2 up riding than solo. Mainly because I have other bikes that are more fun to chase the corners on.....maybe I'll buy an f3 or RT....but if I do I already know I'm going to be slower in the curves.
Well, I went for an Indian Demo Day at the local dealer, who also is the only CanAm dealer around. While there I sat on every CanAm he had. Sadly, they do not allow test rides except for "demo-days" and this was one of the few that I could make and it was ONLY the Indians. That being said. The RS was surprisingly comfortable, but I would need floor-boards (he had a used model with ISCI (?) boards that I loved, but not the seat which pushed my 6'5" self WAY too close to the handlebars. The RT was OK, but too busy. I loved the ST and the F3 felt like home. I did notice that even just sitting on them, my tailbone was supporting all my weight when sitting on the F3, but I did feel like I was sitting IN as opposed to on the bike. Ergonomically, the F3 is ideal for me, at least without test riding. I really wish that more folks around here and with whom I ride had Spyders, that would let me take them for a spin, especially the different seating positions!
Mike Ard
New member
When I bought my 2010 RS I was initially very disapointed in the handling as it was not much fun "chasiing" corners. It came with crappy shocks and there was not much information on how to keep it from wallowing around anytime you tried to push it into a corner. After spending thousands on shocks, sway bars, shock relocater blocks, exhaust, seat and numerous handle bars finally got it where it was ok cornering. Still no where near what my motorcycles did in the past but acceptable. I don't know what it takes to be defined as a "true RS sport rider" but I did everything I knew how to do trying to get my RS to be able to handle the tight twisty roads we have in Idaho.
I will say that I have not ridden a bone stock F3 as mine was set up with the Baja Ron Sway bar, upgraded Fox float shocks all around and cat delete pipe but as I have said comparing the RS to the F3 the F3 comes out on top. Faster, smoother, more comfortable and better handling. I actually have fun "chasing corners" again. Corners that I had to slow down on the RS I am able to accelerate through much better than on my RS. Say what you want about the seating position but being seated 3 plus inches lower helps along with where your legs are help in hard cornering.
I get the sport bike seating position on motorcycles that lean in the corners, but on the can am RS never worked for me. Sit too high so forces in hard cornering trying to push you off to the outside and being all scrunched up just never worked.
You said you have yet to see a "true RS sport rider" go to an F3 for performance gains and maybe I am not classified as "true" but I did buy my F3 for the improved performance and handling and am very happy that I did.
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Sarge707
Active member
:agree: With Every Word!!! I traded my GS because I was starting to "Worry" about the forces in hard corners trying to un-seat me and the Inability to Brake as hard as I "Might" need to with the crotch rocket position.
The F3 Has Given me the Confidence to corner Harder than ever and Stop on a dime- I do test emergency stops and the F3 is superb! With that 3 cylinder torque You "Feel" like your sitting on a Hot Rod!
Only thing (Selfish) is I wish it had the gearing of the 2012RT Manual 5 Speed because I wasn't shifting out of second till I hit 60 mph if I was in a rush and I feel the extra gear on the Manual F3 gets in the way of acceleration- BUT I understand the touring people need 6 gears So I'm OK with it!:2thumbs:
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TommyBwell
New member
I did not post earlier because I have not pushed my F3 hard in the corners so this morning I did. As mentioned if we we're talking about two-wheelers there is no question that you can go faster with your feet under you than in front of you as your feet can play a much more important role in your steering than they do on a Spyder. I feel the most important thing for the rider on a Spyder in a fast corner is to lower your center of gravity and not get thrown off. You do not have the ability to influence the direction of the Spyder by weighting one peg or the other. When I was cornering fast and hard this morning I was pushing myself hard into the seat with my outside leg gripping the tank with my inside leg and sliding my inside cheek slightly off the seat to the inside while moving my body towards the inside hand grip. The forward pegs gave me additional leverage to push myself securely into the seat. I felt attached and fast. With that ability combined with the lower CG, relaxed nanny allowing you to better pivot the machine through the corner plus the additional HP and torque I feel that any rider could go faster through the twisties on an F3 than anything else in the Can-Am lineup. IMHO YMMV
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Mike Ard
New member
I'm not trying o start an argument and I do understand the sport bike riding position on motorcycles. The harder you lean into a corner the more you are pushed into the bike by the natural dynamic forces. Since the spyder doesn't lean I always felt like I was fighting the natural tendency to push me off to the outside. I don't get that feeling on the F3 and am able to crank through the corners faster than I ever could on the RS.
TommyBwell
New member
I agree with you and feel the ability to push back into the seat helps. I don't think it's an argument but a discussion of different opinions on a forum. I'm just didn't have one before today other than knowing the F3 starts with a lower CG and a softer nanny.
torquehound
New member
My dealer has my RS in the shop right now. They are still waiting for parts but were awesome enough to loan me an F3S for the weekend so I could still go on a planned ride. I think I am in love.
Rob Rodriguez
New member
" You do not have the ability to influence the direction of the Spyder by weighting one peg or the other."
This simply is not true. I can't speak to an F3 but if you ride your RS with the bars straight and you apply pressure to one of the foot pegs the bike will drift in that direction. A snowmobile works exactly the same way and the technique works on both an RS and a sled.
"Since the spyder doesn't lean I always felt like I was fighting the natural tendency to push me off to the outside. I don't get that feeling on the F3 and am able to crank through the corners faster than I ever could on the RS."
I agree with this and it confirms what I have said previously. You allow yourself to ride faster, harder on the F3 because you feel more comfortable without the feeling of being pushed off. That doesn't mean the F3 has any greater performance (power, handling, etc) than the RS (or RT or ST), it just means you allow yourself to reach a greater performance level because you feel more comfortable.
Wow, this thread has taken on a life of its own.........It all comes down to what works best for you for each of the bikes. Not everyone is the same. Ask 50 people the same question and you get 50 different answers. Ride 50 bikes and you'll have pros and cons for all of them. We are all on the same Spyder team here. Just because the F3 doesn't work for me doesn't mean I'm trying to convince everyone else it wouldn't work for them. We are all free to have our own opinions and choices.
This simply is not true. I can't speak to an F3 but if you ride your RS with the bars straight and you apply pressure to one of the foot pegs the bike will drift in that direction. A snowmobile works exactly the same way and the technique works on both an RS and a sled.
"Since the spyder doesn't lean I always felt like I was fighting the natural tendency to push me off to the outside. I don't get that feeling on the F3 and am able to crank through the corners faster than I ever could on the RS."
I agree with this and it confirms what I have said previously. You allow yourself to ride faster, harder on the F3 because you feel more comfortable without the feeling of being pushed off. That doesn't mean the F3 has any greater performance (power, handling, etc) than the RS (or RT or ST), it just means you allow yourself to reach a greater performance level because you feel more comfortable.
Wow, this thread has taken on a life of its own.........It all comes down to what works best for you for each of the bikes. Not everyone is the same. Ask 50 people the same question and you get 50 different answers. Ride 50 bikes and you'll have pros and cons for all of them. We are all on the same Spyder team here. Just because the F3 doesn't work for me doesn't mean I'm trying to convince everyone else it wouldn't work for them. We are all free to have our own opinions and choices.
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