8 Legged Freak
RT-S PE-0399
Went for a ride to Seaside, OR yesterday, it was nice and sunny but very windy. I noticed a couple of things on the Spyder.
First I had the front tires at 17 PSI with the front settings at 5 and the Spyder held the road wonderfully. I also lowered the windshield all the way down and the RT-S really cut the wind well. I did not notice any but a minor increase in wind on me. This may be partly because I am 6'6" and with the windshield all the up I still look over the top of it. My eye level is at least 3 to 4 inches above the top when all the way up. The only issue I noticed was the big gusts that would move my shoulders went it hit me from the side but having a light pressure on the grips and a relaxed shoulder position the gusts did not translate into any movement of the steering. The ride had a lot of 55 to 60 mph long twists, with this set up, I noticed that I was able to roll the trottle about half way into the turn and RT-S held the line well and came out of the turn faster than expected.
As I went over the coastal range, there was about 3 feet of snow on the side of the road and the temp dropped into the low 40s. I turned the heated grips on low. I found that if I was holding on a little tight I would feel the palms of my hands getting hot but if I kept a light but solid grip my hands got warmed but not hot.
When I got to Seaside, I stopped with the HD riders parked at the end of the Lewis and Clark trail at the beach. The RT-S got a lot of attention and questions, must have passed out 20 of the dealers cards in the 40 minutes I was stopped there. Finally a LEO came by and chased us out of the yellow curb area. On the way home, the wind had shifted and was now a headwind and this actually made the RT-S hold the lines even better.
The LEOs were having a speed enforcement day as I saw at least 20 Highway Patrol, County Sheriff, or City squads or MCs out with their radar guns in about 80 miles. This actually provided the funniest moment of the trip as I was almost back into the Portland area and was really focusing on the road and the wind when I heard a siren burst and red/blue flashing from the top of an overpass. I looked up and there was 4 Sheriff Motor cops sitting on their bikes giving me the thumbs up. :2thumbs:
First I had the front tires at 17 PSI with the front settings at 5 and the Spyder held the road wonderfully. I also lowered the windshield all the way down and the RT-S really cut the wind well. I did not notice any but a minor increase in wind on me. This may be partly because I am 6'6" and with the windshield all the up I still look over the top of it. My eye level is at least 3 to 4 inches above the top when all the way up. The only issue I noticed was the big gusts that would move my shoulders went it hit me from the side but having a light pressure on the grips and a relaxed shoulder position the gusts did not translate into any movement of the steering. The ride had a lot of 55 to 60 mph long twists, with this set up, I noticed that I was able to roll the trottle about half way into the turn and RT-S held the line well and came out of the turn faster than expected.
As I went over the coastal range, there was about 3 feet of snow on the side of the road and the temp dropped into the low 40s. I turned the heated grips on low. I found that if I was holding on a little tight I would feel the palms of my hands getting hot but if I kept a light but solid grip my hands got warmed but not hot.
When I got to Seaside, I stopped with the HD riders parked at the end of the Lewis and Clark trail at the beach. The RT-S got a lot of attention and questions, must have passed out 20 of the dealers cards in the 40 minutes I was stopped there. Finally a LEO came by and chased us out of the yellow curb area. On the way home, the wind had shifted and was now a headwind and this actually made the RT-S hold the lines even better.
The LEOs were having a speed enforcement day as I saw at least 20 Highway Patrol, County Sheriff, or City squads or MCs out with their radar guns in about 80 miles. This actually provided the funniest moment of the trip as I was almost back into the Portland area and was really focusing on the road and the wind when I heard a siren burst and red/blue flashing from the top of an overpass. I looked up and there was 4 Sheriff Motor cops sitting on their bikes giving me the thumbs up. :2thumbs:
