Dan, I bought my new 2008 Spyder SE5 less than two weeks ago after looking at them for months and I shared your concern about the people listing them online when they had less than 200 miles on them. “How could people spend that much money on something so neat and then turnaround and sell it?” “Will that happen to me?”
Well, I agree with most of the other riders who have listed their opinions as to why, but I think that John in PA nailed it. Sadly, you won’t realize how true what he wrote is until after you experience being a Spyder owner, but I will try and elaborate his main point with my two cents.
The Spyder is DIFFERENT and it requires a learning curve. It is not a motorcycle and the differences can be disturbing. ( I have ridden motorcycles since the mid-60s) As a new rider here are 4 examples of differences that I am still working through;
With the SE5, there is no clutch. My hand refuses to recognize that. When my brain says “shift”, my clutch hand is very likely to contract and I end up down-shifting.
The ride is unlike anything you have felt. The first ride novelty of that is attractive, but in the first few weeks of ownership, it has taken me a lot of adjustment or mental acclimation. If the Spyder had DNA, to me it feels like part snowmobile and part Buffalo. It goes where you point it, but it’s agility at cruising speed is surprising and unnerving. I have yet to feel comfortable taking my left hand off the bar when going over 40 mph, it is that sensitive and quick to respond.
Potholes, road debris, manhole covers, etc. all require a totally different approach. With the three wheels, you ride directly over most things instead of weaving around them. Puncture hazards and rough debris, is best handled by navigating it thorough the gap between the front and rear tire.
Parking brake. I do not even use the parking brake on my car. Integrating this new element into the Spyder take-off routine has had mixed results. I have forgot to release the brake three times now. After the first time, I thought I would NEVER!!!! forget to do that again as it almost resulted in a major accident for me and three other drivers.
So, adjusting to a Spyder and going through the learning curve can run the spectrum from looking stupid to sheer terror. Being a new rider, I now understand why the Owner’s Manual has all the practice exercises in it. I practice now every day and it is really paying off. If you haven’t, do download the manual and go through it BEFORE you ride the Spyder outside of a parking lot. A Spyder will never handle or feel like a motorcycle, no matter how hard you try to make it.
My bottom-line is; “I am loving it!” But, I am used to feeling stupid and threatened. I am also coming to understand why a lot of Spyder riders are selling their motorcycles and why the Spyder is a keeper.
