Spyder Idiosyncrasies.

[Airborne]

Yes, that makes sense about the positioning on the road, i was told to centre the bike in the lane but thanks, i'll try that!

 

[AeroPilot]

I agree it takes a bit more to become comfortable with the variety of road conditions, crown, ruts etc than with the gyroscopic motion of two wheels tracking a single path. For me it helped to have many miles on gravel roads with a variety of conveyances from bicycles, to wore out tractors to cars and trucks and to be used to tires "searching" for a path and trying to ride on the high spots to avoid washboard and deep gravel..

Now after a few miles on the Spyders, I don't panic so much if the bike seems to wander a bit. I still tend to find the path where the Spyder tracks best (usually some of the higher spots) and as SpyderChris says, let the Spyder dance under you. Less trying to "steer" the thing, and more balance and enjoying the ride. Everyone is different- hope you find your "happy place".

 

[Texas Al]

You might want to put foam grips on they help your grip they made a difference for me

 

[Airborne]

You might want to put foam grips on they help your grip they made a difference for me

I've heard about you Texans! Worked alongside one once, good man. Thanks for the advice mate, just ordered some from the web, interestingly called 'pussy grips' over here. Makes you think!!!

 

[Lew L]

Geeezzz . . . and I thought I was the only one who did that . . . :cheers:

I think it's easier on the RT as the pegs are under your hips. Even easier with the RTS floorboards.

 

[Airborne]

Went for a 400 km ride yesterday, i took note and implemented most of the advice received from you guys particularly relaxing, lane positioning and so on.

The one i found particularly helpful was the suggestion that the bike is 'dancing' beneath you, that really helped and i just let her do her thing and just rode.

By half way i had a different bike, she hadn't changed, i had! and then had a whole different experience, great just great!! Got home with a smile on my face and the realisation that this was going to be a whole new experience and finally understood what a Syder is about.

So once again all, Thanks!

 

[GaryinWI]

I also came from 40+ years on 2 wheels to an F3L. At first the feeling felt really quick and light to me. Especially 2 up. Higher tire pressures, a BajaRon Sway Bar and an alignment helped significantly. Another 3k miles and I now feel good on it. In fact I love it! Give it a little time and replace your Sway Bar.

 

[Airborne]

Cheers, with regards to the sway bar, dealer tells me no issues with the 18 onwards as new and different bar installed by BRP.

By the way, what tire presurs are you running now, i have 30 rear and 18 front on the Kends.

 

[Peter Aawen]

........ By the way, what tire presurs are you running now, i have 30 rear and 18 front on the Kends.

Just be a little wary of varying the Kenda tire pressures too far from their recommended pressures. They really are a lightly constructed tire, and while going a little up or down is usually OK, going much beyond about +/- 2psi means you are inviting all sorts of uncomfortable &/or potentially dangerous issues! :yikes:

But it's good to hear that you are enjoying your Spyder already! :thumbup: They are a fantastic machines once you get over the niggles & idiosyncracies that frequently beset new ryders! Now all you hafta do is get out there & start racking up the miles!! hyea:

Oh, and now you're properly up & running, check out the Spyder Muster website - www.spydermuster.com.au - many of the Aussie Spyder Ryder community will be heading West to attend that gathering of Spyders in late March next year - WA in 2020! From up your way it should be a fantistic road trip, but if you don't want to cross the Nullabor on your Spyder, we are exploring a variety of (not massively expensive) ways to get people & their Rydes over there, just keep an eye on the website! :thumbup:

Looking forward to catching you out there one day! :2thumbs:

 

[Airborne]

Just be a little wary of varying the Kenda tire pressures too far from their recommended pressures. They really are a lightly constructed tire, and while going a little up or down is usually OK, going much beyond about +/- 2psi means you are inviting all sorts of uncomfortable &/or potentially dangerous issues! :yikes:

But it's good to hear that you are enjoying your Spyder already! :thumbup: They are a fantastic machines once you get over the niggles & idiosyncracies that frequently beset new ryders! Now all you hafta do is get out there & start racking up the miles!! hyea:

Oh, and now you're properly up & running, check out the Spyder Muster website - www.spydermuster.com.au - many of the Aussie Spyder Ryder community will be heading West to attend that gathering of Spyders in late March next year - WA in 2020! From up your way it should be a fantistic road trip, but if you don't want to cross the Nullabor on your Spyder, we are exploring a variety of (not massively expensive) ways to get people & their Rydes over there, just keep an eye on the website! :thumbup:

Looking forward to catching you out there one day! :2thumbs:

Thanks Peter, always a pl;esure to read your posts.

Problem with the tire pressure is the dealer telling me 30 rear and 22 front as we've discussed on another [Aus] site and i read on this site that the owners manual for the new 19's says 30 rear 18 front, i don't want to start another major conversation on this but it is confusing. I will drop to 15/ 28 though, give it a try..

Thanks for the 'heads up' on the muster in WA, i'm from there originally and have a lot of family still there and so will probably go. Maybe we should invite some of our North American friends to come along.

Cheers Mate

 

[Mikey]

If your running stock tires your going to want to watch your tread wear close and find the right pressure for you, meaning weights you hall, two up riding, ect and find one the keeps your tread wear even across the tire as you can. To much air you'll wear the centers out not enough sides! That's where IMO lots of people that say you should use this or that, are falling short. Tires, oils, are always a good thing to start a hornets nest going and the most hardest areas to make a disstion because everyone has there own twist to the problem!

 

[Airborne]

If your running stock tires your going to want to watch your tread wear close and find the right pressure for you, meaning weights you hall, two up riding, ect and find one the keeps your tread wear even across the tire as you can. To much air you'll wear the centers out not enough sides! That's where IMO lots of people that say you should use this or that, are falling short. Tires, oils, are always a good thing to start a hornets nest going and the most hardest areas to make a disstion because everyone has there own twist to the problem!

Thanks Micky, you make a good point however, i am looking for ride quality and more importantly Handling, nice to have good wear but if they wear i buy new ones!

 

[Spyder Insyder]

Lots of good advice here. One thing to remember if you are coming off of two wheels: With two wheels leaned into a corner, "G" forces are aligned with the vertical axis of the bike, pulling downward on your body. In most cases this is not even noticeable. on a three wheeler, any change in direction (from straight), no matter how slight, will exert lateral "G" forces in the horizontal plane, pulling your body side to side. To an inexperienced three wheel rider, this may feel like twitchiness. By relaxing and easing your grip, you will eliminate some of the minor side to side excursions that cause the twitchy sensations. Also be aware that Spyders have more wind loading surface area than most two wheelers, so they are more sensitive to cross winds. It took me a while to get used to these characteristics, but now I seldom notice or think about them.
Just learn to relax and enjoy the ryde.

BTW, I still switch back and forth between two (Harley Road King) and three wheels, and the adjustment is automatic. I don't even think about it, except when I catch myself reaching for a clutch lever on the RTL.

 

[Airborne]

Lots of good advice here. One thing to remember if you are coming off of two wheels: With two wheels leaned into a corner, "G" forces are aligned with the vertical axis of the bike, pulling downward on your body. In most cases this is not even noticeable. on a three wheeler, any change in direction (from straight), no matter how slight, will exert lateral "G" forces in the horizontal plane, pulling your body side to side. To an inexperienced three wheel rider, this may feel like twitchiness. By relaxing and easing your grip, you will eliminate some of the minor side to side excursions that cause the twitchy sensations. Also be aware that Spyders have more wind loading surface area than most two wheelers, so they are more sensitive to cross winds. It took me a while to get used to these characteristics, but now I seldom notice or think about them.
Just learn to relax and enjoy the ryde.

BTW, I still switch back and forth between two (Harley Road King) and three wheels, and the adjustment is automatic. I don't even think about it, except when I catch myself reaching for a clutch lever on the RTL.

Thanks for that, makes sense and what i noticed and managed to correct on my 400 km ride last Saturday. Relaxed myself in body and mind. Worked a lot better.

 

[Oldtimer51]

I use 22psi in the front tires and 28 psi in the rear tire on our 2011 RT with original Kenda tires. (We ride two up - almost to max weight limit of the Spyder) From reading other posts I think you may be holding the steering a little bit too hard. Relax and let the streering do it'is thing. They are very stable on the road but feel different than the 2 wheels. I ride both still and I see the difference in handling. It is a bit different but you will get the hang of it soon enough. Ride Safe.

 

[ButterSmooth]

I've read the entire thread and haven't seen the one change that made the biggest difference for me. The stock handlebars were too far forward for me at 5'5". This resulted in me having constant pressure on the bars, to support my upper body. When I switched to reduced reach bars, my grip relaxed and almost all of the twitchy behavior went away. The bars still aren't right (too close) and I have another set on the way. Too close is better than too far.

A technique I learned riding recumbent trikes is to think of running over obstacles with your feet. Works great for small things (stones, misc. car parts, etc), which can effectively be missed with the tires.

 

[Quartermain]

Lol I love your epic tomes Peter, keep em coming!

Just make sure your phone/tablet/computer battery has a full charge!