Canadian GP
New member
Just wondering if anyone on here considered the Goldwing Trike before purchasing their Spyder. If so what was the deciding factor?
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Spyder RT VS Goldwing Trike?
- Thread starter Canadian GP
- Start date
Kratos
Ultimate Spyderlover
Not to hijack here....but I would also love to know the handling, comfort, and stability comparisons between both.
Bob Denman
New member
You should PM BigRed1: he's got one of each... :thumbup:
HedonismBot
New member
I looked at a new Goldwing trike from a dealer in Arkansas. One thing that helped decide for me was that it'd be another $8k to get the Goldwing based on the price I knew I was getting my RT-S for and the price they quoted me on the Goldwing. It also wouldn't come with the SE5 tranny and single foot brake. I know some people hate the single brake but for me, it's a huge selling point for comfort in being able to quickly learn and feel competent on the machine. We could have done the mods to the Goldwing to make it a push button tranny and link the brakes; however, then you're shelling out even more cash.
Based upon months of reading the forums and then actually riding the Spyder and feeling how stable and safe it felt, we opted for the Spyder. However, it's hard to pass up Honda's legendary reputation for their engines but for a $10k difference when all was said and done, we couldn't afford the difference. I think if we had the money to buy a new Goldwing and get the mods, we'd seriously debate the two but you get at lot with the Spyder that is factory installed rather than aftermarket (SE5 tranny and brake especially).
Plus, all the darn buttons on the Honda :yikes:
Based upon months of reading the forums and then actually riding the Spyder and feeling how stable and safe it felt, we opted for the Spyder. However, it's hard to pass up Honda's legendary reputation for their engines but for a $10k difference when all was said and done, we couldn't afford the difference. I think if we had the money to buy a new Goldwing and get the mods, we'd seriously debate the two but you get at lot with the Spyder that is factory installed rather than aftermarket (SE5 tranny and brake especially).
Plus, all the darn buttons on the Honda :yikes:
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Cruzr Joe
New member
My 2cents worth
We spent several hours looking at Goldwing trike prior to buying our 2012 RT Ltd, reasons.....
Honda does not make the trike, the dealer takes a goldwing cuts it up and puts the trike kit on it, most honda dealers will not work on a trike problem unless they built it.
Cost, honda with similar "comps" about $12,000 more than spyder
Handling, i think the Spyder handles better (more Sporty).
Looks, i prefer the spyder look
Etc.
Joe
Sent from my iPad 3 using Tapatalk HD
We spent several hours looking at Goldwing trike prior to buying our 2012 RT Ltd, reasons.....
Honda does not make the trike, the dealer takes a goldwing cuts it up and puts the trike kit on it, most honda dealers will not work on a trike problem unless they built it.
Cost, honda with similar "comps" about $12,000 more than spyder
Handling, i think the Spyder handles better (more Sporty).
Looks, i prefer the spyder look
Etc.
Joe
Sent from my iPad 3 using Tapatalk HD
HedonismBot
New member
That's a good point I forgot to include. To my knowledge only HD (besides BRP) makes a factory trike. The first dealer we looked sold Spyders and HD (if you can imagine that paradox). He specifically said HD received enough pressure from dealers and owners for a factory trike (in part due to the Spyder he added) that they developed it. It was part of that getting a trike kit installed but other HD dealers not wanting to service a kit that someone else installed.
Dragonrider
New member
This is too easy. Just take the MSF Trike & Hack course. At the end of it, you will run to your Spyder dealer. I did.
As many know, I have a '02 GW, triked in '05 due to bad knee and a 2011 RT-S. I have ridden the Wing 62,000 and it has never been in the shop....never. I have changed the oil, filters, air cleaner and coolent...period. It has never failed to start. I keep it on a battery tender 24/7 (BR1 also). I ride it to remote parts of west Texas several times a year...where there is no cell service and a breakdown would be a real problem Not a lot going on in Redford or Lajitas on Hwy. 170 along the Rio Grande.
BR1 has been in the shop twice, once for a steering sensor and now for a failed ECM. My dealer said the part (under warranty) is on backorder and BRP is not shipping parts due to "taking inventory". DUH I called BRP customer and this person could not verify this one way or the other and was NO help. Carlos was on vacation and after the "I can not contact the parts department and the second Gee, I don't know", I hung up. Honda won't talk to you at all.
My Wing and BR1 handle differently, but both do a good job. The air pressures and shock settings need to meet your riding requirements and do make a difference. I enjoy the paddle shift on my scoot. Shifting the Wing is not a problem for me either. I have no problems with either machine other than reliability. There are a number of 200K Wings on the road with little background in maintenance.
I know many of your ride your Spyders long distance and have had no problems. I am happy for you, but this does not give me a warm feeling if I am out in the boondocks. I always ride my Wing when going to Big Bend Nat'l Park.
My GW CB is much better the BRP CB in all ways....and cost less.
Cost: Russelville, AR Honda has a basic, new 2012 GW Motor Trike on eBay for $29,325 and a loaded one for $35,000. My '05 kit with some extras was $9,021 installed, out the door. Prices are up from that, I know.
Neither machine is everyone's cup of tea. I enjoy both. As Clint says "Ya pays your money and Ya takes your chances!"
BR1 has been in the shop twice, once for a steering sensor and now for a failed ECM. My dealer said the part (under warranty) is on backorder and BRP is not shipping parts due to "taking inventory". DUH I called BRP customer and this person could not verify this one way or the other and was NO help. Carlos was on vacation and after the "I can not contact the parts department and the second Gee, I don't know", I hung up. Honda won't talk to you at all.
My Wing and BR1 handle differently, but both do a good job. The air pressures and shock settings need to meet your riding requirements and do make a difference. I enjoy the paddle shift on my scoot. Shifting the Wing is not a problem for me either. I have no problems with either machine other than reliability. There are a number of 200K Wings on the road with little background in maintenance.
I know many of your ride your Spyders long distance and have had no problems. I am happy for you, but this does not give me a warm feeling if I am out in the boondocks. I always ride my Wing when going to Big Bend Nat'l Park.
My GW CB is much better the BRP CB in all ways....and cost less.
Cost: Russelville, AR Honda has a basic, new 2012 GW Motor Trike on eBay for $29,325 and a loaded one for $35,000. My '05 kit with some extras was $9,021 installed, out the door. Prices are up from that, I know.
Neither machine is everyone's cup of tea. I enjoy both. As Clint says "Ya pays your money and Ya takes your chances!"
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ARtraveler
R.I.P. Dwayne
Nice write up and comparison BR1. :2thumbs::2thumbs:
Z
zrc
Guest
I trust Big Red 1, he is a straight shooter, and I agree with his mentality.
The only commentary I have in support of the spyder from his view is 2 years from release to goldwings being a fairly perfected machine. In that simple piece alone is where I think these problems stem. In 10 years assuming BRP grows, works and continues to attempt to improve, I think you will see the same set of reliability. Until then, sometimes new toys break and you cant just get anyone to work on them. Also in 10 years maybe an insane cat like me will have an independant garage that works on spyders.
The only commentary I have in support of the spyder from his view is 2 years from release to goldwings being a fairly perfected machine. In that simple piece alone is where I think these problems stem. In 10 years assuming BRP grows, works and continues to attempt to improve, I think you will see the same set of reliability. Until then, sometimes new toys break and you cant just get anyone to work on them. Also in 10 years maybe an insane cat like me will have an independant garage that works on spyders.
ThreeWheels
Active member
I can tell you that I personally would not want the GW motor trike.
I find the Y factor of the Spyder far more desireable from a standpoint of comfort and safety.
Having said that, based on my experience with my old ST1100, the minute that Honda comes out with a reverse trike, BRP is toast.
I find the Y factor of the Spyder far more desireable from a standpoint of comfort and safety.
Having said that, based on my experience with my old ST1100, the minute that Honda comes out with a reverse trike, BRP is toast.
Canadian GP
New member
Once again the membership here has come through for me with honest and factual posts, thanks once again. :thumbup:
Pennyrick
New member
Here are my 'Before' and 'After" photos.
Gold Wing: ('05 w/Motor trike conversion about $31,000 invested)
-Loved the way it would pull in 5th gear 'cause the Horizontal six puts out gobs of torque that can pull like crazy.
-Hated the steering. Raked the front 6 degrees and it still was a handful to turn.
-Mileage was about 35-40 mpg.
-Minimal storage in the back trunk and no sidebags.
-Distinctive but dated looks.
-Better location for highway pegs.
-Hard to clean bugs out of the radiator.
-Most of the GW warranty voided when it became a trike.
Spyder RT: ('12 as it came from the factory. About $29,000 invested)
-More comfort on trips... very easy to steer.
-Tons of storage.
-Better cruise control than the GW with only a 1 mph variance.
-Comparable sound system but harder to adjust to get it sounding good.
-Mileage about 29-34 mpg.
-Awesome attention getting looks.
-Electric windshield and heated grips big plus for year round riders like us.
-Air Shocks much easier to adjust than the GW.
-Shifting at 4-5,000 and cruising at higher revs a bit tiring on the ears (we use half helmets but we used those on the GW).
Gold Wing: ('05 w/Motor trike conversion about $31,000 invested)
-Loved the way it would pull in 5th gear 'cause the Horizontal six puts out gobs of torque that can pull like crazy.
-Hated the steering. Raked the front 6 degrees and it still was a handful to turn.
-Mileage was about 35-40 mpg.
-Minimal storage in the back trunk and no sidebags.
-Distinctive but dated looks.
-Better location for highway pegs.
-Hard to clean bugs out of the radiator.
-Most of the GW warranty voided when it became a trike.
Spyder RT: ('12 as it came from the factory. About $29,000 invested)
-More comfort on trips... very easy to steer.
-Tons of storage.
-Better cruise control than the GW with only a 1 mph variance.
-Comparable sound system but harder to adjust to get it sounding good.
-Mileage about 29-34 mpg.
-Awesome attention getting looks.
-Electric windshield and heated grips big plus for year round riders like us.
-Air Shocks much easier to adjust than the GW.
-Shifting at 4-5,000 and cruising at higher revs a bit tiring on the ears (we use half helmets but we used those on the GW).
Wing to spyder
I had a wing that I had triked out , kit was a California sidecar . When I sold the wing it had 109,000 miles on it and like Br1 had never been in the shop.Spyder has been in the shop 4 times already but nothing really serious except for the radio still not functioning correctly.CB on the GW was superior to the spyder as far as distance. Storage space on the GW trike was a lot better than the spyder .There may be more cubic feet on the spyder but mostly vertical.....could easily carry a large pizza in the trunk. Storage depends on which trike kit you get , some are really pathetic and others are humongus. As far as ride comfort goes , the 1800 Gw seat has a lot more room than the spyder both for rider and passenger , ride depends on which trike kit you get , independent suspension vs straight , air shock control for the trike .Got 35 - 40 mpg on the wing 2 up with trailer 30- 35 on the spyder. Had a 7 degreerake on the GW and handling to me was a little better than the spyder, but maybe that's because I had a lot of miles under my belt on it. Cost wise there is a HUGE difference between the two. For me to purchase a new 2012 wing with everything I wanted on it and then adding a trike kit I was looking at about a $13k difference. Therefore the reason I'm now riding a spyder .
I like the spyder and will probably ride it til the wheels fall off but would feel a little uneasy jumping on it and riding cross country ,I know tons of others have and had no problems but the few problems I have had make me nervous about doing it.I have 7k on it now and maybe after another couple thousand I'll feel more confident for distance.Even with 109 on my old wing I would not have hesitated to ride cross country. Another big difference between the wing and the spyder , there are GW dealerships all over the place.But then just like the spyder dealer you have to get a good one .I ride with a group of wings and you hear nothing but horror stories about a particular deale , have to fight to get anything done and you're not sure if they did the work correctly. So BRP isn't the only one that has bad dealerships.
Both brands have their flaws and without putting a lot of miles on both of them you can't really say which one is better .
I had a wing that I had triked out , kit was a California sidecar . When I sold the wing it had 109,000 miles on it and like Br1 had never been in the shop.Spyder has been in the shop 4 times already but nothing really serious except for the radio still not functioning correctly.CB on the GW was superior to the spyder as far as distance. Storage space on the GW trike was a lot better than the spyder .There may be more cubic feet on the spyder but mostly vertical.....could easily carry a large pizza in the trunk. Storage depends on which trike kit you get , some are really pathetic and others are humongus. As far as ride comfort goes , the 1800 Gw seat has a lot more room than the spyder both for rider and passenger , ride depends on which trike kit you get , independent suspension vs straight , air shock control for the trike .Got 35 - 40 mpg on the wing 2 up with trailer 30- 35 on the spyder. Had a 7 degreerake on the GW and handling to me was a little better than the spyder, but maybe that's because I had a lot of miles under my belt on it. Cost wise there is a HUGE difference between the two. For me to purchase a new 2012 wing with everything I wanted on it and then adding a trike kit I was looking at about a $13k difference. Therefore the reason I'm now riding a spyder .
I like the spyder and will probably ride it til the wheels fall off but would feel a little uneasy jumping on it and riding cross country ,I know tons of others have and had no problems but the few problems I have had make me nervous about doing it.I have 7k on it now and maybe after another couple thousand I'll feel more confident for distance.Even with 109 on my old wing I would not have hesitated to ride cross country. Another big difference between the wing and the spyder , there are GW dealerships all over the place.But then just like the spyder dealer you have to get a good one .I ride with a group of wings and you hear nothing but horror stories about a particular deale , have to fight to get anything done and you're not sure if they did the work correctly. So BRP isn't the only one that has bad dealerships.
Both brands have their flaws and without putting a lot of miles on both of them you can't really say which one is better .
cleanandgreen
New member
Spyder vs Goldwing Trike
I was going to trike my 04 Wing,but when I test rode the new Spyder . The Spyder was so much safer in cornering and handling. Due to the two wheels in the front. But I will say this,if Goldwing ever maded a trike with two wheels in the front I'll trade my Spyder in for one. Until that happens the Spyder is Great.
I was going to trike my 04 Wing,but when I test rode the new Spyder . The Spyder was so much safer in cornering and handling. Due to the two wheels in the front. But I will say this,if Goldwing ever maded a trike with two wheels in the front I'll trade my Spyder in for one. Until that happens the Spyder is Great.
SteveMac
MOgang Member & Monster Member,
Sounds like you got the help you needed. I'll just say... LOVE the helmet on your avatar! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
Canadian GP
New member
Thanks, it was pricey but the fit is perfect and it's also a good match for my present bike.
It would also look good on a green RS-S.
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SaskSpyder
New member
GW trike
I see you are from Canada. Keep in mind you cannot import a 'trike' into Canada anymore. The exception is the HD. if factory stock. Honda trikes are considered modified and will not pass the 'safety' regs. for import.
Spyder will corner better for sure. When wife got her '08 I tried my damnest to get a wheel off the ground. No way. Inertia would try to throw me off the opposite side long before wheel lift.
The drawback to the Spyder is the high reving small engine. I find it impossible to relax on it. I also have an old shovelhead and an '08 Kaw. VT2000, both have lower rpm engine, albiet the HD is gutless and uncomfortable. Spyder should have a 1500 4 cyl.
Wife's Spyder has 24K on it, been in the shop twice for recalls only, and I wouldn't hesitate to ride it anywhere. Went to Van. Is. last summer from SK. and to Arkansas from AZ. this spring. Flawless performance, however ony about 25 mpg average. We ride single and she packs all the gear. Riding to NFLD next summer with a dozen others, she will pull the trailer.
I see you are from Canada. Keep in mind you cannot import a 'trike' into Canada anymore. The exception is the HD. if factory stock. Honda trikes are considered modified and will not pass the 'safety' regs. for import.
Spyder will corner better for sure. When wife got her '08 I tried my damnest to get a wheel off the ground. No way. Inertia would try to throw me off the opposite side long before wheel lift.
The drawback to the Spyder is the high reving small engine. I find it impossible to relax on it. I also have an old shovelhead and an '08 Kaw. VT2000, both have lower rpm engine, albiet the HD is gutless and uncomfortable. Spyder should have a 1500 4 cyl.
Wife's Spyder has 24K on it, been in the shop twice for recalls only, and I wouldn't hesitate to ride it anywhere. Went to Van. Is. last summer from SK. and to Arkansas from AZ. this spring. Flawless performance, however ony about 25 mpg average. We ride single and she packs all the gear. Riding to NFLD next summer with a dozen others, she will pull the trailer.
SteveMac
MOgang Member & Monster Member,
Buttsy
New member
Can never get enough looks at the paint job................:thumbup:
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