Spyder SE5 Report

[patches]

This brings up a good topic. I don't want to take over this thread as it seems to be more about SE than SM. IdleUp, very good write up. I have an SM today and considered getting an SM for the other half but may wait until the 09 models come out and see what new stuff they do it.
Ok..so here is my question. I have rope bikes/4wheelers every since I was a kid. This is my first real open road cruiser type bike. I had rockets back in the day but gave that up after child. Now, I love my Spyder, don't get me wrong at all. My question, and I understand it depends on the situation but what RPM do you generally shift gears? I read this and I am like, wow, do I wait to long to shift and I am being too hard on the bike. Is this the reason my MPG is so far off everyone else’s? I typically shift by noise and don't really look down at what my RPMs are but I generally at around 5500-6500 depending on what I am doing. My bad habit is 4th gear, I will run it out as long as I can because 5th gear is just umm..no get up and go.
As for down shifting, I there a several schools of thought, some don't even downshift, depending the weight of the bike and some downshift all at the last minute if at all possible.
So, again for taking over the thread, but maybe understanding what the computer "expert" shifts at during normal driving, should I try to change my habits?

 

[tatt2r]

dealer

gary at G&G cycle drove one ... he is a motorcross rider from way back ... he told me that he liked it ... it shifted smooth with out a glitch .... idleup maybe should ask if he could test drive another one or maybe ask dealer if it might be not working up to par .... first runs always something wrong ... i just cant see how so many like it and very few dont ... we are waiting for our dealer to get one so girlfriend can try it ...she drives mine often but would like to try the se5 before we order another sm5 .... but to be honest i wouldnt have bought an se5 without trying one out first...

 

[aubierules]

I'll have to disagree with idleup..I absolutely love the se5.....you have control on the upshifts, except when the rpms are too low...why would u want to shift with the rpms too low??... as for bucking..mine doesnt at all....the only time it even comes close is when it is downshifting which happens with every manual clutch bike ive evr had... sorry yours isnt working out for u, but mine is great! Im very happy i waited....:thumbup: and fyi i have ridden bikes for 20 yrs so i am familiar with the process of manual shifting as all my bikes have been this way

 

[IdleUp]

This brings up a good topic. I don't want to take over this thread as it seems to be more about SE than SM. IdleUp, very good write up. I have an SM today and considered getting an SM for the other half but may wait until the 09 models come out and see what new stuff they do it.
Ok..so here is my question. I have rope bikes/4wheelers every since I was a kid. This is my first real open road cruiser type bike. I had rockets back in the day but gave that up after child. Now, I love my Spyder, don't get me wrong at all. My question, and I understand it depends on the situation but what RPM do you generally shift gears? I read this and I am like, wow, do I wait to long to shift and I am being too hard on the bike. Is this the reason my MPG is so far off everyone else’s? I typically shift by noise and don't really look down at what my RPMs are but I generally at around 5500-6500 depending on what I am doing. My bad habit is 4th gear, I will run it out as long as I can because 5th gear is just umm..no get up and go.
As for down shifting, I there a several schools of thought, some don't even downshift, depending the weight of the bike and some downshift all at the last minute if at all possible.
So, again for taking over the thread, but maybe understanding what the computer "expert" shifts at during normal driving, should I try to change my habits?

I'm like you, depending on how I feel I generally up-shift at the 4-5K range. Sometimes I'll just baby it but the Rotex does not like being much under 3-3.5K.

if I coming down a hill, I'll use the transmission to slow the bike with a quick burst of throttle as I grab a gear. Sometime's if I'm coasting to a light or stop, I'll just let it slow down by itself and at 15 mph or so, I'll start downshifting without any throttle as the gear sync's themselves to the high idle speed of the Spyder. Regardless, I'll always have the bike in first gear before I stop to avoid that damn clunk when you engage 1st.

I'll tell you something else that bothered me with the SE5 - as we all know the idle on the Spyder is way too high and when you put it in gear, it almost sounds like a Harley. I found a way to avoid this by putting the bike in 1st before I start it. This way there is no clunking at all, If I'm going to back up, I'll have the bike in reverse before I start it as well since we all know that makes an awful clunk when you pull that in as well.

Regarding the post on trying another SE5 - my dealers owner - who set numerous speed records with bikes (who I trust) said when he drove them at the factory - they all did the same exact thing. Plus I'm hearing complaints from owners about the poor shifting performance. That's what happens when you take a standard shift bike and try to make it semi-automatic - you get baggage!

 

[ptoemmes]

On the hard stop "automatic" downshift does it seems to be doing a:

{disengage clutch, downshift, engage clutch} repeat quickly

or

disengage cluth
{downshift} repeat
then engage clutch

 

[IdleUp]

On the hard stop "automatic" downshift does it seems to be doing a:

{disengage clutch, downshift, engage clutch} repeat quickly

or

disengage cluth
{downshift} repeat
then engage clutch

I seen a few posts where guys were complaining about the trans not making it to 1st gear on a quick stop - so I did maybe 15 power-stops however each time the trans made it to first with no problem. I assure you there is a lot going on when you stop quick from 50 mph and you can hear each shift.

I can't but help think that with that type of erratic shifting (since it's different for each de-accelerating that it can't be good on the drive train and clutch. Another thing that bothered me is there's too much stuff there to go wrong - i.e. clutch, gear solenoids, shifters, linkage, what happens if the battery gets low? Can't push it off to start it anymore either.

Hopefully BRP will address these issues as well as other issues such as oil in the breather, brakes, fumes from the canister, etc. All in all, no bike comes out the first year with no problems, so considering this, BRP pretty much hit the nail on the head for the first production year.

 

[Star Cruiser]

Strange. I took an SE5 out for a test ride just over a week ago and it didn't behave like that at all. I found that I could run it up and down through the gears quite smoothly. It was not clunky or difficult to shift and it certainly did not dictate when to change gears. :dontknow:

At the end of the day, though, I thought it was kind of a cool gimmick, but certainly not enough to draw me away from the SM5. In city gridlock, it would be nice not to have to worry about your clutch hand getting tired, but that was about the only advantage I could see.

Regards,

Bruce

Bruce,
I agree. I took the SE5 out for a demo Sunday at SnowCity (Toronto). It was my second demo and I was "testing" it out a little more than I did at Americade in June (my first demo). I have been riding various bikes, mostly Cruisers, for a while now and didn't experience any quick downshifting as reported. I was not backing off on the throttle through a shift and still found it pretty smooth, and ultra quick. Going down the gears I ran it both manually and let the bike do the shift. Both were alright to me. I didn't do a "panic stop" though, so that might make it a little more abrupt. All in all, normal stopping and slowing down were fine.

I am still waiting for mine, so hearing that there are now some out there is encouraging. I am only wondering why the Canadian models are being shipped after the USA <grin>. Let's hope that mine is hear soon and I can really test out this monster (no offence MR MONSTER!)

 

[bjt]

I am only wondering why the Canadian models are being shipped after the USA <grin>.

Hmmm.... Seems that on the Premier edition rollout, they started with the southern U.S. (Florida) and then worked their way back north. Now it sounds like they are doing the same with the SE5's.

 

[92lt]

I'll tell you something else that bothered me with the SE5 - as we all know the idle on the Spyder is way too high and when you put it in gear, it almost sounds like a Harley.

That sounds like the problem. I know that on auto-clutch atv's, if the idle is too high, it will shift "clunky" and can surge a bit when shifting from a stop.

 

[AMTJIM]

How does it operate? Centrifical clutch and a solenoid on the gear shift shaft?...Or does the clutch still exist and a solenoid operates that, too?

 

[Smylinacha]

Can the SE5 do burnouts?

 

[AMTJIM]

Can the SE5 do burnouts?

It does everything...Automatically

 

[zzneonzz]

Can the SE5 do burnouts?

Yup! I accedently did one this evening on mine

 

[slather1]

SE5

I drove the dealer demo. Has 150 miles on odo. I think it runs nicely.

 

[SSL4X4]

my two cents

well I cant sit by and not add my two cents. The Spyder SM5 is my first manual transmission cycle of any sort. I have ridden snowmobiles jetskis and four wheelers all with a thumb throttle. My four wheeler had a shift lever on the left side but the clutch was an automatic of sorts. I have driven manual transmission cars with no issues. So I guess my point is I too was going to get an SE5. It was a moment of stress when my salesman pushed the reservation across the desk for me to sign and check which one I wanted. I leaned toward the SM because it was a shorter wait, it cost less and I am apprehensive about new things and felt that the manual tranny would have less "bugs" to work out. After reading the posts its obvious we all have differing opinions and I am sure there is some variance in how every bike performs. I just want to say for those of you who are torn between the two but might be a little afraid of the learning curve on the clutch it took me approximately two hours of putting around the lot to get the hang of it. After that I braved Denver rush hour traffic home. So dont let a manual clutch stop you. To see me now you would think I had been riding road bikes for years. My Spyder is smooth as silk and i can go through the gears up or down with ease.

Get this...some folks were taking pictures of me the other day and I had to show off....I looked down and I was at 95mph down hwy 25 in Denver....!! Yes folks I am an insurance agent...hanging head low...but we need a little excitement now and then too!!!...:dontknow:Sorry I wrote a book!!

 

[IdleUp]

Can the SE5 do burnouts?

All through first and a squeal of second - one-up!

 

[aubierules]

This is not a fair comparison. The Bergman is a true automatic just like most all scooters. The Spyder is not an Automatic, they call is a Semi-Automatic on the BRP site and SE stands for Sequential-electronic. So as a driver, you still have to shift, you just don't have a clutch.

agreed...GREAT POINT D:thumbup:

 

[Smylinacha]

It does everything...Automatically

I want to do wheelies and stoppies :clap: