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Standard Trike to Spyder RT Learning Curve & Questions

M

MikeT

Member
I know that most riders come to a trike from a motorcycle. The learning curve is pretty steep. Having gone thru this in '06, I was wondering if going from two wheels behind to two wheels in front has a similar learning curve?
From reading on this forum, it seems that the tire wear on a Spyder is more like that of a motorcycle(my pre-trike rides were a Road King, an Ultra, and a Road Glide), than a standard trike. The real world service intervals for the '14 1330- 3cyl. have yet to be discovered.
Now that the trike platform seems to have been addressed, what is BRP doing to assure a transformation @the dealership level??
Thanks
Mike
 
Mike,
The simplist answer for the issue of switching from a conventional to a reverse trike; now you'll know that if the nose fits... you're good to go! :thumbup:
 
MikeT said:
I know that most riders come to a trike from a motorcycle. The learning curve is pretty steep. Having gone thru this in '06, I was wondering if going from two wheels behind to two wheels in front has a similar learning curve?
From reading on this forum, it seems that the tire wear on a Spyder is more like that of a motorcycle(my pre-trike rides were a Road King, an Ultra, and a Road Glide), than a standard trike. The real world service intervals for the '14 1330- 3cyl. have yet to be discovered.
Now that the trike platform seems to have been addressed, what is BRP doing to assure a transformation @the dealership level??
Thanks
Mike
Click to expand...

Tire wear on the Spyder is only an issue if you have alignment problems, just like a car. The front tires will go 20~30k if you have a proper alignment.

I've heard from conventional trike riders that remembering how wide you are in the rear takes some getting used to (running over curbs, etc.). I found that cutting corners too close with the Spyder was a problem for me initially (coming off 2 wheels). Also, I found myself watching the front wheels instead of looking down the road on turns. Not good!

The Spyder responds to handlebar input instantly and precisely. This is felt as 'Twitchy' by new riders at first. Once you realize it's you and not the Spyder, things get better in a hurry. Not sure this would be a problem coming off a conventional trike.

The only way to know what your particular experience will be is to ride a Spyder. :thumbup:
 
Last edited:
REVERSE TRIKE THINGY

:agree: , with Ron.......also consider that 95 % of what you do on /in any vehicle is turning / steering the vehicle / mtc. etc......A conventional TRIKE only has one TIRE to do this with......The SPYDER has TWO , and this is why it turns on a DIME and still gives you change :roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:......Mike :thumbup:
 
Steering effort is the major difference

I came off of 40 years on two wheels to a triked Gold Wing and then onto Spyders.

The GL 1800 with the MotorTrike kit was a beautiful machine but steering was twitchy and took a lot of effort.

I finally had the front end 'raked' six degrees and that made steering easier but it was still a handful on tight turns in the mountains.

After riding my wife's 2010 RT a few times, I finally bit the bullet and traded my '03 GL three wheeler in on an '11 Spyder RT. Much, much easier to steer and much more fun on the road.

As far as dealer support, we have been lucky with several Can Am dealers in our area and we found one who is excellent. I think the farther away you are from metro areas, the weaker the dealer network seems to be.

But, I have to tell you that the Honda dealer wasn't real helpful once the Gold Wing was triked. They claimed they didn't have the proper lift for a trike, nor were they anxious to work on anything pertaining the the rear of the machine.
 
I'm a lifelong motorcycle rider before switching to the Spyder but I'm going to admit straight up the only time I've ridden a "regular" trike was when we were researching what type of three wheeler to get. I never rode regular trikes enough to get used to them.

That being said, when my wife took the trike course in Eustis, FL a year ago there were a number of people there with GW and HD trikes. Both they and the instructors were amazed at how the Spyder rode compared to the other trikes. Almost all of them preferred my Spyders ride over a standard trike (stability, ease of turning and knowing where the wheels were) and at least two of them talked about trading in their trikes for a Spyder.

I think there would be a learning curve, but it wouldn't be that hard.

Of course, you have to take my opinion with a grain of salt...

:D
 
My Spyders , 2008 GS & 2010 RT, had a parking lot training course in the manual. Try doing that.
Good Luck and have fun
Oldmanzues
 
BLUEKNIGHT911 said:
:agree: , with Ron.......also consider that 95 % of what you do on /in any vehicle is turning / steering the vehicle / mtc. etc......A conventional TRIKE only has one TIRE to do this with......The SPYDER has TWO , and this is why it turns on a DIME and still gives you change :roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:......Mike :thumbup:
Click to expand...

I concur with Scotty and Mike but add this to the equation two braking front wheels brings you to a stop much better then one in front with two pushing from the back to a limited degree.

:2thumbs:
 
Double Trouble said:
As far as dealer support, I think the farther away you are from metro areas, the weaker the dealer network seems to be. I have to tell you that the Honda dealer wasn't real helpful once the Gold Wing was triked. They claimed they didn't have the proper lift for a trike, nor were they anxious to work on anything pertaining the the rear of the machine.
Click to expand...
DT,
My situation is just the opposite of yours:
A. There are no Spyder dealer located in/around my metro area. This is very puzzling to me. There's Ducati, multiple Honda(2), H-D(3), Yamaha(2), Kaw(2),Suzuki(2), and a BMW,Triumph, and Victory dealer in the metro area. The closest Spyder dealer is 40 minutes away. By reputation the best one is 2.5 hours away. A up and coming Spyder dealer is 90 minutes away.
B. My honda shop is trike friendly. They build Champions and Hannigans
I rode Harleys from '96-'09. In '06 when the trike decision went down, I said that I'd never trike a V-twin. That's how we got into the GL1800. In '09 my work situation got real scarry. I downsized to a single trike.
Now that the triple has come to the RT line, I'm interested because I'd like to get onto a lighter, more nimble trike with a SE6 paddle shift tranny. It's a lot of trade offs to work thru. I'll use the winter to try to sort out the logistics. One of the big questions to be answered is how will my wife like sitting over a single rear wheel again??? If she has to hold onto the grips while riding, that's going to be the deal breaker. She's already not keen about loosing on board storage capacity compared to our Hannigan.(5.5 cu.ft. vs.7 cu.ft.)
I really appreciate all the replies.
Mike
 
THE STOPPING PART

Bob Ledford said:
I concur with Scotty and Mike but add this to the equation two braking front wheels brings you to a stop much better then one in front with two pushing from the back to a limited degree.

:2thumbs:
Click to expand...

I agree Bob I completely forgot about the stopping power the Spyder has ..................I guess I'm mostly thinking about the GOING part...:yikes: :roflblack: :roflblack::roflblack: .Mike
 
Let's see..!!

what do we have...
Car ---------------> spyder
Bike --------------> spyder
Trike -------------> spyder
mass transit ------> spyder
Walking ----------> spyder

So which one has the toughest learning curve..?? From the chart they are all headed in the right direction..:roflblack:
 
MikeT said:
I know that most riders come to a trike from a motorcycle. The learning curve is pretty steep. Having gone thru this in '06, I was wondering if going from two wheels behind to two wheels in front has a similar learning curve?
From reading on this forum, it seems that the tire wear on a Spyder is more like that of a motorcycle(my pre-trike rides were a Road King, an Ultra, and a Road Glide), than a standard trike. The real world service intervals for the '14 1330- 3cyl. have yet to be discovered.
Now that the trike platform seems to have been addressed, what is BRP doing to assure a transformation @the dealership level??
Thanks
Mike
Click to expand...

Mike
If you have been riding a GL1800 trike, you will have little to no problem with moving to a Spyder. Both require a light touch to avoid the twitches.

You mention going to the SE6 tranny. That would probably be your biggest change, the "SE" part. If the 2014 Spyder isn't different, then you will find that you don't roll off the throttle when shifting just hammer that paddle and go popping through the gears.

I have posted recently about a move I made that was just the opposite of what you are considering. I went from a Spyder RT to a GL1800 trike. There are pros and cons to each machine. The question is,,, when you do your own comparison,,, what set of "pros" about the trike you end up with, will best suit your needs and desires? That's really what it all boils down to.

Here is is a link to that post.
I tried to be very honest about each ride and I hope it is helpful to you.
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/...rsus-Spyder-RT&p=689017&viewfull=1#post689017

But if moving to the SE tranny is definitely in your game plan, then a Spyder is your best (only) choice. I personally like a manual tranny and had additional reasons for moving to the Wing.

One small direct bit of advice. If you do move from a GL1800 to a Spyder, then I think you would be happier with the new 3-cyl in the 2014 RT. Especially if you ride two up and travel as much as we do. I always found my 2010 RT lacking in the low end power and torque area. But, judging by your comment about the SE6, then it appears that you have already chosen the 2014. Stay on that course and don't let a good close out deal sway you to the twin. I honestly think you'd be less happy with the twin. The improvements in the 2014 offering apparently closes the gap with what you are accustomed to on the GL1800. Disclaimer: I have not ridden a 2014 RT, and I am only basing the statement above, upon the findings of Lamont and others who have actually ridden the new RT.

Either way, best of luck to you and you have found a great forum to join. :thumbup:
 
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