Steering... whaaat?

[BRPcare]

I bought a 2012 Spyder RED SE5 a couple months ago.
Since that time I've been going through the whole thing,
top to bottom end to end. I've only driven it up the street
a couple times. Well I finally decided to take it out, ran it up
in first shifted to second and promptly ran off the road. I'm okay
the bike not so much. I get this side to side thing going on and he do
before I knew it I was headed for a very large oak tree which I
Luckily missed but in doing so I hit two smaller oak trees. I guess
they were 2 to 3" in diameter and probably 8 to 10 feet tall. Took
em both out. Anyway all this to ask is it me or the Spyder. I'm
going along fine and suddenly I'm weaving side to side.
Remembering to relax my death grip on the handle bars which
helps, but, geez are they that hard to ride? I'm a life long
motorcyclists which I understand doesn't help in the least,
to the contrary. At this point I can't imagine riding this at
highway speeds. I'd appreciate everybody's input, as I repair
the Spyder, Thanks
(Not so) extremebob sorry for the broken text, I'll do better next time.

Hi Extremebob,

Good to hear no one was injured, and that you are okay.
This incident sounds like something worth looking into.

Would you be able to e-mail [email protected] with your contact information and VIN number?
We would love to look into this to ensure the safety of your unit.

We look foward hearing from you.

Kind regards

 

[rugercharger]

hi extremebob, when i took my first test drive on my 2010 rt, it wanted to go all over the road. i hesitated to take it past 50 mph. the test drive was about 5 miles. i got off and the only thing i thought was i wanted no part of it. but since the whole reason was getting my wife on a bike again, i bought it. if this catches a person off guard, i can see a person easily over correcting for this and getting into trouble especially with the "sensitive" steering. when i got it home one of the things on my list was checking the alignment. i just coudnt believe that a spyder could be THAT twitchy! i did find the alignment way off on the right front. after correcting the alignment. no more scary mind of its own twitchy road manner.

 

[MonPaul]

Sounds like you need to find a huge parking lot and practice, practice, practice !!!

Tommy J.

I was going to say the same thing. I would tell the dealer you are new to the spyder and don't feel comfortable and want to practice in their parking lot. If there isn't enough room maybe they can drive it or drop it off at a nearby parking lot so you can practice until you feel comfortable. It is easier to gain confidence when you're not worried about traffic or trees! I think you might have just oversteered, I remember how easier to steer with 2 wheels than the one I was used to. It took me about 1500 miles to feel comfortable, so you are not alone.

 

[UtahPete]

I bought a 2012 Spyder RED SE5 a couple months ago.
Since that time I've been going through the whole thing,
top to bottom end to end. I've only driven it up the street
a couple times. Well I finally decided to take it out, ran it up
in first shifted to second and promptly ran off the road. I'm okay
the bike not so much. I get this side to side thing going on and he do
before I knew it I was headed for a very large oak tree which I
Luckily missed but in doing so I hit two smaller oak trees. I guess
they were 2 to 3" in diameter and probably 8 to 10 feet tall. Took
em both out. Anyway all this to ask is it me or the Spyder. I'm
going along fine and suddenly I'm weaving side to side.
Remembering to relax my death grip on the handle bars which
helps, but, geez are they that hard to ride? I'm a life long
motorcyclists which I understand doesn't help in the least,
to the contrary. At this point I can't imagine riding this at
highway speeds. I'd appreciate everybody's input, as I repair
the Spyder, Thanks
(Not so) extremebob sorry for the broken text, I'll do better next time.

I'd have to say that's a fairly common experience with Spyders. They just won't stay on the road .... hyea:

 

[Peter Aawen]

I'd have to say that's a fairly common experience with Spyders. They just won't stay on the road .... hyea:

I dunno 'bout that! Mine just wont stay OFF the road! hyea:

Pretty much every day that I manage to crawl outta bed & discover that it's not freezing, absolutely pouring, or scorching hot, my Spyder somehow seems to be able to entice me to want get out & ON the road!! So I do... :clap: :yes:

That said, almost all new/only ever factory aligned Spyders really do need a 'proper' wheel alignment done by someone skilled in the process; and for most 'new Spyder Ryders', and possibly more so (or maybe especially more so) for those with lotsa 2 wheeler experience, there definitely IS a learning curve! :shocked:

I reckon it's cos Spyder Ryding is nowhere near as much of an 'intuitive skills transfer' for those with extensive 2 wheel riding experience as those without, there's just too much ingrained 'muscle memory' & instinctive reactions that accomplished 2 wheelers need to conciously overcome before they'll become really comfortable on a Spyder... and even if many don't like to admit it to themselves & would rather blame the machine, those ingrained 2 wheel responses can sneak up & grab you at the most inopportune times! Often, moving your body weight across to the inside of a turn is just as important as on a 2 wheeler, but it has virtually NO impact on where the Spyder is headed! You need to look well ahead at where you want go/the path you want to take, and lightly but actively steer the Spyder that way! :lecturef_smilie:

So if you relax & don't push too hard for it to become more natural & comfortable too quickly; keep your shoulders down & loose with light hands on the controls, look waaaay out ahead & plan where you want to go instead of concentrating on correcting every little deviation that the 2 wheels up front give you sooo many more of, and just give yourself the time & miles to settle in, it shouldn't be too long before the Miles of Smiles start rolling by! :2thumbs:

Enjoy! :thumbup: