Rob Rodriguez
New member
Finally had a day where it wasn't raining so I called the dealer and asked if I could do a test ride on their demo Ryker Rally. They said sure and when I hopped on it it had 15.9 miles.....brand new. I've been riding a 2012 RS since 2013 when I bought it new. That bike has about 20K miles on it. I love the RS but its out of warranty and I've had it for a while. Thought it would be good to change it up to a new ride. Problem for me is................I don't care for the RT or the F3 so buying one of those was/is out of the question. When the Ryker landed I had high hopes it would work for me. My ride was about 40 miles. About 10 of those miles were on the interstate.
Some general observations:
Pros:
Cons:
The pricing is great and the accessories being there and ready to go is great as well. I actually wish they offered more accessories. So, after the test ride I bought one. It's very much like my RS. I don't really feel I'm giving anything up to the RS except a bit of power and I'm gaining a new bike with 4 yr warranty, shaft drive and it looks nice. I'll be keeping my RS as well for a while and it will be good to play switch a roo and really see the differences over time.
Some general observations:
- First thing that struck me is how small and low to the ground the bike is. You don't step on a peg and saddle up. You step over the bike and sit down.
- During the ride I stopped and made quite a few adjustments to the foot pegs and brake position. I found one I liked. I could see myself adjusting positions during the day to change things up a bit. I like this feature.
- The fit and finish is OK. I wouldn't call it superb but its not bad either. Mostly what I noticed is mating plastic panels not mating fully or tightly in some areas. Perhaps some assembly issues since I believe the dealer installs most of the plastic panels?
- The Rally rims are as just as ugly in person as they are in pictures
Pros:
- The bike handles great. I would say it handles better than my RS mainly because you're lower on the bike.
- I thought it rode great as well. My biggest complaint with the F3 seating position is every bump goes right to your tailbone. I didn't feel this on the Rally and the roads here are still full of frost heaves and pot holes so they are plenty rough.
- Love the no shifting CVT. It's just like riding my snowmobile which is good for me.
- Love the shaftdrive. The RS has belt vibration in the 75-80 range and other ranges when riding 2 up. No vibration on the Rally. None at any speed
- I like the different driving modes and the ability to lessen the "nanny" I would personally just delete ECO mode if I were BRP but.............
- When seated it doesn't feel like they is any bike in front of you. You have a clear view of the road. This is like the RS. On the F3 I feel like I have 4 feet of "stuff" between me and the road. In reality there is probably the same amount of bike between me and the road on the Rally or F3 but it doesn't feel that way on the Rally and that's important to me.
- The power is decent. I would like it to be quicker but overall I'd say power delivery is about the same as I get, "feel" when riding the RS. Top end is a bit of a let down but again not terrible. I hit 105 on the speedo. I'm typically driving between 50 and 100 and most of the time in the 70-80 range so the power is decent in those ranges.
Cons:
- It needs more power. A little more quickness and a top speed of about 115-120 would be perfect.
- Storage. There really isn't any. RS riders have been spoiled with lots of storage
The pricing is great and the accessories being there and ready to go is great as well. I actually wish they offered more accessories. So, after the test ride I bought one. It's very much like my RS. I don't really feel I'm giving anything up to the RS except a bit of power and I'm gaining a new bike with 4 yr warranty, shaft drive and it looks nice. I'll be keeping my RS as well for a while and it will be good to play switch a roo and really see the differences over time.
