vondalyn
New member
This is long, so skip it unless you really care!
I went on vacation last month and left my F3 at the dealership where they could install the rest of the back-ordered accessories. They got them all done except the saddlebags which are still on back-order. I saw them on someone else's post here and I still like them so I'll keep waiting.
What I've got so far:
* I have a big peeve with the little plastic thing that the aux light and heated handgrip switches are attached to. It just floats around and looks and feels cheap.
I went on vacation last month and left my F3 at the dealership where they could install the rest of the back-ordered accessories. They got them all done except the saddlebags which are still on back-order. I saw them on someone else's post here and I still like them so I'll keep waiting.
What I've got so far:
- Gauge spoiler -- I like it, but have to (hate to!) admit that I like the windshield better, so this is hanging on a hook in the garage above my tool chest for now until I get a wild hair this summer and swap them again.
- Blue Ridge Windshield -- this is the perfect windshield for most of my riding, and I actually think the sypder looks right with it on, it was odd to see the gauge spoiler on it when I swapped back and forth for awhile. My first impression when I saw it was that the gauge spoiler looked wrong. Funny how quickly I adapted to the windshield.
- Aux lights* -- LOVE them! wow what a difference they make at night.
- Heated hand grips* -- couldn't do without them since I experience a lot of season/temp changes as I go up in elevation. I can start in 80+ degrees at home and get up into 20s and snow going up over trail ridge road in RMNP. I do have heated gloves, but I don't always want or need to go that far. They're also great for those chilly mornings or chilly evenings when getting home late.
- Powerlet outlet -- this also has enough amps to run the little compressor that I carry with me in addition to a flat repair kit. I carry a Powerlet to cigarette adapter in case I need to use it. I ride all year and in the mountains all year so I wear heated gear as needed. The Powerlet outlet was the first thing I bought after putting down my deposit on the F3.
- TricLed front/rear fender LEDs -- LOVE them! Everyone that sees the spyder loves them. I have gotten used to self canceling my turn signal when changing lanes, but these saved me when I first started riding the F3 because I could never see the green light on the console that said the blinker is on. I could look down and see the LEDs on the front fenders blinking, so I'd turn them off before driving too far with the idiot light on.
- Passenger backrest -- I rarely carry a passenger, but when I do I want them to be and feel safe. I love the size and comfort and design of this and the easy way it comes on and off. I also like that when it's off, you never even knew that it was there.
- Urban Rack -- I really like this, it holds some small items, it locks, it locks on, there's room under it for the took kit, and to have some electronics plugged in to charge. If I use bluetooth with my iPod the iPod battery drains super fast, but I can now keep it plugged in to prevent that. My only peeve with this item is the "looseness" of the way it fits onto the spyder. Someone else here (I can't remember who -- sorry!) suggested a fix of wrapping some black electrical tape around the posts to tighten it up.
- USB outlets -- I had one installed under the back seat since I usually have the urban rack in place, and I also had one installed in the frunk for those times that I have a passenger. I like having a USB outlet rather than cigarette lighter outlet, but I'm unsure if I have to worry about my phone overcharging. I guess this is a question for my phone provider, or I'll monitor it and see if the battery feels hot.
- Lidlox -- these are a must-have for me. I fell in love with them when I installed them on my RT and the love affair continues. We also have these on my husband's Vstar, so we both give a "thumbs up".
- Upgraded front shocks -- I never experienced the standard shocks, so I can't compare. I like the shocks, and the spyder handles superbly around the twisties. I have and still do complain about the back shock in certain situations, but I have never complained about the front ones.
- Vinyl stripe decal -- WOW! I knew I'd like it, but didn't realize what a difference it would make for me. I've attached a few pictures from my first ride after getting back from vacation, and you'll see a front angle shot of the spyder (last picture). Before this, I NEVER took a picture from that angle because I was one of those who still didn't love the front end. Love the F3, but when viewing the front end, the hood looked too long. The stripe makes all the difference for me. Now it looks more like a muscle car. I also like how the red in the stripe brings out the red highlight under the hood.
- Attitude handlebar -- I haven't driven with the stock handlebar, but I like the slightly forward lean with the attitude bar, and just sitting on the U-fit system with the stock handlebar position didn't feel "right" to me. I tend to lean into corners and the attitude bars help facilitate that.
- Akrapovic straight shot silencer -- I'm not sure how I feel about this. I liked the stock silencer, especially the pop and crackle when decelerating. I don't get much of that with the new silencer. It doesn't sound bad, but it also didn't really hit me with a "Wow! I like that!". I would like to hear the new one next to the stock, so we're going to one of the demo days and see if we can do a side-by-side comparison. On the other hand, when I was driving the spyder home after vacation I was impressed with how smooth it rode and effortless the engine felt. I'm not sure if that was a change in the silencer, or if I still have lingering memories of the 2012 RT. After reading someone else's comments here on SL about their new Akrapovic silencer, he mentioned a difference in the way the spyder ran, so it could be that it feels like it runs better.
- SpyderPops bump skid -- I already have a big gouge under my F3 from the rocks that I tried to avoid (I think I posted about this, but I had an encounter with rocks all over the road from a rockslide, I still ended up hitting at least one that punched a hole in the sidewall of one my front tires and judging by the gouge underneath, I also hit a second one). I was lucky to make it home that day. Anyway, I had the bump skid for the RT and it prevented a lot of damage, and it will prevent future damage on the F3 too. History is repeating itself, the bump skid on the RT also covered a big gouge!
- Grip buddies -- I got so used to having these on the RT, that I forgot how "little and hard" the real grips feel! My hands have been sore after long rides ever since I got the F3. I had to wait to install these and the lidlox until my heated grips got installed. Now my hands are happy again, funny how such a little thing makes such a big difference in comfort.
- Clear vinyl "bra" in front of the seat -- I think I scuffed the black paint in front of the seat on day one. I never even thought about being careful with it. I was careful after that, but it was too late and the scuffs were visible and bugged me. Since the dealership had messed up my original vinyl stripe decal, they told me they were going to have their "vinyl guy" install the new one. I asked them to have him install a clear bra on the black paint in front of the seat while he had it. So glad I did! Now I don't see the scuffs and I don't have to be so careful about what coat I'm wearing.
* I have a big peeve with the little plastic thing that the aux light and heated handgrip switches are attached to. It just floats around and looks and feels cheap.
