ataDude
Mod Maniac
.... it was scheduled for four days... but more on that later.
The Participants.
This ride included a 2008 FJR-1300, a 2008 Kawa Concours 1400, a 2008 Triumph Speed Triple, a 2004 Suzuki DL1000 and, of course, my yellow (today) Spyder.
As long as the sport-bike guys were riding at 90% +/- of capability, the Spyder held it's own. In fact, all of the other folks were impressed at what the SpYder was capable of in the "aggressive" mode in the twisties. Obviously, at top end, it wasn't even close... some of those bikes were capable of 160 mph in the straights.
However, when those same guys were at 100% in the twisties, there was absolutely no contest. The Spyder is capable but is not a "twisty-killer" compared to those bikes. All of our drivers' experience, and the willingness to take a high amount of risk, were all about the same, BTW.
The Wreck.
Now for the "four days" thing... we started out with five bikes but came back with four.
Just south of Mt Judea, there are some very twisty, continuous switchbacks ranging from a posted 10 mph to 30 mph. That road is one of the best in AR... 74 or 79, if I recall.
The Speed Triple hit some gravel on a turn and low-sided... took out a road sign... then landed "hot" (both bike and rider) in a six-foot deep, weed-covered ditch. The bike is probably totaled but... because the rider was wearing the proper gear... all of it including an armored riding suit... he walked way from it with only scratches and bruises. That in itself is pretty amazing because he was probably doing about 50-60 in a turn when he hit the gravel. Lesson? ATGATT.
The Triumph was pulled out of the ditch by a local and stored at his property so time was not critical to get it hauled to wherever the insurance company wanted it hauled.
I am so disappointed with Progressive Insurance's response to the rider that I will cancel in December when my policy expires. We were trying to get them to assume responsibility for the "towing" but could not get a timely response... they could not find a local agent for the case and did not call back in a timely manner.
Update: Canceled Progressive and went with Dairyland for better coverage and a 60% savings.
I rode back yesterday (one day early) with one of the guys who came home to get his truck and trailer to haul the Triumph from Mt Judea back to Dallas.
The Spyder.
Most of the ride was flawless and at the high-end of the speed limits. Mileage was low because of the rpms... typically 25-30 mpg.
I had one fender light vibrate itself out of the fender while traveling.... had to stop to fix that... embarrassing.
On the way back Sunday, I had two, short experiences of the power steering doing it's own thing... pulled me immediately and abruptly, without warning, into the next lane to the left. Thankfully, it was on the straight highway and not in the curves, and traffic was nil due to it being a Sunday morning. I'll have the dealer take a look in the next week or so... or I will pull the DPS fuse just to be safe in the meantime. BTW, there were no displayed messages concerning this situation.
As I stated above, the Spyder performed admirably for a three-wheeler. The other guys thought I was nuts... and I probably was. The Spyder, with an experienced rider, can probably defend itself well against 95% of the other bike/rider combinations out there. However, when you combine a sport-bike-type cycle, along with twisty experience, there is no comparison.
I'm still happy, though. The Spyder was one of the best buying decisions I've ever made.
BTW... we did not see another Spyder in three days.
.
The Participants.
This ride included a 2008 FJR-1300, a 2008 Kawa Concours 1400, a 2008 Triumph Speed Triple, a 2004 Suzuki DL1000 and, of course, my yellow (today) Spyder.
As long as the sport-bike guys were riding at 90% +/- of capability, the Spyder held it's own. In fact, all of the other folks were impressed at what the SpYder was capable of in the "aggressive" mode in the twisties. Obviously, at top end, it wasn't even close... some of those bikes were capable of 160 mph in the straights.
However, when those same guys were at 100% in the twisties, there was absolutely no contest. The Spyder is capable but is not a "twisty-killer" compared to those bikes. All of our drivers' experience, and the willingness to take a high amount of risk, were all about the same, BTW.
The Wreck.
Now for the "four days" thing... we started out with five bikes but came back with four.
Just south of Mt Judea, there are some very twisty, continuous switchbacks ranging from a posted 10 mph to 30 mph. That road is one of the best in AR... 74 or 79, if I recall.
The Speed Triple hit some gravel on a turn and low-sided... took out a road sign... then landed "hot" (both bike and rider) in a six-foot deep, weed-covered ditch. The bike is probably totaled but... because the rider was wearing the proper gear... all of it including an armored riding suit... he walked way from it with only scratches and bruises. That in itself is pretty amazing because he was probably doing about 50-60 in a turn when he hit the gravel. Lesson? ATGATT.
The Triumph was pulled out of the ditch by a local and stored at his property so time was not critical to get it hauled to wherever the insurance company wanted it hauled.
I am so disappointed with Progressive Insurance's response to the rider that I will cancel in December when my policy expires. We were trying to get them to assume responsibility for the "towing" but could not get a timely response... they could not find a local agent for the case and did not call back in a timely manner.
Update: Canceled Progressive and went with Dairyland for better coverage and a 60% savings.
I rode back yesterday (one day early) with one of the guys who came home to get his truck and trailer to haul the Triumph from Mt Judea back to Dallas.
The Spyder.
Most of the ride was flawless and at the high-end of the speed limits. Mileage was low because of the rpms... typically 25-30 mpg.
I had one fender light vibrate itself out of the fender while traveling.... had to stop to fix that... embarrassing.
On the way back Sunday, I had two, short experiences of the power steering doing it's own thing... pulled me immediately and abruptly, without warning, into the next lane to the left. Thankfully, it was on the straight highway and not in the curves, and traffic was nil due to it being a Sunday morning. I'll have the dealer take a look in the next week or so... or I will pull the DPS fuse just to be safe in the meantime. BTW, there were no displayed messages concerning this situation.
As I stated above, the Spyder performed admirably for a three-wheeler. The other guys thought I was nuts... and I probably was. The Spyder, with an experienced rider, can probably defend itself well against 95% of the other bike/rider combinations out there. However, when you combine a sport-bike-type cycle, along with twisty experience, there is no comparison.
I'm still happy, though. The Spyder was one of the best buying decisions I've ever made.
BTW... we did not see another Spyder in three days.
.
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pps: Oops, old age is setting in. 
