tehrlich
New member
Just had my 2015 Black RT limited delivered yesterday. The two extra weeks for delivery was TERRIBLE and AWESOME at the same time. It was fantastic that it gave me the opportunity to really study these forums. Thank you for all that participate! It was terrible for me that I had to wait! I haven't ridden a motorcycle in 30 years!
Having the "Do's and Don'ts" thread implanted on my skull, I started her up and went for it. The first ten miles were very scary.... drift, lean, tracking, etc., etc., and I quickly reviewed all the posts in my brain of swaybars and shocks that I'd needed to buy.
Then, I realized how tight my hands were. I tried it again, but made an effort to relax my hands, and the turns came a lot smoother. It dawned on me that the tightened hands were much like tightened feet while snow-skiing. When you are snow-skiing and you are afraid of the terrain, or the conditions, it is natural to lean back in the boots. This gets you out of balance over the skis, and to compensate, your toes will tend to grab towards the front of the boot. It's a vicious cycle because the more you lean back, the more the skis want to get away from you.
I was a professional ski instructor for many years and have taught thousands to ski. So, I stepped on the Spyder again, and decided to go back to my training days and use that philosophy. I drove over to the "bunny slope" (a local middle school parking lot), and really worked on the turns as suggested in the manual and on videos. I am SO GLAD that I made myself do it. It was invaluable information as I was in a controlled environment where I could change positions, attempt weight shifts, play with the throttle, etc.
My next observations, may be completely inaccurate, so any input is appreciated so that I do not develop bad habits!!
1. Hands on the Spyder are like feet in the ski boots. The outside foot on a turn (the downhill ski) applies more pressure to engage the edges. I found that if I focused on my outside hand to apply pressure on the handlebar to turn, my turns became smoother. The inside hand needed to work, but let's say 80:20. Similar to skiing.
2. Body position, and weight transition, are critical through a turn. With skiing, you have to transfer your body weight over the outside ski, and FORWARD. This will keep the core over the skis and the skis take over. I found with the Spyder turn you lean into the turn and forward. The harder the turn (not just sharp but higher speed, too) the more centrifugal force to throw you out of the turn. Therefore you you don't just lean into the turn, but lean forward towards the inside wheel.
3. Legs and feet mattered. During a turn if I felt my inside leg putting pressure on the seat, it felt like I was "hanging on," and more body roll and skipping occurred. However, when I applied pressure to my outside foot, like a ski boot, it helped me get my weight forward and inside. The turns seemed to just carve, and were dynamic.
I focused completely on hands and feet with body position for 100 miles today and could really tell when I hit the sweet spots of the turns. The more I attempted to attempt a dynamic turn, the more body roll and skipping decreased. I could get it down to where I never felt a lot of sway or jumping. I think I'll get the upgrades eventually, but will try to master the stock setup first.
I have more thoughts on posture, the sweet spot of the Y, and timing of a turn, but would like anyone's input on my observations.
Having the "Do's and Don'ts" thread implanted on my skull, I started her up and went for it. The first ten miles were very scary.... drift, lean, tracking, etc., etc., and I quickly reviewed all the posts in my brain of swaybars and shocks that I'd needed to buy.
Then, I realized how tight my hands were. I tried it again, but made an effort to relax my hands, and the turns came a lot smoother. It dawned on me that the tightened hands were much like tightened feet while snow-skiing. When you are snow-skiing and you are afraid of the terrain, or the conditions, it is natural to lean back in the boots. This gets you out of balance over the skis, and to compensate, your toes will tend to grab towards the front of the boot. It's a vicious cycle because the more you lean back, the more the skis want to get away from you.
I was a professional ski instructor for many years and have taught thousands to ski. So, I stepped on the Spyder again, and decided to go back to my training days and use that philosophy. I drove over to the "bunny slope" (a local middle school parking lot), and really worked on the turns as suggested in the manual and on videos. I am SO GLAD that I made myself do it. It was invaluable information as I was in a controlled environment where I could change positions, attempt weight shifts, play with the throttle, etc.
My next observations, may be completely inaccurate, so any input is appreciated so that I do not develop bad habits!!
1. Hands on the Spyder are like feet in the ski boots. The outside foot on a turn (the downhill ski) applies more pressure to engage the edges. I found that if I focused on my outside hand to apply pressure on the handlebar to turn, my turns became smoother. The inside hand needed to work, but let's say 80:20. Similar to skiing.
2. Body position, and weight transition, are critical through a turn. With skiing, you have to transfer your body weight over the outside ski, and FORWARD. This will keep the core over the skis and the skis take over. I found with the Spyder turn you lean into the turn and forward. The harder the turn (not just sharp but higher speed, too) the more centrifugal force to throw you out of the turn. Therefore you you don't just lean into the turn, but lean forward towards the inside wheel.
3. Legs and feet mattered. During a turn if I felt my inside leg putting pressure on the seat, it felt like I was "hanging on," and more body roll and skipping occurred. However, when I applied pressure to my outside foot, like a ski boot, it helped me get my weight forward and inside. The turns seemed to just carve, and were dynamic.
I focused completely on hands and feet with body position for 100 miles today and could really tell when I hit the sweet spots of the turns. The more I attempted to attempt a dynamic turn, the more body roll and skipping decreased. I could get it down to where I never felt a lot of sway or jumping. I think I'll get the upgrades eventually, but will try to master the stock setup first.
I have more thoughts on posture, the sweet spot of the Y, and timing of a turn, but would like anyone's input on my observations.
.
hyea:
