What now??

[Rob Rodriguez]

Currently I think the best you can do is find a 2016 RS/S and buy that. Only other option is to wait it out and see what BRP does. I'm like you. I'm a younger rider (by Spider standards anyway...I'm 43) and I don't feel comfortable on an F3. I'm short, 5'-8" so its not a leg length problem. Problem for me is the "cruiser" riding position. Every bump and road imperfection is transferred to my lower back and butt (just like my Harley and pre REV sleds). 50 miles down the road and I can barely get off the bike. So, unless BRP or the aftermarket comes up with a set up that puts you in an RS or even ST riding position on an F3 I'm not buying one. My other complaint with the F3 is........Feels like there is an awful lot of machine in front of you, between you and the road where as on the RS it feels like me, the windscreen and the pavement. I'm not saying the RS is perfect. I can make a list of the things I'd do differently but in terms of riding position it works for me where as the F3 doesn't. I'll never buy an RT. If I wanted an RV, I'd buy an RV

I was planning on buying a new spyder next year but those plans have changed now. I'm really not sure what I'm going to do now?

 

[otter28169]

You gave up your sport bikes for a Spyder? I guess if I physically couldn't ride mine, I would too. Hope you are okay (I don't know your history). If I did get hurt and couldn't ride my Yamahas, I would want a sportier Spyder as an option.

If you are physically able to ride but don't want to be bent over, test ride an Indian Scout. It rides close to a sport bike.

What nobody seems to understand is that I did not give up bikes because I had to, I did it because I like the spyder better. I like the spyder for the ride it is, I am not trying to be a motorcyclist. I understand the way the spyder rides and it is comfortable for me. I would be less interested if it were anything like a bike.

Not every person who rides a spyder wants a bike. Some of us a roadster people and not motorcycle people. I can ride a bike anytime I feel like it, I just do not feel like wasting my free time like that. It is also like the general assumption that if you like the RS you can't afford the RT. Some of us just don't like the RT. I do not go around assuming that people do not ride the RS because they are old and decrepit. I get really frustrated when people talk down an RS. It is the best looking, lightest, and best performing model direct off of the showroom floor. And there are some of us out there who still want to play......

Just sayin'...........

 

[cyclelover63]

I loved my 2009 GS,but was not comfortable for my wife...One local dealer has stopped selling Spyders,rumors are another one will too,they don't want to work on them,since they also sell Harley's...Another one says Spyder service is slow and killing them..

 

[Jenfz09]

What nobody seems to understand is that I did not give up bikes because I had to, I did it because I like the spyder better. I like the spyder for the ride it is, I am not trying to be a motorcyclist. I understand the way the spyder rides and it is comfortable for me. I would be less interested if it were anything like a bike.

Not every person who rides a spyder wants a bike. Some of us a roadster people and not motorcycle people. I can ride a bike anytime I feel like it, I just do not feel like wasting my free time like that. It is also like the general assumption that if you like the RS you can't afford the RT. Some of us just don't like the RT. I do not go around assuming that people do not ride the RS because they are old and decrepit. I get really frustrated when people talk down an RS. It is the best looking, lightest, and best performing model direct off of the showroom floor. And there are some of us out there who still want to play......

Just sayin'...........

Here's another suggestion. Buy a new C7 Corvette. It's more fun than my sport bikes and the Spyder. You will have a hard time getting anyone to test ride one, but go for it. Manual.

I'm half debating between even riding my sport bikes anymore since the vette is so incredibly awesome. I love it.

 

[Bob Denman]

Here's another suggestion. Buy a new C7 Corvette. It's more fun than my sport bikes and the Spyder. You will have a hard time getting anyone to test ride one, but go for it. Manual.

I'm half debating between even riding my sport bikes anymore since the vette is so incredibly awesome. I love it.

I keep getting the impression that your garage is just chock-full of REALLY nice toys....:nopic:

 

[Jenfz09]

I keep getting the impression that your garage is just chock-full of REALLY nice toys....:nopic:

Yes.

It's BS that money doesn't buy happiness

 

[Bob Denman]

Well... it might not buy happiness... :shocked:
But it really allows you to get your groove on, with a much cooler state of misery! :clap:

 

[Firefly]

My .02

I think BRP has made some great changes and it's not a shock they got rid of the RS and ST. The entry level F3 is the same price as what the RS used to be. Other than those complaining about the seating position, everything on the F3 is superior to the RS.. better engine, faster, handles better, better MPG, etc..

So for right now you have the F3 line with that seating position and the RT with the more upright seating position that many of us have been used to for years. Although how many of us put forward pegs on those for more comfort? I know I did and found my legs wanting to be on the highway pegs more than the stock pegs.

I see them removing the rear bags off the RT and having an ST like model built on that platform. That should make those liking the upright seating position happy that don't want a full touring bike... and you'd get the benefit of the 1330 engine.

Although I wouldn't put it past them to come out with a RS type model with that ECO 600 engine in it...

 

[PistonBlown]

F3, Feet forward and why I don't like it...

As mentioned before I do iron butt events. The vast majority of bikes on these are Sports tourers and Adventure bikes i.e. where the sitting position is very similar to an RS/ST. I've NEVER seen a Harley at any of the events and only the odd Japanese Cruiser. That probably tells you a lot about feet forward and long distance riding. I have tried two feet forward motorbikes but never got on with them, also tried an F3 but found it very uncomfortable as well.

RT and why I don't like it...

One day maybe I'll see the advantage of 'barn door tourers' like Goldwings and RT's but I suspect that's at least 30 years off. I like to feel the wind and the rain when I'm riding.

Cars, Corvettes and why I don't like it...

Why the hell would I want to be shut in a cage?! I'm happiest in that perfect state of oneness between bike, road and landscape. Just the endless ribbon of possibilities and adventure that envelops you when riding. Nothing comes close.


...Like Otter I ride a Spyder RS not because I have to but because it's better than a bike for the sort of riding I do.

 

[Firefly]

F3, Feet forward and why I don't like it...

As mentioned before I do iron butt events. The vast majority of bikes on these are Sports tourers and Adventure bikes i.e. where the sitting position is very similar to an RS/ST. I've NEVER seen a Harley at any of the events and only the odd Japanese Cruiser. That probably tells you a lot about feet forward and long distance riding. I have tried two feet forward motorbikes but never got on with them, also tried an F3 but found it very uncomfortable as well.

RT and why I don't like it...

One day maybe I'll see the advantage of 'barn door tourers' like Goldwings and RT's but I suspect that's at least 30 years off. I like to feel the wind and the rain when I'm riding.

Cars, Corvettes and why I don't like it...

Why the hell would I want to be shut in a cage?! I'm happiest in that perfect state of oneness between bike, road and landscape. Just the endless ribbon of possibilities and adventure that envelops you when riding. Nothing comes close.


...Like Otter I ride a Spyder RS not because I have to but because it's better than a bike for the sort of riding I do.

I put 80,000 miles on my 2008 GS... then 24,000 on my 2012 RT.....
I've done many long days... 600-1,000 miles on the GS and RT and liked to be able to vary my foot position from standard to forward.
My main beef with the RS/RT seating position is that you sit on top of the bike instead of in it like the F3. The F3 handles the corners so much better due to that.
No one thought people would do long miles on the original GS models.. but we did. Many are now doing long miles on their F3's. Add floorboards and you can have whatever seating position you want.
My next ride will be an F3.. outfitted with removable Givi V-35's just like my GS had so I can tour and also cruise around town with them off. I look forward to the cruiser seating position, but may add floorboards so I can change things up.

Agree about the cage 1000%. I also miss the elements that I had to deal with more on the GS than the RT.. the RT provides great protection if that's what someone wants.

 

[Jenfz09]

You ride the wrong "cages" then.

I have nothing left to offer you (and apparently didn't originally either).

Buy the newest, lowest mile RS you can find. Wait...buy an FZ09. Just do it. Best bike on the planet. You'll get used to two wheels again. There's a world of difference between two and three wheels and the oneness with the road. And danger, unfortunately.

 

[Rob Rodriguez]

My main beef with the RS/RT seating position is that you sit on top of the bike instead of in it like the F3. This proves everyone is different. Your complaint about the RS is exactly why I (and I suspect Otter and PistonBlown) like it over the F3. BRP has taken this away from us and currently is offering no alternative.

The F3 handles the corners so much better due to that. This is your opinion. I would disagree with it. I don't think an F3 handles corners any better or worse than and RS. Because the rider sits "into" the bike on the F3 they feel less force wanting to through them off than and RS but that isn't better handling that's just rider perception. The difference in handling between an RS and an F3 is all rider perception in my opinion. On the F3 the rider has less of the "I'm going to fly off" feeling so they allow themselves to maneuver a corner faster because they feel safer. On an RS the "I'm going to fly off" feeling is greater so the rider (some of them) back off in the corner because they don't feel safe. The machines themselves can pull the same corners at the same speeds if the rider will allow them too.

 

[Bob Denman]

Hi Rob,
Actually; the lower center of gravity afforded by the F3's lower placement of the ride DOES result in much better handling...
You can dispute the physics; but you'd lose the argument...

 

[Pirate looks at --]

Yea But

:agree: That 95% figure is just riddled with folks who will NEVER ride...
Even I know that fishing in a dry hole, is a waste of time!

Fresh off a another weekend of Demo Rydes for BRP, and the overwhelming majority of people that came out had NEVER ridden a MC before. They are intrigued by the more stable platform. They come for many reasons, they have friends that ride MC and want to ride with them. Lots of MC husbands bringing their wives, so they can ride with them when they go on trips. Remember the whole isn't dry, in fact there are millions of fish in there and the marketing mandate that they are conducting out here is REALLY working. The few MC people that came in were on Wings looking to "retire" on a Spyder. BRP will get that segment naturally and organically with out having to market. With a focus on the NON MC community, and then again on women! They are going to dramatically increase sales! The numbers in California and proving that.....and interestingly enough California has been a not so good market for them.

The people working this marketing program for BRP are really sharp, and great people as well. They have their collective s--t together!

 

[Bob Denman]

I honestly HOPE that you're 100% correct! :thumbup:

 

[otter28169]

Other than those complaining about the seating position, everything on the F3 is superior to the RS.. better engine, faster, handles better, better MPG, etc....

IN YOUR OPINION everything on the F3 is superior to the RS. I KNOW that my RS-S can take my father's F3 in a street race. I know that the rider position on the RS-S is designed for "spirited" riding, more so than the F3 which is designed for cruising. I KNOW that the HP/weight ratio is better on the RS than the F3, and the torque/weight ratio is almost exactly the same. You are correct about the MPG, but the rest of your statement is fictitious at best.

Just sayin'............

 

[Bob Denman]

...Yet there have been others, who have reported that the F3 will beat the RS... :dontknow:

What's that Drag strip just east of Albany? It might pay to have a "Put Up, or Shut Up" Day there...

 

[robmorg]

Hi Rob,
Actually; the lower center of gravity afforded by the F3's lower placement of the ride DOES result in much better handling...
You can dispute the physics; but you'd lose the argument...

That's absolutely correct. The "physics" of the F3, making it handle better than other Spyders is a fact, not an opinion. A lot of people who ride them will attest to that. Problem is that for some of us, they are so darned uncomfortable to ride, that the "better handling" is a hard thing to experience first hand.

What would be a perfect addition to the Spyder line is a bike that has the style, comfort, and excitement of an ST or an RS, but is redesigned to handle like an F3. Unfortunately, I don't think they can do that with the 1330 engine - unless they turn the engine sideways and put it in the frunk.

 

[Bob Denman]

I don't care for their seating position either... The RTs suit me much better! :clap:

 

[PistonBlown]

...Yet there have been others, who have reported that the F3 will beat the RS... :dontknow:

What's that Drag strip just east of Albany? It might pay to have a "Put Up, or Shut Up" Day there...

Have been trying not to mention my test times up until now but here you go...

On my little test circuit when I had an F3 demonstrator I did one lap on my RS to set a benchmark and 6 on the F3. on my RS I did 9m 12s. Quickest I managed on the F3 was 10m 03s. The test route was rural roads with a lot bends but a couple of longer straights (so typical of the types of roads I normally ride on).

Of course the F3 only had the stock Kenda tires which did loose traction a few times on the corners which didn't help - but also shows that I was seriously trying to get a good time

The F3 did help the 'push-pull' feeling in the corners if you sat in the seat. However the sitting position also prevented me moving around as much as I would on the RS. I move around quite a bit when riding the Spyder and like to move into the corner and forward as much as possible to put weight on the front inside wheel to try and stop it lifting. The laid back position of the F3 didn't let me do that and I think that's also part of the reason why the cornering speeds where slower.

Also the gearing seemed wrong on the F3 for this sort of riding. Have heard since that there is a known issue with the spacing of 2nd gear on the F3's imported to this part of the world and Can-Am Australia are working on a fix.