Which spec and year to buy

[RICZ]

You are definitely going to have to try both before you buy. You sit differently on the RT and the F3. That's important. I was all set to buy an RT until I sat on it. My legs and hip could not handle the position it put me in and the foot pegs were in the wrong place for me - and they are not movable.
Then I climbed aboard an F3 Limited and WOW, a perfect fit - for me, but not for all. The generous floor boards are movable fore and aft and the handlebars have some up and down adjustment. The only modification I need for comfort is to get it to my saddle customizer and have him tailor it to my butt and put heat in it. I do that to all my bikes, so this is no exception.
I'm glad I went with the F3L for a number of reasons other than comfort. The cavernous top trunk swallows two FF helmets easily and it is much easier to service, as there is far less Tupperware to remove to preform easy tasks like checking the oil level. That was a big plus for me since I do my own maintenance. I like that the gas cap is at the top of the tank, instead of under the saddle. Have a dealer show you the difference between the two series, if their salespeople have the know how to do that.
Whichever one you get, you are going to enter into a different, fun and enjoyable new world of transport. I got mine only last February and have absolutely no regrets leaving 67 years of two wheeling behind.

 

[glennm]

Only a newbie here but great advice from forum members before I purchased was "ride as many as you can".
Good luck and have fun trying them out.

 

[R4mbler]

Glad to hear I’ll have another rider OTP North! If you want to try one without a salesman breathing down your neck you can rent one at Atlanta Adventure Rentals. Planning to rent one there for a moto trip in April. I am researching my options as well with a purchase planned for sometime in 2020. Recently sold a Triumph Explorer and have a little Honda CL 350 to keep me entertained until I buy something- not even sure I will be in the Can-Am camp when all is said and done.

Looks like I’ll be doing a few weekend rentals of different models and see where they take me....

 

[Wahrsuul]

RTL without a doubt.

Can't say I completely agree - the RTS is every bit as comfortable.

I'm with BajaRon, and I even test rode one. I rode a '10, and honestly, after coming off two wheels it was a HUGE adjustment. But, the wife wouldn't ride on the bike anymore, so the only option for use was three wheels or nothing. I was more comfy on the F3, but she preferred the passenger accomodations on the RT, so that's what we have. I ride mostly alone due to her health issues, but she rides a couple times a year.

Test ride, but read the "new rider" info here, it helped me a lot on my test ride.

 

[AVBIZ]

Looks like I’ll be doing a few weekend rentals of different models and see where they take me....

Yep- sit tight, rent a few and come late Spring the 2020s will be on the showroom floor and then there will be an explosion of used buying options. Some of the used pricing out there right now isn’t based in reality - that will change when the market gets flooded. We may even get lucky and other OEMs may join the fun.

 

[Poasttown]

R4ambler
Just switched over to three wheels this past year (August) from a Yamaha VSTAR to an F3L. Concerning the passenger topic, the ability for my wife to have forward visibility was a deal breaker for us. She wants to see over my helmet and not be limited to just left and right visibility. I’m sure this is a personal preference and depends on what you get used to. Our last two bikes have allowed her this forward visibility. However, this does place her up in the wind a bit more which is why I installed a taller windshield. We have yet to take the bike on a trip but so far all the indicators are that her comfort level will be better on the spider.

On a side note, I think that not only is the Spyder a big change for the driver but it can be a change for the passenger to get used to as well. All we had available were test rides, a day or two rental would have been nice. So far, 1200 miles, I’m happy with our decision.

Poasttown