test ride the Can-Am Spyder - Page 4

WARputer · 06-25-2008, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by z06boy

I used to for several years but now only live NEAR the actual lake but still in the Lake Norman community and dry store the boat on the lake at a marina.

Me too ....near Lake Murray, not on it. You guys enjoy Laconia ?

nhgunnut · 06-25-2008, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by z06boy

That is a good thing. At Laconia the wife and I wanted to try out some cruisers...no not to replace the sportbikes but to add to the stable.

I rode a Victory Vegas Jackpot and a Star (Yamaha) Raider...and liked both. She also rode a Raider but in the Victory line she liked the Kingpin 8- Ball.

It was kinda neat because the surrounding area had some decent curves and the guys in charge liked to open them up to give you a fairly decent feel for the bikes...gotta love it.

I actually liked both bikes...now if we could only find that money tree we thought we planted.

Yeah and she also rode the hell out of a ducati 999 and some fellow with her was seen buring up a few local roads on a turbo busa

WARputer · 06-25-2008, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nhgunnut

Yeah and she also rode the hell out of a ducati 999 and some fellow with her was seen buring up a few local roads on a turbo busa

I saw a 999 parked at Weirs Beach during the rally .....I think it was on a Thursday evening....yours ?

nhgunnut · 06-25-2008, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WARputer

I saw a 999 parked at Weirs Beach during the rally .....I think it was on a Thursday evening....yours ?

Nope we were there tues wed

z06boy · 06-26-2008, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WARputer

Me too ....near Lake Murray, not on it. You guys enjoy Laconia ?

I hear ya man...we went for the bigger house "near" the lake.

Yes we did enjoy Laconia. Partially for the event...but the fact that I had never been there...it's nice to see different parts of the country. It's also nice to hang out with good friends that we now have in NH.

I'd never been to NH until a year ago last May and now have been twice...very nice...well at least when it's not dead winter and they keep getting dumped on my snow...over and over....I'll take the south please.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nhgunnut

Yeah and she also rode the hell out of a ducati 999 and some fellow with her was seen buring up a few local roads on a turbo busa

In my best Sgt. Schultz voice "I know nothing!! "

Aahhh....getting ready to launch...

itgirl · 06-26-2008, 12:32 PM

okay, so i took the ride yesterday. i must say the spyder is, to date, the strangest contraption i have ever had between my legs! it has the nose of a 4 wheeler and the ass of a snowmobile. the wheels up front are very wide, so much that i had to be conscious of the yellow line during the entire demo ride. it handled like a 4 wheeler. the front wheels caught every ripple in the road and made for an unstable feeling ride. i felt like it had a mind of it's own and i was just hanging on for dear life. the front end was just all over the place. it was quite an upper body workout, i would imagine you could be sore after a day of riding that thing. it had power steering, but i felt as though i was trying to fight it to keep it under control.

having no front brake took getting used to as well. it is all in the right rear pedal, and it is ABS. stopping power was rather good though. i thought it had decent bite. i had to remind myself there was no need to lean through corners, even though i am sure i did anyways. and i kept having the urge to want to whip the tail around in the bends. i didn't think having 2 wheels up front would cause such a difference in handling, but it really does. i also got this very uncomfortable side to side rocking in corners. felt like the bike was trying to toss me off the side of it. like i was riding a bull that didn't want to be ridden.

clutch pull was incredibly easy. so much so that i kept over-revving the engine trying to ease it out. i am actually coming to prefer the heavy, quick biting clutch of my harley. on my bike, it launches if i just think about letting it out!

oh yeah, and the thing has reverse. but i didn't get to use that feature.

all in all, the spyder was by far the most unstable feeling machine i have ever been on. will i ever own one...no. but i am glad to have had the experience and will probably go do it again when they introduce the semi-automatic transmission this july. what can i say...i just love playing with other people's toys.