Thinking of 3 (wheels)

[Matrix]

About 6 months ago, my 44-year-old wife started showing a lot of interest in riding even though she is far from a dare devil. She took the two-day MSF course and really liked it so we took the next step and bought her a Ninja 250 to learn on. Fast-forward three months of actual riding and she is still a VERY nervous rider. More than anything, I think the shifting of the bike distracts her from the paying attention to the important things. I know it’s still early in her riding but I just don’t see her ‘getting it’ to the point that I would ever feel comfortable letting her ride on her own.

To that end, she has shown a lot of interest in the Spyder. She likes the thought of the wind, road and scenery without all the 'hassle' of shifting and body control. Curious if anyone here has ridden one of the newer ones and thoughts on this being the ‘bike’ for someone like her? Anyone know where we could test ride one?

I have my own opinions of it based on a past ride but will hold those for now.

[bornwildnfree]

How many miles has she put on her 250 in 3 months? How many drills in parking lots has she done in 3 months? Has she gone on any group rides with other riders? I'd be happy to go on rides with her to get her confidence up. That being said, sometimes 2 wheels aren't for everyone and if having a Spyder will allow her to enjoy the road then by all means go for it.

[THoward]

I ride 3 wheels due to some health issues, a Goldwing trike. I have ridden the Spyder once, it was all automatic. Being a 2 wheeled rider for 15 plus years, the Spyder does not feel like a motorcycle to me. Maybe a fairly new rider would like it just fine. It reminds me of a snow mobile. That being said, RPM motorsports sells Spyders and you could probably test ride. I started riding a trike in 08 and had to relearn some of the dynamics of riding. There are of course differences from 2 wheels. I almost went off the road twice because I wasn't "pointing the wheel in the direction I wanted to go". I decided I should take the 3 wheel class so I knew what the hell I was doing...lol I enjoy the Goldwing because it is "almost" like riding 2 wheels. All the basics of shifting, clutching etc are still there. That's my 2 cents.

[Bueller]

Having gone through almost the same circumstances (the ninja is now my race bike :) ), It was a slow process to get the shifting braking, balance and turning to all mesh. We ended up getting her a 250 Rebel last year and with the dramatically reduced ride height she became much more comfortable and started to pick up the other stuff more readily and started to finally enjoy riding. She was ready to give up and just ride 2 up forever.
This year we sold the Rebel and picked up another Ninjette for her. This time around I lowered it 1" front and rear and a little trick with the carbs I learned from tuning my race bike makes the low RPM performance much more beginner friendly.

You did not say if the height of the Ninja was a problem but you can lower them for under a hundred, and the parts for the carbs is $.97.

[Matrix]

Having gone through almost the same circumstances (the ninja is now my race bike :) ), It was a slow process to get the shifting braking, balance and turning to all mesh. We ended up getting her a 250 Rebel last year and with the dramatically reduced ride height she became much more comfortable and started to pick up the other stuff more readily and started to finally enjoy riding. She was ready to give up and just ride 2 up forever.
This year we sold the Rebel and picked up another Ninjette for her. This time around I lowered it 1" front and rear and a little trick with the carbs I learned from tuning my race bike makes the low RPM performance much more beginner friendly.

You did not say if the height of the Ninja was a problem but you can lower them for under a hundred, and the parts for the carbs is $.97.

The bike is the perfect size (she is 5'7)and it runs great so I can't point to that as the issue. I look at it more as if you have you never done 'action sports' before its hard to learn as you get older. I can tell that the exposure of two wheels is scary for her. Combine that with the shifting and positioning and...well.


How many miles has she put on her 250 in 3 months? How many drills in parking lots has she done in 3 months? Has she gone on any group rides with other riders? I'd be happy to go on rides with her to get her confidence up. That being said, sometimes 2 wheels aren't for everyone and if having a Spyder will allow her to enjoy the road then by all means go for it.

This is a great question. Milage wise I am not sure but I can say we have been out close to 20 times but each time is only 20 or 30 miles. We have a new development near us with a 5 mile road that is pretty untravelled so we use that for practice.

To be clear, I think she will be able to 'ride'. But their is a difference between riding from habit and riding because you are really aware of your surroundings and understanding what you are doing.

[Matrix]

I ride 3 wheels due to some health issues, a Goldwing trike. I have ridden the Spyder once, it was all automatic. Being a 2 wheeled rider for 15 plus years, the Spyder does not feel like a motorcycle to me. Maybe a fairly new rider would like it just fine. It reminds me of a snow mobile. That being said, RPM motorsports sells Spyders and you could probably test ride. I started riding a trike in 08 and had to relearn some of the dynamics of riding. There are of course differences from 2 wheels. I almost went off the road twice because I wasn't "pointing the wheel in the direction I wanted to go". I decided I should take the 3 wheel class so I knew what the hell I was doing...lol I enjoy the Goldwing because it is "almost" like riding 2 wheels. All the basics of shifting, clutching etc are still there. That's my 2 cents.

Great feedback! Your two day course was what she took and she spoke very highly of all the instruction. I think she finished the course with only 2 or 3 points off. I would highly recommend that course to anyone based on her experience.

Do you feel more noticed by traffic on the trike compared to bike? For those that are not thrill seekers and new to riding as see this as a great option but I dont know a lot about them.

[Dr. Joe Siphek]

I test rode the sypder a few years ago when they 1st came out up at Twin Peaks...it as alot of fun, very easy to ride...you still have to shift tho, IIRC it didn't have a clutch to pullin which was hard for me to get used to. Very quick, stable and comfy...i would love to have one just for riding 2 up. Also heard they can rip in the canyons w/ ease.

[bornwildnfree]

This is a great question. Milage wise I am not sure but I can say we have been out close to 20 times but each time is only 20 or 30 miles. We have a new development near us with a 5 mile road that is pretty untravelled so we use that for practice.

To be clear, I think she will be able to 'ride'. But their is a difference between riding from habit and riding because you are really aware of your surroundings and understanding what you are doing.

Personally I have found that short rides don't really help build my confidence and skill. They are over too quickly for me to really learn body position and don't allow me to focus on skill building. Take her up and down Hwy 105. It's a great cruising road with enough curves that she'll be able to practice but pretty easy as far as skill goes. The longer the ride the more she'll be able to work on one thing at a time. 105 is usually light on traffic too so you can slow her down and speed her up so she can work on shifting in the straights. I was super scared of my ZX and had a really hard time with it until I went on a 700 mile ride (thank you to all who were on that ride and super patient). I was able to use the long straights to work on shifting and body position and use the curves to get used to the bike. I was last the whole day and everyone had to wait for me, but after that day, I wasn't scared anymore. I knew what I could do on the bike and felt waaaayyy better. Now, riding is fun where before it was just a scary challenge that was a chore and I hated it.

[Wrider]

I test rode the sypder a few years ago when they 1st came out up at Twin Peaks...it as alot of fun, very easy to ride...you still have to shift tho, IIRC it didn't have a clutch to pullin which was hard for me to get used to. Very quick, stable and comfy...i would love to have one just for riding 2 up. Also heard they can rip in the canyons w/ ease.

Some versions you do, they also make an automatic version with the equivalent of a "flappy paddle" transmission in a car where it's just a button to press.

[THoward]

Great feedback! Your two day course was what she took and she spoke very highly of all the instruction. I think she finished the course with only 2 or 3 points off. I would highly recommend that course to anyone based on her experience.

Do you feel more noticed by traffic on the trike compared to bike? For those that are not thrill seekers and new to riding as see this as a great option but I dont know a lot about them.

Thank you for the kudos on the class! Yea I do feel that I am more noticed. The trike is a small car basically and it has lights everywhere. The trunk brake light flashes when you apply the brakes before it becomes a solid light. I have not been cut off nearly as many times as when I was on 2 wheels. If you feel the shifting is an issue then a Spyder would probably be best for her. As I said, the basic controls on my trike are a motorcycle...just an extra wheel. Steering dynamics are different, cornering, and braking. You have a lot more weight to stop than on 2 wheels. If I can help any further let me know!

[Cap'n Crunch]

Two wheels aren't for everyone. The big advantage of a bike over a trike is the ability to carve thru corners. If she isn't addicted to the carve yet, but wants the experice of a bike, the tike may be the way to go. No use in pushing her in a direction that she is not comfortable.