Any Spyder owners here? On the hunt for my wife. | GTAMotorcycle.com

Any Spyder owners here? On the hunt for my wife.

PrivatePilot

PrivatePilot

Ironus Butticus
Site Supporter
Forum Sponsor
Hoping I will be well enough to ride this coming season (that's another story, concussion recovery) but my wife has decided she wants to go from 2 wheels to 3, so we are on the hunt for a Spyder, probably an RT.

We are working on a fairly tight budget (Can't justify 20-30+K for a machine she may not ride a ton, who knows) so I'm eyeballing circa 2010-2012 models. I've been watching a TON of YouTube videos learning about Spyders (we have friends who own them but never really paid much attention to them) and am fairly confident with one of that vintage. Now that my vision is sorting itself our I've even been reading and looking at ads as well lol.

I'm handy and not afraid to do some work on a small project machine as well.

Went and looked at one that was listed at an attractive price west of Barrie, but it turned out to be a $5000 project machine with a $10K price tag. Moved on.

Pointers welcome.
 
My buddy bought one as he’s up in age and his wife no longer wanted to be on 2 wheels as a passenger.

They both absolutely loved it. She never rode and ended up getting her license and taking it over so he’s back on 2 wheels.

I tried it but it felt very weird…I’d try it again and would consider one once 2 wheels aren’t a good option.
 
mimico_polak said:
My buddy bought one as he’s up in age and his wife no longer wanted to be on 2 wheels as a passenger.

They both absolutely loved it. She never rode and ended up getting her license and taking it over so he’s back on 2 wheels.

I tried it but it felt very weird…I’d try it again and would consider one once 2 wheels aren’t a good option.
Click to expand...

It's definitely a different animal

Doesn't lean, doesn't counter-steer.

Good for people with balance issues, either due to skill, age or infirmity.
 
Lightcycle said:
Can you rent one for a weekend and have her try it out before you commit to spending that amount of cash?

Perhaps one of the dealers can arrange for an extended test ride.
Click to expand...

There’s pretty close to 0% chance she won’t like it. I can tell she a been secretly eyeballing other people’s Spyders for a few years now.

After her accident a few years back she’s been a far more timid rider, and has given me a few scares since as well. This is as much her who wants one as it is me who will be happier with her on a machine she feels more comfortable with.
 
I sure see a lot of them so they must work for some folks . I’m suspecting there should be quite a few low mileage units around , folks bought them , liked them , just didn’t use them , like many toys


Sent from my iPhone using GTAMotorcycle.com
 
When we rode to Gaspe last year, we saw tons of them in Quebec, you can find one at every corner. I attributed their love /loyalty towards Bombardier for it being headquartered in Montreal.
Perhaps look into QC marketplace for more options.
 
Sister and BIL have one. They were on a large Vulcan but BIL is now north of 70 and it was getting a bit much. They bought the GoldWing version with all the tupperware. They pull a trailer and go for months.

I now realize the buggers never offered to let me try it.
 
Near barrie, I see a lot more slingshots than spyders. I haven't driven either so I have no real comment. I like the looks of slingshot better. Personally, I would take a miata over either one. Similar footprint and I don't need to wear a helmet. Good luck in your search.
 
MacDoc said:
Pretty decent in snow I suspect is one reason as well.
If I need 3 wheels ...a potential in the next 5 years it will be an eCargo bike.
Click to expand...
In the snow, I could see them being a blast (but cold, not sure if they have heaters). Also, I'd probably catch a stunting ticket drifting the thing around.
 
Norcorider said:
When we rode to Gaspe last year, we saw tons of them in Quebec, you can find one at every corner. I attributed their love /loyalty towards Bombardier for it being headquartered in Montreal.
Perhaps look into QC marketplace for more options.
Click to expand...
they have a different licensing scheme for it in the province too, so probably easier to acquire than a motorcycle
and im guessing cheaper on insurance
 
Norcorider said:
When we rode to Gaspe last year, we saw tons of them in Quebec, you can find one at every corner. I attributed their love /loyalty towards Bombardier for it being headquartered in Montreal.
Perhaps look into QC marketplace for more options.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Same for EV’s which is why we bought one of our past cars there.

I have 6 or 8 of them out there on my list already and am doing my best to communicate with people about. I’m messaging back-and-forth using Google translate which gets the job done in messaging to an extent, although when it actually comes time to physically go see one of them in person, fluent discussion (and negotiation) may prove to be a little more of a challenge.

A few people just won’t respond, one other said that he’s not willing to even show it, where it is stored until April (some people just don’t seem to want to sell their ****), and several others are just delusional on their pricing (not realizing “Covid prices” are behind us, especially on toys) and it’s difficult to tactfully make a reasonable offer via messaging.
 
caje said:
Yep, it's a 1 day course here if you have a car license...3 hours of theory and 4 hours of riding. It's crazy how many of them you see on the roads in Quebec, they're all over the place.
Click to expand...
Quebec has always been different in that it is very European. Montreal was my favourite city in Canada because of the cuisine, beautiful women (is it okay to say that?), fashion... you name it. They speed and drive much more aggressively and they tend toward driving European cars a lot more like Smart and so on, and owning 3-wheel thing-a-ma-jigs of every kind. They are more daring and adventuresome for sure and actively engage in the joie de vivre.

Always loved going to Quebec on business and enjoying the culture, sights and foods.

As for riding the Can-Am I can tell you it will take some getting used to in the corners, when you instinctively lean and nothing happens except when the computer engages the brakes instinctively kicking in or you would go flying otherswise. A great choice though for anyone with balance issues, and which wasn't even an option a decade or so ago when you just stopped riding.
 
cuisine, beautiful women
Click to expand...
I used to travel to Montreal in the 70s and Ruby Foo's was a highlight as was smoked meat sandwiches
The Ruby Foo's brand has been a mainstay in Montreal culture for over half a century. The restaurant opened in the late 1950's, and established itself as the place to see and be seen. Politicians, Broadway stars and movie actors, as well as the business and sporting elite, all made Ruby Foo's the top spot in the city.
Click to expand...
Bens ...The restaurant was famed for its Montreal-style smoked meat sandwich. During its heyday it was a popular late-night dining fixture in the downtown core and a favourite eatery of many celebrities. It was open for nearly a century, from 1908 to 2006. At 98 years it was the oldest deli in the city.
Click to expand...
In the spring the office girls always dressed to the nines came out at lunch to stroll in the sunshine.
You are correct on both counts. Toronto used to be so dull to come back to by comparison.
 
I rode on 2 for 25 years before switching to a 2013 Spyder ST. I absolutely love it and while it takes some getting used to, it's more comfortable and I can ride all day on it. I no longer need to worry about dropping it in gravel parking lots or driveways, and if the road surface changes to gravel, no stress. And the reverse gear...🤟😆
 
Thanks all.

If the doc clears me to drive again tomorrow I think I'm going to take off (freedom at long last, I've been trapped at home for what seems like forever lol) and head east and look at some prospects. At least the ones that seem like they actually want to sell their bikes as opposed to the ones who seem to go out of their way to make it impossible. That's another story.
 
Ended up buying a 2008 from a fellow about an hour east of Ottawa.

1674949427885.png

1674951149516.png

1674951222673.png

In really great shape for the year, ran nice, and has a few farkles installed already as well as a nice set of Givi's which between the frunk and the bags is more than enough for the type of travelling we do, especially with all the storage on my scoot as well. Paid $7K which I was pretty happy with as well especially considering a few $10-$13K absolute turds I looked at. For the amount my wife may (or may not) ride this summer it was hard to swallow having $15-$20K sunk in something newer. An RT would have been nice, sure, but lets see how this one goes - if she rides the wheels off it this year then we can probably resell it for every dime we'll have in it and upgrade to a newer RT if she still wants one. But she seems pretty happy with this one thus far.

Now, I just need to figure out how to get it home. The seller was nice enough to offer to hold onto it for me for a few weeks but the forecast doesn't look amenable anytime soon to do a 5 hour ride home, so I'm on the hunt for a trailer. The 4x6 Uhaul open trailer doesn't fit a Spyder apparently so I'm going to have to try to rent a snowmobile trailer or something somewhere.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom