Wednesday ride

Hi! Most Wednesdays our local Ulysses Branch has a "short" ride. Today we had a 220 km round trip from Batemans Bay to Huskisson (type "Huskisson New South Wales 2540" into Google Maps or Earth). Numbers were down but the conditions were fabulous - 20 degrees C bright and sunny and not too much traffic.

The participants were:

• myself - SilverWing
  
• Stuart - Moto Guzzi Nevada (750 cc cruiser ?
  
• Doc - CanAm Spyder Roadster RT
  

The CanAm is what I wanted to mention here. I have seen Doc's machine stationary before but to see it up close out on the highway, these things look just terrific. Doc's is blue like the picture below.



Out on the highway it just sits there glued to the road through bends (it does have more rubber on the road than my Mazda3). You can see the cornering forces on the rider are quite different to a two wheeled bike but it did not look as uncomfortable as I expected. The "go" is quite impressive as well, certainly much quicker than the SilverWing even though it is much heavier. On the down-side, it has a fuel tank about the same size as the 'Wing but where I get better than 280 km per tank Doc is getting less than 250 km.

I think as one gets older these machines allow us to keep riding longer.

I was very impressed, although if I were getting one I would opt for the RS model (much sportier looking:



Regards,
Peter

I think these machines are beautiful and I have seen quite a few of them on the roads locally (Huntsville, AL). The local dealer is always able to sell all they can get their hands on.

So spring has sprung down under! Awesome place, glad you had a good run.

I have seen one of those in my part of town several times this year. They look (and sound) great. They are powered by a 998 cc V-twin that puts out about 106 hp and 77 lb/ft of torque. They claim a 0-60mph time of 4.5 seconds. Not a bad package at all, but they are rather pricey. Around here the RS model lists for more than $17,000.

There have been problems with the power steering units. Where the unit does not accept input from the rider/handle bars, and when you force it it will respond with an exagerated result. Several folks have had some nasty accidents or close calls. One lady had hers act up while riding the Tail of the Dragon, not good. If you are really interested check out www.spyderlovers.com. If you look at a used unit, ask if the DPS (Digital Power Steering) unit has been replaced. I was very interested in one of these but got spooked at the idea of steering issues. Also the MPG range is mid 30's to upper 30's.
Just my $.02.

Update: I was on the spyderlovers web site and 2010 models still have the steering problems, where the power steering units have to be replaced. FYI.

We have a few of them in town here too. Interesting machines and I suspect superior to the more conventional motorcycle trike conversions. The RT model has an amazing amount of storage when you consider the saddlebags, trunk and the front trunk. Personally if I have to give up two wheels I think I'll buy a two seater convertible for my old age. One of the main considerations that convinced me to buy the SW was with it's light weight handling I should be able to ride it long after my beloved GW gets to heavy for me in my old age (which is coming on ever faster).