Total Motorcycle Community Forums

HYPERR wrote:I suppose it would be an alternative to someone who wants to ride a bike but is handicapped, elderly, too short, too weak, too uncoordinated, too scared, too lazy or just wants something different. Also they may have friends or family that will not ride on the back of a two wheeler.

There definitely is a market, albeit a very limited one.

Trikes and trike conversions are a lot cheaper way to allow the "handicapped, elderly, too short, etc" to keep their knees in the breeze. Sidecars are even cheaper. In most cases the original two wheeler is used in the conversion process, whereas the Spyder is a stand alone unit. From the viewpoint of stability, it wins hands down what with its reactive suspension and traction control. But for most aging riders, it is an expensive and unusual (Look, Ma, no clutch!) means of staying on the road without downgrading to a cage.

Limited market, for sure. But so are a lot of other bikes/trikes/sidecars. To me the Spyder is a product for a market that hasn't been created yet. Maybe if I demo ride one it will help me understand it better...?

Gunslinger wrote:Don't forget expensive....

You're not kidding ... one could buy 2 or 3 nice bikes for that price.

Expensive can be a relative term.

I'd compare it to a Lotus Elise - that makes it about half the price (the newer touring model of the Can-Am).

Its plenty fast enough, but not holy "poo poo" fast. It is different and may give the purchaser the feeling that it is safer than a regular bike. My understanding is that it handles well in bad conditions. So, definitely use-able as a year round commuter.

For the price of a mid-level Honda Civic - you get year-round excitement without the need of owning a car at the same time. As long as you don't have passenger needs (outside of one passenger) - it could be a good deal.

I dunno, if it was as easy as all that I'd probably own one by now.

Gummiente wrote:

HYPERR wrote:I suppose it would be an alternative to someone who wants to ride a bike but is handicapped, elderly, too short, too weak, too uncoordinated, too scared, too lazy or just wants something different. Also they may have friends or family that will not ride on the back of a two wheeler.

There definitely is a market, albeit a very limited one.

Trikes and trike conversions are a lot cheaper way to allow the "handicapped, elderly, too short, etc" to keep their knees in the breeze. Sidecars are even cheaper. In most cases the original two wheeler is used in the conversion process, whereas the Spyder is a stand alone unit. From the viewpoint of stability, it wins hands down what with its reactive suspension and traction control. But for most aging riders, it is an expensive and unusual (Look, Ma, no clutch!) means of staying on the road without downgrading to a cage.

Limited market, for sure. But so are a lot of other bikes/trikes/sidecars. To me the Spyder is a product for a market that hasn't been created yet. Maybe if I demo ride one it will help me understand it better...?

How much is this thing anyway?

Out of the three, no question the Hack is the coolest. Trike is totally lame and looks super doofus. The Spyder is sort of cool in a weird way. Def. better than an Trike.

HYPERR wrote:How much is this thing anyway?

Ok, I'll have to eat my words on that point - just checked the BRP Canada website and prices range from $19k to $28k. So they're not that expensive at all when compared to a new trike from Harley or Victory. My bad.

Gummiente wrote:

HYPERR wrote:How much is this thing anyway?

Ok, I'll have to eat my words on that point - just checked the BRP Canada website and prices range from $19k to $28k. So they're not that expensive at all when compared to a new trike from Harley or Victory. My bad.

Wow that's still a lot more than I expected. Yeah I really can't see too many people paying that much money for a glorified ATV.

The Ural hack is a much cheaper alternative.

I read somewhere lately that BRP had sold twice as many of the Spyders as was originally forecast. I see quite a few of them on the road around here so there must be something to it. That something could be that everybody around here has to have the latest "look at me" toy and for attracting attention, and you can't really do any better than the Spyder......

HYPERR wrote:The Ural hack is a much cheaper alternative.

Cheaper for sure, but it comes with a stigma attached in that people who've never ridden one mistakenly believe that it is unstable and dangerous to drive. For some reason, a conventional trike is viewed as being a safer platform. Those who think this are forgetting all about the original 3-wheel ATV's that were banned because of safety issues due to handling characteristics.

As I understand it, Bombardier wanted to develop a trike that was inherently safer than the usual setup and decided to work on the "two in front, one in the back" concept. But this arrangement has its own unique issues, the biggest one being the weight of the front end making it harder to steer. So they adapted power steering technology from their ATV's as well as other state of the art gadgets like traction control, ABS and reactive suspension. The end result is... well, I'm still not exactly sure what it is. A three wheeled open roadster is about the closest description that matches and I'm not the only one that is confused about the Spyder's purpose - in California, for example, you don't need a motorcycle endorsement to drive one.

I think High Side nailed it with his "look at me" explanation as to why they're selling so many of these rigs. I'll take it a step further and say that the Spyder appeals to those who have always wanted a two wheeler but were too scared of the "dangers" associated with riding one. The Spyder is more of a car than a bike, which makes these people feel safer - and that's what concerns me. Riding under a false sense of security and safety is not a good idea at any time, IMO.

Gummiente wrote: Those who think this are forgetting all about the original 3-wheel ATV's that were banned because of safety issues due to handling characteristics.

Were they actually banned in North America? I thought Honda just stopped selling them in North America. They continued to be sold in the rest of the world. There were absolutely nothing wrong with the 3 wheel ATVs. They were meant to be for experts and enabled them to do things that were not possible with a 4-wheeler. I knew a guy who still has one and he can put up quite a show. However in the hands of a beginner or the unskilled, it was quite a handful. Honda always marketed them for experts not beginners. It is an irrefutable fact that many products(some of them very cool) never get sold in the US for fear of yet another frivolous liability lawsuit.

HYPERR wrote:Were they actually banned in North America?

Yes, back in 1988. Google "three wheeled ATV ban" and you'll see why.