[starrider]

Am thinking about buying a Spyder RS for my wife to ride. Have some questions and concerns. A lot of the Spyders we've seen for sale on E-bay and Craigs list fall in the 1000-2000 mile range on 2008 and 2009 models. Got to wonder why are people gettin rid of their Spyder so soon? Does maintenance get expensive on these machines or are they not the "dream machine" they supposed to be. Got one trike sitting in the garage she won't ride don't need another machine taking up garage space. Please let me hear your thoughts.

[RattiganRoger]

starrider, on 01 December 2010 - 10:10 PM, said:

Am thinking about buying a Spyder RS for my wife to ride. Have some questions and concerns. A lot of the Spyders we've seen for sale on E-bay and Craigs list fall in the 1000-2000 mile range on 2008 and 2009 models. Got to wonder why are people gettin rid of their Spyder so soon? Does maintenance get expensive on these machines or are they not the "dream machine" they supposed to be. Got one trike sitting in the garage she won't ride don't need another machine taking up garage space. Please let me hear your thoughts.

Last year (about this time) while I was thinking about a Spyder I noticed the very same thing.
I contacted a fair number of CL and Ebay sellers before I decided to purchase mine new.

I found the economy a factor but, I think it simply boils down to this:

These things ain't motorcycles.

People who leave the two wheeled world expecting the same experience are, a lot of the time, disappointed.

I've just cleared 6K on my Spyder RT and wouldn't trade it for the world but riding it is just a different kettle of fish.
The trade offs as far as I'm concerned come down on the Spyder side but rational minds can disagree.

[Trickie Dick]

starrider, on 01 December 2010 - 10:10 PM, said:

Am thinking about buying a Spyder RS for my wife to ride. Have some questions and concerns. A lot of the Spyders we've seen for sale on E-bay and Craigs list fall in the 1000-2000 mile range on 2008 and 2009 models. Got to wonder why are people gettin rid of their Spyder so soon? Does maintenance get expensive on these machines or are they not the "dream machine" they supposed to be. Got one trike sitting in the garage she won't ride don't need another machine taking up garage space. Please let me hear your thoughts.

It would seem to me that these people with such low mileage have not ridden their spyders. I have an 08 with 20,000 miles on it. There are a couple who have over 100,000 miles on theirs and many above 50,000. If I didn't ride mine, I would sell it also. Like you said, you don't need another trike taking up garage space.
Having said that, Yes, they can be expensive to maintain. However there are many things you can do yourself if you are so inclined. I figured out real quick I didn't want to spend $200 for an oil change. The biggest dependency I, and many others, have on a dealer is the need for their computer hook up for diagnostics. It can''t be duplicated at home so there are some things that must be done by the dealer. The spyder is a very very technical machine.
One question I would ask is, Has the spyder had the DPS recall done? This is should be done at some point in the near future is it hasn't been done already. You can have this done at any dealer and is at no cost to you. There were some other updates that need to have been done as well but that will be determined when you have the dealer hook it up to his BUDS computer.
Good luck and Welcome. She will love riding the spyder. It will be different that riding a 2 wheeler but the learning curve is short. It is much more stable in the turns than a regular trike. Plus, the stability control(Nanny) lends a greater degree of safety than those without this device.
See ya at Spyderfest in Cuba, Mo. next spring.
Dick

[Neez]

Learning to ryde a Spyder safely does not take long, but agressive ryding in the twisties does take a bit of time to master and enjoy. I believe that many former bikers yearn to return to countersteering and leaning in the corners and thus give up on the Spyder before their advanced Spyder ryding skills develop. A pity for them, but it might provide a buying opportunity for someone with a bit more patience.

[Roger]

Neez, on 02 December 2010 - 01:00 PM, said:

Learning to ryde a Spyder safely does not take long, but agressive ryding in the twisties does take a bit of time to master and enjoy. I believe that many former bikers yearn to return to countersteering and leaning in the corners and thus give up on the Spyder before their advanced Spyder ryding skills develop. A pity for them, but it might provide a buying opportunity for someone with a bit more patience.

The three previous members have pretty much said it all. If you can change the oil on your car you can do the bike. The people whom are sell thier bikes i believe just did not give it enough time, I made changes to my bike to make it more comfy to ride and it has been awesome ever since, like change the seat brp makes one raise the handle bars so you sit up straight add highway pegsso you can stretch out more thier are many sponsers on this sight who sell such items. Oh and another reason they might be selling some could be leftovers or demo bikes do not be affraid of these bikes at all especially leftovers you can get real good deals on them also.

[doctor]

starrider, on 01 December 2010 - 10:10 PM, said:

Am thinking about buying a Spyder RS for my wife to ride. Have some questions and concerns. A lot of the Spyders we've seen for sale on E-bay and Craigs list fall in the 1000-2000 mile range on 2008 and 2009 models. Got to wonder why are people gettin rid of their Spyder so soon? Does maintenance get expensive on these machines or are they not the "dream machine" they supposed to be. Got one trike sitting in the garage she won't ride don't need another machine taking up garage space. Please let me hear your thoughts.

If your wife doesn't ride the trike, she probley won't ride the spyder either. I did the same for my wife and after one ride she decided it wasn't for her. Also if you have it service at a dealer, it's over a $100.00 an hr here at elk grove, ca. So a simple oil change could cost about $200.00.

[NDSPYDERMAN]

I would echo everyone's comments. I sold my 2008 RS this last spring, but he was so I could get into na 2010 RT with trailer. We loved both units, but the RT gave us everything we were looking for. Comfort, integrated options, trailer and a more comfortable ride for us 60+ riders. I would expect that here comfort level would be higher with the Spyder with the wheel in front versus in the back. You get a feeling that you have some "mass" in front of you versus you being in front of the "mass". A feeling of security along with the comfort of riding a three wheeled machine. I thing she would enjoy it.

NDSPYDERMAN (in hyperation in North Dakota)

[pennyr]

starrider, on 01 December 2010 - 10:10 PM, said:

Am thinking about buying a Spyder RS for my wife to ride. Have some questions and concerns. A lot of the Spyders we've seen for sale on E-bay and Craigs list fall in the 1000-2000 mile range on 2008 and 2009 models. Got to wonder why are people gettin rid of their Spyder so soon? Does maintenance get expensive on these machines or are they not the "dream machine" they supposed to be. Got one trike sitting in the garage she won't ride don't need another machine taking up garage space. Please let me hear your thoughts.

I went from a Suzuki trike (AN 400) to the Spyder RT SE5 for three reasons. One was to keep up with my husband on his Gold Wing 1800 trike (the Suzuki was running at 5,000 rpm while his was at 1,800 rpm), the second was for the ease of steering as one really has to 'fight' with a regular trike on turns at low speeds and the third was the semi automatic transmission on the SE5 since I was used to the automatic on the Suzuki.

I love the Spyder and ride it everywhere. The only negatives I have experienced are the wide turning radius compared to my earlier trike and the excessive heat coming off the right side in very warm weather. I devised a fix for the right side vent that addressed that problem. As stated by others make sure the DPS and clutch recall items are addressed if buying a used machine.

Pennyr