[nsswitzya]

Hello – I’m new to Spydertalk, and was wondering if anyone has experience converting a Spyder’s left-handed electronic shifting to something else – A foot switch, perhaps?( And how might this affect one’s ability to get into reverse? I’ve been riding road motorcycles for many years, but have lost the use of my left hand due to a stroke last year(and my left arm is still weak). My Venture and CBR1000 sadly sit in the garage, since I still don’t have a clutch hand or a left arm strong enough to ride 2 wheels [I even had to trade my upright bicycle for a recumbent] – I hope a Spyder will someday get me riding again, but I don’t know enough about them to know how to approach modifying one so that I can shift?(Spyders downshift on their own below a certain RPM as I understand it?)

I suppose that beyond shifting challenges,an even better general question might be, “Are Spyders a viable one-handed ride?”

Thanks,

nsswitzya(Dennis)

[Tuckmiddle]

That is a very good question. First thought I had is that it takes a fair amount of pressure to push/pull the handlebars on a Spyder. No Superman strength, but if you have a problem on the left side, I would suggest you go sit one a demo and see what you think and then contact the factory, gentleman named Carlo is mentioned often as the one to discuss problems with a bike, questions ref mods, etc. A dealer's technicians no doubt have a number for him. I've got a RTSM5 and have never driven or even sat on one with the semi-auto transmission. I don't think it requires a lot of pressure, has a thumb and first finger paddles. Good luck with the investigation. Spyders are great, but no automatic transmission yet. Tuck

[JJW]

Tuckmiddle, on 23 December 2011 - 09:15 PM, said:

That is a very good question. First thought I had is that it takes a fair amount of pressure to push/pull the handlebars on a Spyder. No Superman strength, but if you have a problem on the left side, I would suggest you go sit one a demo and see what you think and then contact the factory, gentleman named Carlo is mentioned often as the one to discuss problems with a bike, questions ref mods, etc. A dealer's technicians no doubt have a number for him. I've got a RTSM5 and have never driven or even sat on one with the semi-auto transmission. I don't think it requires a lot of pressure, has a thumb and first finger paddles. Good luck with the investigation. Spyders are great, but no automatic transmission yet. Tuck

You might want to look in the enabled riders forum on Spyderlovers.com. Last year I saw a young woman on a GS that only had one arm. She was riding just fine and was even in the drag races! In her case I think she was missing her right arm and used her foot for the throttle.

Jeff

[nsswitzya]

JJW, on 27 December 2011 - 10:49 PM, said:

You might want to look in the enabled riders forum on Spyderlovers.com. Last year I saw a young woman on a GS that only had one arm. She was riding just fine and was even in the drag races! In her case I think she was missing her right arm and used her foot for the throttle.

Jeff

Jeff, Thank you much for the pointer to an enabled riders forum on Spyderlovers.com! I only had the time to bounce over there and ping it real quick, but it looks promising and worth some time and investigation...

Nsswitzya