Asking Those Who Have Made A Trike Switch

[MikeT]

These question is for those RT-S/Limited riders who have switched from a GL1800 Trike. I currently have a '09 GL1800 comfort, navi, XM with an '09 Hannigan trike conversion.
1. My wife wants to know if there's as much room for luggage on the RT-S or L as the Hannigan + the GW top box? She is anti-trailer.
There's not much discussion about going from a "standard" trike configuration to a "reverse" trike configuration.
2. What is/are the learning curve(s) in making the switch? from 2-wheels in the rear to 2-wheels in the front?
On the various forums the reliability factor of the Spyder (especialy compared to the GW) is a mixed bag.
3. has the RT got more problems that the other Spyder models?
4. Is the Semi-Auto tranny problematic, making the 5-speed a better choice?
5. Is the overall maintenence on the RT more expensive than a GL1800 (requires more and costs more)?
If there's anything I forgot, feel free to add it.
Thanks for any feedback.
Mike

 

[Pennyrick]

These question is for those RT-S/Limited riders who have switched from a GL1800 Trike. I currently have a '09 GL1800 comfort, navi, XM with an '09 Hannigan trike conversion.
1. My wife wants to know if there's as much room for luggage on the RT-S or L as the Hannigan + the GW top box? She is anti-trailer.
There's not much discussion about going from a "standard" trike configuration to a "reverse" trike configuration.
2. What is/are the learning curve(s) in making the switch? from 2-wheels in the rear to 2-wheels in the front?
On the various forums the reliability factor of the Spyder (especialy compared to the GW) is a mixed bag.
3. has the RT got more problems that the other Spyder models?
4. Is the Semi-Auto tranny problematic, making the 5-speed a better choice?
5. Is the overall maintenence on the RT more expensive than a GL1800 (requires more and costs more)?
If there's anything I forgot, feel free to add it.
Thanks for any feedback.
Mike

Mike: Made the switch four years ago. Now on my second RT. First was an SM, now have an SE. Go with the semi auto a better deal all round.

More luggage room on the RT than on the GL1800. Back box is deep and the Frunk is awesome. Side bags are something you don't have on a GL Trike.

Not aware that the RT has more problems than any other machine.

Unless the GL trike has a lot of front end rake (8 degrees or more) it tends to 'plow' in turns with those back wheels pushing you into turns. On the Spyder the single rear wheel doesn't push quite the same and the power assisted steering make turns and twisty roads a lot more fun.

Maintenance could be a tad more pricey than the GL simply because there are fewer techs knowledgeable enough to work on them. This tends to put pricing higher. That's why a service agreement negotiated into the price is a smart idea.

Don't discount the trailer. My wife and I both use trailers and there is lots and lots of space. I think the machine actually tracks better through the turns with the trailer on back.

Be prepared to lose the low end grunt of the GL. The Spyder likes to rev and develops it's power at a lot higher RPM than the GL1800. It is very efficient though since it is half the size of the Gold Wing. You just need to shift more and that is why the semi auto is a better deal for the Spyder rider.

The real test is in the riding.... try to put a 100 miles or more on a Spyder and see the difference.

 

[MarkLawson]

Another major consideration may be fuel costs. The RT calls for premium fuel and will get a sizable reduction in MPG.

My brother has an '07 GL1800 with the California Side Car trike kit on it. He and I have ridden many thousands of miles together & he averages 8 MPG better than I on the exact same miles, even though his trike outweighs mine by about 250 pounds. At 70 MPH, the Goldwing is turning 3000 RPM while the Spyder is turning 5100.

You'll find the touring "legs" are significantly shorter on the Spyder.

 

[MikeT]

Mark,
It never crossed my mind that the RT required 93 octane fuel. I should have remembered my EFI H-D ridng days. Are you also telling me that the quoted 30 mpg for the RT is too inflated? I doubt your brother is getting 37 mpg on his CSC. Just out of curiosity were your trips made pulling trailers? By any chance, have you compared the cost to insure an RT compared to the CSC Wing trike. I'm starting to get the picture that the COO (cost of ownership) of a RT is higher than a GL1800 trike.
Mike

 

[lyonsden]

Mark,
It never crossed my mind that the RT required 93 octane fuel. I should have remembered my EFI H-D ridng days. Are you also telling me that the quoted 30 mpg for the RT is too inflated? I doubt your brother is getting 37 mpg on his CSC. Just out of curiosity were your trips made pulling trailers? By any chance, have you compared the cost to insure an RT compared to the CSC Wing trike. I'm starting to get the picture that the COO (cost of ownership) of a RT is higher than a GL1800 trike.
Mike

I haven't owned a GW trike but I can tell you my 2011 RT gets a very consistent 30 mpg. The first 1000 miles or so it didn't. Usually was around 26 mpg. The only variance I've seen is pulling the trailer at slow speeds a lot. It pulls the mileage down. On the highway I don't notice any difference. Hope that helps.

 

[Jeriatric]

Spyder fuel mileage stats

http://www.fuelly.com/motorcycle/can-am/spyder

 

[Pennyrick]

Mark,
It never crossed my mind that the RT required 93 octane fuel. I should have remembered my EFI H-D ridng days. Are you also telling me that the quoted 30 mpg for the RT is too inflated? I doubt your brother is getting 37 mpg on his CSC. Just out of curiosity were your trips made pulling trailers? By any chance, have you compared the cost to insure an RT compared to the CSC Wing trike. I'm starting to get the picture that the COO (cost of ownership) of a RT is higher than a GL1800 trike.
Mike

The owner's manual recommends 91 octane with 87 listed as the minimum to use. We use 89 octane in our Spyders as there is no 91 available here. Scotty once posted a thread about this and as I recall mentioned that the firmware in the machine will adapt to changes in octane. My wife averages 28 mpg w/trailer and 31 without. I average a bit better w/trailer at 29 mpg but see no change without, probably because I hot dog it more without the trailer. I think I averaged about 34 with the GL 1800 trike. If I drive 20,000 miles a year that means I may spend a few more dollars on gasoline but I would't consider that a factor in deciding to purchase.

The insurance on my GL1800 Trike was higher than it is on my Spyder. I'm certain that if you were to shop around companies, the rate for an 1800 cc machine must be higher than one at 998 cc. We use Foremost Insurance as they seemed to have more accurate information on Spyders than any of the other companies our agent contacted.

 

[Tango]

Mark,
It never crossed my mind that the RT required 93 octane fuel. I should have remembered my EFI H-D ridng days. Are you also telling me that the quoted 30 mpg for the RT is too inflated? I doubt your brother is getting 37 mpg on his CSC. Just out of curiosity were your trips made pulling trailers? By any chance, have you compared the cost to insure an RT compared to the CSC Wing trike. I'm starting to get the picture that the COO (cost of ownership) of a RT is higher than a GL1800 trike.
Mike

At 65mph, my CSC Gold Wing Trike gets 34 mpg. Meandering along on back roads, 40-50 mph it jumps to 36-37 mpg.. Not bad considering the weight. And it runs on 87 octane. :clap: Tom :trike:

 

[MikeT]

At 65mph, my CSC Gold Wing Trike gets 34 mpg. Meandering along on back roads, 40-50 mph it jumps to 36-37 mpg.. Not bad considering the weight. And it runs on 87 octane. :clap: Tom :trike:

I know. My Hannigan is close to those mpg figures. As long as I keep it under 3,000 RPM the gas milelage is good. Plus I have the aux. gas tank, which is a great comfort.I/we are too old to be ironbutters.

 

[gypsy_100]

Mark,
Are you also telling me that the quoted 30 mpg for the RT is too inflated?

On an 8K trip to Alaska, fully loaded but no trailer, I got 31.6 mpg. Highest daily average was 34.7 and lowest was 28.8. I mention the daily averages which are based on the total number of fill-ups each day (typically 2 to 4) rather than single fill-up numbers as there is too much error in quoting just one tank's worth.

 

[gypsy_100]

First was an SM, now have an SE. Go with the semi auto a better deal all round.

Go with what you like. For some, including me, shifting is an inherent part of the joy of riding any motorcycle and I wouldn't consider anything else. If you don't like shifting, try out the SE. Different strokes...

 

[MarkLawson]

Mark,
It never crossed my mind that the RT required 93 octane fuel. I should have remembered my EFI H-D ridng days. Are you also telling me that the quoted 30 mpg for the RT is too inflated? I doubt your brother is getting 37 mpg on his CSC. Just out of curiosity were your trips made pulling trailers? By any chance, have you compared the cost to insure an RT compared to the CSC Wing trike. I'm starting to get the picture that the COO (cost of ownership) of a RT is higher than a GL1800 trike.
Mike

We both pulled trailers, though mine was probably 100 pounds heavier (I pull the RT-622 & he pulled the Bushtec Roadster). Speeds varied from 45 - 85 MPH, depending upon the road & speed limits & winds. I got as high as 36+ MPG & as low as 18.4 MPH (85+ MPH pushing a 30 MPH headwind)

I consistently get in the 22-24 MPG on the interstate while pulling @ 76-77 MPH.

I wouldn't know the insurance comparisons.

Another point to consider is that the Spyder is purpose built for what it is and what it does. On the other hand, no Goldwing was designed by Honda to be triked. After market kit builders have adapted the Goldwing to do something different than it's original purpose. Most of the kit builders know their stuff, and I'm not suggesting they are unsafe, just that the fully integrated "Nanny" design features of the Spyder which make it work so well, are not on the Goldwing. (And before people go off on their wild gripes about the Nanny, remember that BRP was on the cusp of mothballing the whole project when they reached out to Bosch Electronics who designed the Nanny and made the Spyder viable)

 

[MouthPiece]

At least someone has had something good to say about Bosch. As I recall about a week or two ago, that was a downside for someone who was getting rid of their spyder and going over to the dark side. <smiles>

Chris

 

[MikeT]

For the uninitiated, what is a Nanny???????????????????
Mike

 

[Jeriatric]

Nanny

The Can-Am roadster comes equipped with a unique vehicle stability system developed in partnership with Bosch, which works in unison with a stability and tracking control system, anti-lock brakes and dynamic power steering.

 

[NancysToy]

The Can-Am roadster comes equipped with a unique vehicle stability system developed in partnership with Bosch, which works in unison with a stability and traction control system, anti-lock brakes and dynamic power steering.

Small correction.

 

[diesel-dawg]

what is a Nanny....

For the uninitiated, what is a Nanny???????????????????
Mike

Mike, here is a response to your question:

The “Nanny” and “Codes” -- what are these?

o The Spyder’s operations are controlled by a computer system, affectionately referred to as the “Nanny”. The Nanny monitors your Spyder when running for safety purposes and is extremely sensitive to anything operating out of its designed limits. When it senses something wrong it may affect the operation of your Spyder. When a problem is detected by the Nanny, you will see your check-engine light (an orange dash-screen).
o When this happens, the Nanny will override your ability to operate the Spyder “normally”; or put your Spyder into the “Limp Mode”; which may not allow it to operate at all.
§ WARNING:
§ ​The Limp-Mode can kick-in while riding your Spyder and immediately slows it down. Be sure to exit the road immediately to a safe location if this happens.
§ At this point you can find out if there is a “code” generated; which is a code-number identifying the problem.
§ The problem(s) associated with the various codes requires a Maintenance & Repair Manual; which is not provided upon purchase of a Spyder -- however, the code-number will remain stored in the Spyder's system for your dealer-technician, so you don't have to worry if you do not have the manual. Just get your Spyder to a dealer and they will find the code generated.
§ Footnote: The "system" keeps a record in memory of the functions of your Spyder to include your speeds, RPM's and etc. So, if you are abusing your Spyder... the computer's records will let your technician know.

 

[Trickie Dick]

Mike, I can't help you with the comparison but you are welcome to get up close and personal with my RTS with an semi automatic transmission. I am in the 96th and Ditch area. Send me a PM(private message) and we can get together.

 

[Mr. White]

I bought a 2002 Wing in Nov. '01....love it. Triked it in '05 due to bad knee getting worse. Installed a Motor Trike kit with a 4.5 degree triple tree which makes it easier to steer at lower speeds. I got 38 before triking and 32 now @ 3500 rpm. I now have 65,000 miles on my trike and have not had it in the dealers for any repair....it has not needed any! I change Mobil 1 15w 50 and Honda filter every 12,000 miles. I love this machine and ride it weekly.

I bought a 2011 RT-S SE5 in March of 2011. It has 11,000 miles on it. The dealer has changed out the steering sensor, an ECM and Trottle Body. It runs well when running. I love this maching and ride it weekly.

I can not make up my mind which I like best so I kept the '02 and enjoy both. I run 87 w/10% ethonal and both do fine. There is no "real gas" in my area. I change oil and filters in Big Red 1 every 5-6,000 miles and check the oil often...it uses some oil, my Wing does not.

I believe the handling is better on BR1 and I know the brakes are....I have had to panic stop both. At 70-75 on the Interstates....take your pick....

:spyder2:

 

[Jeriatric]

Small correction.

No problem....... it was a cut and paste from BRP's web site.