• There were many reasons for the change of the site software, the biggest was security. The age of the old software also meant no server updates for certain programs. There are many benefits to the new software, one of the biggest is the mobile functionality. Ill fix up some stuff in the coming days, we'll also try to get some of the old addons back or the data imported back into the site like the garage. To create a thread or to reply with a post is basically the same as it was in the prior software. The default style of the site is light colored, but i temporarily added a darker colored style, to change you can find a link at the bottom of the site.

'The Lamonster Chronicles'

Deanna777 said:
BajaRon,

I think I might have seen Doc (at a distance at SpyderFest in 2013). I think he had a concept Spyder at that time.

Deanna
Click to expand...
Yes, Doc got involved with BMW who was, at the time, experimenting with the reverse trike market. I believe that Doc was riding one of their GG Taurus prototypes. But they were going to be very expensive. I think in the $80k range if I remember correctly.

BMW GG Taurus.jpg

Doc also shepherded Forrest around in those days. It was a very interesting relationship to watch.
 
BajaRon said:
Those BBQ days were special. Does anyone remember Doc and Forrest? The dynamic duel. Those were very special days. Good times!
Click to expand...
Are you referring to Doc Humphries? If that is the one, I have one of his racks that he used to sell. If we are talking about the same guy, his wife passed in a spyder accident with a deer. I asked Lamont about him about 3 years ago when he came to the rally in Maggie Valley.
 
blacklightning said:
Are you referring to Doc Humphries? If that is the one, I have one of his racks that he used to sell. If we are talking about the same guy, his wife passed in a spyder accident with a deer. I asked Lamont about him about 3 years ago when he came to the rally in Maggie Valley.
Click to expand...
No, this is a different 'Doc'. Doc Humphries came along later. I'm sorry, I cannot remember Doc's last name. He was a specialized surgeon in Florida, if I remember correctly. I haven't heard from him in years. But he and Forrest used to be big celebrities in the Spyder community in those early years.

There are several great stories about Doc and Forrest. But I'll give you this one. It happened during an early SpyderFest in Springfield Missouri sponsored by Len at Pitbull Powersports. The year before we had it in Cuba Missouri at Len's dad's Can-Am dealership. There was a dead end frontage road that ran along side the freeway in front of the dealership. A group of riders set up an impromptu drag strip and started running pairs in competition.

It went on for some time but when the police showed up they had to stop. The next year, Len rented an actual drag strip for the event and we were running laps as fast as the operators could cycle us through. About mid evening, a guy shows up in a Camaro expecting a normal night and wanted to run. When they told him that the track was reserved for Spyders only, he was really bummed. But Len said he could run and they placed him in the queue.

At the time, Doc had put a lot of time and money into building his RS twin 998 Spyder. He'd pumped it up to over 1,100 cc's and added a turbo charger. I don't remember what HP it was making, but it was substantially more than the stock Spyder. The guy in the Camaro was watching the times that the stock Spyders were running and probably figured he'd do very well on his run. But Len pared him up with Doc.

Talk about a sleeper! It did sound quite a bit different. Especially at full throttle. And if you knew enough about a Spyder, you could see that it was modified as the turbo stuck out on one side. But to the casual observer, it was not all that noticeable.

Doc is a small guy. I'd say 5'6" and maybe 140 lbs. And he's CRAZY!

So, they stage at the Christmas tree light array and you can imagine how everyone wanted to see this run. It was hard to tell how much Doc beat him by, but it was pretty bad. The guy in the Camaro didn't even stop to pick up his run stat printout. He just kept driving right out of the track. No wave, no smile, just gone. We actually felt badly for him. If he'd have stayed, we'd have told him how he'd been snookered. It might have eased the pain a little.
 
BajaRon said:
Yes, Doc got involved with BMW who was, at the time, experimenting with the reverse trike market. I believe that Doc was riding one of their GG Taurus prototypes. But they were going to be very expensive. I think in the 80k range if I remember correctly.

View attachment 252741

Doc also shepherded Forrest around in those days. It was a very interesting relationship to watch.
Click to expand...
BajaRon, I think at the time Doc had a silver GG Taurus prototype. I also heard that the price was going to be between $80K to $90K.

Deanna
 
BajaRon said:
No, this is a different 'Doc'. Doc Humphries came along later. I'm sorry, I cannot remember Doc's last name. He was a specialized surgeon in Florida, if I remember correctly. I haven't heard from him in years. But he and Forrest used to be big celebrities in the Spyder community in those early years.

There are several great stories about Doc and Forrest. But I'll give you this one. It happened during an early SpyderFest in Springfield Missouri sponsored by Len at Pitbull Powersports. The year before we had it in Cuba Missouri at Len's dad's Can-Am dealership. There was a dead end frontage road that ran along side the freeway in front of the dealership. A group of riders set up an impromptu drag strip and started running pairs in competition.

It went on for some time but when the police showed up they had to stop. The next year, Len rented an actual drag strip for the event and we were running laps as fast as the operators could cycle us through. About mid evening, a guy shows up in a Camaro expecting a normal night and wanted to run. When they told him that the track was reserved for Spyders only, he was really bummed. But Len said he could run and they placed him in the queue.

At the time, Doc had put a lot of time and money into building his RS twin 998 Spyder. He'd pumped it up to over 1,100 cc's and added a turbo charger. I don't remember what HP it was making, but it was substantially more than the stock Spyder. The guy in the Camaro was watching the times that the stock Spyders were running and probably figured he'd do very well on his run. But Len pared him up with Doc.

Talk about a sleeper! It did sound quite a bit different. Especially at full throttle. And if you knew enough about a Spyder, you could see that it was modified as the turbo stuck out on one side. But to the casual observer, it was not all that noticeable.

Doc is a small guy. I'd say 5'6" and maybe 140 lbs. And he's CRAZY!

So, they stage at the Christmas tree light array and you can imagine how everyone wanted to see this run. It was hard to tell how much Doc beat him by, but it was pretty bad. The guy in the Camaro didn't even stop to pick up his run stat printout. He just kept driving right out of the track. No wave, no smile, just gone. We actually felt badly for him. If he'd have stayed, we'd have told him how he'd been snookered. It might have eased the pain a little.
Click to expand...
Hi again, BajaRon.

I remember the above happening. Mike (Blueknight911, since Deceased) also drove his Spyder (an Orange/Black 2009 Can Am Spyder RSS at the time) on the drag strip. I don't remember how he did, but he went well. I also know that Yazz (she is still on the site once in a while) also ran her Spyder on the drag strip then.

Deanna
 
BajaRon said:
No, this is a different 'Doc'. Doc Humphries came along later. I'm sorry, I cannot remember Doc's last name. He was a specialized surgeon in Florida, if I remember correctly. I haven't heard from him in years. But he and Forrest used to be big celebrities in the Spyder community in those early years.

There are several great stories about Doc and Forrest. But I'll give you this one. It happened during an early SpyderFest in Springfield Missouri sponsored by Len at Pitbull Powersports. The year before we had it in Cuba Missouri at Len's dad's Can-Am dealership. There was a dead end frontage road that ran along side the freeway in front of the dealership. A group of riders set up an impromptu drag strip and started running pairs in competition.

It went on for some time but when the police showed up they had to stop. The next year, Len rented an actual drag strip for the event and we were running laps as fast as the operators could cycle us through. About mid evening, a guy shows up in a Camaro expecting a normal night and wanted to run. When they told him that the track was reserved for Spyders only, he was really bummed. But Len said he could run and they placed him in the que.

At the time, Doc had put a lot of time and money into building his RS twin 998 Spyder. He'd pumped it up to over 1,100 cc's and added a turbo charger. I don't remember what HP it was making, but it was substantially more than the stock Spyder. The guy in the Camaro was watching the times that the stock Spyders were running and probably figured he'd do very well on his run. But Len pared him up with Doc.

Talk about a sleeper! It did sound quite a bit different. Especially at full throttle. And if you knew enough about a Spyder, you could see that it was modified as the turbo stuck out on one side. But to the casual observer, it was not all that noticable.

Doc is a small guy. I'd say 5'6" and maybe 140 lbs. And he's CRAZY!

So, they stage at the Christmas tree light array and you can imagine how everyone wanted to see this run. It was hard to tell how much Doc beat him by, but it was pretty bad. The guy in the Camaro didn't even stop to pick up his run stat printout. He just kept driving right out of the track. No wave, no smile, just gone. We actually felt badly for him. If he'd have stayed, we'd have told him how he'd been snookered. It might have eased the pain a little.
Click to expand...
BajaRon,

I recall that a person that had a 2 Wheel motorcycle run up against a person that had a Spyder. The person that had the Spyder beat the person that had the 2 wheel motorcycle.

Deanna
 
I have always wanted to run my Spyders on the drag strip, but never got a chance to. I had a 2012 RSS for a period of time, and even though it wasn't, it just felt faster than those that I have owned with the 1330. The way I really figured that out was when I went to VIR and ran my 2016 F3T and a buddy was on his 2015 RSS. We were really close in the tight corners, but in the longer straights, I was able to pull away from him pretty easily. I still miss my RSS, but the thing that I miss the most is the excessive heat when compared to the other Spyders that I have ridden. Here is a photo of my 2012 in action on the VIR track just outside of Milton, Va.

IMG_20161202_203627647.jpg
 
Deanna777 said:
Hi again, BajaRon.

I remember the above happening. Mike (Blueknight911, since Deceased) also drove his Spyder (an Orange/Black 2009 Can Am Spyder RSS at the time) on the drag strip. I don't remember how he did, but he went well. I also know that Yazz (she is still on the site once in a while) also ran her Spyder on the drag strip then.

Deanna
Click to expand...
I really liked Yazz. She was a lot of fun. She was riding an SM, but that night at the drag strip she was not doing well against other riders. She was usually a very happy person, but I could see she was getting frustrated with her performance. I wanted to help so I said, 'You're using the clutch between shifts. That's losing you a lot of speed and increasing your times.'

'Don't use the clutch?' She exclaimed, shocked. 'What am I supposed to do?' She replied.

'Dump the clutch at the start like you are doing, then just blip the throttle while at the same time, hit the shift lever. Don't use the clutch at all. It will make you a lot faster.'

'But what if I mess up? Won't it blow my clutch or break my transmission?'

'You have to do it like you mean it.' I replied. 'If you hesitate or do it half heartedly, things can go bad. But if you do it right, and it's not that hard, you'll go a lot faster. And I think you can do it or I wouldn't say anything.'

She looked a bit skeptical, then said, 'I noticed that you won both of your runs tonight. I'm going to try it.'

She did it on her next run and she won it. You've never seen a happier girl in your life! She credited me, but really, it was all her.
 
Last edited:
blacklightning said:
I have always wanted to run my Spyders on the drag strip, but never got a chance to. I had a 2012 RSS for a period of time, and even though it wasn't, it just felt faster than those that I have owned with the 1330. The way I really figured that out was when I went to VIR and ran my 2016 F3T and a buddy was on his 2015 RSS. We were really close in the tight corners, but in the longer straights, I was able to pull away from him pretty easily. I still miss my RSS, but the thing that I miss the most is the excessive heat when compared to the other Spyders that I have ridden. Here is a photo of my 2012 in action on the VIR track just outside of Milton, Va.
Click to expand...

The Spyder is no pavement burner, but it's no slouch either. That night at the drag strip, Spyder against Spyder, was more fun than you can imagine.
 
BajaRon said:
I really liked Yazz. She was a lot of fun. She was riding an SM, but that night at the drag strip she was not doing well against other riders. She was usually a very happy person, but I could see she was getting frustrated with her performance. I wanted to help so I said, 'You're using the clutch between shifts. That's losing you a lot of speed and increasing your times.'

'Don't use the clutch?' She exclaimed, shocked. 'What am I supposed to do?' She replied.

'Dump the clutch at the start like you are doing, then just blip the throttle wile at the same time, hit the shift lever. Don't use the clutch at all. It will make you a lot faster.'

'But what if I mess up? Won't it blow my clutch or break my transmission?'

'You have to do it like you mean it.' I replied. 'If you hesitate or do it half heartedly, things can go bad. But if you do it right, and it's not that hard, you'll go a lot faster. And I think you can do it or I wouldn't say anything.'

She looked a bit skeptical, then said, 'I noticed that you won both of your runs tonight. I'm going to try it.'

She did it on her next run and she won it. You've never seen a happier girl in your life! She credited me, but really, it was all her.
Click to expand...
HI BajaRon,

I also liked her. Yes, she was. Yes, she did have a SM Spyder.

Those were the Good Ole Days back then.

Deanna
 
#8 - Wires to the Badlands! (Part-2)
You can find Part-1 at post #37.

Lamont did go to the 3-Wheeled Sturgis event in Deadwood. The Spyder had gotten a great deal of bad press in those early days. As many of you coming off 2-wheels will attest, there can be a pretty steep learning curve going from one to the other. People just didn't understand the beast back then, and there were few who could explain it. That lack of understanding translated into some very bad feedback. It wasn't all negative. But adding in the obvious handling issues of those early GS and RS Spyders with the ever-present Trike Haters from social media to magazine articles, it had gotten pretty ugly.

As always, Lamont was a big deal there, and he drew a crowd everywhere he went. In those days people would drive up beside you on the highway wanting to have a conversation and take pictures as you rode along. People would follow you into gas stations to ask about the Spyder.

It was no different at Deadwood. Everyone wanted to know about this new-fangled reverse trike from BRP. Lamont having ridden 1,400 miles to get there made it even more interesting. And, of course, there were other Spyder Ryders there, very interested in speaking with the man who had his finger on the pulse of everything Spyder. In those early days, there wasn't much in the way of aftermarket upgrades. And those first production models were screaming for help in several areas.

I am not sure of everything Lamont told those people, but I do know 2 things. He told them how great the Spyder was, and he told them that they had to get a set of BajaRon spark plugs and wires. He told them (and me when he got back), that his Spyder had never run so well as it did on the trip out to Deadwood.

So, my phone began to ring. I forgot to mention that he also gave out my contact information at Deadwood. It would go something like this. 'I heard about the special custom race ignition wire and spark plug set you are building for the Spyder. I'd like to order one.'

It was news to me that I was building these kits, but Lamont said so, and that was it.

Not fully understanding what was happening (ignorance is definitely bliss... but it doesn't last!), I said, 'Yes' to the first few who called. I had some wire materials left over because when I ran into trouble making the 1st set, I over ordered additional components to avoid any further delays, not knowing how much more I would destroy before completing my project, and I was able to get the spark plugs locally. So, sure, why not? I'll build you a set.

But it didn't stop there. In fact, the more sets I made, the worse it got. To the point where I attempted to say, 'No' when I ran out of wire parts.

'But you made a set for my buddy!', they'd say. 'Can't you make just one more?' And that is when I threw in the towel and started ordering material in bulk. That, my friends, is when BajaRon Custom Products for Can-Am Spyders was born.

I blame Lamont, because it's obviously all his fault! I never intended to be where I am now. It's just one more life changing difference that I can chalk up to the one who served as Best Man for me when I married my lovely wife, Laurene, in May of 1988.

The moral of this story is, that you need to choose your friends carefully. They will, without a doubt, affect big changes in your life, good or bad; they are many times changes that you didn’t see coming, and they are often completely unprepared for!

The consequences described in the story above, as great and long lasting as they may be, are far from the biggest or most consequential changes that this man has wrought in my life.
 
Last edited:
In the immortal word of Paul Harvey, Now I know "The rest of the story" of your business name Ron (post 20 and 30 hinted). And am blessed by your recounting the Lamonster Chronicles
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

BajaRon
A Day With Lamont
Replies
1
Views
699
TicketBait
TicketBait
Y
A big shout out to Bajaron and his team! - sorry, long story.
Replies
8
Views
826
happyspyder2039
H
Albec
Northern Lights in Northern Illinois.
Replies
11
Views
627
Albec
Albec
BajaRon
Reminiscing About Days Gone By...
2
Replies
36
Views
10K
Spyderc9
Spyderc9
Little Blue
  • Locked
Your Weather News @ October 2025 Edition
2 3 4
Replies
60
Views
5K
Little Blue
Little Blue
Back
Top