Looks like it's time to give up the ride - thoughts fm others who've faced this?

[oldgoat]

As a result of my reply #10, I went out and viewed a 2011 Miata with an electrically folding steel roof. I liked it very much. I t was lower than I had hoped though.
Went to the salesman's officeto look at its details and Carfax. All ok.
I turnned around and outside the office was a 2010 Lexux IS250C, 2 wheel rear drive, not the AWD one. A lovely (to me) sparckley red with cream leather upholstery and an electrically folding steel roof. I kinda fell for it.
Did not buy it but am giving it a lot of thought. More an old guy's convertible with impeccable credentials (like me haha.) Miatas are out.

 

[Fat Baxter]

I've come to the same conclusion -- time to give it up -- but for a different reason: abysmal dealer support. A bit over a year ago I took my 2014 RT-S in for some work, and the dealer really effed things up (and, of course, I had to pay $$ for his mistake). In the end, he only kinda/sorta fixed the original issue and introduced another. On top of all that, he also clearly demonstrated that they can't even replace the rear tire correctly (for that, he did eat the cost of the fix).

For the last few years, I've been having shoulder and wrist issues on long rides. I was considering a tri-axis handlebar, but research on-line indicates a lot of front end tupperware has to come off. Given my recent dealer experience, I've decided I can't trust him to go under the tupperware and not screw something up.

So, sadly, I came to the conclusion that, if I can no longer trust the dealer to maintain my machine, there's no point in keeping it. I'm soured on the marque. So it's been up for sale since June (and this morning I just fended off an obscenely low-ball offer from a new poster, obviously fishing for a bargain.)

I too considered a Miata. Back in 2014, I was riding a BMW R1100RT and was having leg issues at stops. I considered a Ural sidecar rig, but my wife nixed that idea. I broached the notion of giving up motorcycling completely and getting a Miata, but her only concern was "where are you going to park it?" I thought she'd jump at the chance to get me off bikes completely! And actually, she was the one who pointed me towards a Spyder.

I only take the Spyder out about once a quarter to make sure it still runs. Otherwise, it's been sitting in the garage for over a year, on a battery tender and with fuel preservative.

If I get another bike, I'd seriously consider a Janus 250 - https://janusmotorcycles.com/ Hand-built, painted to order, weighs a bit over 260 pounds, and styled like something out of the 1920s. I don't see any transcontinental rides in my future, so puttering around on a Janus sounds do-able. But they're pricey because of the hand-building and hand-painting.

 

[WRCLVR]

My 2 cents on the subject here... I'm 71 with lots of aches and pains, back with rods, and both knees hate me every day. We still have our 2 S2S's on which we do short rides on occasion. We decided to buy an 24 ft enclosed trailer to haul them with our 2017 Ram 3500 CTD dually. One issue we found was parking that combo... We can't just pull up to motels easily. lol 2nd part to the story is that we had a 2019 Polaris Slingshot 3 wheeler, great ride, BUT, like Spyders, no protection from rain and heat, no ac, no heat. After owning it for 2 years, we sold it and we bought a 2002 Miata SE that had working air and heat and windshield wipers, yada, yada. Yes, it is a bit tight fit with top up, but we both agreed it is light years ahead of the Slingshot and I use it to run around town and do grocery errands. Top down it is easy to get into...

So, we are not giving up the Spyders; we have found a solution for road trips with Spyders, and we get to have a weather proof little car that excels on sunny days.

My 2 cents for you guys to consider.

 

[bikerbillone]

I'm getting on in the age scene and have often thought about the Miata convertible, vs our 2020 RTL, but there's just not enough room for a road trip. I cannot think of as solution for that minor problem.

 

[Lew L]

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I'll be 78 this fall and I'm not giving up anything. Still ride the poor, old, slow V-Max ; Skied 47 days ( well mornings) this year; will ryde the Spyder till the wheels fall off. My wife knows how to pack so we can take all we need in the RT.
Oh, I still have my aches and pains, and two wheels will have to go soon enough. wishing all of you the best.
Lew L

 

[2dogs]

NO! Life is not over yet. Keep your Spyder. You and your wife still have a lot of good miles left in both of you.

 

[vito1943]

Time does go on, but at almost 82 now I do not see giving up my Spyder for at least some years to come. I had replied earlier to this thread and talked about getting a little Royal Enfield just to stay in the two wheel community. Well, this week I brought that Royal Enfield to the dealer and left it there for sale on consignment. I found that the seating position on that little bike was getting too hard for my prosthetic knees and my arthritic wrists, plus the reality that I enjoy riding my RT more than I did that traditional motorcycle.

Lots of comments on this thread about Miatas. I have nothing against them, but for those of you thinking about giving up on the Spyder and going to four wheels, you might want to consider what I bought, a Mini Cooper convertible. Not quite as low to the ground as the Miata so much easier to get into. Getting out is still a bit of effort but worth doing. The handling of the Mini is very sports car like, and you can park it most anywhere because of its size. There is a trunk, although not very large. My wife and I made a week long, 3,000 mile trip recently by putting our small suitcases on the back seat and some odds and ends in the actual trunk, and it worked out just fine. I think I will be holding on to this Mini forever, or at least what forever means for me.