We’re all motorcyclists, right?
I’ve been riding the Cycle World long-term-test 2010 Can-Am Spyder RT-S for almost 18 months, and a couple of things about it have become clear. First, it’s still thought to be very cool by many people. And second, a lot of motorcyclists apparently think it’s some kind of affront to motorcycling—a slap in the face of “real” motorcyclists. One of those guys had his young daughter yell out the window of his Honda on a local Northern California road, “My daddy wants to know if those are your training wheels!” Ha-ha, yuk-yuk.
Easy to see how this slam comes about. The Spyder three-wheeler is being pitched not so subtly at all those folks who always wanted to be motorcyclists but couldn’t for one reason or another—and the most commonly assumed reason on the part of many motorcyclists seems to be that the Spyder Ryders are afraid to lean to turn. Wussies, in short. Not fit for calling themselves motorcyclists, unlike the real Manly Men who ride…well, whatever. Or the real Womanly Women who likewise ride two-wheeled devices.
As one of my favorite political-economic columnists might put it, let’s take this apart and see if it holds up. Apart from that issue of having three wheels instead of two, what makes the Spyder not a real motorcycle?
Not leaning to turn. Okay. So here’s a thought-experiment: What if the Spyder did lean to turn? Would it then still not be a real motorcycle? If not, why not?
Opinions will, of course, vary, but my view is that behind all this smoke is the issue of Fear, as in capital-F Fear. The guys making the claim to being Real Motorcyclists (in caps, of course) are claiming the wussies riding three-wheelers of any kind are scared witless by Real Motorcycles because of the possibility of falling down in a turn.
For the sake of argument, let’s allow this to stand; people who fear falling down on bikes might indeed be selecting Spyders because they will have a very tough time falling over. But does that mean that when they launch into the nasty old world of the public highway, they’re somehow exempt from the other threats to life and limb that are part of the powered-two-wheeler package?
Not hardly. You’ll note that there are no airbags or crash cages on a Spyder, trike or sidecar outfit. Ride anything with two or three wheels into the world populated mainly by armored and air-bagged cages and you ride naked, more or less. T-boned at an intersection by a texting kid in a Mustang and it doesn’t matter if you’re on a Harley or a Spyder. Be caught by a left-turning SUV and your chances aren’t much better for emerging without real damage on a three- or two-wheeler. And so on.
Likewise, weather. Hot, cold, rainy, snowy, humid, skin-cracking dry, the Can-Am rider is just as exposed as his/her counterpart on a Suzuki.
In short, the Can-Am Spyder rider is betting just as much on his/her ability to survive the carnage on the highway as the stupid kid stunting on his buddy’s Gixxer, though it is true that the stability of the three-wheeled platform helps in some ways, just as it hinders in others (such as darting through sheet metal as one does in splitting lanes—the Spyder can’t do that).
I often hear guys snort that they’d rather pay what that Spyder costs (and it’s a lot) for a ragtop car. Sure, buy that used Corvette or new Miata and what do you get? Comfort in any weather, assuming you keep the top up to snuff and have an A/C to cool down the hot days with it up. And much better crash protection. The claim is that you also get “out there” in a car even more than on a Spyder or motorcyclist because you don’t need a helmet and can wear lighter clothing, not worrying about abrasion resistance and crash padding. All The Gear All the Time in a ragtop means a T-shirt (optional for males), shorts and sandals, at least if you don’t worry about skin cancer. But are you, in fact, “out there” as much as a Can-Am rider?
Nope. Your lower body is protected by gummint-mandated crash-resistant hardware and software, for starters. And even when you drive in cold weather with the top down, your core and lower body can be toasty warm, thanks to your HVAC system. Moreover, the container of your car’s bodywork still insulates you from the Out There as it does when the top is up. No dog chasing you will nip your ankle in a Miata. And so it goes, one difference after another; if you really think the experience of driving a ragtop is the same as that of riding a three-wheeler, you’re kidding yourself.
So, with all that is the same for the Spyder rider and the Sportster rider, why the continual jabbering about wannabes and wusses? My guess is that it’s just that old cognitive dissonance reduction in action, coupled with the need to protect tribal boundaries against the newcomers.
For as long as I’ve been writing about motorcycles for publication (42 years), the claim has been that we riders are not understood because not enough other people ride out there with us. Well, now there are indeed other people joining us out there, some on three wheels, and it seems long past the time when we just extend a hand and say “Welcome to the ride!” rather than tossing stupid jibes at them.
No related posts.
Amen. As someone who’s physical limitations may soon require me to choose between giving up my two wheels or going to three, it is my intention to ride until I die. Whether it is on two or three wheels makes no difference to me and shouldn’t make a difference to anyone else.
Comment by ED — January 29, 2012 @ 4:51 pm
I’ll try again………Unicycle, Bicycle, Tricycle. A unicycle is for clowns, a tricycle is a three wheeled car, a motorcycle is a bicycle with a motor. Only on two wheels can man and machine combine to truly fight the force of nature called gravity.
Comment by spirukas goblinono — January 30, 2012 @ 12:38 pm
Since when is a unicycle not subject to the forces of gravity? Seems to me that a unicycle and its rider more truly “fight the force of nature called gravity” than a two-wheeler even if the rider looks a little funny. . . . Personally, I started out on a three-wheeler (called a tricycle), went to two-wheels (bicycles and motorcycles), and may end with a three-wheeler be it a trike conversion or a Spyder. I’ve thought about going from two wheels to a convertible but if a Spyder or trike conversion can help me recapture some of that fun from my youth I’d be all for it. I wore the tread off the front tire of my tricycle before I outgrew it and you could drift it, too. I’ve read so much about the Can-Am Spyder and talked to several different people who ride them that I’ve had to check them out a bit for myself. I can understand why so many of my older friends who can no longer hold up the weight of their big touring bikes are going to Gold Wing trike conversions and Spyders. More power to them. Someday I may be joining their ranks instead of riding along with them on my two-wheeler.
Comment by DL Nielsen — January 30, 2012 @ 11:25 pm
I have no issue with trikes……but they are not motorcycles. They are clearly more akin to motorcycles than cars, e.g., wind in your face, getting rained on, fearing left-turning SUVs, etc. I rode a rig with a side-car for years (what was I thinking!), but sidecars, like trikes cannot accurately be equated with ” Motorcycles”.
Comment by rj buchholz — February 1, 2012 @ 11:23 pm
I’ve been riding for longer than some of those who sneer at my Spyder have been on this earth. I enjoy being in the wind no matter what the brand but when the right hip gave out I could no longer hold the Valkyrie at a light, so I had to find another way. I triked the Valk but the Spyder is a better machine for my needs. If the Spyder had been around when I bought my early Harleys, Hondas and Suzukis, I think I may have seriously considered three wheels back then. I’m old enough now that I am not bothered by insults from bikers who think theirs is the only way. They just don’t know any better.
Comment by Rickr — February 2, 2012 @ 1:07 am
I bought the Spyder RTS when it first came out. I have the special edition 00008 2010. My wife and I have driven from San Antonio, Tx to the Grand Canyon with my two brother in laws whom own harleys. It was interesting when their reverse was not working (Wife gets off and helps pull the bike backwards to park). I just push my button and we backup in place. Or if the wind is blowing I am stable. Safer than falling over and getting hurt. I want to ride and enjoy life. Btw I have a trick knee and unable to hold up a two wheel.
Comment by JRey — February 3, 2012 @ 8:10 pm
I have both. I have a Yamaha Venture full dresser and a Spyder RT-S. The spyder is actually more like riding a snowmobile or an ATV than riding a bike (of any kind). For me the Spyder gives me much more confidence when bringing my wife along. Holding that 900 pound plus motorcycle with my wife on the back at a light with some gravel on the ground scares the blank out of me. there are advantages to both styles and just as I wave to all types of motorcyclists, we should all welcome each other as there is strength in numbers and those numbers might just count someday when we are fighting for our biking rights!
Comment by dan — February 3, 2012 @ 8:31 pm
3-wheeled vehicles can be neat…for example, the old 3-wheeled Morgans. But I don’t “get” the appeal of the Can Am Spyder, nor that of trikes and sidecar setups (altho they can be neat in and of themselves). You get all the discomforts and danger of a motorcycle, except that it won’t fall over if you forget to put your foot down at a stop, with none of the comforts or safety of a car. Seems to me the biggest disadvantage of the Spyder, trike or sidecar is that it’s steered by a handlebar, which requires a big, somewhat unnatural movement of your upper body to steer it around the corner, whereas a 2-wheeled motorcycle steers with not much more then “thought”. A 3-wheeler with a steering wheel and driving position more like a car would be much more appealing…at least as I see it. Morgans had steering wheels.
Comment by SE Parsons — February 5, 2012 @ 4:57 pm
An interesting and, quite obviously, opinion-ridden maching (no pun intended). Seems it isn’t really important what it’s called, given that most states have already decided what it will be licensed as – a motorcycle or an unreal something else. It’s also possible to argue that if handling, braking, advanced safety features, comfort and carrying capability make a “real” motorcycle, then there are a number of “real” motorcycles on the market that aren’t “real” after all. It’s rather amusing that those who claim not to “get It’ aren’t the least bit shy about criticizing it. How can one criticize something one doesn’t “get” – that is to say understand? On second thought, never mind. We’ve collectively been doing that since we learned to walk upright. It’s sad that we seem to be unable to enjoy what we choose to ride and without ridiculing what others choose to ride – for whatever reason. BTW, Steve, it that you and your bride aboard the RT-S in the photograph?
Comment by RC Cowan — February 8, 2012 @ 10:39 pm
I guess the point of this blog entry is, don’t be mean to people who ride three-wheeled vehicles. And also, try not to make fun of them.
Comment by Peter — February 9, 2012 @ 2:55 pm
OK, I am not quite one of the people this article is aimed at (I hope) but to be honest my first reaction to the Spyder was “What foul sorcery is this?”.
To me, personally, the problem with the Spyder IS the lack of leaning. Anything with 3 wheels is not a motorBike and loses one of the major aspects of riding to me PERSONALLY and I would NOT willingly give up my 2 wheels for 3.
On the other hand, I have no problem with the Spyder being accepted as a motorCycle and as you point out it is really just the leaning (important as that is to me) that is different. I have no trouble riding out there with the 3 wheelers – we have our differences but we still have a common bond. If we are not brothers/sisters then we are surely still cousins.
If it works for you I would rather see you out there on 3 wheels than being stuck at home or in a cage. Should health stop me riding on 2 wheels I will certainly miss it but go to 3 wheels to keep riding? You bet I will.
Peace and ride safe.
Comment by Rudi — February 16, 2012 @ 1:26 pm