I went to the International Motorcycle
Show in Long Beach this year with a goal in mind to ride something completely
different and the Can-Am Spyder three-wheeled cycles qualified. Can-Am has
several models; the Spyder RT for a fully equipped touring cycle, the Spyder ST
for sport touring, and their newest model, the Spyder F3 which was the big draw
to their demos that Saturday. However, the timing didn’t work out well for that
and I ended up passing on my scheduled demo and, as I outlined in the previous
post, went for a putt on an Indian Vintage with several of the other Victory
riders.
The
weather for our demo rides was perfect. Scattered high clouds to give the
bright cyan-sky definition, mid-seventies temperature – just enough to make me
regret not packing my mesh riding jacket, and just a whisper of a breeze to
bring in the fresh aroma of the Pacific. One or two deep breaths when I’m on
the coast is all it takes to wash away any lingering stress. In the middle of
the demo lot with groups coming and going, riders rumbling in for the show, and
dealership hucksters trying to bring in buyers and I still had the easy going
feeling the coast always brings me. Mother Nature treated us very well.
Once Kevin, Steve, Dale, and I were done
with our Indian demo we decided to see what all the noise about Harleys is.
Dale wanted to compare his current ride and Harley’s CVO Road Glide, a newer
version of what he upgraded from when he went to Victory. Kevin opted for the CVO
110 Electra Glide, and has posted a nice review of his Harley demo on Facebook
and he and Dale’s ad hoc demo route.
 |
| HD Tri-Glide Ultra |
I jumped over to a Harley trike just for
something different. Curiosity, you know? I was required to watch a video on
trike riding before proceeding with the actual demo. It was a good thing too as
they are very different in steering and the spatial relationships with those
two rear wheels. I also had to demonstrate a couple of the maneuvers, backing
and weaving between cones, to a Harley rep before going out on my own on a
prescribed route through Long Beach. I was on a Harley Tri-Glide Ultra, a
touring model trike. The other model is a Harley Freewheeler equipped to
cruise. The unguided demos amazed, and somewhat amused us, especially when Dale
and Kevin created their own route. During the video there was a close up of the
instrumentation panel of an idling trike and I felt like my eyes would wobble
out of my head; this sensation was confirmed when I started the trike and it told
me all I really needed to know about Harley Davidson and their progression as
motorcycle designers. It would take me several hundred miles of riding to get
used to the trike and another few hundred to feel proficient.
I found that the trike was a whole lot
more work than its two-wheeled cousin. You really have to steer a trike and
start later into a turn or you end up cutting the corner with the inside wheel.
Also, while putting along a straightaway the trike seems to want to wobble one
way or another and you have to keep a very straight line with the front wheel.
During my fifteen minute ride I never got comfortable. Additionally, I was
instructed not to put my foot down at a stop and it wasn’t until the last three
or four stops that I didn’t take my feet off the floor boards before realizing
my error. Evidently, you could end up running your own foot over.
I
won’t be riding a trike until that’s all I can handle. I did wonder the show
floor looking for a sidecar outfit as I’ve been fooling around with the idea of
setting up my Victory Cross Country with one so that Ollie Verdoodle can come
along sometimes. Dogs love the fresh air hitting them in the face and having
their ears flap behind their heads – me too!
Y’all keep the iron side up.
No comments:
Post a Comment