Nov. 6, 2012<br />
<br />
I was just reading the articles on the General Discussion Board about the comparison of the Spyder vs. Wing. I have had both. I had the 2011 RTS/SE5 for one year. I put about 5,000 miles on it. I had NO problems with the computers or anything else. Oh I forgot, I had one minor problem with the radio. I would get static on the AM as soon as I started to ride. No static when in neutral and not moving.
It never got resolved. Besides that my Spyder dealer " EAST COAST CYCLE CENTER", Bensalem,Pa. was great at servicing the Spyders. Their mechanics were well trained on the Canams. They also sold the Canam Jetski's and the ATV's. They had the largest selection of Canam's I have ever seen IN STOCK. In fact, I was there last week and there had to have been at least 25 new models. They DO sell lots of them. They are the only dealer in the area that has them. <br />
<br />
About a month ago I stopped into the dealership to say hello to all my friends there, and to my surprise, what did I see on the showroom floor ? I saw a 2005 GL1800 Lehman Monarch II trike in red ( I call it burgundy ).
It had all kinds of chrome goodies ( of course they are mostly plastic). I fell in" Love at "First Sight". The wing had only 4,000 miles on it and it looked like new. The previous owner had some medical issues and had to sell it, so the dealer bought it. I never drove a trike before, but was looking to buy one when I bought the Spyder, since there were no trikes in the area for sale.<br />
<br />
I enjoyed the Spyder and the shifting was an absolute breeze and smooth as silk. I would back off the gas and then upshift just over 3,000 rpms and there wasn't a bit of hesitation. I got around 35 mpg on premium gas, which is required. You would feel the shaking in the handlebars when you would go over a bump. On the GL I feel the shaking in the back when I go over a bump. Six of one and 1/2 dozen of the other.
LOL. I did like the storage on the Spyder. Yes, the front trunk was flimsy but had lots of room for two helmets. You can't add lots of goodies to the handlebars, because there are NO handlebars. They are covered up and you can't attach anything to them. If you want cupholders on the rear you have to get the universal ones that clip onto the grab rails. The floorboards that are sold for the Spyder look like home made pieces of metal. At least that is my opinion. You get lots of heat on the ride side where the foot brake is. Owners keep trying all kinds of ways to eliminate the heat flow.
It should have been designed to eliminate that problem. I did love the reverse gear. It is a real gear that really moves out. The GL reverse is slower then slow but it does work as long as you are not in a rush to back out. LOL. It is true that the Spyder engine does like high revs.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, high revs also represent low gas mileage. It is not smooth until you get between 4500 - 5,000 rpms. Yes, it is fast if you wish to go that route. The digital dash is rather nice. You have an analog speedometer and a nice large digital readout. The stereo is not as good as the Wing.
If you want a CB you have to fork out another $1,000 and they have to run all the wires through the Spyder for the hookup. The labor is very costly to do that. In fact, all the labor on the Spyder is expensive because of so much plastic removal ( Tupperware) to get to anything. Maybe over the next few years Canam will make changes to the bike that will make it easier and less expensive to service. Another thing you have to be careful about is the drive belt. If you get stones in it you will have a real problem. Owners are buying all kinds of belt tensioners to make sure the belt remains at the proper tightness and also purchasing belt covers. It seems as though everyone is making all kinds of changes to the Spyder in order to make it work properly. If you notice, there are almost NO changes necessary for the GL to make it function perfectly or ride comfortably.<br />
<br />
The Spyder is definitely an eye catcher, mainly because most of the people out there have never seen one except possibly on TV. I was asked questions about mine all the time wherever I stopped.
Lots of women of all ages said " I would ride on the back of that." They were saying they feel a lot safer on three wheels then two. I agree, and that is why I switched to the three wheelers.<br />
<br />
Now that I have the GL Trike, I get just as many compliments as I did with the Spyder. This bike was loaded up just right by the original owner. I thank him for all that work he did before I bought it. I can see NO reason to ever trade this in for something better since I don't think there is anything better. Only if this machine broke down and fell apart would I consider trading. I won't hold my breath until this happens. LOL LOL.<br />
<br />
Both machines are great, so choose what you like and enjoy it.<br />
<br />
Motogordo<img src="images/smilies/GL1800smilie.gif" border="0" alt="" title="GL1800" class="inlineimg" />
<br />
I was just reading the articles on the General Discussion Board about the comparison of the Spyder vs. Wing. I have had both. I had the 2011 RTS/SE5 for one year. I put about 5,000 miles on it. I had NO problems with the computers or anything else. Oh I forgot, I had one minor problem with the radio. I would get static on the AM as soon as I started to ride. No static when in neutral and not moving.
It never got resolved. Besides that my Spyder dealer " EAST COAST CYCLE CENTER", Bensalem,Pa. was great at servicing the Spyders. Their mechanics were well trained on the Canams. They also sold the Canam Jetski's and the ATV's. They had the largest selection of Canam's I have ever seen IN STOCK. In fact, I was there last week and there had to have been at least 25 new models. They DO sell lots of them. They are the only dealer in the area that has them. <br />
<br />
About a month ago I stopped into the dealership to say hello to all my friends there, and to my surprise, what did I see on the showroom floor ? I saw a 2005 GL1800 Lehman Monarch II trike in red ( I call it burgundy ).
It had all kinds of chrome goodies ( of course they are mostly plastic). I fell in" Love at "First Sight". The wing had only 4,000 miles on it and it looked like new. The previous owner had some medical issues and had to sell it, so the dealer bought it. I never drove a trike before, but was looking to buy one when I bought the Spyder, since there were no trikes in the area for sale.<br />
<br />
I enjoyed the Spyder and the shifting was an absolute breeze and smooth as silk. I would back off the gas and then upshift just over 3,000 rpms and there wasn't a bit of hesitation. I got around 35 mpg on premium gas, which is required. You would feel the shaking in the handlebars when you would go over a bump. On the GL I feel the shaking in the back when I go over a bump. Six of one and 1/2 dozen of the other.
LOL. I did like the storage on the Spyder. Yes, the front trunk was flimsy but had lots of room for two helmets. You can't add lots of goodies to the handlebars, because there are NO handlebars. They are covered up and you can't attach anything to them. If you want cupholders on the rear you have to get the universal ones that clip onto the grab rails. The floorboards that are sold for the Spyder look like home made pieces of metal. At least that is my opinion. You get lots of heat on the ride side where the foot brake is. Owners keep trying all kinds of ways to eliminate the heat flow.
It should have been designed to eliminate that problem. I did love the reverse gear. It is a real gear that really moves out. The GL reverse is slower then slow but it does work as long as you are not in a rush to back out. LOL. It is true that the Spyder engine does like high revs.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, high revs also represent low gas mileage. It is not smooth until you get between 4500 - 5,000 rpms. Yes, it is fast if you wish to go that route. The digital dash is rather nice. You have an analog speedometer and a nice large digital readout. The stereo is not as good as the Wing.
If you want a CB you have to fork out another $1,000 and they have to run all the wires through the Spyder for the hookup. The labor is very costly to do that. In fact, all the labor on the Spyder is expensive because of so much plastic removal ( Tupperware) to get to anything. Maybe over the next few years Canam will make changes to the bike that will make it easier and less expensive to service. Another thing you have to be careful about is the drive belt. If you get stones in it you will have a real problem. Owners are buying all kinds of belt tensioners to make sure the belt remains at the proper tightness and also purchasing belt covers. It seems as though everyone is making all kinds of changes to the Spyder in order to make it work properly. If you notice, there are almost NO changes necessary for the GL to make it function perfectly or ride comfortably.<br />
<br />
The Spyder is definitely an eye catcher, mainly because most of the people out there have never seen one except possibly on TV. I was asked questions about mine all the time wherever I stopped.
Lots of women of all ages said " I would ride on the back of that." They were saying they feel a lot safer on three wheels then two. I agree, and that is why I switched to the three wheelers.<br />
<br />
Now that I have the GL Trike, I get just as many compliments as I did with the Spyder. This bike was loaded up just right by the original owner. I thank him for all that work he did before I bought it. I can see NO reason to ever trade this in for something better since I don't think there is anything better. Only if this machine broke down and fell apart would I consider trading. I won't hold my breath until this happens. LOL LOL.<br />
<br />
Both machines are great, so choose what you like and enjoy it.<br />
<br />
Motogordo<img src="images/smilies/GL1800smilie.gif" border="0" alt="" title="GL1800" class="inlineimg" />