Just got back from riding a Spyder for the first time.
Honda dealer was hosting a Spyder promo day. I had been looking at them since 2013. Bought a Goldwing MotorTrike instead after hearing a lot of war stories on the Spyder back then. But I know they have improved them greatly since they first came out. Got to say - it was a fun ride. I can't remember the model name but it was the touring style with all the bells and whistles.
It was comfortable seating and was basically straightforward on ease of operation. The semi-automatic COULD spoil one as opposed to holding the clutch in at a long red light. The steering was light and I knew to expect that from reading the tips and info on TrikeTalk, so I feel I handled that ok.
At first, in low speeds it "wallowed" in the lane but at highway speed it did not. (They told me that was where you have to add a sway bar for stability)
I would definitely rent one after getting to a vacation spot but in the end I'm not really sure it would be a long-distance machine for me, as compared to the Gold Wing. I did find the engine to be rather noisy. The 1330 engine was quick and fairly torquey but I didn't ride it in any heavy passing situations.
The wind protection was good - I was surprised about that. Over all, I liked it, and it was fun, but probably not enough to trade the Gold Wing for it. But, I had to satisfy my curiousity about it and would recommend it to new riders or someone wanting a change. Carla