2 wheels in front vs 2 wheels in back

[Doug from Frisco,TX]

I am a new member and not sure if my question will upset some purists. I want to buy either a Spyder with 2 wheels in front or a traditional trike with 2 wheels in back. Is there a difference in handling and stability? What are the pros and cons of each style. Does anyone have extensive experience riding both types? Thanks for any insight you can offer.

[Nana]

Hi Doug, and welcome to TrikeTalk <img src="images/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Smile" class="inlineimg" />. That is actually a great question. We have members riding Spyders and of course a lot of the traditional trikes. Both are a great option and there is no right or wrong -- simply a personal preference. I'm sure there is some difference in handling, but someone who has experience with both styles will be able to give you some good feedback.

[Gorilla]

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<img src="images/misc/quote_icon.png" alt="Quote" /> Originally Posted by <strong>Doug from Frisco,TX</strong>
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<div class="message">I am a new member and not sure if my question will upset some purists. I want to buy either a Spyder with 2 wheels in front or a traditional trike with 2 wheels in back. Is there a difference in handling and stability? What are the pros and cons of each style. Does anyone have extensive experience riding both types? Thanks for any insight you can offer.</div>

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</div>welcome aboard. I ride the traditional 2 in rear. I have riden the Can-Am but not enough to comment on differences.

[trikerslave]

Welcome, set a spell..........................

[TaylorMcStrat]

Only a personal opinion, but the Can-Ams look like roadworthy snowmobiles to me. I have no experience with them, and am not a hater. I simply prefer the old-school look for my ride.<br />
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A guy I know who rode them said he felt the riding position was too a bit too much of a lean-forward design. As a middle-aged guy, I want to enjoy the scenery, not my gas tank.

[Z06-LITE]

I have a reverse trike (2F-1R) setup. It is more of a Morgan three wheeler style and seats two side by side. I have some experience with the conventional trike and in my opinion, the reverse trike handles more car like. Of course, in my trike, you are sitting inside, not stradling like the Can-Ams. I have not been on a Can-Am yet, but I don't think I would like the higher center of gravity. It also seems to put the rider in a Cafe racer position, and not a cruiser position.

[skuuter]

I really like Can Ams and have ridden them several times, but personally I still prefer my 1800 Gold Wing Trike Motor Trike IRS (...rode a VTX 1800 Motor Trike the other day that I really enjoyed too...)....not recommending this for Everyone though...try to get You some Test Rides on some Various Trikes before commiting to a Particular Version, and WELCOME to TRIKE TALK.....

[flight risk]

I wanted a Can Am RT-SE5 so bad I could taste it.........then I rode it. The touring trike does allow for a more upright riding position but the non-touring Can-Ams put do put you in more of a crotch rocket position. Although they say the touring has "semi-automatic steering" I wouldn't want to take a lot of turns on it. I don't have enough arm strength. You have to really get on the steering, because it is two wheels up front. That being said it was still a hoot to ride and is one fast ride. Be prepared for all the looks !!!!! Just a personal thing.....

[jfingalls]

Hi Doug, Welcome to our Forum where you get a lot of facts and opinions. I looked carefully at the Can Am when I bought my 08 GW. At that time they did not have the cruiser model and my wife would not have any part of it. What now is available can be a lot more attractive. What I did learn is the steering is electric motor powered and works very well. I like the idea that this 3 wheel vehicle was designed from scratch to be a 3 wheeler. I call my Trike a contraption for that reason but I must tell you I love the GW trike. <br />
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There are many features on the Can Am that seem to emulate most of those found on they typical cruiser bikes, however, I do like the anti-tip feature which is unique and is electronically actuated and basically works like ABS in reverse. That is, when it senses the trike is tipping it will apply the break to the opposite wheel and, I'm told, cannot tip over under reasonable circumstances (by the way it also has ABS). Lastly, the look of it is still "wearing in" on people and may take some time to accept.

Good luck with your decision but realize that Bombardier has a lot more research and development money than all of the other traditional bike manufacturers which translates into the Can Am being the first vehicle manufacturer to produce a truly integrated 3 wheeler. Let's see how many are still around 20-30 years form now to truly judge their longevity, however.

[foxtemple]

Have ridden both. I will tell you the cornering ability of the Spyder is better than the tradidional. I do not like the forward leaning position of the driver on the spyder. I can corner my Goldwing at whatever the speed limit is and at my age that is fast enough. The front storage of the Spyder is not as large as my Goldwing rear, and on a long distance run, the Goldwing is a lot smoother ride. Do like the positive reverse on the spyder though. Created a new market here at the lake, you can buy your motorcycle where you get your waverunner.

[White Knight 04]

Can Am Lets see nope !!!!! Rode one didn't like it....

[GW-Spyder]

HI- I would think you have already made your decision - however if you haven't- I have both as you can see from my handle. I have a 2010 Goldwing CSC trike and 2010 Spyder RT. I had a 2008 Spyder RS, but it had loud pipes put on the by the dealer before I bought it and my wife didnt like the feel of the sport model (after riding my GW 2 wheeler for years)-- ok, so here is the difference the way I see it-- the Spyder is much more sporty to ride. When you are going around corners you have to work harder on the Spyder (which is fun)- the quality of the Spyder is questionable when you look at the way the plastic peices come together, it is lighter and it doesnt have the power in 998cc vs a GW 1800. The difference to me-- the sypyder is more fun to ride. For distance however I would go with a trike-- sorry for the long post.

[John Luciano]

Have never ridden one , would like to . At Americade this year there were a ton of them. ( 30 or 40 ) a lot of women riders I noticed. Does not seem like 30 or 40 would be a lot at a rally that draws 35,0000 to 40,000 bikes . In respect there were only 2 Stallions and 4 Victory touring bikes that we saw. I was told that anyone can ride it . They are automatic so it is a good choice for the people that can't shift. WAS told by a trike dealer (not a Spyder dealer ) that they are for people that can't ride a trike. They are almost fool proof .

[whitefatboy]

You will need to seek the answers from within....sounds like something from a movie!

[meredog]

Have ridden both---prefer the traditional single wheel in front. Feel the road thu your arms a lot more with Can Am----look around a bit, quite a few nearly new can ams for sale at discounted prices.<br />
If you are doing mostly week end shorter rides you may be happy with the can am<br />
Just my opinion-----i am sure there are can am owner/riders that will feel the same about theirs as i do mine.<br />
witchever way you go--ride safe and plan on Maggie Valley next year !!

[smoky]

Though there may be some, I don't personally know of a single Spyder owner that does not like the ride, feel, comfort and overall thrill of his/her Spyder. Just sayin'....

[rhino 2]

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<img src="images/misc/quote_icon.png" alt="Quote" /> Originally Posted by <strong>smoky</strong>
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<div class="message">Though there may be some, I don't personally know of a single Spyder owner that does not like the ride, feel, comfort and overall thrill of his/her Spyder. Just sayin'....</div>

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</div>I had a spyder for 3+ years, And it does ride hands down better than my T/G<br />
I just had reliability problems with mine, Now I'm not knocking the spyder i just got a Monday built one. <img src="images/smilies/shrug.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Shrug" class="inlineimg" /><br />
There's a large group of spyder owners 30 thousand or so that swear by their spyders and i might add just as loyal to their rides as most other riders are to their ride. Some come with an semi auto, and if that gets more people out in the wind so what, The more people riding the Better it is for all riders. <img src="images/smilies/wave4.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Wave4" class="inlineimg" /><img src="images/smilies/wave4.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Wave4" class="inlineimg" />

[budwiser]

Welcome

[Ohio Eddie]

Welcome to Trike Talk from SW Ohio.

[MangoMike]

Hope this will help. I own a 2010 RT SE5 and have ridden 23K miles on it. My Spyder died and left us stranded in Mississippi, a very expensive break down. However, I don't mean to bash Spyders, we have loved it. But, we want to do some long distance riding and the Spyder just doesn't work for us. The smallish engine will travel at highway speeds, but it feels like your "grinding down the Interstate" rather than soaring, like you do on a large touring bike.<br />
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I rode my first GW trike the other day and we are hooked. Getting rid of the Spyder and buying the GW which we will convert.<br />
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The Spyder (newer models) are a lot of fun on the backroads. I've done a lot to upgrade mine, but I still don't consider it an adequate long distance bike.<br />
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Ride both, and not just around the block. My breakdown is not typical, and could have happened to any bike, but I can't trust it after this experience.