Read the full story about Sunny's trip on Tweed News
Sunny G the Motographer of recent fame for The Grand New Zealand Road Trip on a Suzuki B-King and before that the Hyosung ride around Australia is going to be riding one of our Spyders around northern NSW and Queensland. The ride will commence on the 22nd February with updates and images on spyderdownunder.com The trip commences 24th February and covers some of Australia's best biking roads including- Oxley Hwy, Waterfall Way, The Bucketts Way & Thunderbolts Way. Be sure to follow his trip for some awesome photography of the Spyder and scenery!
Today we hosted Steve from MATES.org.au and Dean Saffron world renowned photojournalist on a "custom" Spyder tour from Cabarita Beach to Murwillumbah and over Tomewin back to Currumbin. Both of these roads are ones that on a two wheeled bike are considered challenging and have several things to watch out for- especially after the recent heavy rain- such as potholes mid corner, driveway washouts across the roads etc. When I advised Steve the chosen route he was reluctant but I said "don't worry your on a Spyder". Giving the pre-ride instruction I could see the guys getting more and more excited- especially Dean- and getting impatient to get on the road. We stopped to grab a top up of fuel and as per usual a 2 minute stop turned into 5 with Steve being questioned by the service station attendant on how they ride, what are they etc. having only been in the saddle for 3kms...
Next stop was for Dean to work his magic in a tree lined road that passes through the forest and lots more questions from the guys and a few riding tips. Can't wait to receive the photos. Dean was on the back with me and after about 5 challenging corners he was cheering on the back and patting me on the shoulder saying how much fun he was having, that's saying something for a rider to be enjoying the pillion seat.. The final stop was at the top of Tomewin, Dean leapt off all excited and when Steve pulled up behind us I thought a chesire cat had climbed into his helmet as his grin was from ear to ear, stating that it wasn't just a ride, it was an experience being on a Spyder. We will link to Steve and Dean's work as soon as it is available. Check out the MATES website and also Deans. Dean is off on another dangerous assignment overseas next week and we wish him well. We will have a stand at the Australian Motorcycle Expo being held at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Center at Broadbeach being held the 19th-21st February. We will be in stand 513 near Yamaha Marine, Yamaha, Kymco and Kawasaki. Come past and say hello. Stay tuned for some more exciting news....
For further details of the expo check out their website http://australianmotorcycleexpo.com.au/gold-coast The Quiksiler and Roxy Pro surfing events will be held at world renowned surf breaks such as Snapper Rocks, Kirra and Burleigh Heads. In Spyder Ryder's backyard! Want to hire a Spyder for the event give us a call now or book via our pages.
The surf has been awesome this last week so lets hope it stays to provide some awesome competition. For more info on the event check out the website One of our videos has just made 1000 views on YouTube, thanks to all of you have checked us out. More videos coming soon...
This one is all about riding the CanAm Spyder in the wet. How does it handle? Is it exciting? Is it scary? Hows the protection? are just some questions that we will answer.
The Spyder is obviously fitted with three tires rather than two as per your traditional bike, the rear is a and the fronts are so you would think you would have plenty of control and traction in the wet. Well the fronts are great- I have not yet suffered any over or under steer (in wet or dry), but the back, there is just too much power going to that single wheel and the back will slide if you aren't controlled in your throttle input. The traction control seems to be slower to respond than I do. Or as the electronics are so smart maybe it is control and just letting me think I know what I am doing. This ability to slide however makes for some pretty exciting riding and riding like you can't experience on anything other than your quad/ATV in the wet or mud. I have only ever seen the best MotoGP riders going for a controlled slide out of a corner on anything with two wheels. So once again the Spyder is unique. Becuase of how stable the Spyder is in all circumstances, including the wet it is not a scary experience when the back slides. The fairings offer reasonable protection however if I was going to be using the bikes for a long tour, a week or more I would recommend investing in the touring screen and the couple of other deflectors that I have seen. I noweher near get as drenched as what I used to on my Ninja however and when I get off there isn't a newly formed puddle in my crotch. Like any riding or driving you do in the wet extra caution is required, especially on the twisty mountain roads of Springbrook, Mount Tamborine and Burringbar range, you just never know what the road condition is going to be around that next sharp bend. It is also interesting to note the variation in weather on the Gold Coast from even as small as distance as 5km or a 100m climb so don't let wet weather where you are put you off taking the Spyder for a ride because it doesn't mean where you are going or how you are getting there is going to be wet and our gear is all wet weather so it is going to be comfortable anyway. We have plenty of them and hopefully you do to (discovered a lot more however when we started this business). But on a serious note MATES is Motorcycle Awareness Training Education Safety- mates.org.au MATES is a community group with one purpose in mind - to raise the awareness of the joys of responsible motorcycling. All contributors are motorcyclists and have a genuine interest in keeping motorcylists safe. Members include a police officer, rider trainers, industry insiders etc. They provide informative articles and discussions on all things motorcycle. So next time you have a few minutes check it out.
|
AuthorHi, I am Todd the owner and operator of Spyder Ryder Australia- Spyder Roadster Tours & Hire on the Gold Coast. Bike lover, family man and Spyder enthusiast. Archives
March 2010
|