3 Wheels and a late-life crisis?

[Ashburn Dave]

I gave up my bike after a near miss riding around Fairfax City back in the 80's. If I didn't live in the VAMetro area still I might get another.

 

[Miles Monroe]

Have had my Ryker almost a year now. Have put about 4,000 miles on it since then. And have finished adding modifications with one exception. The Ryker is a great 'first bike' not only because one is on 3 wheels and you don't have to worry about 'laying it down' as you would on a traditional motorcycle. The other safety feature is that the throttle is electronically controlled and has a bit of a built in 'delay'. That makes it tough to make a mistake and over-throttle into trouble. Having gotten used to the bike, I ordered a 'Pedal Commander'. The Pedal Commander is basically a device that hacks into the electronic throttle system, and removes the 'delay'. It has 4 different tiers and 8 different throttle settings you can choose from, ranging from the stock Can Am set up all the way up to insane 'barely touch the throttle and it goes like a bat out of hell' mode.

Did a lot of reading on the Pedal Commander and reviews say it makes a huge difference in the throttle responsiveness. In other words, it adds a whole other level of fun.

I'm looking forward to it arriving, getting it installed, and seeing what it's like.

You'll be happy with it, you'll feel more connected to the machine. Many fly-by-wire engines have the throttle lag. Drove me crazy when we first starting getting it. There are some bikes out there that let you choose your throttle responsiveness.... Note, if you are going to be riding more aggressively, look at your suspension settings. May want to stiffen things up a touch to keep the handling crisp.

 

[Boone]

Thanks Pete. Yeah - I'm pretty cautious by nature, so I will take it slow. My Ryker also has driving 'modes' - an Eco mode for max gas mileage, Standard, and then a Sport mode. I tried Sport mode a few weeks ago - it basically reduces the traction control settings, so it feels a little wilder. It was fun but I don't think the trade off in control is worth it. Felt a little 'loosey goosey' when making lane changes and in turns. Plus - you have to put it into that mode every time manually which is a pain in the ass (unlike the Pedal Commander which will stay on the setting once you've entered it).

 

[Miles Monroe]

Thanks Pete. Yeah - I'm pretty cautious by nature, so I will take it slow. My Ryker also has driving 'modes' - an Eco mode for max gas mileage, Standard, and then a Sport mode. I tried Sport mode a few weeks ago - it basically reduces the traction control settings, so it feels a little wilder. It was fun but I don't think the trade off in control is worth it. Felt a little 'loosey goosey' when making lane changes and in turns. Plus - you have to put it into that mode every time manually which is a pain in the ass (unlike the Pedal Commander which will stay on the setting once you've entered it).

Feeling a little loosey goosey is exactly what I was talking about with performance upgrades. Even with it not effecting traction control, you still may find yourself feeling a little less planted. Experiment with small suspension adjustments to find the right balance between front and rear suspension for your riding style and road conditions. Always record the settings you're starting with so you can go back to where you started. A short loop of a few miles to test on, and a little time to try stuff. Don't remember how they Ryker comes set up from the factory, and most dealers don't touch suspension unless asked to. It doesn't make sense for them to, only the rider cand tell if it's better or worse. Ton of info out there on adjustments

 

[RedWolf]

Enjoy!

 

[SkinsFTW]

I was about to buy one of these last year about the same time you did. The thing is that I wanted to be able to bring my dog, a shihtsu, with me so I could take him to the dog park sometimes so I ended up looking at the high end 30000 ones which turn into 40000 ones with upgrades. I was serious about it but my wife wasn't so sure.

Then I decided to look at convertibles and found an amazing deal on an Audi S5, everything upgraded, 3+ years old with 30K miles for less than 38 grand, others were selling them for 45-55, so I went with that instead and I can use it all year, dog gets a real seat and the floor too, as does the wife also.

She wouldn't have wanted to ride on the can am and probably would have tried to keep me in the house more but the car is much more safe.

In fact she liked it so much that 2 days later she wanted to look for her own sports car.

 

[Boone]

Nice car SkinsFTW - I was looking at getting a Cooper convertible when I changed course and went the Can-Am route. About half what a used Cooper would've cost me, although admittedly a more limited (and less safe) ride.

I was able to install the Pedal Commander without any issues today. Was a little nervous because doing anything electrical to the bike is always a little risky and the throttle cable connection took some coaxing to separate so I could bypass with the Pedal Commander cable. Eventually got it, rehooked up my battery, and took it for a test drive.

There are 4 modes - Eco, City, Sport, and Sport+ - each one increasing throttle response. Within each mode there are 8 levels to choose from. I tried the low end of Sport, and just to see what it was like, put it in Sport+ mode. That one is insane - I mean you barely breathe and the bike takes off. There is no way I will ever put it in Sport+ mode again. Even the low end of Sport mode felt like too much, where you could get in trouble pretty eashy. Right in the middle of City mode feels perfect. Definitely more responsive than the baseline, but not so responsive as to feel out of control

Will give it awhile to see if I stay there or make other changes as I get accustomed to it.

 

[Boone]

Nice car SkinsFTW - I was looking at getting a Cooper convertible when I changed course and went the Can-Am route. About half what a used Cooper would've cost me, although admittedly a more limited (and less safe) ride.

I was able to install the Pedal Commander without any issues today. Was a little nervous because doing anything electrical to the bike is always a little risky and the throttle cable connection took some coaxing to separate so I could bypass with the Pedal Commander cable. Eventually got it, rehooked up my battery, and took it for a test drive.

There are 4 modes - Eco, City, Sport, and Sport+ - each one increasing throttle response. Within each mode there are 8 levels to choose from. I tried the low end of Sport, and just to see what it was like, put it in Sport+ mode. That one is insane - I mean you barely breathe and the bike takes off. There is no way I will ever put it in Sport+ mode again. Even the low end of Sport mode felt like too much, where you could get in trouble pretty eashy. Right in the middle of City mode feels perfect. Definitely more responsive than the baseline, but not so responsive as to feel out of control

Will give it awhile to see if I stay there or make other changes as I get accustomed to it.

 

[Boone]

Took my Ryker to Charlotte yesterday. On the high end of speed, traffic on 85S tends to move at 80-85 mph. I found myself on a long straight stretch with a good deal of room between me and the cars speeding ahead of me. Looked safe in terms of law enforcement. So I punched it. I got it up to 101 mph and then backed it back down. I still had plenty of throttle so I would estimate top speed on the Ryker is probably 110-115. The most surprising thing is that, even going 100 I don't think I stood out that much in traffic, lol.

The bike felt good at that speed and it's one of those things I guess most guys with a motorcycle of some kind feel compelled to do. I am generally law-abiding and far from an adrenaline junky, so I won't ever do it again, but it was kind of fun to check that box. Only thought I had as I hit 101 was that I would really be in trouble if something went wrong at that speed.

 

[Miles Monroe]

Congrats, you've busted the "ton" as some say

 

[Ashburn Dave]

I've done 100 several times in cars but never on a bike. Well done.