Scooter vs Can Am

[Big Rig]

Cool, she wants to ride...but a scooter? First thing I told her is to take the MSF class.

Not sold on scooters...I think I would prefer to see her ride a Can Am.

For those who have/had either, I would like to hear your experiences.

 

[The Anvil]

I'd rather have a good scooter than one of those goofy-ass three wheeled things. For that matter I'd rather have a convertible. I've ridden a few Spyders and found nothing to like about them. All the danger of a motorcycle and none of the visceral benefits.

[Rowdy]

A friend of mine took a scooter Burgman 650 to Alaska and back - he even pulled a small trailer, and he's a rather big guy    only had to have 1 tire repaired / replaced 

I'm think'n a scooter is not all that bad of thing anymore - they have come long way 

On the same note - I had tried 250 scoot echhhh    many years ago  did not like the ride

[..]

Scooter like the Bergman

Can-am has all the drawbacks of a car and none of the advantages of a two wheeled motorised vehicle.

Plus on a Can-Am your rear wheel is in the crappy center of a lane where all the debris collects.

Get her to ride both and she will decide.

[fudgie]

I said she's crazy. The only scooter I had in my mind was a DUI kind. Now them 650+ are a little different.

[Ice]

Let her take the MSF course and then see, my wife took the MSF course passed it with flying colors, but still was scared afterwards, it took some time for her to get used to only 2 wheels, but nowadays, a Can Am, in her words "Hell no" she loeve to ride.
So I would wait, and I agree scooters came a long way, they make 600cc scoots that will keep up with you inthe twisties as well as on the highway.

[Serk]

As has been mentioned, depends on the scooter... We had a Honda Silverwing for a while... Scooter that'd do 118 MPH, could easily take it on long multi day trips. And, with it's no-shifting it'd take most Harley's off the light in a race...

(The wife would go out Harley Hunting with it at the time... Something about the fluffy cat ears on her helmet just made it worse when the scooter pulled away from 'em... )

[six2go #152]

I attended the RoadRunner Touring Weekend in Bristol a couple of years ago and talked quite a bit with a guy who arrived with his wife on a 650 Burgman. I learned that they have 3 of them as well as a Beemer. The BMW hardly gets ridden anymore.

They live in South Carolina and have toured extensively on the Burgman, from SC to Arizona, Mexico, and other points West and never as much as a hiccup out of it.

He had it set up with an aftermarket windshield and a Corbin seat. It has the 3 mode auto tranny but he said he almost always leaves it in regular auto mode and it's plenty quick. I noticed that they had no trouble keeping up on the tour routes over the weekend.

[cookiedough]

All depends on what you want and how/where you are going to ride it.  I think scooters over 250cc are too expensive to buy vs. say a good used honda 750cc shadow or 750cc magna or the likes of a good mid-sized used cycle.  You can buy a honda nighthawk or rebel used with very little mileage much cheaper than most 250cc scooters.  
If I was in town or shorter trips under 30 miles hwy. nothing longer distances, I would consider a good used 150cc scooter that can go 60 mph.  50cc scoots are too small unless all town driving top speed 40 mph if that and the price tag vs. a 150cc scooter is not much more to get.

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

My take on scooters is that it needs to be one of the bigger ones as mentioned below. I think the little ones kids and the license-less drive are dangerous if they can't keep up with the traffic.

[RainMaker]

Let your wife try both.  She may want the security of that 3rd wheel with the Spyder.  Flamingo Babe has a Spyder and you'd have a good ride keeping up with her. 

I've ridden on scooters and just can't get past the sitting position vs a motorcycle.  I've ridden a Spyder and it was OK in terms of riding in the wind but still not my cup of tea.  I'd take a Spyder over a trike, though.

As you want the wife to be happy and ride with you, let her decide.  IMHO.

[solo1]

I've had a sidecar/Valk rig.  It was great, you couldn't fall over.  However, i really missed the banking in curves and the acceleration without idiosyncracies.

If she likes the banking and general handling of two wheels, then go for a big scooter.  The Silver Wing or the Bergman won't dissappoint or hold her back at interstate speeds.

If she wants the security of three wheels and won't miss some of the positive things about two wheeling, then go for a Can Am. 

I personally had much more fun driving my Miata with the top down than I had driving the rig.  My .02

[Devl]

I took the MSF course twice, with each one of my sons, passed both times.  After my 1st time, I had a 750 Shadow Ace.  Just couldn't get the hang of 2 wheels.  After the second class, had another 750 Shadow.  Could ride great if the world didn't have any right turns.  Dumped it everytime.  Sooooo, it was either trike out a Valk or get a Spyder.  At that time Bob had ripped his quads right off the bone on his left leg so we were thinking if we found a trike or a Spyder, one of us would ride it...hopefully not Bob.  Found a used Spyder with very little miles and lots of Xtra's.  Bob healed up nicely, so the Spyder was mine.  I love it.  I put 11,000 miles on my Spyder last year, my 1st full year of riding on it.  I can see why anyone who is use to 2 wheels and has experience, would not like one, but then you wouldn't like a trike either.  She does need to take the MSF course first definitely.  But don't count the Spyder out becuz of what these guys say.  They aren't a woman... and she will know what she wants and what she can be confident on.  
To all the nay-sayers on this board....
Really, really....
Been on the Blue Ridge, The Skyline, the 555, The Tunnel of Trees, The Snake, some back roads of Ohio and Virginia/W. Virginia/Kentucky and never slowed anyone down.  If A Spyder is good enuf for LaMont...its good enuf for me!!  Go trash a Harley and leave the Spyders alone, you don't know what your talking about.    DEVL  

[ptgb]

Honda........ Valkyrie........  TRIKE    

Why not have it all?  

Third best thing I ever did. (1st - married a chick that likes to ride, 2nd - a Valkyrie for me, 3rd - Valk for her and triked it)  

[Oss]

A client has a 650 Burg and he is WELL over 300 and his wife is right up there too

They take that thing down to Atlantic City NJ from the south Bronx on the Garden State Parkway and are in the 70mph area most of the way.  He loves it but if you ask me the scooter cries like a baby whenever it sees him coming

He has bad knees and loves the ease of getting in and out

Did not care for the spyder when I tried it.  If wife rides ATV and enjoys that she will love the Spyder

[Mo Lee]

I took the MSF course twice, with each one of my sons, passed both times.  After my 1st time, I had a 750 Shadow Ace.  Just couldn't get the hang of 2 wheels.  After the second class, had another 750 Shadow.  Could ride great if the world didn't have any right turns.  Dumped it everytime.  Sooooo, it was either trike out a Valk or get a Spyder.  At that time Bob had ripped his quads right off the bone on his left leg so we were thinking if we found a trike or a Spyder, one of us would ride it...hopefully not Bob.  Found a used Spyder with very little miles and lots of Xtra's.  Bob healed up nicely, so the Spyder was mine.  I love it.  I put 11,000 miles on my Spyder last year, my 1st full year of riding on it.  I can see why anyone who is use to 2 wheels and has experience, would not like one, but then you wouldn't like a trike either.  She does need to take the MSF course first definitely.  But don't count the Spyder out becuz of what these guys say.  They aren't a woman... and she will know what she wants and what she can be confident on.  
To all the nay-sayers on this board....
Really, really....
Been on the Blue Ridge, The Skyline, the 555, The Tunnel of Trees, The Snake, some back roads of Ohio and Virginia/W. Virginia/Kentucky and never slowed anyone down.  If A Spyder is good enuf for LaMont...its good enuf for me!!  Go trash a Harley and leave the Spyders alone, you don't know what your talking about.    DEVL  

I fully agree, I have 2 Valks and a Spyder and would not give any one of them up. On the crooked roads here in the Ozarks it will take a good rider to keep up with me on the Spyder in the curves with a cruiser. The Spyder will almost keep up with the Valk on acceleration. I will say it is harder to learn to ride a reverse trike after 2 wheels however it seems non biker have no trouble, it took me a couple of thousand miles to release the death grip on the handlebars.   

[Quicksilver]

I bought a Spyder last year for my wife. She wanted to ride her own ride but has some challenges. I brought the Spyder home for her, a semi- automatic, no clutch one foot brake for all three wheels, she practiced around the neighbourhood with figure 8's and stopping etc. She then took a course that was supposed to be 7 hours but completed it in 4, got her paper and 2 weeks later got the certificate from the government saying she could ride as she pleased. She pleased as punch with it and it got her in the wind real fast. I feel a lot more comfortable with her on the Spyder from a safety perspective. She has gone on 1 group ride with family overnight about a 7 hour drive there, after riding it for a month. It's not the Valkyrie, it's not even a motorcycle in my book, but it is a great ride for some folks.

[Warlock]

I'd rather have a good scooter than one of those goofy-ass three wheeled things. For that matter I'd rather have a convertible. I've ridden a few Spyders and found nothing to like about them. All the danger of a motorcycle and none of the visceral benefits.

My wife has one them goofy ass Spder and she loves it. Oh I can take that goofy ass Spyder and burn you a$$ on curves. Almost on straight but not as fast as my Valkyrie. As Smokin Joe will tell you I can run curves with the best of them on my Valkyrie and someone on a Spyder who knows how to handle it will out do us. Anyway back to the question Kathy loves the Spyder she has never ridden anything before this. As others stated here the Spyder has real good safety features. But let her take the MSF course and she might enjoy a scooter. The Silverwing and Burgman will run pretty good. 70 to 80 mph on the superslab with no problem. It's a tuff call. I like Kathy riding behind me knowing it has real good safety features. Like Mo Lee said people who has never rode has no problem.
David

[Chiefy]

Test a Spyder.  All the good points of a conventional trike, with not much of the bad.

Trikes are a blast.  When I had mine, the best part was leaving all the two wheelers behind in the twisties 

[Karen]

I've had a 400cc Yamaha Majesty Scooter since 2005, appx 40K on it. Nimble, responsive, steady as a rock on the highway, will cruise at 90 with no problem. Have bottomed the center stand on a tight turn (should have gone a little slower). 60mpg when ridden conservatively. Highly recommend running the Pirelli Diablo tires, good in the wet and fantastic on the dry. Plus there is all that under seat storage, plus you can add a trunk inexpensively. Use it to grocery shop, Put 4 six packs on the seat behind me, and the handling is still good. I love my Valk Trike, but I love my Majesty for the two wheeled fun.

[thumper]

Scooter like the Bergman

Can-am has all the drawbacks of a car and none of the advantages of a two wheeled motorised vehicle.

Plus on a Can-Am your rear wheel is in the crappy center of a lane where all the debris collects.

Get her to ride both and she will decide.

What he said!

[The Anvil]

I'd rather have a good scooter than one of those goofy-ass three wheeled things. For that matter I'd rather have a convertible. I've ridden a few Spyders and found nothing to like about them. All the danger of a motorcycle and none of the visceral benefits.

Oh I can take that goofy ass Spyder and burn you a$$ on curves.

You can think that if it helps but it's not happening. 

Look, it was a personal opinion. I don't like the things, but that's just my 2 cents. Opinions were asked for and I gave mine. Don't take it personally.

[Warlock]

I'd rather have a good scooter than one of those goofy-ass three wheeled things. For that matter I'd rather have a convertible. I've ridden a few Spyders and found nothing to like about them. All the danger of a motorcycle and none of the visceral benefits.

Oh I can take that goofy ass Spyder and burn you a$$ on curves.

You can think that if it helps but it's not happening.  :

Look, it was a personal opinion. I don't like the things, but that's just my 2 cents. Opinions were asked for and I gave mine. Don't take it personally.

Not taking it personal. Everyone has a opinion, some are like onions, smell really bad . But there is a reason I said I could wax your butt (toning my language down)cause I said I could
David

[Hoser]

I'd rather have a good scooter than one of those goofy-ass three wheeled things. For that matter I'd rather have a convertible. I've ridden a few Spyders and found nothing to like about them. All the danger of a motorcycle and none of the visceral benefits.

I think a test ride is needed.  Test ride a zuki bergman 650, It will run on the highway with anything out there.  Damn things are basically a full sized motorcycle with step-thru access.  Pulled strong clear up to 80 mph, had more left.  Hoser    I like the spyder also, specially the tour model, have'nt ridden one of those, though

[Jess Tolbirt]

we had a fellow once run the dragon on a gold wing trike,, that dude spun his tires all the way thru and we couldnt keep up with him..was a guy fron Ga.

[The Anvil]

Cruisers are at a disadvantage even to trikes because of the limited ground clearance. I admit that I often run out of it on the Valk, otherwise I could go a hell of a lot faster than I do. To stay up with a trike I'd have to spint the rear tire myself and while I can do that I prefer not to. But I gave up sportbikes for that reason anyway.

[solo1]

If deciding on a three wheel motorcycle, I'd say Can Am.  The Can Am has abs, stability control, ps, etc. It will keep most new riders out of trouble.

The single wheel forward trikes and rigs ( sidecars) take additional training to stay out of trouble and in MHO, the rig is the hardest to master.

Scooters take the gear shifting out of the picture which helps concentration.

Just an opinion.

[POPS 57]

The wife has a Spyder and loves it. I ride it from time to time and it is a lot of fun. Is it a Valkyrie no ! But don't get to cocky with her. She would not have a problem pushing you to your limit. I have seen it with her more then once. You know the type what they have is the best f the rest. They all come back with a new respect for her and the bike.
On another note you know what they say about riding scooters.
They are alot like having sex with a big woman. It's alot of fun untill your buddies catch you.