BLOG.SPYDERFRED.COM

Bad Link

2011-06-05T19:02:30Z

Okay, when I put in the link to the Can-Am blog, it left off the "http" part, so it didn't work. Sorry!
Should have looked like this:

http://en-us.spyder.brp.com/blog/posts.aspx

You might want to look for the entry, "BRP Unveils the Spyder 5" for an explanation of what's going on.

I will also be on the Can-Am Facebook page every few days. Go to Facebook, and "CanAmSpyder."

Fred

Moving To A New Location

2011-06-05T02:22:33Z

This will be my final post to this blog. That is NOT a bad thing, really. It is just to avoid constant duplication of effort.
You see, BRP has started something called the "Spyder 5," of which I am a part. It is a professionally-produced and managed media campaign, built around five Spyder riders, who will each have their own blogs, videos and pages within the BRP Spyder website. Anything and everything I would have been putting up here, would be there on my part of the site. The address is:
en-us.spyder.brp.com/blog/posts.aspx

The entire Spyder 5 website is not fully-active yet, though some of it is. Watch for constant enhancements and additions as the summer goes on.

I am currently posting there from Americade, plus on the Can-Am Spyder Facebook page.

When I started this site, it was only meant to be for six months, and is now over two years old. It has outlived its usefulness, but thanks for watching.
As always, any of you can reach me at fred@fredrau.com any time if you have any questions.

Hittin' The Road, Pt. 2

2011-05-06T16:57:00Z

This is working out great so far. We already have three "Meet & Greets" set up for the first leg of our journey.
Here then is a map and itinerary for the second leg. See the first "Hittin' The Road" entry for details on how to contact us if your group, or even just yourself, wants to try to set up an encounter. This is going to be fun!

Monday, May 30 -- Angola, IN, meet with Chapter U, GWRRA
Tuesday, May 31 -- Angola to Barkleyville, PA
Wednesday, June 1 -- Through Allegheny Forest to Ithaca, NY
Thursday, June 2 -- Through Adirondacks to Lake George, NY

June 3 - 11 -- AMERICADE!!

Later I will start posting the return trip legs, which will include going to Maggie Valley, NC, June 16-19, for the National Spyder Gathering.

Hittin' The Road, Pt. 1

2011-05-04T17:48:00Z

Trying something different here, and can only hope that it works. In the next several posts, I am including maps of a route, and not sure how well they will reproduce on the blog.
Several people have asked about the routing and scheduling for our next big road trip, so I thought I would try to put it all here on the blog. This entry is Part One - May 23-29. The idea is that if any of you want to try to meet up with us along the way, you can look at these maps and schedules, and contact one of us if you want to set up a meet.
Here's the approximate schedule for Part One:
May 23 - Hemet, CA, to Laughlin, NV
May 24 - Laughlin to Grants, NM
May 25 - Grants to Liberal, KS
May 26 - Liberal to Ft. Scott, KS
May 27 - Ft. Scott to Iowa City, IA
May 28 - Exploring the Amana Colonies near Iowa City
May 29 - Memorial Day Sunday, Brunch "Meet & Greet" at 10:00, Starved Rock Lodge, Oglesby, IL, south of Utica.
May 30 From Starved Rock to somewhere near South Bend, IN

All dates, routing, etc. are strictly approximate! I have a tendency to wander around on back roads if I see something interesting, and we could be delayed by bad weather, road construction, or just meeting some interesting people.
If you see anything on here that suggests we might be in your area, and want to try to set up a quick meet, lunch or whatever, email me at fred@fredrau.com or Cherrie at cee831@yahoo.com, and if we can work it into the schedule, we will try!
I will be posting later notices of other parts of the routing, which will last through around June 21.

Ultimate Playground

2011-04-28T21:06:00Z

Last weekend, BRP's "Ultimate Playground" event came to Southern California, so we took a ride out to Irvine Lake to check it out. Free demo rides on Spyders, ATVs, and Seadoo personal watercraft and boats. Great way to spend the day, especially when I got to try out the 310-HP Seadoo jet boat. Holy cow!

Last Day

2011-03-31T18:11:00Z

Sorry I'm so late getting the last day of this tour uploaded, but for some reason, my blog suddenly decided I was an "unauthorized user." Took several days to convince it otherwise, but here's the last entry on the Daytona Spyder Trek, and now we are planning something even bigger and better!

Homeward Bound

2011-03-26T17:40:00Z

Finally dragging my ass out of a sickbed and getting caught up with the videos from the last few days of my Daytona Spyder Trek. One more after this...

OK to NM to AZ

2011-03-25T02:03:00Z

Sorry you haven't heard from me in so long. Truth is, on the last two days of this trip, a couple of bad things happened. For one, my luck with the weather finally ran out, and I was riding through flash floods, hailstorms, high winds and freezing temps. Then, to make matters worse, I got sick. Picked up some kind of flu bug, and though I toughed it out to get home, once I arrived I literally collapsed into bed and didn't move for nearly five days. I am still just barely functional, but trying to get caught up on processing the videos and photos from those last three days. Here's the first of those...

Barber Museum 2

2011-03-19T00:03:00Z

Here's Part Two of my visit to the awesome Barber Motorsports Museum...

Barber Museum 1

2011-03-17T00:20:00Z

On my way home from Daytona, I decided to make a little 300-mile detour north to Birmingham, Alabama, in hopes of visiting the famous Barber Motorsports Museum, and boy, am I glad I did! The world's greatest collection of antique, classic and vintage motorcycles, all in one place. I took about four hours of video, but even after editing, it was still nearly 25 minutes long, so I've broken it into two parts. Here's the first.

Daytona Trackday

2011-03-15T01:56:00Z

Saturday was the Spyder Owners Event at the Speedway, which included the opportunity for the first 60 Spyder Ryders who had signed up on the internet to ride two laps of the fabled track. We met a lot of fun folks, and had the experience of a lifetime.

Daytona Friday

2011-03-13T22:38:00Z

The AMA Breakfast and Auction with Eric Buell, a quick look around the Speedway, and the new Gold Wing.
Tomorrow, we ride the track!

Speedway Thursday

2011-03-11T23:16:00Z

Our first full day at Daytona Speedway with the BRP demo team. Just a few interesting people and bikes... more later.

Florida!

2011-03-11T02:06:00Z

The final leg into Florida, dodging storms along the way and meeting several new friends. First stop in Florida, the Hooters Barbeque with the Victory Owners Group.

Racing Across America!

2011-03-08T06:08:00Z

First off, I owe my Spyder RT an apology. I blamed it for the bad gas mileage and erratic running I was enduring yesterday, and it seems the actual culprit was a tankful of really bad gas. It slowly got better as I ran some clean gas through it, then on Lamont's advice I also ran a bottle of injector cleaner through, and it is back to running great again.
I am now in Biloxi, MS, headed for Florida tomorrow. Here's a video with a few snippets of my journey the past two days.

Hard Luck

2011-03-06T04:19:00Z

Well, I am in Fort Stockton, Texas, but it took me 14 hours to get here. For starters, I have been fighting some pretty fierce crosswinds all day, which has left me with some nasty muscle cramps from trying to keep the Spyder in my own lane. But the real problem is that something has gone haywire with the fuel system. The bike seems to be running okay, but my mileage has gotten progressively worse all day, to the point where it is sucking up 6 gallons of premium fuel every 50-60 miles! That means stopping for gas about every 45 minutes. Have talked to the engineers at BRP on the phone, and they are stumped, as am I, and I am about 100 miles from the nearest dealership, which is closed tomorrow and Monday. Not good.
No signs of leakage, but I can smell the raw gas. May not make it to Daytona on time. Wish me luck.
My Spyder has been pretty much flawless up to now, but I think it knows this is its last trip before being disassembled!

Spyder Trek 2011 - Arizona (mostly)

2011-03-05T06:15:00Z

Today I rode from Las Vegas to Benson, AZ. Great weather and scenery, but I did have a mishap - entirely my own fault. I had stopped in Kingman to put on a jacket liner, and evidently didn't get the saddlebag lid closed securely. It came open on the Interstate later, and I lost a nice fleece jacket and a hat!
Met a couple near Winkleman on another RT, and found out they own two Spyders and have started a Spyder club called "CASE," for "Can-Am Spyder Enthusiasts." Very cool.
Heading out for New Mexico in the morning, and on into Texas, to meet up with another Spyder club near Houston. Hope the great weather holds!
Tell Lamont I'm coming as fast as I can!

Preparing to Launch - Join Me!

2011-02-10T19:48:00Z

Between March 2 and March 20, I will be taking the last original Spyder RT prototype, #009, on her final voyage before she is retired and torn down for analysis.

My plan is to make a cross-country trek from my home in Southern California to Bike Week at Daytona Beach, Florida, and back again, for a total of about 7,000 miles.

Along the way, I would like to meet with as many Spyder enthusiasts and owners as possible, whether it is just a quick stopover for lunch, breakfast or dinner with one or two riders, or a meet with entire clubs. In addition, I would like to invite any and all Spyder riders (or other motorcyclists) to join me for any part of the ride. Ride with me for an hour, a day, or a thousand miles – whatever tickles your fancy.

BRP will be keeping a running account of the trip on their Spyder Blog, as will I on the Spyder Facebook page and here in SpyderFred. We hope to post daily updates, with photos, videos and written accounts of the trip, and of our encounters with Spyder enthusiasts. If you want to try to hook up with me anywhere along the way, please email me at Fred@fredrau.com and I will get the message on my Blackberry, which I will check at each gas stop. I will make every effort to accommodate you, but remember, I have a schedule to keep also, so it may not always work out.

All routing and scheduling is of course, tentative, and will depend on road and weather conditions and any other number of variables, but I will endeavor to keep as close to it as possible. Hope to see you on the road!

Approximate itinerary:

Daytona Spyder Trek 2011

Itinerary

Wednesday, March 2

Hemet, CA, to Las Vegas, NV (260 miles)

Hwy 62 to Twenty-nine Palms, Amboy Road to Old Route 66, Kelbaker Road to Kelso-Cima Road to Morningstar Mine Road to Nipton Road, I-15 to Las Vegas.

Thursday, March 3

Layover in Vegas – free for lunch.

Friday, March 4

Las Vegas, NV, to Benson, AZ (452 miles)

I-515 to Boulder City, Hwy 93 to Kingman, AZ. I-40 to Hwy 93 South to Wickenburg and Phoenix, I-10 to Tucson and Benson, AZ.

Saturday, March 5

Benson, AZ, to Fort Stockton, TX (511 miles)

I-10 all the way

Sunday, March 6

Fort Stockton, TX, to Houston, TX (489 miles)

I-10 to Hwy 290 to Fredricksburg, Johnson City and Dripping Springs. Hwy 71 to Columbus, I-10 to Houston.

Monday, March 7

Houston, TX, to Biloxi, MS (426 miles)

I-10/12 all the way.

Tuesday, March 8

Biloxi, MS, to Tallahassee, FL (300 miles)

I-10 all the way.

Wednesday, March 9

Tallahassee, FL, to Daytona Beach (260 miles)

I-10 to I-295 to I-95

Thursday, March 10. through Saturday, March 12

Daytona International Speedway – where I plan to hang out with the Spyder Demo Team.

Return trip will begin sometime between March 13 and 15, with a more relaxed itinerary. I will post my routing and estimated destinations on a daily basis as I go. Stay tuned.

Emails can reach me on my Blackberry at Fred@fredrau.com, and I will check the Spyder Facebook page daily.

New Year's Interview

2011-01-05T23:04:00Z

For the New Year, BRP asked me to do a "self-interview," answering some questions about the past year of living with the Spyder RT. So, this video is nothing more than me talking to me, so I won't blame you if you want to skip it... I'm sure Cherrie will!
About the only thing I can say good about it is that it gave me a chance to try out my new remote, lapel microphone, which is a definite improvement in sound quality.

Press Day at IMS

2011-01-03T18:14:00Z

Seems I am still on the list of approved “enthusiast press” when it come to the International Motorcycle Shows, so I got an invitation to participate in “Press Day” at the IMS in Long Beach, California. Held the day before the show is opened to the public, Press Day is just a chance for the vendors to showcase their products to the press, and for the press to get some photos and interviews before the crush of spectators takes over the hall.

I took along my video camera, thinking some of you might like to tag along and see what Press Day is all about. Unfortunately, I can’t arrange to share the champagne and hors d’oeuvres, but trust me, they weren’t that great.