PH2: The Spyder Club
Times are tough, but there is an alternative option to buying a new bike...
What is it?
The basic package is £950 for 10 days, but as well as getting a bike that also includes insurance, tax, servicing and even delivery. So, unlike owning your own bike, that's all you pay. The club will drop the bike off at your house or office then it is yours to mess around on until they collect it again at the arranged return date.
What bikes are on offer? We aren't talking rusty old crappers here - currently the club has a Panigale, Norton, Diavel, Bimota, Daytona 675 and 848 to name a few and there are more on the way. The bikes are continually updated to keep them in line with the latest on the market.
What's it like?
Arriving in a white transit van, the bikes emerge clean and ready to go with the Bimota looking virtually brand new. It may not be the latest bike out there, but with around 200 ever made is pretty rare.
Mark tells me one of the ideas of the club is to give normal people a 'journalist experience'. I admit I'm pretty lucky to do the job I do and while I'm used to chopping and changing between bikes when out testing, not many people are able to - which is another bonus of the club. You can play on a brand new Panigale, show off to your mates for a few days, then chop it in and next week ride an R1 or Diavel.
According to Mark most of the club's members already own bikes, generally BMW tourers. This surprised me as I expected most members to be non-bike owners, however Mark says that many of them use the club to test bikes they probably won't own, such as the Panigale, while keeping their day to day machine in the garage. They are basically enthusiasts who just want to experience as many new bikes as they can - and who can blame them for that?
What's the catch?
Before meeting the guys from the Spyder Club I had kind of written it off as a slightly silly idea - why not just buy a bike? Having seen the set-up and chatted with Mark and Lizzi about how their members use it I now see the sense.
The minimum package of £950 for ten days works out at around £100 a day to play on some great bikes with all your costs covered. To be fair, if you booked only the Panigale this would probably work out as nearer seven days due to the way the points system works, however that isn't bad when you consider how much you throw away a year on insurance, tax, MOT and servicing when you own a bike.
I've got a garage full of bikes I never use as I don't want to take them out in the rain and one that I hack around on whatever the weather. Working out how much my bikes cost me a year to simply sit in the garage taxed, tested and ready to go on that sunny day isn't far shy of £950 - and for that amount I could have ten unforgettable days on some seriously exotic machine without having to worry about anything apart from fuel and being home when Mark arrives to take it back again! In that context the Spyder Club certainly looks appealing.
For info on the Spyder Club go to their website. There are some terms and conditions, including an age range of 25-70 and a maximum limit of six points on your licence.
I was previously paying £600 per year insurance plus servicing and wear and tear on the superbikes I owned. IMHO just under £1k for the starting membership is great value & you dont have to clean them before you return them unless you have OCD like I do.
They also do foreign trips as well as UK tours & the only reason I didnt renew FWIW is that I bought a sports car & SWMBO said "you can't do both"....when the opportunity arises, I will rejoin. They must be doing something right as they established the club at the start of the recession & going from strength to strength
I don't think you've understood the proposition. It's not £950 per go but that amount for your annual membership with opportunities to ride many of the latest and best superbikes. Yes, your 10 year old bike may not depreciate much but this year's models certainly will, so the opportunity to ride the best bikes available today without the high cost of ownership makes the membership fee a bargain.
In addition, Spyder Club run well organised continental trips and I've enjoyed the ones I've been on immensely. I strongly recommend you take a closer look.
Paul
The main thing with this is the weather. Would they be able to drop the bike off within an hour. I sometimes look outside and think, yeah, I am going for a ride.
If I had the money I would keep my bike and maybe do this. 10 Saturdays our for £950, suppose it is cheaper than renting a new bike. Still not for me.
I don't think you've understood the proposition. It's not £950 per go but that amount for your annual membership with opportunities to ride many of the latest and best superbikes. Yes, your 10 year old bike may not depreciate much but this year's models certainly will, so the opportunity to ride the best bikes available today without the high cost of ownership makes the membership fee a bargain.
In addition, Spyder Club run well organised continental trips and I've enjoyed the ones I've been on immensely. I strongly recommend you take a closer look.
Paul
I have a bike. I use it. 'many of the latest and best superbikes' frankly leave me cold. I also don't have a spare £80 a month.
It's not any kind of bargain for me.
260 points purchased. £550 for the weekend for a panigale?
You can rent a 1000rr here for £300
http://www.westsussexmotorcyclehire.co.uk/our-bike...
Sounds poor IMO. Infact if you have £500 to rent a panigale for a few days you probably have enough to buy one.
On yer bike will let you out on either Ducati and ive been out on a variety of Truimphs for half a day a time at the Wellingborough dealership..
I still wish them well thou, if you have the £££ to hand, its up to you how you eish to spend it.
Doesn't seem bad to me but can't see it replacing actually keeping a bike of your own in the garage.
Since I joined I have ridden all these bikes: Ducati Multistrada, Ducati Diavel, BMW S100RR, Bimota DB4, Triumph Daytona 675 & 675R, Triumph Streetfighter, Triumph Speed Triple, Norton Commando 961, Aprilia RSV4, Triumph 1050ST, Ducati 848, Ducati Panigale 1199, Yamaha YZF-R1, Husqvarna Nuda R, Ducati Streetfighter 848, Ducati Monster 1100 Evo, Ducati 1198, Moto Guzzi Griso, KTM 1190 RC8, Aprilia Tuono, MV Agusta F4 (I'm sure I have missed something)
Where else would I get to do that!
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