Was Spike a good "man"

No. Mainly, I object to his reaction to Robin Wood's arc, and then to how Spike behaved in Angel's series S5.
 
He was a vampire capable of good. I always thought Spike struggled with the whole being good thing, parts of him seemed to want to be good but other parts seemed content to carry on as if her were still the same demon he had been. I often thought he was bored by the "good fight".
 
Yes. He wasn't a good *man* until he got his soul back, before then he was only doing the right thing because it was beneficial to him in some form or other. After he got his soul it seemed like he had more perspective. Good men don't have to be good all the time, they just have to keep trying and doing what they think is best and fight for what is right, which I think he did.
 
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dexeded
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Spike was Spike. If we was "good" or not is up to opinion, I guess. Getting a soul didn't change his true character all that much, it just gave him empathy.
 
I can just hear Spike answering this question: "Saved the world, didn't I?" 🙂
Anyway, of course he was good.

other parts seemed content to carry on as if her were still the same demon he had been. I often thought he was bored by the "good fight".

This is really interesting. I can understand how some people see it this way, given how they wrote his character in season 5 of Ats as a foil for Angel, in order to give us that "fun" clash between the two of them. In any case, it was pretty clear that Spike would never be content to be evil again but instead that his personality and attitude could contain a lot of aspects of the old Spike, (i.e. resisting Angel, "What? I'm listening, with beer" and the rebel attitude that makes him who he is). In any case, he hadn't wrapped his head around the whole "save the world" concept yet; actually for both Angel and Spike I think priority #1 upon getting into that world was helping Buffy, and then when she didn't actively need them any more, the question became "what to do with this new soul."

I think Spike first viewed Angel's quest to save the world on a daily basis as an attempt to fulfill his part of the Shanshu and earn his reward, (either through the prophecy or by being saved from hell). I think it all seemed a bit useless to him; still processing all he'd done, he knew he could never be redeemed. But after time spent with the Fang Gang and observing first hand the difference they made, it was clear to him that he wanted to be a part of it, (and realized that Angel wasn't in it merely for redemption or reward). Finally he says to Angel: "It's what I want. I don't really like you. Suppose I never will. But this is important, what's happening here. Fred gave her life for it. The least I can do is give what's left of mine."

So although there was hesitation to suddenly hop aboard the "all hail Angel" train, (his original misguided take on what the Fang Gang were doing), it didn't mean he wasn't good. He had been a champion when he gave his life for the world in Sunnydale, and he wasn't ready to commit to Angel's fight until he'd been convinced that it all mattered.

I object to his reaction to Robin Wood's arc

I have to admit, I wasn't so pleased with how he handled things in that room, either. But then I consider the fact that not only was Wood trying to kill him, but he was trying to bring out the monster who Spike had done so, so much to get rid of, in order to do it, and exploiting his tortured memories of his mother just as the First had. All of that was so, so much worse than merely trying to kill him.
 
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dexeded
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