New Member with Important Question

[DGoebel]

Hey Everyone,
...
My wife and I are in our mid 50's and don't really have to stop riding 2 wheels, but, we've been giving some thought to how long we've been riding without ever putting our bike down, and the safety factor of being on 3 wheels is starting appeal to us. Another thing that is kind of tossing around in our noggins is; I am a heart patient who has had 3 heart procedures. If we were to be out in the middle of nowhere on our bike, and I had a health issue, we're gonna be stuck. Where as, if we had the Spyder, she would actually be able to drive it and get us to some help. Just a thought.

...

BigLenny Ditto (though only one MI(so far),
We've just celebrated our 27th anniversary, bought our used 2013 RTL in Oct '16 and have enjoyed more miles together this fall than all previous years of riding 2 up. I have driven better single rider bikes (when I was 18-25 years old and invincible..<G>) but as far as us riding together, SWMBO has never been happier, more relaxed and more comfortable riding 2 up. Shoot we even had to finally get a Sena double sound system for our helmets! Sharon's driven it to familiarize herself with it and was again, more comfortable than any of my previous bikes.
Get the Spyder, take your time learning to ride it and just ride....

[Av8er]

Hey, life is short don't sweat the small stuff. I bought a used 2010 RT SM5 and both my wife and I love it. The only thing I have had to do was top off the fluids now and then. Personally I would only buy a manual, I enjoy shifting and it will have less issues plus cost less for oil changes. Also I will not have to be concerned with keeping the RPM up there.

Bottom line buy the ryde you will be glad you did.

Zip, just curious as to why the manual will have less issues than the automatic. Is this a personal opinion or have you had experience with both? I am pretty sure the automatic is just as reliable as the manual and if you want a 14 and up RT it's going to be an auto. I may be wrong on that but I don't think so.

[Mississippi Rambler]

Hellooooo Spyderlover Folk!

My wife and I have been riding 2 wheeled bikes for years, and are highly considering moving to a trike. The Syder RT Limited is the trike we are most interested in. It appears right now is the time to buy one, with dealers across the country deeply discounting their 2016 models. We have test ridden an RT twice, and really like the overall design and technology that it offers.

Even though we are highly interested and considering pulling the trigger, there is an important question that keeps rolling around in my head. That question is; How reliable and trouble free are the Syder RT's? We have ridden Yamaha's for years, and have had incredible service from them. We have travelled all over the nation on our Royal Star Tour Deluxe, and have never been stranded, or even had to stop our trips to take care of anything that has went wrong with the bike. Last year, Consumer Reports published their 1st ever motorcycle quality and reliability study. Because we have had such strong reliability from our Yamaha bike, I wasn't surprised to see that CR rated Yamaha #1 as the most reliable brand. But, what gives me some concern is, they rated Can Am at the very bottom of all brands. I don't want to base my buying decision solely on a magazine article, so I thought I would ask all of you who live in the Spyder world to enlighten me on the real world reliabilities of this bike. I do not personally know anybody who owns one, so your opinions will be heavily weighted in my decision.

Thanks in an advance for your input.

Big Lenny

Welcome to a new ride.

i was in he same boat as you are, 2 wheels or nothing. But after having two knee surgeries and back surgery this year decided to go to three wheels, based in part on a friend of mine having purchased an RT at the same time that I purchased an Indian Roadmaster. I returned my Indian probably 12-16 times during a two year stretch for issues which put you on the kickstand and he never had one problem which prevented him from riding. Now that doesn't mean he hasn't had occasional glitches, but never once stopped hm from riding when he wanted to. IMHO the Spyder has been much more reliable than any other bike that I, or any of my family members have owned during this two year stretch (8 people) and that covers a wide range of bikes...not Yamaha, but Honda's Harley riders, Kawasaki's, etc.

Eddie

[JimVonBaden]

Hey Everyone,

Thanks so much for the feedback. It is really great info that is helping soothe my concerns about the Can Am product.

As far as the perimeters of the Consumer Reports reliability article, I can't really remember all of the exact perimeters, I just remember Yamaha was ranked #1, and Can Am was rank at the bottom, with BMW ranked next to the bottom. The crazy thing is, the owner satisfaction ranking had Can Am and BMW up in the middle to top tier. So, it was saying, while Can Am and BMW aren't exactly the most reliable, their owners love them and would buy them again. Yamaha was ranked at the top of reliability, but toward the bottom of owner satisfaction.

My wife and I are in our mid 50's and don't really have to stop riding 2 wheels, but, we've been giving some thought to how long we've been riding without ever putting our bike down, and the safety factor of being on 3 wheels is starting appeal to us. Another thing that is kind of tossing around in our noggins is; I am a heart patient who has had 3 heart procedures. If we were to be out in the middle of nowhere on our bike, and I had a health issue, we're gonna be stuck. Where as, if we had the Spyder, she would actually be able to drive it and get us to some help. Just a thought.

Keep the comments coming. They're helping our thought process.

Thanks again.

Big Lenny

I have in excess of 250K miles on BMWs, 2 of them new. I have very few issues with them. CR is in the business to make money, and controversy sells.

[pegasus1300]

RPMs not an issue on the 1330 engine
Manual and Semi Auto available
I have been on Yamaha V4s since 1983. Had an 83 Venture,an 86VR,87VR(still have),88VR 89VR, 08RSTD,08RSVS. After our wreck I went to a Goldwing Trike for 4 years and then a 2012 RTL in 2015. Never looked back. What a fantastic ride. I have put 20,000 miles on it since june 2015 and it has been great. Replaced tires,oi land filters,and brake pads. Very troublefree ride so far. Like the Venture Royales,Royal Stars I ride it and if something comes up I just deal with it and get back to riding. You will really enjoy it we do. Are you a Venturer or a VentureRider?

[BigLenny]

RPMs not an issue on the 1330 engine
Manual and Semi Auto available
I have been on Yamaha V4s since 1983. Had an 83 Venture,an 86VR,87VR(still have),88VR 89VR, 08RSTD,08RSVS. After our wreck I went to a Goldwing Trike for 4 years and then a 2012 RTL in 2015. Never looked back. What a fantastic ride. I have put 20,000 miles on it since june 2015 and it has been great. Replaced tires,oi land filters,and brake pads. Very troublefree ride so far. Like the Venture Royales,Royal Stars I ride it and if something comes up I just deal with it and get back to riding. You will really enjoy it we do. Are you a Venturer or a VentureRider?

Paul,

Glad to hear you're a Yammy V4 lover too. Also, really glad to hear how high you are on the Spyders.

Yes. I'm a VentureRider. Been on that site since 2007. Same handle.

Big Lenny

[pegasus1300]

Paul,

Glad to hear you're a Yammy V4 lover too. Also, really glad to hear how high you are on the Spyders.

Yes. I'm a VentureRider. Been on that site since 2007. Same handle.

Big Lenny

I thought I recognized that name. Mine hasn't changed either. Started with Don when he first started Venturers then followed him over to VentureRider,Still hang out on both. I think you will love the Spyder too.

[acpd22]

Just bought mine last month and after doing hours and hours of research I decided to pull the trigger on a F3 Limited and don't regret it. I have 600 miles on it and if it is warm enough tomorrow there will be more. This thing is more addictive that crack cocaine. I have owned mostly Japanese bikes till a friend talked me into buying into the Harley farkle magnet that I wrecked last month when I hit a deer. Wife wanted me on three wheels after that and she loves it too. Other than a used Yamaha I had back in the early ninety's, I have never had a single bike leave me stranded and don't expect the Spyder to change that. Take care of her and she will take care of you.

[missouriboy]

<snip> The V4 motor that is in the Venture/Tour Deluxe is one the all time most reliable motorcycle power plants ever built.

Hi Lenny, welcome to Spyderlovers!

While the Spyder just came along around 2008 or so, its Rotax engine(s) go way back, in other type machines, and have their own long reputation for reliability. Just sayin'...
In just under 4 years now, and just under 59,000 miles, my two RTs (below) have never left me stranded anywhere. FUN machines!

[robhowen]

We have two Spyders, a 2015 F3S and RT Limited with 10K miles on each and zero issues. We ride them more than I've ever ridden my 2-wheel bikes in the past.

[Zip]

Zip, just curious as to why the manual will have less issues than the automatic. Is this a personal opinion or have you had experience with both? I am pretty sure the automatic is just as reliable as the manual and if you want a 14 and up RT it's going to be an auto. I may be wrong on that but I don't think so.

Av8er, From all that I have read and people that I have spoken with it is not so much as more reliable as it is less of a chance for an issue. First the auto by its nature has more mechanical parts and that alone means less problems to me. Because it has a centrifugal clutch the engine needs higher RPM so that the clutch engages, on the manual when you are off the clutch it is engaged. When I was in the MFS course we were taught to feather the clutch for control which you cannot do with a semi. The auto has 2 oil filters while the manual has one. I am very happy with my manual to me it adds to the experience "I" want in ryding.

Is the auto bad? I am sure it is not. Do more people have more problems with them? I don't know. Do I see more of a potential for a problem? I do. Will that problem be more expensive to fix? I am sure it will. Will other ryders here comment on this? I hope so as I do not have all the answers.

Bottom line- Test drive both, talk to people, read everything you can find, then do what is best for you. And get out and ryde and have fun.

Safe ryding

Jeff

[Pirate looks at --]

Hey Bob ,
Still trying to figure that one out myself LOL

Just rename he grand daughter "RT".....and the dog will come to any name!

[easysuper]

I have ridden bikes for over 50 years and with my knees and ankles just about gone, I did not feel safe with my wife on back any longer so we switched to the Spyder. We bought our first RT in 2013 and put 25K on it the first year with no trouble. I made the mistake of talking my wife into getting her endorsement in case I got sick or hurt. She had only ridden behind me for the last 40 years and had never ridden a bike by herself. She went out and bought herself a retirement gift and put 24K on her RT in one year with no problems. Both bikes were 2013s and had the heat issue but were not bad bikes. We wanted the bigger motors so we traded up to a 2014 and a 2015 RT limiteds we now have over 25K on them and have had no issues. Go ahead and get the Spyder just don't let your bride ride it or it cost double but then again you can have double the fun.

Camping up on the Crest 4-19 001.jpg

[Ex-Rocket]

First, welcome to Spyderlovers, Lenny. I also loved the V4 but my manufacture was Honda. Had a 81 750 custom, 84 V65 Magna, 94 750 Magna. Then I switched to Triumph with the 2006 Rocket III. Really had no problems with the Honda's but had a few with the Triumph. Then in 2013 I bought a 2012 RTS and that bike was trouble free. Then traded for a 2015 RTS which had the 1330 engine and 6 speeds trans. Have almost 10,000 miles on the 2015 and has been trouble free. Every bike has its problems so I would not put much in what CR rating is. I just don't know how they came up with their information. One thing I will say about the Spyder is one FUN bike to ride.

Noticed you were in Arkansas. What part of Arkansas? I'm at Marion, Ar. and if your close you sure can take a spin on my bike and see what you think.


Keep us informed on your decision.

[BigLenny]

First, welcome to Spyderlovers, Lenny. I also loved the V4 but my manufacture was Honda. Had a 81 750 custom, 84 V65 Magna, 94 750 Magna. Then I switched to Triumph with the 2006 Rocket III. Really had no problems with the Honda's but had a few with the Triumph. Then in 2013 I bought a 2012 RTS and that bike was trouble free. Then traded for a 2015 RTS which had the 1330 engine and 6 speeds trans. Have almost 10,000 miles on the 2015 and has been trouble free. Every bike has its problems so I would not put much in what CR rating is. I just don't know how they came up with their information. One thing I will say about the Spyder is one FUN bike to ride.

Noticed you were in Arkansas. What part of Arkansas? I'm at Marion, Ar. and if your close you sure can take a spin on my bike and see what you think.


Keep us informed on your decision.

Ex-Rocket,

I live in Little Rock. Not too far from Marion. Thanks for the the offer. Maybe we'll meet up sometime. We are certainly spoiled to live in Arkansas. Some of the best bike riding in the country.

[BigLenny]

Hey All,

As I mentioned in my original post, we have ridden the RT a couple times, and that is the trike we are considering. However, today in was looking at the Can Am website, and I started looking at the F3 Touring version with the trunk and everything. I wonder if that bike would sit more like my motorcycle that I'm used to? It looks to be more feet forward. I really like the feet forward style. Just wondering.

[robmorg]

Robmorg,

Since you have experienced the Yamaha product, and specifically the Venture, which is the same bike as my Tour Deluxe, you certainly understand my issue. I think we need to look strongly at moving to a trike, and in particular the Spyder, but leaving such an awesome, quality built product like the Venture/Tour Deluxe kinda makes me look close at what will be replacing it. The V4 motor that is in the Venture/Tour Deluxe is one the all time most reliable motorcycle power plants ever built.

I truly believe, as you stated, there is no trike that is more fun to ride than the CanAm.

Lenny,

I know EXACTLY what you are saying, and I agree with every word. But believe me when I say that once I had about 500 miles on the RT, I have never looked back. Switching to the RT when I did, was one of my finer decisions, if I do say so myself. My oldest son now owns and loves the big Yamaha.

As for the F3 Touring, your comfort level on that model will depend a lot upon how you are built. Doesn't work for me, but you should try a test ride on it and see what you and your wife think. An awful lot of folks do like the F3.

[JimVonBaden]

Hey All,

As I mentioned in my original post, we have ridden the RT a couple times, and that is the trike we are considering. However, today in was looking at the Can Am website, and I started looking at the F3 Touring version with the trunk and everything. I wonder if that bike would sit more like my motorcycle that I'm used to? It looks to be more feet forward. I really like the feet forward style. Just wondering.

If you were a cruiser rider the F3 is probably more your style. The foot pegs are adjustable and feet forward.

[rwebb98]

Lenny--

Welcome to the forum. I spent way too much time thinking about buying the 2015 RTL that I bought. At 68 it is my first bike. I do not regret it one bit.

I would recommend that you get some performance items (in this order)
1) Laser alignment preferably Squared Away at Spyderfest in Springfield, Mo. They are out of Vegas so that might make trip worthwhile. Get tires balanced also.
2) Baja Ron torsion bars
3) Baja Ron shock adjusters

The combination of these will make the ride better and smoother. Your tires will last longer. I had to replace all there of mine within 9,000 miles.

Good Luck and Be Safe.

BTW, I am down here in Dallas.

Bob Webb

[Jenfz09]

I own two Yamaha sport bikes and right now have a problem with my 2014 still low mile model. I put more miles our RT Spyder and have had no issues with it.

Buy the RT if you want to move to three wheels. There are no better options.

[missouriboy]

Av8er, From all that I have read and people that I have spoken with it is not so much as more reliable as it is less of a chance for an issue. First the auto by its nature has more mechanical parts and that alone means less problems to me. Because it has a centrifugal clutch the engine needs higher RPM so that the clutch engages, on the manual when you are off the clutch it is engaged. That's true for the SE5 but not for the SE6 (with 1330 engine). The SE6 has a real clutch that is hydraulically operated, and RPM is not a concern like it was on the SE5. Just ignore the clutch and watch for engine lugging, as you would for any stick-shift vehicle.

When I was in the MFS course we were taught to feather the clutch for control which you cannot do with a semi. Sort of true and sort of not. It's just quite a bit different, yet beautifully adequate. I'll try to describe some of it here: on take-off, you can feel the SE6 clutch engaging and then very quickly "locking up". You couldn't do it any more smoothly with a manual. Now, on deceleration is where more difference is noticed: you get LOTS of engine braking with either the SE5 or SE6, and you cannot feather the clutch manually, of course. However, you CAN feather the deceleration by using the throttle, and this comes naturally and very quickly... you very soon learn perfect control of your deceleration rate. Also, something not mentioned yet is the option of manual downshift or automatic downshift, which gives even further range of control. However, it IS true that the clutch can never be disengaged at speed, which forces you to maintain momentum rate with the throttle. But this is a very short learning curve (with a throttle that covers its full operating range in only 1/4 turn). Finally, the clutch only disengages right before coming to a complete stop, at just the right time.

The auto has 2 oil filters while the manual has one. I am very happy with my manual to me it adds to the experience "I" want in ryding.

Is the auto bad? I am sure it is not. Do more people have more problems with them? I don't know. Do I see more of a potential for a problem? I do. Will that problem be more expensive to fix? I am sure it will. And I'm sure you're right about that! Another good reason to stay under full warranty... I have 5 years worth on mine.

Will other ryders here comment on this? I hope so as I do not have all the answers. Neither do I, but together I think we've covered a lot.

Bottom line- Test drive both, talk to people, read everything you can find, then do what is best for you. And get out and ryde and have fun.

Safe ryding

Jeff

See blue comments embedded above.

[Bob Denman]

Hey All,

As I mentioned in my original post, we have ridden the RT a couple times, and that is the trike we are considering. However, today in was looking at the Can Am website, and I started looking at the F3 Touring version with the trunk and everything. I wonder if that bike would sit more like my motorcycle that I'm used to? It looks to be more feet forward. I really like the feet forward style. Just wondering.

It'll put you in a more cruiser-like seating position...

....But the rear passenger seat area is not nearly as comfortable for longer rides. Make sure that "The Boss" will still be happy!