A Little Apprehensive

[spyderdreams]

I have an opportunity to buy a 2010 RT-S Premier Edition at a good price. But the posts on this and other forums about the problems with the Spyder RT have me very conscerned. The biggest one is about Limp Mode. There doesn't seem to be any one issue that causes this. I would hate to be on Deals Gap or some other narrow roadway and not be able to pull far enough off the road out of traffic. Or be in some remote area and have to limp 50 miles. One thread mentioned going into Limp Mode from a burned out brakelight. This makes absolutely no sense to me. It seems like just about everyone that owns an RT has gone into Limp Mode for one reason or another. Are there any owners out there that have not gone into Limp Mode? If so, what is your secret?

Spyderdreams

[Eraser]

No secret...turn the key and enjoy.

[NancysToy]

Out of our three Spyders, only one ever went into limp mode...and that was in the garage after an oil change. It is not nearly as widespread as you may think. The Internet has a way of magnifying these things. On another note, automobiles do it, too, although most are more forgiving about what triggers it. Others will not go directly into limp mode, but will not return to normal operation once you have slowed or shifted down. Would I like to see it be done differently?...Yes! Does it make me worry, or refuse to ride my Spyder?...Heck no!

Yes, loss of both brakelights on an RS will trigger it, which is pretty silly to me when a warning would suffice. In other cases it is done to save your hide, such as when the steering or brakes fail, or to try to save the Spyder engine, like with an oil pressure failure or transmission failure. If it makes you too nervous, you may have to pass on owning a Spyder. They are what they are.

[1BLACKSPYDER]

with scotty. I say go for it if it's a good deal.
We have 2 RSS=4000 miles & LTD=5000 miles never seen limp mode.
Keep your foot off the brake while you ride and you probably will not see limp mode either.

[spyderdreams]

Gee, that makes me feel a whole lot better!

[Flintsparks]

I am a brand new owner and have not been in limp mode, but the I bought had not seen limp mode, according to it's owner," Medicbob". Have been following this site since April and the bad stuf really didn't scare me. Glad to be on a .

[marvin24]

Lawsuit waiting to happen, lawyers will us this forum to prove their case.

[SpyderAnn01]

I;ve got 25,000 limp free miles on my 2010 RTS

[daveinva]

Lawsuit waiting to happen, lawyers will us this forum to prove their case.

Excuse me, Marvin? You have 19 posts to your name since July. 15 (at least) are negative. You don't own a Spyder, so your comments aren't from experience.

May I ask why do you still come here?

[Yfactor]

I have an opportunity to buy a 2010 RT-S Premier Edition at a good price. But the posts on this and other forums about the problems with the Spyder RT have me very conscerned. The biggest one is about Limp Mode. There doesn't seem to be any one issue that causes this. I would hate to be on Deals Gap or some other narrow roadway and not be able to pull far enough off the road out of traffic. Or be in some remote area and have to limp 50 miles. One thread mentioned going into Limp Mode from a burned out brakelight. This makes absolutely no sense to me. It seems like just about everyone that owns an RT has gone into Limp Mode for one reason or another. Are there any owners out there that have not gone into Limp Mode? If so, what is your secret?

Spyderdreams

Have the 2010 RT-S Premier Edition #288 and have never seen limp mode in over a year of riding. Rode it from central Virginia down to Maggie Valley via the long way on back roads then Deals Gap twice. After this I rode 180 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway and then back to central VA. Never once saw limp mode or any sort of problems. This RT has been nothing but perfect and such a pleasure to ride.

[spyderdreams]

Glad to hear that. Makes me feel a little better.

[Pandy]

Yes, the 2010 RTs were supposed to have their share of teething problems, but what was pointed out, the internet has a way of magnifying these things. From watching this forum, BRP seems to have gone above and beyond to rectify the problems and refine the Roadster experience. As for me? Now 13,650 miles thereabouts since March 1 and have never seen limp mode. Don't let a few sourpusses scare you off. Look at the stats on this board, are all of us gluttons for punishment? Strike your best deal and ride until your butt can take no more.

PatrickDragon3.jpgWHEEEEEE!

[ARtraveler]

with Scotty

I have had 3 .s Over 60,000 miles. Limp Mode 1 time. My fault--I was riding the
brake pedal.

with Daveinva: You don't have a lot of credibility currently--marvin24

[ThreeWheels]

I've gone 18,000 miles on an early production RT-S without the limp mode.
Limp mode is WAY overstated on these postings.
I LOVE my Spyder. I've been to the Dragon twice so far with no issues at all.
While everything that has been said is true about the internet, I suspect you may not be satisfied with these comments.
It's possible that your pre-disposition may not be overcome and perhaps you should pass on a Spyder and get a bike you feel more comfortable with.
Hopefully, you'll prove me wrong.

[Oldmanzues]

10k on a RS/GS, a little over 12K on a RT. Limp mode four times, all the same reason, make sure your foot is not touching the brake pedal unless you are going to use it. Key of/on clears it.
Last two Ohio 555 and WV 16, try them in the rain part time.
I am not a expert on convential trikes (about 20 hours), but I believe the Spyder is the best thing going if you want/need three wheels for any reason. Many miles/hours on two wheels.
Go got it.
Oldmanzues

[NancysToy]

Excuse me, Marvin? You have 19 posts to your name since July. 15 (at least) are negative. You don't own a Spyder, so your comments aren't from experience.

May I ask why do you still come here?

A troll by any other name is still a troll!

[daveinva]

A troll by any other name is still a troll!

Heh. I never want to throw the word around without first giving the poster the opportunity to tell us more.

After all, some people don't like the Spyder. Heck, some people even HATE it. Like anyone who has ever owned a motor vehicle, there are people who have had nightmare experiences with their vehicles-- dealer trouble, mechanical trouble, riding trouble, even fires. No one here denies this. What would be the point? If there *are* problems, we all want them successfully identified and quickly addressed, because the overwhelming majority of Spyder owners are THRILLED with their wonderful vehicles and would very much like to continue to be thrilled.

Sometimes, even the trolls have a point. It'd just be nice for the rest of us if they finally bothered to reach it!

[Bob Denman]

Leave the gas cap loose on your car and see how the dashboard lights up... Scotty's right; the computers can get in the way of a good time, but the Spyders aren't any more vulnerable to it than anything else that's got a 'puter hooked up in the system...
I hope that you're not getting the dreaded "Limp mode" mixed up with some of "Nanny's" shenanigans... That's simply a case of riders pushing the bike's capabilities until "Nanny" pushes back a bit... While lamentable; it can be understood.

[spyderdreams]

Thanks for all of your comments. I have pretty much decided to step out on faith and make the purchase. But I have to say that it's hard to believe that even a new product would have so many problems. Too many owners have had too many different issues. BRP is not a company that just started yesterday. This bike has been in developement for 10 yrs. and tested before production. I have trouble beliveing that none of these issues didn't show up before production and that BRP was not prepared to handle them in a timely manner. As others have said, they are paying to much for the RT to have it sit up in a shop for weeks at a time. I wish everyone a great, trouble free riding experience.

[Bob Denman]

Don''t forget that the internet is a great place for folks who like to complain... The ones who are out there piling up the miles and smiles are too busy having fun!
And here's to you being too busy having fun also!

[GeoffCee]

Are there any owners out there that have not gone into Limp Mode? If so, what is your secret?

Spyderdreams

I haven't gone into limp mode and I haven't got a secret.
Folks who do have a problem with their Spyders generally post news of their troubles here, so you get a distorted and gloomy picture. So, I would advise that this is NOT the place to gauge the reliability of Spyders, they are far better than you might think from reading the posts on this Forum.
On the other side of the coin, if you go ahead and buy a Spyder you will have this Forum of enthusiasts to refer to. That is the good news.

[Bigmeech]

i know im still a new rider with only 1300 miles under my belt but i cant tell u guys how satisfied i am. I love my spyder and everything it offers, and would not change for anything :P i can understand why u would be concerned after reading this forum alot and hearing some of the issues but the majority of people seem to be so happy with it, and the ones who are having problems are getting it addressed and fixed for the most part. Dont be scurred, go get it and enjoy life

[daveinva]

Thanks for all of your comments. I have pretty much decided to step out on faith and make the purchase. But I have to say that it's hard to believe that even a new product would have so many problems. Too many owners have had too many different issues. BRP is not a company that just started yesterday. This bike has been in developement for 10 yrs. and tested before production. I have trouble beliveing that none of these issues didn't show up before production and that BRP was not prepared to handle them in a timely manner. As others have said, they are paying to much for the RT to have it sit up in a shop for weeks at a time. I wish everyone a great, trouble free riding experience.

I hope you get it, you'll love it

That said, about your comments... a sense of proportion will help you feel better about your decision.

There's a saying, "No plan survives contact with the enemy." An equally true statement is, "No product survives contact with the customer." BRP could have done *20* years of testing and some of these things would pop up. It's the nature of a complex machine. Have you ever seen the recalls that affect even the most popular automobiles manufactured today?

Things break. Some things are designed to tolerances that are unfortunately routinely exceeded by standard operation (not to mention hoonage ). We have a motorcycle-like vehicle exposed to the elements that has *three* distinct tracks hitting every pothole in the road at times. Things rattle, things come loose (I tore a wire this way on an aftermarket LED upgrade... I was peeved, but stuff happens!).

In my observation, the most serious problem that's affected the Spyder since its release was the Dynamic Power Steering problems-- problems that were identified and solved. Should these have been identified before release? Yes. Were they solved before I bought *my* ride? Yup, just fine. Were the problems excusable? Given that the DPS and VSS are the most complex and original items on the Spyder, who can be surprised that those were the most problematic issues at release?

No major manufacturer anywhere solves these things on a dime. We all envision a mythical company somewhere that hears of a single problem mentioned by a random poster on a forum and our mythical company solves it by the next week.

The fact is, these things take time to research and understand where the fault lies-- user error (the most common), bad luck (second-most common), dealer problems (likely third), assembly, manufacture, and ultimately, design. The first problem can be solved on this forum; the last problem can take *years* (and lots of $$$ by the the manufacturer) to solve, if ever (it may not be cost-effective to solve it-- which is where you hope aftermarket solutions appear, the "mother of necessity" and all that).

I too share the apprehension over things like a limp mode that seems a little *too* eager to kick in (never yet for me, though ). If there's trouble with the engine, or the DPS/VSS (you know, those things keeping you from flipping over on the road), then yeah, limp mode should kick in. Trouble with brakelights, or stepping on a brake pedal a little too often? That's probably taking it too far. Oh well, nature of the beast.

But the bottom line here is, and others back me up: the single most important contributor to owner satisfication with their Spyder is a competent and responsive dealer service center. They're the "tip of the spear," and everyone here will agree that dealers vary GREATLY in quality of service. Technician experience, skill, availability (some of these guys are positively swamped), and the support of their parent dealership all come into play. It's a new machine, serviced by technicians new to something this high-tech, often sold by dealers new to something this high-tech, owned by customers often new to something this high-tech. That's a recipe for friction and misunderstandings.

These aren't excuses for poor service and poor BRP responses. They're facts of life that must be accepted by Spyder owners, and probably for some time to come. I'll be honest, I don't expect the Spyder to be as reliable as we all want it until at least the third generation of bikes are released. That's a shame, especially at this price point, but again, it's reality, whether you're a company as good as BRP or as great as Honda or as insanely awful as some Chinese knock-off. Personally, I think the Hyundai comparisons are apt-- it took them 20 years to put out cars as good, reliable and desirable as the Sonata and Genesis. I think BRP will be able to do it faster than that-- they've succeeded pretty dang well right out of the gate-- but let's not kid ourselves, it'll take years to reach the point we all want the Spyder to be at.

In the meantime, I'll be riding my RS like I stole it

[spyderdreams]

[harleyRick]

I've had mine go into limp mode with small problems. I shut the bike off and restarted and back on the road to the dealer. 1st time it needed a throttle body and Can-am was right on top off it. they put the part on an air plane in Ga. and I had it by 10:00 am the next morning VERY HAPPY !