**** "DO'S & DO NOTS" for NEW SPYDER OWNERS... ****

[Buttsy]

I think one of the real "keys" to Spyder ownership is to ensure you learn as much about the Spyder as possible on your own. Buying a Spyder and assuming your dealer will look after everything for you seems reasonable because of the dollars we are spending but...........you need to be informed. This forum along with all its great knowledge does more for "customer care" than anything a dealer or BRP can do for you.

You don't need to be a master mechanic as people like Lamont and Scotty offer great details in for the most "laymen" terms. Then when you go to the dealer you can ask intelligent fact based questions just to make sure everything is going as planned. I really do think the a little bit of knowledege when it comes to these machines is invaluable.

Read, Ask, Listen and get informed first.

[Grandpa Spyder]

Believe me you will learn more about the spyder on here then you will from your owners manual.

[Bob Denman]

Don't forget the most imprtant "rule":

It's supposed to be FUN!!

[napper39]

yiks oh yeh here i am with my 2cents,rember check your battery cable often it vibrates loose,and a loose cable can be a night mare,check your fusess and relays they vibrate loose,and thats a very bad thing.so lets say you dont chsck these things,you have trouble on the road wont run so you have it towed to a dealer they push in the relay or tighten up the battery cable.if you would have done these things you would not have had to wait for that tow truck,or had the dealer tell you i pushed in that relay and your good to go.so do these things and you might never have any trouble with your spyder ever. have fun and ride like the wind. i do.

[ARtraveler]

A lot of good advice here.

[Oldmanzues]

I think riding the brake statment is not quite right. Barely touching the pedal is more like it.
I had a BP rep tell me: If you barely touch the pedal, Nanny thinks you are going to use the brake. If you don't actually use the brake for few seconds (forgot how many)and Nanny does not gets that signal. Nanny thinks you have brake failure and goes into **** mode. The problem is in the software. they have trying to do something, but can not without "disabling" the safety feature of brake failure system.
Oldmanzues

[Illinois Boy]

I added "do not touch the brake"; "have fun", "watch the battery cables" to the list...

[Ken Thomas]

yiks oh yeh here i am with my 2cents,rember check your battery cable often it vibrates loose,and a loose cable can be a night mare,check your fusess and relays they vibrate loose,and thats a very bad thing.so lets say you dont chsck these things,you have trouble on the road wont run so you have it towed to a dealer they push in the relay or tighten up the battery cable.if you would have done these things you would not have had to wait for that tow truck,or had the dealer tell you i pushed in that relay and your good to go.so do these things and you might never have any trouble with your spyder ever. have fun and ride like the wind. i do.

Miss my 1970 Comando.

[Navy Warrant]

Getting my RT-S SE5 in a coupla days. Trying to learn as much as possible in the mean time. Any thoughts or advice about the break-in period?

[TasmanianDevil]

After spending the past two weeks and 3500 miles on my Tas, I am more in love with her than ever. I had no problems with her. Well, I just found out there is a better way to fuel her with a different seat mod...and I couldn't make a nature call along the way without people pulling off the road to look her (and me dashing out from behind a tree) over.

I hadn't arrived at the RV resort an hour when a neighbor rushed over to tell me she had just returned from a dealer in Pharr, TX. I kept telling her to just this thread out and she hopped on and we visited all the happy campers.

I never did find out if or what the crosswind component is on her. I was severally buffeted from the right all the way through Utah, then from behind through NM and TX. That low in from California kept me alert.

Thanks again for this advise.

[WilderThomas]

yiks oh yeh here i am with my 2cents,rember check your battery cable often it vibrates loose,and a loose cable can be a night mare,check your fusess and relays they vibrate loose,and thats a very bad thing.so lets say you dont chsck these things,you have trouble on the road wont run so you have it towed to a dealer they push in the relay or tighten up the battery cable.if you would have done these things you would not have had to wait for that tow truck,or had the dealer tell you i pushed in that relay and your good to go.so do these things and you might never have any trouble with your spyder ever. have fun and ride like the wind. i do.

I'm not sure what, or where my problem lies. The 2012 Can Am Spyder RT-S I own, has a display that went dark. The bike can be turned on, but cannot be shifted into any gear. All others things, signals, head, fog, and tail lights work. The fuses are good, the one battery terminal I can get to, has a tight connection. And as the situation left me stranded, I had the insurance company's roadside service come out and cart the Spyder back to the house. I hope, that it doesn't need a new display.

[Ramg66]

Thanks Illinois boy, When I purchased my Spyder RT I was fortunate to read this during the first week I had it. I really appreciate you taking the time as it has made my experience so much more enjoyable knowing this important information.

[BrianO]

Thank you for this list of recommendations and for keeping it current. I have a suggestion for us non-US readers. Can you put kph equivalents beside the mph numbers? In Canada our speed limits generally go from 40 to 100kph in increments of 10. ( 40-50 for side streets; 60-70 for main roads; 80-90 for highways; 100 for freeways)
thanks!....brian

[IGETAROUND]

I think one of the real "keys" to Spyder ownership is to ensure you learn as much about the Spyder as possible on your own. Buying a Spyder and assuming your dealer will look after everything for you seems reasonable because of the dollars we are spending but...........you need to be informed. This forum along with all its great knowledge does more for "customer care" than anything a dealer or BRP can do for you.

You don't need to be a master mechanic as people like Lamont and Scotty offer great details in for the most "laymen" terms. Then when you go to the dealer you can ask intelligent fact based questions just to make sure everything is going as planned. I really do think the a little bit of knowledege when it comes to these machines is invaluable.

Read, Ask, Listen and get informed first.

Well said When you're spending this kind of money on something you should be as knowledgeable as possible PRIOR to you purchase; then you don't have as , many questions or regrets or if onlys after the sale