From Vmax to Spyder....Am I getting old?

[Mr. Bill]

Well I have been considering the purchasing of a Spyder for a few years now and I think I may be about one week away from doing a deal. I am looking at a 2012 RT-Ltd. My wife and I are thinking of doing an east coast three week touring trip next summer. My ride right now is a very modified 1994 Yamaha Vmax. The Vmax has 30,000 Km. and I have only limped home once due to a dirty gas filter. ( Rust in tank ) The Vmax goes like hell but not very comfortable for a two up ride for three weeks.

I started seriously looking for a " sport touring bike" about two months ago. I was looking at the Yamaha FJR & Kawasaki Concour. I then found out that my wife thought that any bike with two wheels " looks just like the bike you have now " and she figured the either bike would be just as uncomfortable as the Vmax for a long trip. There was no changing her mind about the FJR & Concours neither bike was going to work for Debbie. We all know that a " happy wife is a happy life".

To get a ride with comfort and luggage space my choices then moved to Honda Goldwing, Yamaha Venture, Harley and Spyder. I had owned a full dress Yamaha Royal Venture back a decade or so and Debbie reminded my how much I did not like it. ( Very top heavy ) The Honda and Harley just were not getting me excided about man handling either of them at anything under highway cruising speed. So we had narrowed it down, we would look at the Spyder

Then there is the response of many riders that I hangout with when I mentioned a Spyder.... You have all heard these ones. “ Old men ride trikes”……."It's not really a bike" ..... "You can't ride with us if you get one of those".......... "You have to be kidding"..... best one was from one of my weekly ride buddies........" I would never buy a Spyder, it is not even a bike. I would buy a convertible sports car for less money and can drive it in the rain" This guy rides a 650 Yamaha. Sitting on a Vmax one may think that his ride doesn't really look like much of a bike either. I was concerned about what these guys were saying and I mentioned it to my wife Debbie. Debbie's reply was " since when do you care what people think about what you do?" She brought to my attention that peer pressure was not something that I have ever been concerned with before now. Debbie said if it bothers you what the guys are saying, "buy the Spyder, tell them you bought it for me and I let you drive it." Well that solves that, I guess Debbie likes the Spyder so far.

Any way, getting back to the Spyder. I looked around and found a local dealer selling Spyder and test drove the RT-LTD. “ I liked it “ and better yet I knew Debbie would love it. All of the comforts she was looking for and lots of luggage space to boot. Yes it will take getting used to after riding a Vmax but if we get a Spyder for touring Debbie says I should keep the Vmax in case I need an adrenalin rush from time to time. The sales person at the dealership came up with prices on a few different models , RT, RT-S & Rt Ltd. I have settled on the LTD. thinking that if we are going to tour lets do it right.

The internet allows us all to do research on anything we want. I wanted to know what owners thought of the Spyder. Wow did I get bummed out with the feed back from the many unhappy Spyder owners on various Spyder forums. After reading a number of forum entries I pretty much decided maybe the Spyder was not for me. It looked like the Spyder was way to much money for all of the problems and breakdowns that leave riders without their rides for weeks on end. ( my vmax is a 1994 and I have never not made it home from a ride ) I could not believe that there were this many people so unhappy with a vehicle yet the vehicle continued to evolve and be sold by the manufacturer. I contacted the dealership and spoke to the sales person about all of the negative feedback from owners. She told me to have a look at Spyderlovers.com and see the other side of the story. My wife and I have both had our own businesses for over 40 years. Debbie and I know that unhappy people scream loudly while the happy people very seldom say anything above a whisper. The sales person reminded me of this.

I am so happy the sales person recommended that I check out Spyderlovers.com I now see there are a lot of very happy Spyder owners out there. I have just spent the morning looking at Sypder Reliability on the forum. I am back on track to see the sales person next week about the LTD. I still need to get Debbie out for a ride to close the deal and make sure Debbie is going to be happy. This being the second largest purchase next to purchasing a home I truly hope that I will make the correct decision next week after Debbie’s test ride. I hope that those that whisper out number the screamers.

Any advise before I take the plunge? ……………..I will let you know how things work out next month.


THE BIG QUESTIONS!!

What about the break downs? Are they really that common? Is the Spyder really the ride to choose for long range two up touring?

[NancysToy]

Any advise before I take the plunge? ……………..I will let you know how things work out next month.

Only one piece of advice to offer.....Find new "friends" to ride with!

Remember that the appearance of problems is highly magnified on the Internet. Yes, Spyders can and do break down, just like any machine. They are quite complex, so you don't just fix them by the side of the road, but you don't fix your Ford there anymore, either. Most of us have thousands and thousands of long-journey miles, and have never been stranded. I can't agree with your wife's method of evaluating comfort by looks, but the Spyder RT is certainly the most comfortable thing I have ever owned in over 50 years. I choose it over my BMW almost every time.

[Ken Thomas]

Only one piece of advice to offer.....Find new "friends" to ride with!

Remember that the appearance of problems is highly magnified on the Internet. Yes, Spyders can and do break down, just like any machine. They are quite complex, so you don't just fix them by the side of the road, but you don't fix your Ford there anymore, either. Most of us have thousands and thousands of long-journey miles, and have never been stranded. I can't agree with your wife's method of evaluating comfort by looks, but the Spyder RT is certainly the most comfortable thing I have ever owned in over 50 years. I choose it over my BMW almost every time.

[chris56]

from Vmax to Ymax
.. most of my 32.000 mls (49.000 kms) I did with my wife on the back - we did a lot of tours here in Europe and there is no other Bike which could give us the feeling of our spyder
if there would have been something like this available 30 years ago - we would have used it for our "first" honeymoon - just look that you find a good service - I never had any problems ..
and there are many video-clips on you tube ..

greetings from the Alps

[Mr. Bill]

I never said they were "Friends" just people I ride with occasionally. A "Friend" wouldn't say things like that would they?

I agree with you, the Spyder is the most comfortable bike I have ridden in about the same number of years.

Only one piece of advice to offer.....Find new "friends" to ride with!

Remember that the appearance of problems is highly magnified on the Internet. Yes, Spyders can and do break down, just like any machine. They are quite complex, so you don't just fix them by the side of the road, but you don't fix your Ford there anymore, either. Most of us have thousands and thousands of long-journey miles, and have never been stranded. I can't agree with your wife's method of evaluating comfort by looks, but the Spyder RT is certainly the most comfortable thing I have ever owned in over 50 years. I choose it over my BMW almost every time.

[Spyder777]

I bought my 2012 RSS in July. I was previously riding a '94 VMax. Wouldn't trade my Spyder for a thing. My wife LOVES it and wants to come everywhere with me. I put the OEM adjustable backrest on it and we ride the twistees like ninjas. She can't get enough. Yesterday I went for a 35 mile ride and some errands with my 6 year old. He loves the backrest and being Able to hold on to the handlebars. His voice is so cute in the helmet.

Did I mention that my wife and I are 31 years old.

I fly trikes!!

[dave01]

The RT is great for short or long distance riding. Quite a few trips last year from Fl to Chicago, Missouri and many to NC. You cant beat them for 2-up trike riding.

[ARtraveler]

As others have said: If you like the Spyder based on the test drive--go for it and don't pay attention to what the friends say. Those particular arguments are from people who usually don't know about the subject in depth.

I am also a former Yamaha Venture owner (1983) and your description of top heavy fits well. I am 5"5" and weighed about 170 in those days. A lot of bike to horse around for me--although I put many thousdands of miles on it in a couple years of driving.

RE: Concours: An employee of my dealer's bought the 2012 and he does not like the riding position at all. Would not go touring on it he said. If you end up not buying a , Goldwing is probably the way to go.

Let us know what you decide.

[NancysToy]

I never said they were "Friends" just people I ride with occasionally. A "Friend" wouldn't say things like that would they?

I agree with you, the Spyder is the most comfortable bike I have ridden in about the same number of years.

So true! Find some friends this time...they'll treat you better. About the only answer to "bike snobs" is to seek better company.

[harrypottar]

,

I went from a Honda Goldwing to a 2012 RT Limited and have enjoyed every moment. I my wife prefers the RT on so many levels from comfort to simply getting on and off. I'm in my late forties and heard the same thing as you from friends. Truth be told since we've had the Spyder more and more of our friends wish they had one too.

The spyder is a whole lot a fun, more fun then any bike I've had and I've had a lot over my 35 years of ridding. We really don't care what other people think we bought the spyder because we liked it and it suited our needs. Never had anyone say they wont ride with me and been to lots of bike nights where all sorts of bikers admire the Spyder. Its a great touring machine and would suit a 3 week ride down the east coast.

Take some long test rides and get what suite you and your wife not what others want you to get, its your money and your enjoyment.

harry

[R30SHIRE]

I went from a VMax to a Spyder RT Limited and loved it so much I bought my wife the same thing.......

[Bob Denman]

Oh! Welcome to the Party!!
Your friends will change their minds after they see how happy you guys are on it!

[Mr. Bill]

QUOTE=Bob Denman;532499]Oh! Welcome to the Party!!
Your friends will change their minds after they see how happy you guys are on it! [/QUOTE]

Thanks for all of the positive feed back so far. Everyone here is making us feel all "warm & fuzzy" about joining the Spyder party group.
I just made the appointment to see the dealer on Thursday to do the final test ride with the wife before deciding what we will do. Seems kind of late to do anything this season but there is still a month or so of good fall riding left to be had here in Ontario.

[mrwidget]

Started out with a GS and then moved up to a RT and have taken a lot of trips of more than 400 miles very comfortable to ride and with more than 30,000 miles between the 2 never a break down
and only 1 limp mode because of a loose relay pushed it back in and off we went and as for what people think about the spyder who cares I got it for me not them so if you test drive it and your wife likes it GO FOR IT

[CentralCoastCA]

Don't be surprised if your wife decides she wants her own Spyder either, when she sees how easy and fun they are to drive :-) Barbara

[boborgera]

From this moment on we're all as young as we'll ever be,
So i guess we're all getting old.

[BeachSpyder]

The Spyder RT has quickly become North America's most popular trike, but you did not specify whether you desired the trike feature primarily, or if you were looking more for a stable touring platform. Due to the highly sophisticated nature of the Spyder's geometry and electronics, they are more prone to problems, though not necessarily failure. I am about to have my dash cluster replaced on my 2011 Ltd, but the malfunctioning has been a mere inconvenience. Plenty of storage room, good overall fit and finish, good power, and most importantly, the ability to ride without the stress of possible calamity, like losing traction in a curve, dropping your bike at a stoplight, losing your balance due to passenger movement, etc. You can ride in the rain, the snow (within reason) and in most conditions that would make a sane person nervous on 2 wheels.

With that said, there are other equally comfortable touring machines that should be considered if they are easily accessible and easy to get serviced. The obvious choices are the Honda GoldWing, the Harley Ultra-Classic, the Yamaha and Kawasaki tourers, etc. Three other bikes I would seriously recommend are the Victory Cross Country Tour and Vision, and the BMW K1600GTL. I am a big fan of Victory and currently own the 2012 Vision Arlen Ness Edition, and consider the Victory Vision tour to be one of the most comfortable V-Twins on the road. The biggest shortcoming of the bike, besides price, is the lack of storage in the side bags, due to choosing form over function in their design. The bike is a beautiful machine, and an acquired taste, but worth the look. But definitely not enough storage to ride 2-up for weeks without a trailer. The other Victory to consider, the Cross Country Tour, is an equally capable touring bike without the styling compromises of the Vision, though slightly more "Cruiser Like" and traditional, with a contemporary flair, and more storage capacity than any other production 2-wheeler. Extremely comfortable, a very low center of gravity, and Victories are relatively easy to get serviced. And no-one will give you a hard time about riding a Victory (American Made) as it looks like a really cool version of a Harley, just better looking and more reliable!

The BMW GTL is sort of in a class of its own, and should be considered if you are serious about touring. It is the most sophisticated motorcycle in production, and more technologically advanced than any other 2 wheeler. Also one of the most powerful production bikes, comfortable 2-up from 20-120 mph. It rides with the ease of a scooter, and is not nearly as top heavy as it's predecessors (I have owned both) the K1200LT and K1200GT. The cost of servicing a BMW can be daunting, but with any of these bikes, a 5 year warranty should be available, and unless you are a mechanic, it should be mandatory.

I hope this helps. An important note is that the Spyder is definitely not a "one size fits all" kind of bike, and most people need to tweak their riding position to get the most comfort out of their bike. I was very uncomfortable on mine until recently, when I bit the bullet and purchased a seat from Ultimate Seats with backrest, highway pegs from Lamonster, a block-off from Spyderpops, and floorboards from SpyderRT.com. I will most likely get an anti-sway bar once the new one is available from the preferred vendor here, and might still get the upgraded Elka shocks as well. These mods will have set me back approximately $2200 in addition to the factory mods. Much of this is due to my size (5'11" and 280lbs) but I think some of it is just due to a poor, but evolving, design. I think people of average height and weight are more comfortable with stock components, and from personal observation, the Spyder seems to be more comfortable 2 up.

I hope this information helps.

[DarkSage]

It always amazes me, I thought I'd be the one going "oh that's a 'grandpa' bike".
The Spyder is my first bike - bought it when I was 25 - thing is way too much fun to be considered a 'geezer glider'!
As far as break downs - I've had 21000 trouble free miles - and I'm definitely NOT what you would call mechanically inclined.

I'm sure you'll find a lot of people on spyderlovers with similar experiences with these bikes - good luck on your decision!

[btcherm]

when from 750 honda to 2012 rts es5 love it ,(and here we go)

[Grumpy2]

Just enjoy the ryde. It's great

[SpyRyd]

I was a Harley rider for many years...but sold my Ultra Classic following two back surgeries for the same concerns you mention in your original post and purchased a Spyder RT Ltd in May of this year. My longest trip to date has been 1556 miles, no problems at all...love my .
Seems the key to trouble free riding is dealer set up. Many problems posted here any on other boards could have been avoided had the been setup properly. I don't know if you have more than one dealer to chose from but if you do, do your research especially on their service department and maintenance technician(s) and pick the dealer with the best maintenance department even if they don't give you the best deal on the price.

Good luck and welcome to the wonderful world of lovers!

[Tonga]

The Spyder RT has quickly become North America's most popular trike, but you did not specify whether you desired the trike feature primarily, or if you were looking more for a stable touring platform. Due to the highly sophisticated nature of the Spyder's geometry and electronics, they are more prone to problems, though not necessarily failure. I am about to have my dash cluster replaced on my 2011 Ltd, but the malfunctioning has been a mere inconvenience. Plenty of storage room, good overall fit and finish, good power, and most importantly, the ability to ride without the stress of possible calamity, like losing traction in a curve, dropping your bike at a stoplight, losing your balance due to passenger movement, etc. You can ride in the rain, the snow (within reason) and in most conditions that would make a sane person nervous on 2 wheels.

With that said, there are other equally comfortable touring machines that should be considered if they are easily accessible and easy to get serviced. The obvious choices are the Honda GoldWing, the Harley Ultra-Classic, the Yamaha and Kawasaki tourers, etc. Three other bikes I would seriously recommend are the Victory Cross Country Tour and Vision, and the BMW K1600GTL. I am a big fan of Victory and currently own the 2012 Vision Arlen Ness Edition, and consider the Victory Vision tour to be one of the most comfortable V-Twins on the road. The biggest shortcoming of the bike, besides price, is the lack of storage in the side bags, due to choosing form over function in their design. The bike is a beautiful machine, and an acquired taste, but worth the look. But definitely not enough storage to ride 2-up for weeks without a trailer. The other Victory to consider, the Cross Country Tour, is an equally capable touring bike without the styling compromises of the Vision, though slightly more "Cruiser Like" and traditional, with a contemporary flair, and more storage capacity than any other production 2-wheeler. Extremely comfortable, a very low center of gravity, and Victories are relatively easy to get serviced. And no-one will give you a hard time about riding a Victory (American Made) as it looks like a really cool version of a Harley, just better looking and more reliable!

The BMW GTL is sort of in a class of its own, and should be considered if you are serious about touring. It is the most sophisticated motorcycle in production, and more technologically advanced than any other 2 wheeler. Also one of the most powerful production bikes, comfortable 2-up from 20-120 mph. It rides with the ease of a scooter, and is not nearly as top heavy as it's predecessors (I have owned both) the K1200LT and K1200GT. The cost of servicing a BMW can be daunting, but with any of these bikes, a 5 year warranty should be available, and unless you are a mechanic, it should be mandatory.

I hope this helps. An important note is that the Spyder is definitely not a "one size fits all" kind of bike, and most people need to tweak their riding position to get the most comfort out of their bike. I was very uncomfortable on mine until recently, when I bit the bullet and purchased a seat from Ultimate Seats with backrest, highway pegs from Lamonster, a block-off from Spyderpops, and floorboards from SpyderRT.com. I will most likely get an anti-sway bar once the new one is available from the preferred vendor here, and might still get the upgraded Elka shocks as well. These mods will have set me back approximately $2200 in addition to the factory mods. Much of this is due to my size (5'11" and 280lbs) but I think some of it is just due to a poor, but evolving, design. I think people of average height and weight are more comfortable with stock components, and from personal observation, the Spyder seems to be more comfortable 2 up.

I hope this information helps.

The last paragraph tells it All. The riding position did not work for me on my RT but highway pegs helped. Look into what is available before you buy. Good Luck.

[dave01]

If available, opt for a maintenance plan. If you are able to do them yourself, you will save a lot of money. The spyder oil changes, periodic maint. costs are rediculous compared to many other bikes. Have a good dealer relationship from the beginning and you will be much happier with ownership.

[NorthStar]

I hear what you are saying about negative comments on the forums spooking you. I purchased my RTs in February 2010 (delivery in March) and between the time I purchased the machine and took delivery all I could see on the forums were the negative comments. Mind you there were a few "bugs" to work out on the first year models and a good proportion of the posts were slight over reactions to what turned out to be simple tweeks to a very complicated machine.

I bought my Spyder primarily for the driver and passenger creature comforts. The Semi Automatic transmission was a must for me. Coming off of a GL1800, and previous to that a RS Venture, I had a very good idea as to what I was looking for in a touring machine. The safety systems built into a Spyder are second to none and you will find that after a reasonable familiarization period touring on the Spyder will become a passion for the two of you.

I deal with Lockharts in Courtland and would highly recommend their service department. It is important that you develop a relationship with your dealer because certain maintenance items for your Spyder are somewhat beyond the wrenching capabilities of most mere mortals.

Take that final demo ride two up, walk away and take a deep breath. Saunter back into the dealer and talk deal. A big decision for the both of you, but if it feels right then pull the trigger and never look back.

As for new friends, there is a healthy group of Ontario Spyder Ryders that will make you guys feel very welcome.

[ulflyer]

Why do many of you want to characterize the problems some of us have had as "negative" , or "complainers", or "screamers" when we simply report an issue? Would you rather not know?

I've had two throttle body replacements, far more than a few others have had the same issue. I'd like to see a poll done on this particular problem.

Has BRP worked at resolving it? It seems so, and since the last computer update earlier this summer, I've had no further problems. I'm hoping they've got it figured out.

Theres been scores of electrical related issues and while they've been taken care of for the most part, they are legimate issues that I for one want to hear about. It will be helpful for me to perhaps diagnose the problem if I should ever have a similar one.

I'm an old coot and have owned scores of bikes since 1960 and rarely had any mechanical/electrical problems. Even when I did, most could be fixed at home. Those were simpler machines, not like the highly complicated Can Am.

Lets not pretend they have no significant growing pains. They do. But most of us are willing to live with them and deal with them the best we can because they are so damn much fun to ride and offer a comfort unlike any other.

The only advice I have is go try a Goldwing Trike as I consider that the only competitor to the Can Am. Its reliability is beyond compare.

Would I buy another Can Am? If my wallet allowed, I would, as I like it that much.