Premier Edition #249 bites the dust!

[srarndt]

Well, we've all heard of this type of accident: Going straight through an intersection in San Luis Obispo, CA on a recent long ride (I live 90 Miles SE of Tucson in Bisbee, AZ) and a teenage boy "didn't see me" coming from the opposite direction stopped mid intersection, then floored his SUV and turns left in front of me. (I hung on pretty good I guess - and we were both going slow enough) for I hung on as my Spyder and I stopped spinning and was not thown into the surrounding traffic.

I walked away virtually unscathed but my ride wasn't drivable so I had the Spyder towed to the nearest dealer in Ventura, CA where they determined my trusty steed of over 34,000 smiles (Premier Edition #249) was totalled. (Counting my blessings!)

I have several questions:

1. Ergonomically speaking, which of today's models is most and least similar to the GS?
2. How are the E5 transmissions working out ( I remember there being problems in the early ones)?
3. Which dealers in your area are most willing to deal on the prices. ( Back in December '07 I ended up flying to Corona, CA, riding back and still saving several thousand over what any AZ dealers were willing to do...at the time)
4. I am thinking about a '13 RS-S in the metallic orange, are they or any other color/model hard to find by comparison? Also, what kine of prices are you all paying out there for this model?
5. Who offers the most quiet large coverage windshield out there?
6. Any newish service bulletins or mechanical issues to be aware of out there?
7. If there are any other Premier members out there still, have any of you been able to negotiate a few more pennies from your insurer based upom it being a P.E.?

Thanks in advance!

Steve

[beanoil]

I cant answer your questions, but please mention to your insurance company to have the teenagers phone records pulled for texts and calls at the time of the accident. If the SUV was a GM model, have the black box read for acceleration rate ,as well as brake percentage and steering angle. A lot of these "I didn't see him" accidents get tagged to the rider because our vehicles actually hit the one's turning in front. Anything that indicates he saw you and was making an aggressive move to get out of your way only adds to your case, and your paycheck. Sorry about your Spyder, but glad you are OK.. bikes can be replaced.

[Flanker]

Wow! Lucky one..........................glad to hear you made it OK. I have to think the RSS is closest to your old ride; apparently some '13 Spyders have had front suspension issues, I hear most have been taken care of by dealers already.....................probably a good idea to ask when you look or negotiate though. Be a good idea to follow up on your ""assailant" as beanoil suggests!

[Bob Denman]

Glad to hear that you and your trusty steed took the impact as well as you did!
If you like the ergonomics of the GS. then the first one to sling a leg over for a test fit should be an RS...
The kid's liability insurance should be on the hook for the boatload of grief that he caused...
Towing...
rental of a vehcile...
value of your bike...
any injuries that are subsequently discovered; you've been running on adrenaline so far... once the pain sets in; review your condition!

[MidLifeCrisis]

Sorry to hear about your ride and glad you are in good shape. With regards to dealers willing to deal in AZ????? All are owned by the same company, except Apache (Mesa), and a dealer in Fountain Hills (may be called Desert Dog...). There's an independent in Prescott I've seen a few advertised for reasonable prices too. Not a clue if there's one closer to you. I've only personally dealt with Apache's service department, but was pretty convinced any outside of the three mentioned are shark tanks.

[retired1]

Sorry to hear about the destruction of your ride, just glad you were able to hold on and not get injured.
If you were happy with your GS PE, and didn't really care about Cruise control, 15" wheels, Brembo brakes, I might be tempted to buy a left over 2012. There should be a few RS or RSS around that coould be bought at considerable savings. Just an option.

[Sny]

Happy you weren't hurt.

I won't try and answer all the questions but I recently went from a 30k mile GS to my new ST (2k miles now) and here's my take on it.

If you like the sporty riding position, you can still have it on an ST... mostly. The stock ST seat is about 2 inches higher than the GS. If you replace the stock ST seat with a GS seat, or one of many aftermarket seats, you can lose that 2 inches of fluffy padding. The fluffy stock ST seat feels good and for the most part is comfortable on long rides (longest I've done so far is a 400 mile day.) But that soft fluffiness leaves me feeling floaty and unstable. I've shoehorned my Kontour seat off my GS on there (still don't really think it fits well) and it feels great sitting a couple inches lower. Much more like the GS. Also remember the ST has a lower center of gravity than the GS and corners much more aggressively than the GS. If you had a nice seat on your GS you might be able to re-use it on a new ST or RS.

Now that you're sitting lower, slap on the BRP touring windshield for the ST and you can drop it all the way down in summer (you can adjust it on the fly) and when it gets cold or you hit the highway you can raise it up higher than I care to. Even the stock windshield on the ST is great compared to anything I tried on the GS (BRP sport touring, BRP ultra touring, Madstad 22", 20", 24" and BRP ultra touring on the Madstad bracket.) After a couple grand in windshields, the ST does it with a click or two of adjustment... stock. Adding the touring shield added more side protection. If you need even more there are some nice ones from CalSci http://www.customdynamics.com/can_am...BRP_Spyder_ST_

The most noticeable negative to the ST (and all 2013's) when compared to the GS/RS is the super light, feedbackless throttle and the new engine. While I am getting used to it, the throttle still drives me nuts. Just don't like it one bit. I want my cable back. The new engine is more smooth than the GS, but it completely falls flat on it's face at higher RPMS. So it's nice for cruising but when you get on it, nothing happens. It might take quite a bit of work to get that power back, if you're the type that wants it I'm getting used to that too, don't really "need" to get on it like that anyhow (but... I wanna!)

The SE5 is quite smooth on the 2013 ST. I originally ordered a manual and at the last second switched to an SE5. Compared to the clunky SE5 I had on my GS I believe they've improved it quite a bit. It's almost too smooth now

The 2013 RSS uses the same engine and electronic throttle as the STS. It also has the same suspension setup. It's going to ride pretty much the same as the STS from that perspective. For a few more $$ spent upgrading to an STS you get floorboards, risers, cruise control and better wind protection that is hard to replicate on an RSS.

All in all I'm quite glad I made the switch. The ergonomics are a huge improvement over the GS and the wind protection is really nice (and unexpected!)

I'll leave one more thought...

You could always get a 2012 RSS and it will be almost identical to your GS.

That all said, this is just one opinion. Everyone sees and feels things a bit differently.

Hopefully you can pick through this novel and find something useful.

Good luck!

[BajaRon]

I've got a PE 2008 edition and if I were going to get a 2013 it would definitely be the RSS. Sweet ride! I'd also consider the SE though I do like my manual transmission.

I wouldn't worry about the SE. I believe that most of the auto transmission issues were owner induced.

Let us know what you decide.

[sls3000]

I've been using Desert Dog in Fountain Hills for all the maintenance since I purchased my bike from cycle world in Glendale AZ. Cycle World was fine to purchase from, but back when I bought the bike from them I felt I was much more knowledgeable than they were.

Good Luck,
Scott

[Sarge707]

If you want the closest match I would get a New Leftover 2012 RSS (At a Bargain Price) because its 698 Pounds and the New 2013 RSS is 798 Pounds or 100 Pounds heavier and 5 Horsepower Less at 100 vs 2012 106!
Thats what I would do- You can,t replace that Light, awesome accelleration of lighter unit and you will never get another Spyder at that weight? The SE5 Just makes it quicker from the stop light!

[ARtraveler]

I am glad to hear that you survived the accident. The above posters pretty much have your answers covered.

[srarndt]

I am glad to hear that you survived the accident. The above posters pretty much have your answers covered.

Thanks to you all for the excellent answers! And for the good wishes - I am most definitely aware as to how lucky i am!!!

[mcaccamise]

Thank god u walked away with out harm and im with others on the 2012 RSS a better savings and quicker unless u want the new and improved STS.
Mike

[cdavid]

Thank goodness you came out OK. The Spyder can be replaced, let us know what direction you end up taking.

[shrubs]

Glad you're OK!! As one who was in an accident, I'm thankful I was on a Spyder and not 2 wheels.

[Bob Denman]

Glad you're OK!! As one who was in an accident, I'm thankful I was on a Spyder and not 2 wheels.

Those of us who have laready earned our "Spyder Crash-Test Dummy" badges are sorry that you've joined our ranks, but glad that you were able to talk about it!