GS/RS - in praise of simplicity

[FaranH]

With all the threads about the heat problems with the new ST in particular and the continued posts and question on some RT issues, Leira and I were talking this weekend about how much we appreciate the relative simplicity of the RS-S model we both have.

I know a sports model isn't for everyone and the others have their place. And I was sure longing for an ST after having test-ridden one. But right now? I'm really valuing the fact that I don't have a plethora of electronic gadgets to go wrong, I've never been in limp mode, I've had one code that flashed for 20 seconds and it was because I had not kept my oil level high enough, I can get on and start it within just a few seconds, and so on.

Yeah, I still have space envy and some comfort envy. But man. My RS works, works reliably, and I'm happy, happy, happy.

Just felt the need to say it!

[Littlebadwolf]

Sarah...I agree with you totally....Cindi and I both have RS's (09s') anf haver had a single problem with the exception the coolant tank blowing out on the way to the Owner's event...Wasn't a problem for me because the techs from BRP brought in a new reinforced tank and installed it for nothing...no charge...I consider our RS's to be very reliable and would ride them anywhere...

[Sarge707]

I Love my 09 GS and I love my 2012 Base RT . I think BRP should Re-Machine back to the Old Suspension - Lighter is better as far as I,m concerned-

[Littlebadwolf]

Sarge...What part of CT you from?.....I went to high school in Norwich...(NFA)...We may be taking a trip up there in Sep/Oct...Maybe we can hook up for a ride...Larry

[ARtraveler]

Mixed results for me--but not bad ones either.

My 2008 GS-SM5 was trouble free for the 24,000 miles I owned it. Oil changes, filters, tires and one valve check was all the repair/maintenance I put into it.

The 2009 RS-SE5 had a computer issue at 1500 miles. It crashed and needed to be replaced. The dealer cannibalized another machine and had us on road in a couple days. Other than that, oil changes, filters, and tires. Still going with 25,000 plus miles on it.

What you say is very true. We do tend to hear little to nothing about mechanical issues and problems with the RS versions of the . There is much to be said there.

[Tierhog]

Agree. My 2008 GS has been a breeze.

Cable throttle, less plastic, less heat, less hose damage.

They need to roll back the "improvements" for reliability sake. I'm sure we have some wonderful stories of longevity, but the throttle situation alone has me wondering why they push so hard/fast on development. The user experience is paramount, and reliability is more important than a computer throttle and a host of toys.

Have they outsourced yet? Seeing water pump issues in newer models too.

I love all three models. I hope they focus on quality more

[twain]

FaranH, agree with you totally. This am Flamingobabe and I both voiced our desire to have our RS models back instead of our ST. Wish I could trade back right now. Five months old and 3rd major issue.

[Bob Denman]

(Sitting here now iwth the windshield at "half-mast"... Busted strut)
We all know that "Stuff" happens ...
It's probably more than likely, that the more "stuff" that's around, the better chance that the "stuff" will happen to your... Stuff!
But it all gets fixed eventually!

[SPYD3R]

With all the threads about the heat problems with the new ST in particular and the continued posts and question on some RT issues, Leira and I were talking this weekend about how much we appreciate the relative simplicity of the RS-S model we both have.

I know a sports model isn't for everyone and the others have their place. And I was sure longing for an ST after having test-ridden one. But right now? I'm really valuing the fact that I don't have a plethora of electronic gadgets to go wrong, I've never been in limp mode, I've had one code that flashed for 20 seconds and it was because I had not kept my oil level high enough, I can get on and start it within just a few seconds, and so on.

Yeah, I still have space envy and some comfort envy. But man. My RS works, works reliably, and I'm happy, happy, happy.

Just felt the need to say it!

Faran, I COULDN'T AGREE MORE..... my '09 RS now has just over 34,000 miles on it, and i've had relatively few problems... frt end alignment, and oil leak... all taken care of by POWERSPORTS of GREENVILLE very nicely and very quickly... other than than, i've replaced the frt tires once and rear tire twice... applied my MOD's and just enjoy the ride...
oh, btw, i wave to you on my ryde out to UTAH back in May, and again when i came back... did you see me...???
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[vtrider]

I find it interesting that brought that up Faran. I was out on a ride today with my 2008 GS and was actually thinking about the same thing. I've had really good luck with my spyder in the 57,000 miles that I've logged on it thus far. The only thing that I have a complaint about is the inner wear problem on the front tires. I've had the front end alignment done at the beginning of the riding season. It seems better, but I still think I will need to rotate the tires more frequently to prevent a lot of wear on the tires. I too was thinking about moving up to an ST or RT, but with the miles on my spyder and the low trade-in amount that the dealer offered, I decided it wasn't worth it to me at this time. I'm still having fun with what I have and have too much invested in the extras to just let it go anyhow. Why change when things are good! Maybe I will change my tune when the 2014's come out. Hopefully some of the issues that the 2013's were plagued with will be worked out by then.

[SPYD3R]

I find it interesting that brought that up Faran. I was out on a ride today with my 2008 GS and was actually thinking about the same thing. I've had really good luck with my spyder in the 57,000 miles that I've logged on it thus far. The only thing that I have a complaint about is the inner wear problem on the front tires. I've had the front end alignment done at the beginning of the riding season. It seems better, but I still think I will need to rotate the tires more frequently to prevent a lot of wear on the tires. I too was thinking about moving up to an ST or RT, but with the miles on my spyder and the low trade-in amount that the dealer offered, I decided it wasn't worth it to me at this time. I'm still having fun with what I have and have too much invested in the extras to just let it go anyhow. Why change when things are good! Maybe I will change my tune when the 2014's come out. Hopefully some of the issues that the 2013's were plagued with will be worked out by then.

hey Vermont... is your tire wear on the inside or outside of the tire....??? mine wore on the inside, had it aligned, and although it's MUCH better, i am seeing a little bit more wear on the 'inside' edges... i think i'll start a 'thread' on TIRE WEAR....
as for 'trade in' value... i put a bid in on a new 2013 ST and although my '09 is in PERFECT condition they offered me just about nothing.... so i bought a Jag XF instead...
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[MikeinGA]

FaranH, agree with you totally. This am Flamingobabe and I both voiced our desire to have our RS models back instead of our ST. Wish I could trade back right now. Five months old and 3rd major issue.

I never buy a first year of a new model of anything. I don't like debugging anything. That's why I waited 4 years to by my 2011 RS-S and only had minor problems. The problems I had were caused by the dealers techs in Gainsville, Ga., but that's water under the bridge. I still did my own mods to improve it. That's IMHO.

Mike

[FaranH]

Faran, I COULDN'T AGREE MORE..... my '09 RS now has just over 34,000 miles on it, and i've had relatively few problems... frt end alignment, and oil leak... all taken care of by POWERSPORTS of GREENVILLE very nicely and very quickly... other than than, i've replaced the frt tires once and rear tire twice... applied my MOD's and just enjoy the ride...
oh, btw, i wave to you on my ryde out to UTAH back in May, and again when i came back... did you see me...???

Was that you waving?!

[Chupaca]

And I do..we have a 2012 RS ( 8,500 miles just a youngin ) but no wrinkles..I have come to believe that this site is like a Dr's office. No one goes to give him praise but to give him symptoms and look for solutions. We do need to give them praise for there are a lot more out there doing fine than here suffering. I think this site does an admirable job calming people down, helping them learn all aspects, finding solutions and a little humor to lighten things up...thanks for your post...

[H.L.Spyder Guy]

I as well love my....RS as well!! She' given me a little more than 16,350 miles of smiles!!

[Rayelljay]

My simple '11 RS SM with 13k is definitely plug and play....now if I could just figure a way to carry a Strat and a Twin Reverb...!!!

[mcaccamise]

I have modded my 2012 RSS to that of a STS and im completly happy with it so no need to change for me i hope for all the 13 owners BRP works dilagently to sort out the problems safty first for miles of smiles.
Mike

[vtrider]

hey Vermont... is your tire wear on the inside or outside of the tire....??? mine wore on the inside, had it aligned, and although it's MUCH better, i am seeing a little bit more wear on the 'inside' edges... i think i'll start a 'thread' on TIRE WEAR....
as for 'trade in' value... i put a bid in on a new 2013 ST and although my '09 is in PERFECT condition they offered me just about nothing.... so i bought a Jag XF instead...
017.jpg

The tire wear I see is mostly on the right tire on the inside. I will probably have the tires rotated soon.

[FaranH]

FaranH, agree with you totally. This am Flamingobabe and I both voiced our desire to have our RS models back instead of our ST. Wish I could trade back right now. Five months old and 3rd major issue.

I really hate that for y'all. I was very excited about the ST and wanted to move to one right away, but timing and $$ wasn't working out. I know BRP will get this solved and the 2014 models will be much improved, but man is it frustrating for you and FB and others who made the move.

[NancysToy]

The tire wear I see is mostly on the right tire on the inside. I will probably have the tires rotated soon.

Uneven tire wear on one side indictates worn or damaged suspension components. Tires worn unevenly on both sides indicates alignment issues. Rotating tires merely moves the point of wear on the tires, extending their life, but does not adress the root cause...or give the tire life seen in a properly aligned vehicle with sound suspension components.

[pro10is]

With all the threads about the heat problems with the new ST in particular and the continued posts and question on some RT issues, Leira and I were talking this weekend about how much we appreciate the relative simplicity of the RS-S model we both have.

I know a sports model isn't for everyone and the others have their place. And I was sure longing for an ST after having test-ridden one. But right now? I'm really valuing the fact that I don't have a plethora of electronic gadgets to go wrong, I've never been in limp mode, I've had one code that flashed for 20 seconds and it was because I had not kept my oil level high enough, I can get on and start it within just a few seconds, and so on.

Yeah, I still have space envy and some comfort envy. But man. My RS works, works reliably, and I'm happy, happy, happy.

Just felt the need to say it!

I think the GS/RS series are without question the most reliable Spyder models. To date my 2011 RS-S has been trouble free. Good thing too because my warrenty is up and I didn't reup for the BEST extension.

[serf]

With all the threads about the heat problems with the new ST in particular and the continued posts and question on some RT issues, Leira and I were talking this weekend about how much we appreciate the relative simplicity of the RS-S model we both have.

I know a sports model isn't for everyone and the others have their place. And I was sure longing for an ST after having test-ridden one. But right now? I'm really valuing the fact that I don't have a plethora of electronic gadgets to go wrong, I've never been in limp mode, I've had one code that flashed for 20 seconds and it was because I had not kept my oil level high enough, I can get on and start it within just a few seconds, and so on.

Yeah, I still have space envy and some comfort envy. But man. My RS works, works reliably, and I'm happy, happy, happy.

Just felt the need to say it!

Honestly my 2010 RS SM5 has been problem free and that makes me very happy. The only cost other than oil and tires was an alignment.

[asp125]

Our 2008 has been trouble free as well. Manual shift, cable throttle.. just less potential points of failure with a simple proven design. I was considering an upgrade to the ST, but we've made modifications that get us to 95% of the functionality of an ST anyway. I think I'll wait a few years until the ST evolves and the bad ones have burned to the ground.

[Flanker]

Pretty pleased with mine so far................

[Rockwall]

With all things containing an engine, less typically means more reliability. I chose the SM5 because I wanted the fun of true shifting and I was frankly a bit worried about semi auto trannys.