2013 Can-Am Spyder RT Safety Recall - Elevated Temperature in Engine Compartment

[finless]

Oh; I believe that your bike has an issue with fumes.
But why?
Is your evaporative canister getting raw fuel in it?
do you have a problem with boiling fuel?
Did you overfill the tank?

There ARE things that can be done to solve the problem...

Really Bob..... This fume issue has been posted here for YEARS.... It is a WELL KNOWN ISSUE!

No offense dude but because you have a 14 now all your whining from the past doesn't matter?

Kind of pisses me off...

And you admit your not a technical guy so why even post unless your best approach is to piss off other people...

Sorry your right! "this is not your best day". Personally..... shut the hell up! We don't need the post whore to tell us what we all already know damn it....

Your not helping BOB! Time to BACK OFF....

Yes Cruzr Joe... I need a snickers bar!

Bob

[finless]

OK I am calm now..... Bob seriously... you have no dog any longer in this fight so it "might be in your best interest" to not piss people off by commenting now. My opinion but do what you want.

Look, all RT's since day one have had a fuel fume problem. Look back here on SL here and you will see it posted many many times.
Talk about over filling the gas tank and all that BS... In the end it's ALL BS.....

In the end the Evap canister system and heat to the gas tank is FLAWED!
The 2013's just brought the issue to a HEAD due to even higher heat issues!
The root issue is GAS FUMES caused by the boiling gas tanks thus causing the Evap canister to become saturated and eventually the fumes cause a FIRE!

This is not rocket science...

So previous years prior to the 2013, did not cause as many Spyders to BURN UP... TRUST some did! I can show videos and reports of pre-2103's burning up!
In the end, they were FEW. Thus it did not get the attention of the NHTSA.

ALL YEAR MODELS in my opinion have the same ROOT CAUSE ISSUE....
Because we have less heat issues than the 2013, less chance of a fire, BUT IN THE END the cause of the fires are in fact a flawed problem with a boiling gas tanks and a ALWAYS failing evap canister CAUSING FUMES which can cause a fire!!!!!

Trust, my 14K service is coming up and I WILL be demanding my emissions problems be fixed! I will also want it fully documented so a year from now when my extended warranty is over, when this comes back again, WHICH IT WILL, I want it covered. I bet if I point this issue out to the EPA of the state of California.... It will get some attention... Well that is a route I will take if I have to.
I actually have a friend that works for the EPA that might be interested in this issue as a "pollutant vehicle". But I won't go there yet...

Bottom line... I do not mind if when my Evap canister gets saturated AGAIN after replacement by the dealer, that it gets replaced AGAIN and AGAIN over the life of my ownership. As long as that is done, I will be happy.

Damn.... I love my spyder and will ride it until it's done... But the gas fume issue is really a BAD issue and a "PANTY STAIN" on BRP's Spyder line....

I am a happy owner except for the gas STINK issue....

BRP should really FIX THIS ISSUE for all Spyder owners and not just fix it for the 2013's because the NHTSA told them they have to....

OK time to have a Snickers bar

Bob

[DrewNJ]

Just FYI-
According to the parts list
2012 RT and RS frames are the same. (But different than 2013, 2014)
2013 RT, ST, RS frames are the same. (But different than 2012, 2014)
2014 RT, ST, RS frames are the same. (But different than 2012, 2013)

All the frames from 2012-2014 are different from year to year but are the same for each model of that same year.

The RT heat issue is NOT a frame issue.

[spacetiger]

I probably should have posted my heat solution; it has worked well, cost $35, and was not too difficult to do.

I bought a product called Ceramic Fiber Insulation Blanket 1" x 24" x 36" for $35 including shipping (eBay). The stuff is rated to 2400 degrees F and easy to work with (cuts with scissors). Because it is 1" thick, you can wrap the exhaust pipes with a 10" width. Just cut lengths, wrap the pipes, then hold in place with SS straps (used to hold exhaust wrap). The thickness of the wrap really contains the heat well.

By containing the heat within the pipes, it isn't allowed to radiate the heat outwards then allow air flow to take the heat all throughout the body of the bike. The bike was not really designed to shed heat that is "dumped" inside the body panels. Many of the solutions included opening up holes to get the heated air out, That just doesn't work from a efficiency standpoint. It is far better to not let the heat build up. The exhaust wrap or ceramic option requires some time and/or $$'s.

If I had to bet, I'm guessing the BRP fix will be something like the Ceramic Fiber Insulation Blanket.
1. Take off left/right side panels.
2. cut from 10" width roll the length you need with scissors
3. wrap the pipe, then hold in place with 2 SS straps.
4. move to next pipe and repeat steps 2 & 3 until all pipes are done.
5. I had leftover pieces that I put between the wrapped pipe and the gas tank. That gave me 2" of insulation material between pipe and tank.
4. Put panels back on.

You can do a bike for ~$100-150 - and that includes labor.

I took several pics while the panels were off working on the rear shock....but I forgot the memory card so I don't have any pics. Next time I have the panels off, I'll post pics.

The gas fume is systom not the problem. There are other systoms... of the one problem all pre 2014 Spyders have; the plumbing of the exhaust system within the body allows the exhaust system to dump a LOT of heat within the body.

Jerry

[Pirate looks at --]

Really Bob..... This fume issue has been posted here for YEARS.... It is a WELL KNOWN ISSUE!

No offense dude but because you have a 14 now all your whining from the past doesn't matter?

Kind of pisses me off...

And you admit your not a technical guy so why even post unless your best approach is to piss off other people...

Sorry your right! "this is not your best day". Personally..... shut the hell up! We don't need the post whore to tell us what we all already know damn it....

Your not helping BOB! Time to BACK OFF....

Yes Cruzr Joe... I need a snickers bar!

Bob

Well at least Bob didn't resort to vulgarities! Talk about shut up. We can disagree without calling names. Really no need to bring the discussion down to Junior High School levels. Oh, and the meaculpa was not too sincere either. Really uncalled for in a forum like this.

[jaherbst]

Just FYI-
According to the parts list
2012 RT and RS frames are the same. (But different than 2013, 2014)
2013 RT, ST, RS frames are the same. (But different than 2012, 2014)
2014 RT, ST, RS frames are the same. (But different than 2012, 2013)

All the frames from 2012-2014 are different from year to year but are the same for each model of that same year.

The RT heat issue is NOT a frame issue.

"Absolutely no information on you in your profile DrewNJ. Fill it in. What are you hiding from. What do you ride? "All frames are different but the same"?? Exactly what does that mean? Do you or have you ever owned a 2013 RT? I have.

All frames are different but the same??? I can assure you the 2013 frame was designed for the 1330 engine/transmission and hastily adapted in reverse for the 998 as per BRP when the 1330 was not available in time. 2013 was supposed to be the year with the big change. OOOPS! Mounts for the 998 were added and several other changes were made to adapt the frame to the 998. Study that parts list a little more carefully and you should see that.

We have a lot of strong opinions here from people who do not own and never have owned a 2013 RT, which as Steve M. from BRP stated this thread is about. Lets stay on subject here and if you have never walked in these Moccasins perhaps restrain your comments for a place more suitable.


Jack

[DrewNJ]

Jack, maybe you should do a little homework and look up the part numbers for the frames yourself before you act like an ass.
Further, I don't feel the need to create a resume in my profile like others. If you don't like or believe the info I post, then simply ignore it.

[Saluda]

Don't some of our Spyders already generate enough heat without going off at each other ??

[Raknid]

Post like this is why I stay away from here.....I have close to $30k invested in a 2 year old bike that is worth about half of that.....we have tried many things to fix the heat.....it is about 80% gone...the air flow panels and ecm flash helped a lot.....but...it is not 100%....NM Wrench I'm right there with you....I guess you can call me a whiner

Agreed. This is a complex issue which appears to involve heat, evap canister, boiling fuel, etc. To suggest the customer find the solution -otherwise whining - is just an ignorant and rude. BRP has the engineers who designed the vehicle and are best suited for a solution. I have my own job and family to take care of and am not an engineer.

And, Bob, I do not owe you an explanation of what I have done to the bike but I do not overfill the tank and the RT had had service related to the problem.

[DrewNJ]

Post like this is why I stay away from here.....I have close to $30k invested in a 2 year old bike that is worth about half of that.....we have tried many things to fix the heat.....it is about 80% gone...the air flow panels and ecm flash helped a lot.....but...it is not 100%....NM Wrench I'm right there with you....I guess you can call me a whiner

It's likely the best it will get. The v990 (brp calls it a 998) is notorious for being a hot running motor. This goes well back into the Aprilia bikes (I'm super familiar with this). it is not uncommon for those riders to report heat and many even shut down during heavy traffic.

[Bob Denman]

Well; I suppose that I've kicked over the can of worms now...
Gas fumes have been discussed at length in here for years...
I never had any trouble with this issue with my 2010, but it might have an awful lot to do with how I ride my bikes...
As you ALL know; we've got a nice-sized producer of heat hidden completely under a nice insulating layer of Tupperware...
The bikes really need to have their noses pointed into the wind, and set free! Stop and go traffic conditions in decently warm weather points up a problem....
We don't have the traffic conditions up here, that'll bring this to the forefront.
I have NEVER denied the existence of the problem; I just questioned the source of it...
There's not a doubt in my mind that some folks have overfilled their fuel tanks. I ALSO believe that boiling fuel is most likely the major player in this battle.
So; how do you fix this?
Saying that BRP "Woulda Shoulda Coulda" done this or that; solves nothing!
I have always taken an active role in encouraging the folks who are solving this problem; I defy ANYONE to find even a single post of mine that doesn't encourage folks to roll up their sleeves, and do what is necessary to get their bikes back on the road...


"Shut the Hell up" Really?

[oldguyinTX]

Come on, everybody just grow up!! You guys want to duke it out, take to that "other" forum.

[jcthorne]

Just for the sake of explaination, yes the 2013 frame, suspension etc was a complete redesign and was supposed to get the 1330 engine. The 2013 shares well over 90% of the same body, suspension and frame design with the 2014. Just not the frunk, dual radiators and engine mounts.

Yes the 2013 frame is a one year part number but its nearly identical to the 2014 except for a few weleded on mounting points.

The trouble is that the redesign in 2013, coupled with the 998 engine resulted in a heat build up problem that is both uncomfortable and exaserbated an already bad gas fume issue.

So it may not be the FRAME itself in the 2013 that is really the issue, its the overall redesign of the engine bay and body work, suspension reconfiguration, battery relocation etc for 2013 that went with the upgrades. Its a hybrid that did not work well. We were sold a step child without warning and just want BRP to own up to the defective design and fix them or buy them back. And I mean fix them 100%. No excuses accepted.

I for one would be happy to drop my 2013 off at the dealer and pickup a 2014 or 15 and only pay the difference in MSRP. That's all I should be out for the upgrade. Anything more than that is loss of value that is BRPs fault for selling a defective design and the market knows it. As bad as trade values for 13s were recently, I'd bet once that letter gets to the dealers not one would touch a 13 for inventory. How could they hope to sell it until May? No, we 13 owners are stuck and BRP should be held accountable.

BRP - Admit the mistake, take your lumps, pay up and move on as reputable company rather than continue to deny, deny deny and ignore.

[oldguyinTX]

Just for the sake of explaination, yes the 2013 frame, suspension etc was a complete redesign and was supposed to get the 1330 engine. The 2013 shares well over 90% of the same body, suspension and frame design with the 2014. Just not the frunk, dual radiators and engine mounts.

Yes the 2013 frame is a one year part number but its nearly identical to the 2014 except for a few weleded on mounting points.

The trouble is that the redesign in 2013, coupled with the 998 engine resulted in a heat build up problem that is both uncomfortable and exaserbated an already bad gas fume issue.

So it may not be the FRAME itself in the 2013 that is really the issue, its the overall redesign of the engine bay and body work, suspension reconfiguration, battery relocation etc for 2013 that went with the upgrades. Its a hybrid that did not work well. We were sold a step child without warning and just want BRP to own up to the defective design and fix them or buy them back. And I mean fix them 100%. No excuses accepted.

I for one would be happy to drop my 2013 off at the dealer and pickup a 2014 or 15 and only pay the difference in MSRP. That's all I should be out for the upgrade. Anything more than that is loss of value that is BRPs fault for selling a defective design and the market knows it. As bad as trade values for 13s were recently, I'd bet once that letter gets to the dealers not one would touch a 13 for inventory. How could they hope to sell it until May? No, we 13 owners are stuck and BRP should be held accountable.

BRP - Admit the mistake, take your lumps, pay up and move on as reputable company rather than continue to deny, deny deny and ignore.

[Bob Denman]

I'll throw another on the pile...

[Pirate looks at --]

I agree sort of......but I think that we all know that BRP isn't going to give everybody a 2014, but we can hope that the fix will be a good one, and if it is I would expect that there would be some recouping of value on the 2013 once it is fixed. So let's wait and see what they "cook" up!

[jaherbst]

Jack, maybe you should do a little homework and look up the part numbers for the frames yourself before you act like an ass.
Further, I don't feel the need to create a resume in my profile like others. If you don't like or believe the info I post, then simply ignore it.

Sure the part numbers are different because they had to reverse adapt it to the 998 and weld on new engine mounts. So my question remains do you or have you ever owned a 2013 RT??

By the way, name calling only shows YOU up for what you are. Maybe that's why you have an empty profile

Jack

[MouthPiece]

May I assume, I know I know I'm not supposed to do that, but may I assume that the heat issue is the only thing which has apparently deflated the value of the "13"s?

I'm asking because I have a 13 and its handling and riding is far superior to the "10's through 12's", in my opinion. That leads me to believe that the heat issue is the only thing that could have deflated the value.

Chris

[Bob Denman]

Well; the new engine and transmission combination isn't helping you at all...

[jcthorne]

May I assume, I know I know I'm not supposed to do that, but may I assume that the heat issue is the only thing which has apparently deflated the value of the "13"s?

I'm asking because I have a 13 and its handling and riding is far superior to the "10's through 12's", in my opinion. That leads me to believe that the heat issue is the only thing that could have deflated the value.

Chris

Yes, the suspension, brakes and other changes for 13 were indeed upgrades. They just got overshadowed by a defective design engine bay that runs so hot its dangerous to ride and boils gasoline to the point the vapors expel and catch fire.

All of the suspension and other upgrades for 13 were carried on to 14 except the electric trunk release that became an option.

If the heat problems can be solved, and thats a big if, the 13s would be great riding and driving bikes. Nearly as good as the 14s and a big step up from 10 thru 12s. The power curve will still be different but the handling is nearly identical with the 13 being a bit lighter.

[copilot]

The part numbers are different because one is a 2013 and the one everyone is comparing it to is a 2014.
Your so called part number thing doesn't hold water. The mirrors on the 2013 has a different clip that is 2013 only. Why all the crying I understand after all this is why I am doing a cat delete. Do you really think I spent 407.00 on a piece of stainless exhaust pipe because it looks cool?
If BP wants to half as fix my problem I will accept whatever is offered
I myself would like BP install the 2014 frank with the radiators up front and fix that awful gas problem so people don't think it's going to blow up!

[Jeriatric]

As has been long said, the 13's and their heat issues took the light off prior years heat issues (boiling fuel etc.). As we all know, instead of getting better as many were lead to believe(by the first to test ride the '13's). The heat condition was made worse. So much for the credibility of those who reported there was no longer an issue with heat. It took some time but it eventually came out that those test rides were in cold weather conditions. Really!

It stands to reason NHTSA would put repair of the '13's first on the list to be corrected. They are cooking off at the highest rate.

At some point NHTSA will release their findings and repair requirements (if any) for pre '13 years.

All of us love our spyders or we would not have invested the 25 to 50K plus in them.

Wanting what we paid for(a world class touring machine) is not unreasonable.

How we have been treated by BRP. Well, in my world. When it come to the heat issue...we have been ignored for the most part.

Until now.

Just the facts.

[Dan McNally]

Man, take a few days off, and everyone gets in a fight!

Just some observations:

. . . a motorcycle isn't and investment unless you are buying a vintage Indian or Harley . . . you will lose money on it, just like on a car. Depreciation lives.

. . . I've ridden over 10,000 miles on my 2013 RT LTD . . . lots of problems in the first 3,000 miles, but not so many since the flash update to the ECM . . . but I do worry about what all that trapped heat has done to rubber under the Tupperware . . .

. . . I'm leaving on 16 April to ride from the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia to Tucson AZ, and back, with a side trip to see the Grand Canyon and whatever else we decide are "must see" places along the way.

. . . in preparation for the trip, I am having the 14,000 mile service done, having the plug wires and all the rubber hoses replaced . . . perhaps some or all of that would be done by BRP in May, with the recall, but I'm getting on in years, have an opportunity for an epic ride, and the opportunity may never come up, again, so I'm going. I might be dead before I get another chance.

. . . nothing in life is perfect, but if you allow righteous indignation and anger to eat you up, life ain't very happy. I fully expect BRP will make things right for 2013 owners . . . but I've been disappointed in life, before . . . and will probably be, again . . . but that isn't going to make me bitter and miserable . . . I'll roll with the punches and keep on being happy.

. . . trying to guess what BRP is going to do to resolve the heat issues makes no sense unless one is a psychic . . .

Let's stop criticizing each other for having opinions . . . everyone is entitled to have their own.

CHILL! (please)

[cuznjohn]

Man, take a few days off, and everyone gets in a fight!

Just some observations:

. . . a motorcycle isn't and investment unless you are buying a vintage Indian or Harley . . . you will lose money on it, just like on a car. Depreciation lives.

. . . I've ridden over 10,000 miles on my 2013 RT LTD . . . lots of problems in the first 3,000 miles, but not so many since the flash update to the ECM . . . but I do worry about what all that trapped heat has done to rubber under the Tupperware . . .

. . . I'm leaving on 16 April to ride from the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia to Tucson AZ, and back, with a side trip to see the Grand Canyon and whatever else we decide are "must see" places along the way.

. . . in preparation for the trip, I am having the 14,000 mile service done, having the plug wires and all the rubber hoses replaced . . . perhaps some or all of that would be done by BRP in May, with the recall, but I'm getting on in years, have an opportunity for an epic ride, and the opportunity may never come up, again, so I'm going. I might be dead before I get another chance.

. . . nothing in life is perfect, but if you allow righteous indignation and anger to eat you up, life ain't very happy. I fully expect BRP will make things right for 2013 owners . . . but I've been disappointed in life, before . . . and will probably be, again . . . but that isn't going to make me bitter and miserable . . . I'll roll with the punches and keep on being happy.

. . . trying to guess what BRP is going to do to resolve the heat issues makes no sense unless one is a psychic . . .

Let's stop criticizing each other for having opinions . . . everyone is entitled to have their own.

CHILL! (please)

i have to agree with you, i am amazed how a post can turn people against each other. i really hope you enjoy your trip. there were a couple of posts here that i could of used the dislike button on, but i decided to not do it. it really baffles me why some bikes have major heat issues and some don't. my main question is will the bikes that are fine soon become a bike with a problem.

[Magdave]

IMHO the only REAL fix for the 2013 is to put the 1330 engine and frunk on it that the frame was designed for and call it a day. I am sure the motor mount issue added for the 998 can be resolved to allow it. Anything else is a band aid on a sore. Unfortunately that is an expensive proposition for BRP. They tried a nickel and dime trial solution and enlisted test pilots that reported little if any difference. I have been a test pilot form the day I bought mine and have made some progress but bottom line is 85+ days stuck in beach traffic is a problem for it. Even at this point they come out with a mea culpa and still have no solution. Has anyone ever seen a pre recall letter sent out on any vehicle before stating we will be recalling but do not have a fix and hope to have one 3 or 4 months from now? This is simply bizarre and I think it is an appeasement to NHTSA to stall. Put the right engine on the frame or buy it back( an even more expensive solution). BMW did it. And I was laughed at and made fun of for putting a diaper under my engine to prove gas was dripping from the EVAP tube quite a while back. SHAME on ALL of you that piled on me at that post. In the end I have been proven right as much as I really did not want to be. The quote I remember was "anyone who puts a diaper under their Spyder does not deserve to have one." I will never forget that thread and the fanboys who piled on some of them are posting in this thread.

P.S.
Steve you can contact me at anytime via PM to discuss what would make me happy and I will give you my vin so you can look up the complaints and work I had the dealer do to alleviate as much heat as I could. You never responded to any of my PMs so I don't expect much at this point.