please help enlighten me

[cuznjohn]

hi folks as you might know i am new to the spyder, i liked the look of the bikes and the concept of riding on 3 wheels. i never did much research on them b4 i went and bought my 13 rt/s. first i noticed the bike was all over the road and i would come home exhausted from a ride, than i read about elka shocks so i bought and installed a set and also installed a air horn because the stock horn was kind of quiet. the elkas made a big difference but the bike still wandered a little. so than i read about bad ball joints on some bikes, and sure enough mine were set to be replaced but i had to ask the dealer because i was never told about them. it took almost 2 weeks to get the ball joints and during that time i read about the hemi joints, but mine are ok, than i notice when they assembled my bike they left off the 2 top plastic pieces that cover where the fuse boxes are and they can't find them and they are still on order.

so now a week ago i bring my bike in to ave the ball joints done and the first service, at that time they found a nail in my back tire and i decided to have the tire replaced being i only had 600 miles on the bike and didn't want to drive around with a plug in a brand new tire, we are still waiting on the tire so the bike is still in the shop. now i am reading about a recall on some bikes about a heat problem that might melt the brake reservoir, i see that one person from the states got a notice on this and asked my dealer today about it figuring my bike is there already so he might as well take care of it if my bike is one of the ones that need fixing, he said no.

now i understand not all of my problems is not a mfg. problem but does can am have a history of problems with their bikes, like the BMW i sold b4 i bought this bike there were bikes with problems but i never had one and i know this is common to happen, but for the riders that have had your bikes do you feel this is a problem bike or just a few mishaps with different models ... thanks

john

[Chupaca]

To many folks come here to spyder lovers and read more problem than praise. This is in part because people with problems come here for answers and help. If you could get all the folks with no problem to post here they would drown out the site. Those with problems are no more and probably less than other manufacturers. This is one fine machine very techy in a world of inbetween. Not a bike not a car and does not handle like either one. You have to unlearn and learn quite a bit but once you do you will never look back. It's not a gas guzzler nor is it a hybrid. The more you change and modify the more that can go wrong. So what i am saying is "no this is not a problem ryde" ...:thumbup:

[SNOOPY]

Most forums are like Chupaca says, people go there w/ their problems.

All the 1000's of people w/ no problems rarely visit a forum unless they pop in to see events going on.


I'd like to know what air horn you put on your bike also, and where you mounted it?:D

[EnjoyingTheRyde]

To many folks come here to spyder lovers and read more problem than praise. This is in part because people with problems come here for answers and help. If you could get all the folks with no problem to post here they would drown out the site. Those with problems are no more and probably less than other manufacturers. This is one fine machine very techy in a world of inbetween. Not a bike not a car and does not handle like either one. You have to unlearn and learn quite a bit but once you do you will never look back. It's not a gas guzzler nor is it a hybrid. The more you change and modify the more that can go wrong. So what i am saying is "no this is not a problem ryde" ...:thumbup:

:agree:

[cuznjohn]

Most forums are like Chupaca says, people go there w/ their problems.

All the 1000's of people w/ no problems rarely visit a forum unless they pop in to see events going on.


I'd like to know what air horn you put on your bike also, and where you mounted it?:D

i installed the stebil air horn and when i had the frunk off the bike i installed it very low and to the front of the frunk. sorry i have no pictures but if you know the air inlets on the rt they have removable air intakes one on each side of the frunk. so i removed the right one and fastened the air horn side ways to the skid plate with the bolt that comes with the horn than put a tie wrap around the body of the horn to hold it better to the skid plate. sorry if this is hard to understand but that's how i did it. i also mounted the relay to the top of the battery holder and ran the wiring from the horn to the battery access cover so it can be disconnected to remove the frunk. i also re routed the wires from the original horn to the battery opening to operate the relay. and it works great

[Bob Ledford]

I agree with some of the previous posts to this thread. The mental nature of most on the forum is to post questions that they do not understand. Which is a good thing. Don't get me wrong yet!

Your problems sound to me ( emphasis on " to me" h) like your selling dealer may have not set your Spyder up correctly during the unpacking stage.

Don't get me wrong with what I am about to say. First hand my RTL is almost in OEM condition. But just because you spent $500 + USD on a pair of Elka shock absorbers doesn't fix and alignment setting that may have not be checked during the setup phase.

You did not state what your roads were like either? Tire pressures? Weather conditions?

There are just a pile of things that good solid dealer prep checks could be leading up to your problems. It almost sounds like you could be having a slight case of " buyers remorse " which you need to get rid of before it ruins your days of good riding experiences.

Do I think you bought a lemon? No I don't! Make your dealer get off the chair and fix them

[Bob Denman]

John,
Let's face it; you're just going to HAVE to escape from Queens and bring your bike North! A couple of rides in the twisties up here; and you'll be grinning like the guy who just laid down five Aces, on the biggest pot that he's ever seen! :2thumbs:
It makes you forget all about any hiccups along the way! ;)

[ulflyer]

To many folks come here to spyder lovers and read more problem than praise. This is in part because people with problems come here for answers and help. If you could get all the folks with no problem to post here they would drown out the site. Those with problems are no more and probably less than other manufacturers. This is one fine machine very techy in a world of inbetween. Not a bike not a car and does not handle like either one. You have to unlearn and learn quite a bit but once you do you will never look back. It's not a gas guzzler nor is it a hybrid. The more you change and modify the more that can go wrong. So what i am saying is "no this is not a problem ryde" ...:thumbup:

Afraid I can't agree with you on this. I've had so many bikes and maxi-scooters in my life I've lost count. None ever had any significant problems. In recent years I've had 2 Suz 650 scooters and 3 Suz 400 scooters. One of the 400's had a recall on an electronic part. No recalls, no issues on the others. None on previously owned Honda's, Yamaha's, or Kaw's since the '60's.

I do agree that the Can Am's are high tech and that alone has caused lots of problems. I also agree that BRP has been, for the most part, very good in trying to resolve these problems. My '11 RT has had two throttle body's replaced, turn sig and cruise ct replaced, and recently the VSS replaced in an effort to resolve the "faulty brake light" code that resists all efforts by the dealer and BRP techs. Nothing has worked yet but I have confidence that it will get fixed. In doing this however, theres been many trips to the dealer and time spent doing it.

I personally know two other RT owners; both have had throttle body's replaced, both have front tires wearing on the edge and a few other smaller problems.

Did I believe these high tech machines were more problematic than most Japanese machines before I bought my RT? Yes I did, and got the extended warranty to go with it. First time in my life for an extended warranty and it paid off the first week.

Despite all this, I am enjoying this machine more than any I've owned in recent years. Wouldn't trade it for a truckload of 2-wheelers, and recommend it highly to others...at nearly ever gas sta and groc store. :)

[bruiser]

My wife's 2010 RTS has had some minor issues. All have been taken care of. One was my fault for not thoroughly reading the manual. Most of my rants have been dealer related. By the way, she has almost 14,000 on hers and the front tires show no signs of abnormal wear.

My 2012 has essentially been problem free. Has been in the shop once for rear tire replacement caused by flat tire and shredded inner side wall. I have done all the maintenance on it and am doing the maintenance on the 2010 as well.

I have to agree that it seems most of your problems are set up related.

[cuznjohn]

please don't get me wrong, i don't have buyers remorse, i do enjoy the bike but i was just wondering if there are things i need to look forward to. besides bikes i have had many cars also, two of witch were returned under the lemon law so i know and expect some problems. i enjoy riding my rt now that i have changes the front shocks to the elkas 1+1 's. i do miss the two wheels but having a few health problems this is the best for me because i still wanted to ride and not give it up. when i get the bike back with the new ball joints and rear tire i am going to travel to Poughkeepsie NY to get the laser alignment done on the bike. so no remorse just a few questions

[Bob Denman]

:shocked: You're coming up to "Pough-Town"?? :shocked: :thumbup:
Let me know when! You're only about ninety minutes South and East of me; perhaps we can get the gang together at some midway point! :2thumbs:

[cuznjohn]

yea bob the place is called dutchess rec. sports and it is about 1 1/2 hrs from me and they are the closest one to me that do the laser alignment

[SpyderAnn01]

To make one thing clear no one in the US has gotten any official notification of a recall. The person you refer to was sent a copy of the Canadian notice via the CanAm Facebook page from his dealer. That said, I think your dealer is not the best. Not having a tire in stock, is in my opinion, a no no. You could have ordered a Kumho or one of the other same sized tires from Discount Tire or many other online retailers and have had it delivered already.

Good luck.

[Bob Denman]

John,
I'm sending you a PM...

[ARtraveler]

I also agree with others that set up problems may be the cause of some issues with your :spyder2:. We have already addressed the issue about the tire in a couple other threads. The dealer should know better, and have tires in stock. It's looking like bad dealer based on the big picture.

[OldCowboy]

I also agree with others that set up problems may be the cause of some issues with your :spyder2:. We have already addressed the issue about the tire in a couple other threads. The dealer should know better, and have tires in stock. It's looking like bad dealer based on the big picture.


:agree: John, there are some dealers who just can't seem to get it right with :spyder2:. And I think yours is one of them. In the future, I'd try a different dealer. Artic Adventures in Rosendale, NY has received good reviews from Spyderlovers members. It's about 2 hours north of you. Ledgewood Powersports in Ledgewood, NJ is another dealer with good reviews and they look to be about an hour west of you. Finally, Blackmans Cycle Center in Emmaus, PA, which is about two hours west of you has also received good reports from Spyderlovers members.