2014 Can Am Spyder RSS SE5 project

I picked up a new project yesterday - a 2014 Can Am Spyder RSS SE5. As you can see from the photo, the whole front end is missing. The owner's father ran into the back of a car and smashed the plastics. Aside from the missing front trunk, pretty much everything else missing are cosmetic plastic panels. Other than a bent front metal inner bumper, there was no damage to the frame or suspension; in fact it runs and drives. I took it for a moderate speed test drive last week.

I got the motorcycle for a good price, $3K less than asking price. I think the seller understood that the market for a project motorcycle is pretty small.

I ordered a bunch of parts last night, about half new and half used. I am spending a bit over $1K on parts, but I think it is still going to be a bargain as I'm spending much less than average book value. It has only 1962 miles!

I did complete a few minor repairs today.

The two vertical posts in the photos are part of a cast aluminum support and housing for the headlights and instrument cluster, so all of that was loose. There was a part of the casting that spanned the bottom of the posts and had snapped off. I cut the remainder off flush and used some angle aluminum to repair. It's at least as sturdy as the original. A used part would have been $180. Interestingly, 2 out of 3 used parts on ebay are also broken - this may be a weak point.

One of the plastic headlight frames was cracked, so I mounted an aluminum back plate with silicone sealer and a couple of screws to secure it.

The seller had put a bunch of underglow LEDs on, but the controller was damaged and he didn't give me the remote controller. Underglow LEDs are not really my thing anyway, so I've been ripping them out. I also removed a cheap amp and volume control - he had already removed the rest. I will be adding a decent Bluetooth stereo.

With so few miles on it, the seller must have indulged in burnouts, because the rear tire is shot. I need to remove the wheel and see if a local tire shop can mount and balance a new tire; I see on the forum that others have done this.

The rest of the job is just bolting on parts when they arrive.

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Originally Posted by DickB

I picked up a new project yesterday - a 2014 Can Am Spyder RSS SE5. ......

With so few miles on it, the seller must have indulged in burnouts, because the rear tire is shot. I need to remove the wheel and see if a local tire shop can mount and balance a new tire; I see on the forum that others have done this.
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Looks like a great project, enjoy! :ohyea: And please, do keep us updated with progress. :thumbup:

Yeah, about that rear tire - while the earlier Kendas were marginally better, the KINDEST thing that I can say about the 2013/14 Kendas was that they were 'absolute ... .... .. - !!' (if you know, you'll know! ;) ) Very few Spyder Owners got too much in the way of miles out of them, they pretty much just wore out even if you only LOOKED at them, and even with the kindest of riding, 4-5000 miles was an achievement - IF the tires were even capable of going that far, cos many had manufacturing &/or Quality Control 'shortfalls' that meant they didn't even last that long!:banghead:

The tread compound they used was apparently changed in the 2013/14 Kendas, and it wasn't good for grip or longevity, but it wore rapidly EXTREMELY WELL!! Towards the end of 2014, at least partly because of all the complaints (even if BRP/Kenda won't admit it publicly! :p ) there was a big change at their manufacturing plant, maybe in specs for the tire too, but certainly bringing an improvement in their Quality Control, and the tread compound was again varied, possibly even reverted; and it has apparently been changed a few times since, with some gradual improvements in both over the years since... but altho it's much better now, neither the Quality Control nor the tread compound in the current Kendas is consistently 'good' - I just pulled a Kenda off a 2023 Spyder, a tire with a date code for Jan '23, that had poorly aligned steel belts in the tread layers, so it's still happening, even if not quite so often as it was back then! :rolleyes:

Anyhow, I for one will be very interested to see how your Project goes. Good Luck! :cheers:

Good luck ..... I hope the asking price wasn't $ 25,000 :dontknow: .....Mike :thumbup:

The GS & RS series bikes were pretty much bullet proof...Should make you years of trouble free riding...larryd

Good luck on your project. Keep us posted as you get into it. :yes:

Looks like that could be fun once it is done. Did the previous owner turn it into the insurance company? I guess what I am asking is, does it have a salvage title?

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Originally Posted by blacklightning

Looks like that could be fun once it is done. Did the previous owner turn it into the insurance company? I guess what I am asking is, does it have a salvage title?

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Nope. Clean title. Damage was all cosmetic; runs and drives fine as is.

Parts are being delivered; some new, mostly used. Still waiting on two critical pieces, the storage bin and the front frame.

$69 for a license plate light? $11 for a "universal" light on Amazon plus a fabricated plastic mount - no holes were drilled in the original fender.

The project is coming together.

The OEM horn was missing. I installed new dual tone horns, which I much prefer over the single stock horn. The one to the left is in the OEM position. I bent the mounting strip of the other one into an L shape and secured it to the storage bin. It took a bit of fiddling to get it located, but is does clear the bin and upper cover.

Still waiting on a few parts, the most critical being the front frame which supports the storage bin and the bumper cover. The original is bent pretty badly out of shape. I had ordered a bunch of new parts from a couple of distributors, none of which were in stock, but I was told would ship from Can Am within 5-7 days. All but a couple had arrived; the front frame being one that had not yet shipped. I just sourced a used front frame from a Canadian seller, and it is expected in a week or so. I'm thinking that this particular part may not be available from Can Am any longer, as the new one I had ordered had not shipped 2 weeks after I had ordered it. Plus, there are a few used ones on eBay for about double the price of new, so I think sellers know what they have. I did pay a bit more than new for the front frame and shipping. C’est la vie.

The next thing will be to remove the rear wheel and get the new tire mounted and balanced. I'm waiting on a socket to remove the rear axle.

The front frame finally arrived, and I was able to install the remaining parts. While waiting and with easy access I installed a pair of relays, one for accessories (triggered by the Front Accessories Plug) and one for aux driving lights that I plan to install at a later time.

I removed the rear wheel to get a new tire mounted and balanced, hopefully tomorrow.

Nice job!! I love the back of that bike and the freedom you have to be able to get the rear tire for service!!:congrats:

The Spyder came with this nice passenger backrest, but as my spouse would not be caught dead on a motorcycle it probably won't get much use. I fabricated this rack for a cleaner look and a bit more cargo capacity. 1/8" aluminum plate, 3/4" x 1/16" aluminum strip, textured black rattle can paint, automotive trim. Both pop on and off in a minute.

I have that same backrest on my 2013 ST, Thanks for posting the picture of the rack you made, I need to see if I can do the same, as the factory one I had was cheaply made (Cast Aluminum) and the part that latched broke, guess it did not like the Givi Trunk I mounted on it.

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Originally Posted by RangerRick

I have that same backrest on my 2013 ST, Thanks for posting the picture of the rack you made, I need to see if I can do the same, as the factory one I had was cheaply made (Cast Aluminum) and the part that latched broke, guess it did not like the Givi Trunk I mounted on it.

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I'd try bolting a piece of aluminum or steel strip to that broken tab, also use some JB Weld - I'm guessing there is enough room to do that.

I got the rear tire mounted and balanced and reinstalled. I've driven a few times and ran into a few problems.

I did an oil and filter change. The oil tank drain bolt was really stuck. I was using a 3/8" drive ratchet to remove it, and I thought that I was going to break the wrench. It finally popped loose. The engine drain was worse. The hex socket looked like it might have been compromised - had to tell looking at it with a mirror. The (7mm?) hex wrench wouldn't fit, and the 6 mm was too loose. I tried removing the drain plug with a Vice Grip, but there was just not enough material to grip. I decided to drain engine oil as best I could by removing the oil filter - I got most of it. I decided to leave that problem for another day. The oil is not perfectly clean, but much fresher than before. I suspect the oil may never have been changed. (Remember, the Spyder had less than 2000 miles on it when I got it.)

On my second drive I got a Limp Home Mode warning and VSS malfunction indicator on. I forget the code, but BUDS pointed to the yaw sensor - the fault would not clear with BUDS and remained active. I got a used yaw sensor, installed and calibrated it, and it has been good so far.

Subsequent I got a Check Engine light with P032A code pointing to a knock sensor. I could reset the code, but it would return after driving just a mile or so. I put fresh premium gas in, but that didn't help. I went to do a resistance check on the knock sensors today, and found the forward cylinder knock sensor connector completely disconnected. I sprayed both connectors with contact cleaner, and it reconnected with a nice snap, and it held securely. I wonder if it was never fully assembled at the factory, and it took some time to work loose. So hopefully that is taken care of. BUDS referred to a "correlation error". My guess is that the ECU expects to see a weaker signal on one sensor at the same time as a stronger one on the other? Of course it was getting no signal at all on one. Will see what happens tomorrow.

With that drain plug did you try to give it a couple light taps with a hammer before you tried to get it off? Sound like a moose did the last oil change in it!:dontknow: Good luck, a hex headed drain plug kit can be your friend!!!:2thumbs:

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Originally Posted by Mikey

With that drain plug did you try to give it a couple light taps with a hammer before you tried to get it off? Sound like a moose did the last oil change in it!:dontknow: Good luck, a hex headed drain plug kit can be your friend!!!:2thumbs:

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The problem is the drain plug hex is "stripped" so I can't get the correct size wrench inserted. I could try forcing one in with a hammer. I may also try cutting a slot in the plug with a Dremel and use a manual impact tool with a screwdriver bit.

Well when you do get it removed ....order the hex head Show chrome drain bolts from BajaRon or Lamonster...

I wrapped up (literally) this project a few weeks ago, with a stereo and Denali auxiliary lights. I have added about 1300 miles; everything is working well. I did enjoy the build process and making the few minor repairs that it needed.

DickB - beautiful bike.

:2thumbs: