Avoid the 2019 Spyder RT?

[BajaRon]

Just a S.W.A.G. on this topic ….. What the vendor might have been referring to was a carry over from the 2018 model …. The instrument panel is quite different from all the previous ones …. and more to the point beginning in 2018 … it functions very differently from the previous years …. this all has to do with the connectivity of the new panel …. jmho ….. Mike

I think you might be on to something here. That was a definite defect as opposed to engineering of the later model Spyders which makes it difficult to splice into power for aftermarket ad-on's.

Interesting! We have a lot of room to speculate on this one. But good information.

[Flamewinger]

I remember Wrap My Spyder asking if they noticed the different in the front fenders. They're shaped a little different. Also, any electrical accessories should be wired separately to the bike's system.

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My 2018 fenders

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[BryanSD]

Shawn Smoak, one of the most knowledgeable Spyder techs, strongly cautions against installing accessory lighting of unknown quality by tapping into the can-bus system. In his vlog videos he has shared his experience with Spyders throwing random trouble codes resulting in limp-home mode due to problems with accessory lighting of dubious quality.

Yep, I'm a big fan and dedicated watcher of Shawn Smoak's videos. My impression is that much of Shawn's objection to LED lights has to do with the "dubious quality" you mention as well as dubious workmanship for how those lights are connected (such as splicing into the wires). It's the cheap knockoffs that has him worried and frustrated. I'm pretty comfortable with level of quality LED products that Lamonster Garage, SPYDERPOPS, and other sponsors of this site offer where their products are plug/play where no cutting wires, pinching wires or soldering is required (as long as they're doing the installs and not me). Anyone disagree?

[Flamewinger]

I made my own front fender lights and they get power from the front white light. My rear lights are Tric LED and are plug n play. No problems. I have XK Glow from LaMonster and they get power from a Neutrino Black Box. (fuse box). Which also powers my Denalli spot lights and USB power outlet.

[eddieshep999]

Just a thought maybe there is a major revamp on the 2020 Spyder models and with only 2 months to go to BRP Launch of new models or changes to existing ones it may be better to hold off buying a 2019 model
I know a few people purchased a 998cc model only to find out a month or so later the 1330cc was launched
No doubt rumours of possible changes will surface on here shortly

[bikerbillone]

I'm not warning anybody about buying a 2019 nor trolling here. Somewhere down the road, I'll be looking to add a second Spyder to the family and want to know if there is an issue with the 2019 that I'm not aware of. I'm just trying to understand why the vendor may have disliked the 2019 model. I'm leaning that something has changed internally with the wiring that may require some changes with some of the LED products on the market...but there you're right I have no facts which is why I'm asking the question.

Right, if the OP had the facts he would not be posting the question. Some good information had I read further. Anxious to see info the 2020, maybe something interesting going on.

[SilverSurfer]

To the original question, the 2019 RT isn't something to "stay away from." It's internals, essentially are the same as all the great RTs since 2014 with the 1330 ROTAX ACE, Brembo Brakes and all the other improvements that came as of 2014 and beyond. On a less sanguine note, as of 2018, BRP began to (IHMO) dumb the bike down, most notably by the replacement of its beautiful analog guage pack and Garmin 590 GPS mount with a digital instrument cluster, which incorporates gps through a service called BRP Connect which one must manage through one's smart phone. As most experienced with the riding / GPS experience knows, we 'tourers' like to load pre-designed gpx files onto our GPS systems. It was easy when we were just dealing with a good ol' Garmin 660- or 590-series unit component-mounted to the Spyder. Since 2018, the way the new Can-Am/BRP-Connect thing works is you load your pre-designed gpx files up onto a cloud app called "Revver," or design your rydes in Revver) and then use them through your cell phone blue-toothed to the instruments. You also need access to another app, "Genius Maps," for which a subscription is $50.00, and the maps themselves are $2.99. This means two things: You cannot manage pre-planned routes without BRP connect and its associate apps for route planning and maps. You can forego all that and pay your tech to physically mount a powered GPS mount where one used to be on the Pre-2018 models, upon which you could mount a Garmin. So there you are installing a component that was removed for reasons I cannot imagine except to make the bike cheaper and to stimulate revenue through BRP connect. Second, beyond the rocket science, if you use GPS through BRP-Connect, are out in the middle of nowhere and lose phone provider service, so then goes whatever your doing with BRP Connect. If I were looking for an additional Spyder, I am seeing some beautiful, low-mileage 2015-17 Spyder RT-S's and Limiteds (with analog guages and a good-ole integrated GPS mount). I mean ... so there you are bragging about your Spyder to a Goldwing or Harley rider and you look at their faces go from just ghostly to a whiter shade of pale when you explain how a significant component of your ryde depends on a smart phone app. Beginning with the 2019 as well, BRP further cheapened the bike by removing hardware based reflectors on fenders and replacing them with reflective stickers. They redesigned the fenders to eliminate previous avenues to mount and run wires for after market fender lighting. I don't think a 2019 is something to avoid, but I would certainly consider a good pre-owned 2016-17 first because they're simply better quality overall ... not just internals but externals as well.

[Baron14y]

I took my certification course on a 2018 with a digital gauge. Did not like the gauge one bit. Found a 2015 that has been fantastic. Love the old gauge setup. No electrical problems. No other problems (so far). Over 17,000 miles. Glad I took the course in a 2018 to find out what I didn't like.

[SuperG]

Erm... I'm just gonna point out here that Genius Maps does *not* require phone service, and GPS is not dependant on it. It uses the *same* mapping data provider as Garmin...