Need advice on 2014 RT I am hoping to buy

[SpyderLady1968]

I found what appears to be a nice 2014 RT and I am selling my 2015 F3 (which is listed in the For Sale section). I am trying to ask the guy all the right questions. It was bought in Colorado Springs with mileage of 6,500 and he and his wife rode it back to California. It now has 12,000 miles on it after having it a couple of years. I asked for copies of maintenance records and where he's had it worked on and he replied that he hadn't accumulated enough mileage to need any maintenance yet. Said the previous owner had the 6,500 mile service done. I had a complete 9,000 mile service done on my F3 including a new back tire and laser alignment but I've seen discussions on the Forum and not everyone seems to think that one is necessary. The guy has 3 pictures of the tires but I am not sure if they look okay. Tire 2.jpg Tire 1.jpg Tire 3.jpg Platinum Silver RT.jpg. Thoughts?

Those of you who posted replies to my post above about possible cupping of the front tires and other possible issues, please see my reply to all the threads at the very bottom with four more pictures from the seller and let me know what you think. THANKS!!

PLEASE SEE MY FURTHER POSTS BELOW. FOUND OUT SPYDER HAD A CRASH ESTIMATE AT PIKES PEAK MOTORSPORTS IN 2015. NEED REPLIES ASAP!!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

the fronts look fine, they are wearing even so the alignment is probably OK …. at 12,000 mi. I'm pretty sure that is the second rear tire, most Kenda rear tires wear out about 10,000 mi +/- …… The 1330 engine doesn't need maintenance as often as the V-twin did..... Except for some warranty work my 2014 RT never went to any dealer …… I now have over 48,000 mostly issueless miles …. if your happy with the price, I wouldn't woory …. If you have a friendly dealer, they can check the RT's history with BUDS ….. good luck …. Mike

[Little Blue]

+2. What Mike posted. Get more pictures and serial number. A dealer can check out the history for you.....

[PMK]

I may be wrong, but I tend to see some cupping on the front tires. Not bad, just typical for oem Kenda tires at that mileage. Certainly have seen worse.

Honestly though, when buying stuff, especially motorcycles, there are wear items. If it were me, work your best deal with intentions to replace those three tires very soon, and get the alignment done yourself.

As for other maintenance. Always cool if the seller has maintenance receipts from the shop. However in this case, the warranty has expired so that stuff is mainly a maintenance record only at this point.

Being a 2014, your focus should be on the condition of the bike regarding scrapes, tears etc, AND if the DESS has been addressed to either update to the latest parts, or has been disabled.

[Wahrsuul]

I have to agree, the fronts look a little cupped. But overall, 12k - maybe it needs an oil change, but that's about it. Do ask about any farkles.

[LeftCoast]

+2. What Mike posted. Get more pictures and serial number. A dealer can check out the history for you.....

Agree with this. The dealer being able to look at past history when I bought my used 15 gave me the biggest piece of mind.

And if there is no record of brake and oil changes I’d probably take care of those two items just for piece of mind

[CopperSpyder]

Tires look good for now. If this is what you really want and what you want to pay. Go for it. Good looking bike.

[JayBros]

If it's a '14 and was purchased in '14 it should have had the brake fluid flushed at least twice and is due for a coolant replacement this year. If the seller has not had the brake fluid flushed he's been deficient in his maintenance. The seller should have the little black tag that came with the keys that can identify if there was a problem with the ignition keys; a dealer can tell you. Oh, BTW, does the seller have two working chipped keys for the machine? Does he also have the spare key barrel that fits the two original keys so you can have a trailer lock that matches the ignition keys? You can run the VIN on the BRP web site to see if the Spyder has had any safety recalls.

[Bangorbob]

Here's the VIN: 2BXNBDD16EV003127 Got it off craigslist - Inland Empire.

[PinkRosePetal]

The front tyres are seriously scalloped out on the inside, it looks to me to be more than a wheel alignment issue though the alignment is toeing-out too. An alignment issue alone tends to wear one or other side of the tyre but evenly, when there's scalloped tread blocks it indicates that, as well as the alignment being out, the wheel is free to oscillate because of play elsewhere. A good test is to take the top of the wheel and push and pull it very hard and repeatedly - almost shaking the bike and feel for it knocking. Also do the same but with a hand central front and rear of the wheels. If you find knocking when shaking the top it's the top ball joint that has play, if you find knocking front and rear it's probably the tie-rod ball joint(s) has play. The top ball joins wear fairly quickly, they're not expensive but the labour will cost. The tie-rod ball joints seem to be variable in wear rate and occasionally actually have some play when new! They can only be purchased as a complete tie-rod so there is some expense there plus the labour.

The rear tyre is down to the first wear bars so you've got just a couple thousand miles left on it.

As others have said, figure in an oil and filter change as a must to give yourself a clean start on the maintenance side.

Good luck with it!

[ARtraveler]

Maintenance on the 2014 states oil changes every 9300 miles OR once a year....whichever comes first.

I also believe good advice to run the VIN through a dealer to see what service issues, if any, have been addressed during the life of the Spyder. We have 33K miles on our 2014 and have had no major issues. Mine gets serviced once a year, since I have been driving it less than 9K miles a year. Two rear tires, and just put a new set of fronts on also.

[jcthorne]

If he has had it a few years and no service, I would walk away. It was very much due for service annually. No telling what else he ignored taking care of.

[UtahPete]

If he has had it a few years and no service, I would walk away. It was very much due for service annually. No telling what else he ignored taking care of.

2 prior owners with iffy service history...really rolling the dice on that one, so make sure you get a good deal price wise.

[SpyderAnn01]

In 14 they used soft compound tires for the first half of the year, so if the born on date is 2014 or less you have the soft compound and they won’t last. I see definite cupping on the front which will lead to bad vibrations, I would change the tires.

The first service is at 3,000 miles then every 9,300 miles or one year. So it should be serviced as well.

[LeftCoast]

So basically service plus tire replacement, plan on forking out and additional $600+ once you get the Spyder, especially here in CA.

[DingerD]

Are the front tires mounted with the tread pattern going the wrong way? I changed out my Kendas recently for Kankook's and I can't remember if the Kendas had directional tread.

[PinkRosePetal]

Are the front tires mounted with the tread pattern going the wrong way? I changed out my Kendas recently for Kankook's and I can't remember if the Kendas had directional tread.

Yep, someone has swapped the wheels side for side but it could be deliberate...possibly...maybe...probably not...because there is a train of thought that it might be a better way to run them.

[SpyderLady1968]

Dang Jarvis, you ARE good!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

[SpyderLady1968]

I would like to thank you ALL for the great replies. I was out of town in Reno for Hot August Nights (boyfriend is a hotrod builder) until last night. I have sent an email to the seller asking questions about the tires (and possible cupping), and other questions that I would not have known to ask. I also asked for confirmation on the serial number. Thank you Jarvis for giving me the number you found for the Spyder on his craigslist ad. Since I am new to the Spyder world I don't know the quesions to ask. I rode my Harley for 30 years until my arthritis kicked in and I knew what to ask. AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL!!

[FlyBoy2121]

SpyderLady1968
congratulations if you buy, I have the same thing as you, my osteoarthritis is too important to continue rolling my GoldWing 1800 is a good compromise, and you always hair in the wind.
I too have a 2014 Spyder RT limited I do not regret.

FlyBoy2121

[SpyderLady1968]

With the VIN # I found out from Malcolm Smith Motorsports there was an issue in 2014 with the ignition switch and parking brake in 2018. They said I might find out if it had any major mechanical problems from the dealer in Colorado Springs. Although seller has two original keys he does not have a barrel key but thought a key guy could make one (?). The seller seems very sincere when he says the only reason he is selling it is due to financial problems (he also has a car up for sale). When I asked about the tires and a possible cupping problem, he had no problem sending me more pictures of the front tires (Kendas as suspected) and says the wheels were absolutely never swapped side by side. See below.

tires 001.jpg tires 002.jpg tires 003.jpg tires 004.jpg

[JayBros]

With the VIN # I found out from Malcolm Smith Motorsports there was an issue in 2014 with the ignition switch and parking brake in 2018. They said I might find out if it had any major mechanical problems from the dealer in Colorado Springs. Although seller has two original keys he does not have a barrel key but thought a key guy could make one (?)...

There was a problem in early MY 2014 RTs with the ignition keys/switch. Every Spyder buyer got a small black tag with the keys that had a number the dealer could check and, if the owner's key number came up on a list of the problem keys/switches the dealer had to replace the switch which came with a new set of keys. When a Spyder buyer purchased his/her RT in addition to the two keys with the little numbered tag the owner also got a lock barrel that was configured to work with the two ignition keys. There is no separate key for this extra barrel but if an owner subsequently buys a trailer the spare lock barrel he/she got with the Spyder could be installed in the trailer lock so that one key would work with both the Spyder and trailer. Since Malcolm Smith said there was a problem with the ignition switch it was probably replaced and the new keys may not have come with the extra barrel. It will only be a possible problem if you decide to buy a trailer because you will have different keys for the Spyder and trailer. I doubt that a locksmith can configure a barrel to fit your ignition keys, if you got to the point of wanting a trailer and Spyder with identical locks but do not know for sure. At most it will be a minor nuisance.

[SpyderLady1968]

OMG, I am devastated!!!!! I called Pikes Peak Motorsports in Colorado Springs and they show from looking up the VIN# that there was a CRASH estimate they wrote up for $3,600 + tax + shop supplies from 2015. The guy may have had the work done elsewhere as that is all they show. I am pretty sure that would be a deal breaker - RIGHT? I so wanted this Spyder. I would sure like to hear all your thoughts on this. PLEASE REPLY TODAY. I was going to take it for a test ride later today.

[SpyderLady1968]

How do you delete a reply?

[wmh9680]

If it was in a crash I would walk. I was looking at a bike a few years ago that looked pretty good but when I was about ready to buy he told me it had a rebuilt title so I walked. Now if you got an unbelievable price I would think hard.