Should we buy 2012 limited or wait to afford 2014 or newer

[Deblog]

New member and on introduction someone pointed out big difference between 2012 spyder rt and 2014 or newer. I just called a service department and first words out of his mouth was so not buy a 2012, get the newer engine. Many problems with old engine and low reliability. Service at 14,000 is $1400 but service on newer at 28,000 is $700.

Our story is husband is retiring and has ridden motorcycles- bmw 1800 lt and victory vision. Sold a few years ago to get a boat but really has missed being on road. Saw a private sale where he has dropped price several times and a 2012 rt limited with 11800 miles is $9995. Pictures look brand new and have appt to see tomorrow. The price caught my eye and like the stability of spyder and that price fits our budget well...

Now I am really wondering if we should wait and save money as this information has me concerned, but I have my husband excited about getting it 😢

All responses are welcome.

[MrBill5491]

I would wait and get a 2014 or later. When we were in the market for a Spyder RT, many of my friends that ride them said to get anything 2014 or later. More of the bugs get ironed out in the later models.

[DGoebel]

We bought a used '13 years ago in the fall of 2016, have put about 30,000+ miles on it since and love it. I like the VTwin 998 high RPMS and haven't had to do to much maintenance wise. It doesn't have the legs that the '14's and later have, but my bladder makes me stop before my tank is empty.

[pegasus1300]

Depends on how soon you need to ride. I have a 2012,bought 5 years ago with 8500 miles, it now has 53,000= miles on it. There have been very few problems with the 998cc engine. My Rt Limited has proven very reliable. The tech is quoting you a service price that includes a valve adjustment check which is very expensive, and also un necessary. The 2014 and later with the 3 cylinder motor do not require valve checks. There is also the longer distance between oil changes 998 is every 4500 miles. I end up doing 2/year, but I do my own. The 1330/3Cylinder is every 9000 miles or once per year. Only you can decide what you can afford but either way it is a fun ride. Good luck on your choice.

[fatboy]

wait for newer

[RICZ]

Deblog,
Too bad you aren't near me. There's a white 2014 RTS for sale by private party in Vancouver, across the Columbia River from Portland. All she wants is $7500 cash. She sez there are a number of add-ons. Send me the $ so I can buy it and hold it for you, then you can come out here and ride it home after I show you this very scenic area.

[fatboy]

make sure its a 1330 se6

[BoilerAnimal]

We bought our 2013 RT-S in 2016 with just over 6000 miles. We get about 30 MPG and it has been very reliable for us. I wouldn't hesitate to go on a multi state trip tomorrow if I had the chance. Ours has had all the recalls done because of the heat issue that the 2013's were plagued with and is is a blast to ride. It's no hotter than just about any other bike in the summer at a stop light and is comfortable to ride with our all gear in the in the summer. Comfort on the road in summer with your gear is subjective, what works for me may not for you.

You've got a big decision to make and only you know how strong the ride now feeling is verses the wait to buy is. My wife and I chose the ride now option and we have had a fantastic time on ours. I hate to say it, but one of the things we considered was the fact that tomorrow may not come. We decided to ride now and we have absolutely no regrets. Just a LOT of fun filled miles!

[Revalden]

Wait or get loan for a newer model. If you have that much cash to put down on the purchase the loan will surely go thru and very low pmts. But save a thousand $ for goodies to add to the RT.

[JayBros]

I have not owned a V-twin Spyder so I can't directly compare them with the 1330 ACE engine in the MY '14 and later RTs; however, a '14 or later MY RT is, in my not so humble opinion, the way to go. If your husband is moderately comfortable with some common tools used on motorcycles he can save a sizable chunk of money by doing a number of the maintenance items listed in the 28K service himself as they are not that difficult. Remember this, if the 1330 ACE engine with six-speed transmission were not head and shoulders above the V-twin engine with five-speed transmission BRP would still be cranking the V-twins out like peanut M&Ms.

[ARtraveler]

New member and on introduction someone pointed out big difference between 2012 spyder rt and 2014 or newer. I just called a service department and first words out of his mouth was so not buy a 2012, get the newer engine. Many problems with old engine and low reliability. Service at 14,000 is $1400 but service on newer at 28,000 is $700.

Our story is husband is retiring and has ridden motorcycles- bmw 1800 lt and victory vision. Sold a few years ago to get a boat but really has missed being on road. Saw a private sale where he has dropped price several times and a 2012 rt limited with 11800 miles is $9995. Pictures look brand new and have appt to see tomorrow. The price caught my eye and like the stability of spyder and that price fits our budget well...

Now I am really wondering if we should wait and save money as this information has me concerned, but I have my husband excited about getting it ��

All responses are welcome.

RE: I just called a service department and first words out of his mouth was so not buy a 2012, get the newer engine. Many problems with old engine and low reliability. Service at 14,000 is $1400 but service on newer at 28,000 is $700.

Remember MASH? Colonel Potter used to say "horse pucky." There are no across the board problems with the 2 cyl. 998 engines. And there are no problems with low reliability. I have over 120,000 miles on four assorted 998's and never had any of the problems mentioned. Service at 14,000 is recommended. Included in that service is a valve adjustment. That costs $1,000. MOST members do not do the valve adjustments...another subject for another time and place.

A 2012 RT limited with 12K miles for $10K is a very good price. You can check the service history by having any dealer run the VIN...that will let you know if you have a good one or not. I would not call the same dealer that gave you the BS.

2014's and above have the 1330/3 cyl. engines. Quieter, better gas mileage, and less servicing required than the 998's. We now have 2 of these. Linda just inherited my 2014 with 36K miles. It is doing fine and has never given me any problems. I just bought a new 19 F3L with the same engine.

I favor the 1330, but have not shunned the 998's. If its a matter of economics, there are a lot of nice 998's out there.

Let us know what you decide.

[Deblog]

Thank you for feedback. I had already checked on warranty work and it only had battery replaced under warranty, a vacuum tube and a switch. Minor things per service person. I called 2 other dealers in Ohio and both said don’t get older engine and service twice as expensive. I am going to share all of these responses with husband and let him decide. We are in Ohio so no big hurry as riding not important right now, just saw the price drop and thought it was a really good deal. I am very torn on what to do.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

New member and on introduction someone pointed out big difference between 2012 spyder rt and 2014 or newer. I just called a service department and first words out of his mouth was so not buy a 2012, get the newer engine. Many problems with old engine and low reliability. Service at 14,000 is $1400 but service on newer at 28,000 is $700.

Our story is husband is retiring and has ridden motorcycles- bmw 1800 lt and victory vision. Sold a few years ago to get a boat but really has missed being on road. Saw a private sale where he has dropped price several times and a 2012 rt limited with 11800 miles is $9995. Pictures look brand new and have appt to see tomorrow. The price caught my eye and like the stability of spyder and that price fits our budget well...

Now I am really wondering if we should wait and save money as this information has me concerned, but I have my husband excited about getting it ��

All responses are welcome.

WAIT WAIT WAIT …. The difference is like night and day ….PS, I think there is 2015 RT-S with extra's and low miles still for sale @ the " For Sale " forum here.… last I looked it was a t a bargain price of $12,000 ….. He had two - sold one ….. check it out quick …… good luck …. Mike ………...send a PM to " yellow dog " asap ….it's sale pending but, sales fall thru …. He lives in N.C., so not to far to ship …..

[Arion]

We bought a used '13 years ago in the fall of 2016, have put about 30,000+ miles on it since and love it. I like the VTwin 998 high RPMS and haven't had to do to much maintenance wise. It doesn't have the legs that the '14's and later have, but my bladder makes me stop before my tank is empty.

DGoebel, my charming bride and I agree with what you've said. We have a pair, sort of. Mine is a 2015 RT-S and my wife's is a 2012 RTL so we have five cylinders between us. Though the 1330 will go farther on a given amount of fuel, my wife's is the "rest stop" manager and that serves us well.

As far as reliability, we've ridden both from San Antonio, TX, for several weeks, through Arizona (about 2600 miles) and the Texas Big Bend country (about 1400 miles) without the slightest thing going amiss. The irony is that I like riding her twin because it handles better, because of the engine's willingness to rev and the wonderful exhaust sound. Hers was equipped with replacement tires when we bought it and that may be a good part of the difference. However, I just replaced my front tires with Vrederstein Quatrac 5s so I may need another comparison. Either way we're very happy with the pair we own.

Dangerous disclaimer - we haven't seen the 2020 RTs yet. Danger Will Robinson!!

[Raprider]

Thanks, ARtraveler and Arion for providing objective feedback to the OP, and not just a blanket "make sure its a 1330 se6".

Mike...some prefer night over day, and while I respect your opinion, it's worthwhile to explain some of the diffs and WHY to consider one over another...just saying...different strokes...

[UtahPete]

Nobody has asked how he likes to ride. I'm guessing he likes the long-legged smooth touring machine, which to me gives a nod to the 1330. But if he likes zipping and blipping of a sports bike, the twin might be a better choice.

[pegasus1300]

Nobody has asked how he likes to ride. I'm guessing he likes the long-legged smooth touring machine, which to me gives a nod to the 1330. But if he likes zipping and blipping of a sports bike, the twin might be a better choice.

Ya know I never thought of my VTwin in that light. I came from long legged touring bikes (Ventures and Royal Stars) and a long legged touring Trike (Gold Wing). The VTwin has done everything I ever asked of them and done it in comfort and flair.

[UtahPete]

Pegasus, I would give you a 'like' but that feature isn't available to me for some reason

[pegasus1300]

Thank you Pete. We are always friends and I'll give you a like since seems to be available to me. And I do appreciate your comments.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Thanks, ARtraveler and Arion for providing objective feedback to the OP, and not just a blanket "make sure its a 1330 se6".

Mike...some prefer night over day, and while I respect your opinion, it's worthwhile to explain some of the diffs and WHY to consider one over another...just saying...different strokes...

I try not to repeat " everything that everyone has already stated in the same detail " …. It was only my opinion and I respect others opinions and their right to say it. ….. No one at that point gave a less expensive alternative, so I did ….. I respect those who love a HIGH revving bike, but I'm an x-goldwinger & BMW type of bike.... I have been consistent in saying so ….. if you love LOUD exhaust - fine, but not near where I'm riding please.... Mike

[Mikey]

I would not have a issue to buy a 2012 RTL at all!! And the reason I say that is that that engine and year was pretty much debugged by the past years and out of the v twins I fell that it would be the best choice! Is the new 1330's worth waiting for, heck yes if you want to wait till you can afford one it would be worth it, but you will loose the riding time in the prosses! If the 2012 is what you can afford it would be a good place to start and you can always trade up or sell out right latter! Good luck in your shopping!

[Deblog]

I would not have a issue to buy a 2012 RTL at all!! And the reason I say that is that that engine and year was pretty much debugged by the past years and out of the v twins I fell that it would be the best choice! Is the new 1330's worth waiting for, heck yes if you want to wait till you can afford one it would be worth it, but you will loose the riding time in the prosses! If the 2012 is what you can afford it would be a good place to start and you can always trade up or sell out right latter! Good luck in your shopping!

Thank you everyone!! These posts have been so helpful! My husband read through everything and then did some searching price wise and so much more money for 1330 engine. If the bike is as nice as the pictures, he said let’s try it and if we ride enough and want to upgrade a little later we can. Since it is $9995 we should not lose too much upgrading. That just seems like a good price for us to try a Spyder. We now go into this understanding differences but have some reassurance from all the positive comments. It also helped to hear that valve adjustment is not routinely needed with the major maintenance although it is listed in recommendations. I have learned so much reading these posts and others and will spend a lot of time here.

[Raprider]

I try not to repeat " everything that everyone has already stated in the same detail " …. It was only my opinion and I respect others opinions and their right to say it. ….. No one at that point gave a less expensive alternative, so I did ….. I respect those who love a HIGH revving bike, but I'm an x-goldwinger & BMW type of bike.... I have been consistent in saying so ….. if you love LOUD exhaust - fine, but not near where I'm riding please.... Mike

Agreed...and I apologize for criticizing you for what you were saying...or not saying.

Last year, I removed the Cobra slash-cut pipes that the original owner installed on my 1996 Virago 750 prior to me purchasing it in 1997 and re-installed the OEM pipes that he'd given me at the time (which have been sitting in a box on a shelf)...and I'm much happier with the 5-10db (subjective) volume reduction.
So I hope it'll be acceptable, if and when I make it up your way, whether on 2 or 3 wheels

[ARtraveler]

Thank you everyone!! These posts have been so helpful! My husband read through everything and then did some searching price wise and so much more money for 1330 engine. If the bike is as nice as the pictures, he said let’s try it and if we ride enough and want to upgrade a little later we can. Since it is $9995 we should not lose too much upgrading. That just seems like a good price for us to try a Spyder. We now go into this understanding differences but have some reassurance from all the positive comments. It also helped to hear that valve adjustment is not routinely needed with the major maintenance although it is listed in recommendations. I have learned so much reading these posts and others and will spend a lot of time here.

RE: Valve adjustments on the 998 / 2 What I have written in the past.

YUP! I am one of the valve adjustment beta testers.

I did a valve check on my 2008 at 10K--before they changed it to 14K. Spent an extra $1K for the service (it's labor intensive). No adjustment needed.

I did the valve check on my 2010 at 28K. Another $1K spent. No adjustments needed. They failed to put in a new gasket. It leaked over the winter. They had to re-do it on their dime in the spring.

I am NOT going to do a valve check on my 2011 until at least 50K--if then. So far, at 30K miles no issues or indicators that it needs it.

Note: the 2011 was traded off in December 2019 at 33K miles...running fine without recommended valve checks

In the beginning, it was thought to be overkill by BRP. I and others have also felt that "shady" dealers will charge for the work and not actually do it--because it usually results in a wasted effort. It is a quick $1K to add to the service bill.

There have been a few who do them religiously regardless. I usually say--its your spyder, its your money. Go for it.

Just my .02.

[zyrlseb]

We bought a 2012 Limited about two years ago after my wife decided she didn't want to ride two-up any longer (another story). On the whole I like the 2012. It rides nice. The wife feels very comfortable riding it since it won't tip over;-) There are lots settings that you have to flip through to access options, etc. The heated grips (driver and passenger) are great. Power wise, our's is the automatic and it's a snappy off the line and has a decent top end - I've been over 90mph by myself and fell that I could pull a ton no problem. It hauls the wife and I (let me say little over 300 lbs combined weight) and some gear quite well.

On the downside - "In MY Humble Opinions" and many may will disagree with me - but coming from years on 2 wheels it's a huge pain to do any sort of maintenance on it. You have to take off lots of panels to do any sort of major work, it's tricky to jack up to do oil changes, the oil change kit (oil and two filters) is a little pricy, but getting an oil change done at the dealer can approach the $300.00 range (at my dealer). Adding coolant could be easier, changing the battery can be done but requires taking off the seat. On the upside adding brake fluid is easy;-)

I was shocked by the gas milage! On the best of days on the highway riding 300 mils I got 30 mpg. But it's 998 cc's pulling about a 1,000 lbs. I believe the milage on the 3 cylinder engines is much better.

Having said all that we enjoy it and it's a heck of a lot cheaper than a Tri Glide.