To Spyder or not to Spyder that is the question

[Transam87020]

Hello everyone, as some may have seen I like many others have become enamored with the possibility of owning one of these machine's. I have found a possible candidate from what I feel are some honest sellers. The only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger are the nagging complaints I have heard from this forum in regards to the dess and the possibility of brake locking up. I.e.( Bad vss I believe ) . Now I am aware that those having problems are the most vocal and I understand that. Having said that I do have a mechanical background but not so strong in electrical. I'm not in a position to drop 2 grand on this bike should the brake issue surface as 1 person posted. So after all this being said is the Spyder a truly reliable machine ??
Hoping to join this group as an owner,
Thanks

[MONK]

I believe the DESS issue was an early RT issue. I've only heard about brake issues a few times. I'd say they're as reliable as anything else. Every bike, no matter the brand or model has a few issues.

[Navydad]

2015 RT with 33,000 miles and my only issue was the DESS acting up on occasion. I finally had the DESS disabled and no issues since. I would buy it again.

[Peter Aawen]

When you consider that there's WELL over 100,000 Spyders out there now, and the 'what is really relatively few' numbervof us who have had issues with them, it's not all that likely that you'll ever have any more 'real problems' than the rest of us in the significant but largely silent majority!!

That said, more than most 'other make of motorcycle' owners HAVE had what can only be described as 'bad experiences', including poor customer service, poor product knowledge, and even down-right incompetence from a significant number of dealers & for some, from BRP too; so it pays to shop around for a good and reputable dealer just as much as it does to shop around for a good deal on a reliable used Spyder!! Oh, and if you can find someone to fit 'real' auto tires & not the OE Spec Kenda crappy black round things onto your Spyder; &/or buy a used Spyder with auto tires already fitted, then so much the better!

So while there are those 'new owners' of Spyders &/or Rykers who may (erroneously) think they could've made a horrendous mistake within the first couple of months of ownership (cos it really does take most just a bit of a while to un-learn any old 2-wheeler riding habits and/or come to terms with the different & 'not quite so intuitive' ryding dynamics of having 2 wheels up front with a drive wheel pushing from behind!) it's actually really very few who of us who ever seem to regret their move onto 3 wheels! Many of us even kept a 2 wheeler, thinking we'd ride it to get our 'leaning fix' as & when necessary, only to find that it's not too long before the 2 wheeled machine is relegated to gathering dust in the back of the shed, cos ryding the Spyder/Ryker is such a blast!! A somewhat different blast for sure, but for most, the craving to get our knees in the breeze is more than satisfied on our Spyders, and the Miles of Smiles grin you get from Spyder Ryding just won't go away!! And as I & others said earlier, the vast majority of us manage to find our Spyder/Rykers are simply reliable, massively enjoyable, and something that, once sampled, we just wouldn't/won't readily give up!

So.... Just Buy the damn Spyder! You know you want to!
And once you do, simply Ryde More, & Worry Less!

[Little Blue]

.....Look, Learn and Find the best deal for you.
I am a very happy Spyder Owner.
Good Luck on Your Mission.......

[Mikey]

Have I had issues yes, I am I happy I have one, most certainly yes! You are going to have issues with anything, cars ect, ect, it's all man made!! Am I happy that I found this forum very much so, I am handy with my hands and like to see what makes things tick, and there's a lot of people here that are the same way. We wine at times and make a lot of fuss about some things that are WAY over thought at times, but all in all we wouldn't give it up on a chance!! If you like being out doors and seeing the country side, and meeting good people, go for it, and if you have issues and want to fix it your self, or want to get ideas on any item, you have us to fall back on!!! We are always here to bounce new ideas off and help out!! Good Luck, hope we didn't scare you off!!

[Transam87020]

Have I had issues yes, I am I happy I have one, most certainly yes! You are going to have issues with anything, cars ect, ect, it's all man made!! Am I happy that I found this forum very much so, I am handy with my hands and like to see what makes things tick, and there's a lot of people here that are the same way. We wine at times and make a lot of fuss about some things that are WAY over thought at times, but all in all we wouldn't give it up on a chance!! If you like being out doors and seeing the country side, and meeting good people, go for it, and if you have issues and want to fix it your self, or want to get ideas on any item, you have us to fall back on!!! We are always here to bounce new ideas off and help out!! Good Luck, hope we didn't scare you off!!

I do have a tendency to over think things sometimes. Good advice and thanks.

[Transam87020]

2015 RT with 33,000 miles and my only issue was the DESS acting up on occasion. I finally had the DESS disabled and no issues since. I would buy it again.

Was it hard to find someone to disable the DESS or did you buy the software yourself ?

[ricford]

I used to ride a BMW K1200LT. I rode the heck out of it. Just not saying I didn't exercise the engine to it's potential on long straight stretches of SoCal and Arizona. BUT every 6 or 7 K miles, it needed new rubber at a cost of $700. And once over $900. I have 36 K miles on the Continental Contactpro tires (and 9/16 tread left). A couple hundred bucks. If for no other reason, the Spyder is a deal.

[JayBros]

In this sophisticated electro-mechanical world most manufacturers experience occasional component problems from subcontractors and the DESS happened to be one of those problems because, as I understand, it couldn't be tested during the manufacturing process before shipment to BRP. If your risk tolerance is such that you consider a possibly faulty DESS cropping up a deal breaker, so be it. You can purchase the B.U.D.S. software to disable it but it's an expensive piece of software that, unless you are going to do ALL of your own maintenance, is not, IMO, worth the cost simply to disable a part that MAY or MAY NOT fail. Most dealerships would probably disable it but some with big time ambulance chasers advising them might ask you to sign some kind of release of responsibility. As Peter said, there are lots of Spyders out there that have had no problems over many thousands of miles. The situation is even less of a risk issue with a the VSS. If you're going to be toodling down the road worrying what might might happen to your Spyder you're not going to have any fun. We ride them for the fun.

[CJAC]

My wife's 2017 F3 Limited has had no issues in 20K miles. Tires, front brake pads, and oil changes only.

[ARtraveler]

Everything is a crap shoot these days.

Over 100,000 Spyders on the road. I have had six since their inception. Over 160,000 trouble free miles. No DESS or brake issues on any of mine.

Have a dealer run the VIN for you and you will get a mechanical history on any Spyder you are interested in. That is worth some peace of mind.

Good luck with the hunt.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

In this sophisticated electro-mechanical world most manufacturers experience occasional component problems from subcontractors and the DESS happened to be one of those problems because, as I understand, it couldn't be tested during the manufacturing process before shipment to BRP. If your risk tolerance is such that you consider a possibly faulty DESS cropping up a deal breaker, so be it. You can purchase the B.U.D.S. software to disable it but it's an expensive piece of software that, unless you are going to do ALL of your own maintenance, is not, IMO, worth the cost simply to disable a part that MAY or MAY NOT fail. Most dealerships would probably disable it but some with big time ambulance chasers advising them might ask you to sign some kind of release of responsibility. As Peter said, there are lots of Spyders out there that have had no problems over many thousands of miles. The situation is even less of a risk issue with a the VSS. If you're going to be toodling down the road worrying what might might happen to your Spyder you're not going to have any fun. We ride them for the fun.

the VSS - Brakes issue was more of an " anomaly " than an issue , I have read only a very few complaints ....... I also believe the DESS was an early production issue from a sub-contractor ..... 17 and up years don't report this as a common occurrence ..... and the DESS module is pretty much an in-expensive re-pair as long as you are able to do DIY and take the Frunk off .... If you buy a 14 - 16 model I would take the frunk off and move the OEM module to a spot under the right headlight ( see my Albums for pics ) ( this is what I did & it worked flawlessly there for 4 years, then I was able to cancel it completely ) ...... then changing it is a simple procedure ( 5 - 10 min.) .... good luck .... Mike

[BajaRon]

Go to any forum for any machine and you will find 'Issues'. That's not to say one machine is not generally more reliable than another. Or that all issues carry equal gravity (and expense). But the only way to avoid possible issues is to ride nothing. Not an option in my book.

The Spyder is a fine, well made, well engineered machine... with some potential issues. The DESS gets a lot of attention. But is much less a problem than it might appear to be.