V-twin semi-auto vs. triple semi-auto

[VStarRider]

I have a V-twin STS with the manual. Next year, I will be selling it and replacing it with an RT with a semi-auto, so I can ride with my wife.

The plan is to get a 2014+ with a triple and SE6. However...

...there is a nice 2013 RTL twin with 7000 miles on it, with the SE5 tranny available in my area.

I am very familiar with the twin itself, and the manual version of it; what can you share about the SE5 with the twin? I know about keeping the revs at 4300+, etc., but is there anything else that is worth knowing about the SE5 vs SE6? Is one more reliable than the other?

It is far more likely I will be holding off to get the triple with the SE6, but this 2013 SE5 is clean enough to have my attention right now.

Tell me what you know - particularly if you have owned both!

[Bfromla]

Only know the SE5 & 68k miles & so far: check & carry spare oil(with funnel) Shifter arm soft metal can strip splines , shift linkage boot can hide oil leak as well as the linkage itself can pop off knuckle link just wear down. Sometimes you really just want that extra gear. Trailer mode is ok ;remembering to engage/disengage, just extra steps understand that the 1330 doesn’t require . If you like to hold clutch & coast -NO such thing with the SE. really like always in right gear at stops or whatever else you may slow you down for. *also the 13RT had heat issues & updated panels required.

[Arion]

We've owned one of each - a 2012 RTL SE5 twin and a 2015 RT-S SE6 triple. The twin has been reliable and fun to ride if you enjoy high revving engines, although fuel mileage isn't as good as the triple. On long tours, we (wife I should say because the twin was hers) found the twin can be tiring. The triple feels less "frenetic" at cruising speeds because of the sixth gear, and it's more fuel efficient. That's not to say the twin is inferior it's just different. We recently exchanged her 2012 twin for a 2021 Sea to Sky and are very pleased. Her twin had just under 42,000 miles under its belt without any significant problems, transmission or otherwise.

I can't state with complete confidence but I seem to recall that the 2013 RT had cooling issues. Our 2012 twin tended to run hot (Texas in the summer temperatures) so I performed a bit of surgery on the area immediately behind the radiator as detailed in a "how to" video I found and it made a significant difference. The triple hasn't displayed any tendency to overheat despite high temperatures.

The semi-automatic should not cause you any concern except that you might miss the clutch lever.

[Peter Aawen]

A 2013 RTL with the Heat Alleviation Recall mods done and all the frame, braking, & suspension geometry changes that the 2013 models came out with, mods that were originally intended to allow them to take the 1330 motors (which then weren't ready in time! ) is arguably the pick of the bunch when it comes to the V-twin RT's!!

The 2012 RT's had a lot of the earlier bugs ironed out by the time they hit the streets, then the 2013's got all those extra goodies & improvements intended to go with the new 1330 motors; only those motors weren't ready in time so BRP stuffed the longer & higher revving/hotter V-twin back into the hole, creating the under-tupperware & escaping heat issues that plagued the 2013 RT's until the Heat Recall occurred - so make sure that any 2013 RT you intend buying has the biiig intake pods under the mirrors, cos without them, escaping heat &/or under tupperware heat could be an issue!!

There again, the 1330 IS a newer & lower revving model, so there's gotta be some attraction there.... That said, there are quite a few of us who prefer the V-twins as a more sprighlty, peppier, & higher revving engine in a lighter package that makes the 2013 V-twin Spyder SOOO much more fun to ryde over the later 1330's, which are admittedly torquier & more economical motors with slightly larger gas tanks; but overall, the 1330 triples are arguably a tad lazier with it!! Besides, if you get a good ECU Tune done on your V-twin, not only can it liven up the peppier motor even more again, matching or bettering even similarly upgraded triples; but once the upgrade is done, if you have the restraint to ride it sedately at cruising speeds you can even get very close to the same mpg as the best of the triples, albeit still with the smaller sized tank, so you'll never quite match their range!!

Still, while I'm not technically an 'owner' of a 1330, that's only cos despite having done a few thousand miles on a number of them so far, I haven't yet found a 1330 engined Spyder, upgraded or otherwise, that can entice me away from my ECU Upgraded & 'slightly enhanced' 2013 RT Ltd! So if that 2013 RT Ltd you're considering has had the Heat recall work done, then I reckon you could do a whole lot worse than giving it a try!

[JayBros]

IMO, it depends on how long you intend or hope to hang onto what you buy. If you're in it for the long haul the maintenance intervals for the 1330 ACE engine beats the V-twins with a club; you don't have to add/carry oil unless you are a good samaritan to forgetful V-twin owners.

[PinkRosePetal]

Tell me what you know - particularly if you have owned both!

I've owned both. I currently have the 1330 but I'd happily go back to the V-twin, it's just a nicer, smoother motor. The 1330 engine is buzzier very noticeable each time you open the throttle from standstill, it can even buzz your helmet as you move away and, of course, it buzzes the drive belt at 72mph when the throttle is applied. If you're on cruise at around 70mph, each time the cruise opens the throttle the buzz occurs.
Having just 5 gears instead of the six is also a benefit imho. The 1330 doesn't need 6 gears, it's just another gear change to make every time you move off up to speed. However, the V-twin isn't as fast in top speed.
Both engines have pretty much the same firing pulses per mile so although the V-twin spins faster the exhaust note is similar so it doesn't sound any revvier when riding.
Some folks have mentioned engine oil usage on the V-twin but mine was fine - no topping up between oil changes was required. Fuel consumption difference is noticeable a high cruising speed but it's negligible in the scheme of things - might cost you half a buck more to fill the tank.

[Bensonoid]

I owned a 2013 RT SE5, I didn't know anything about spyders when I bought it. After joining this forum and meeting other spyder owners I learned about the differences between the 998 and the 1330. The more I learned the more I wanted to get one, last summer I got a 2015 RTS SE6. I put 25K miles on the 2013 and have put 5K miles on the 2015. IMO the 1330 is way superior to the 998, but I know many would beg to differ.

[VStarRider]

Thanks for the replies so far. Is the SE5 the same transmission as the SE6, except +1 gear? I thought I read somewhere that the SE5 was more prone to wear because it uses more hydraulics and the SE6 uses electronics?

[Bensonoid]

Thanks for the replies so far. Is the SE5 the same transmission as the SE6, except +1 gear? I thought I read somewhere that the SE5 was more prone to wear because it uses more hydraulics and the SE6 uses electronics?

I believe the biggest difference between the two is centrifugal clutch (998) vs. hydraulic (1330). With the 1330 you don't have to worry about keeping the RPM's up like the 998.

[JayBros]

I believe the biggest difference between the two is centrifugal clutch (998) vs. hydraulic (1330). With the 1330 you don't have to worry about keeping the RPM's up like the 998.

Thanks for your reply. I knew about the centrifugal clutch on the V-twins being the major difference between the SE5s and SE6 but don't know anything more about the SE5s and didn't want to lean too far out of my foxhole.