Spyder enjoyment vs. experience of ownership

[jbim]

Hello Spyder Lovers,

Something has been nagging me over the past year. I don't ride that much but each time I do, I enjoy my Spyder. However, getting service from BRP dealers is frustrating. I live in a small town with a number of dealers within one to four hours. The closest is mostly into marine and winter and it seems they carry Spyders by accident or obligation to BRP. I have had my Spyder serviced at three different dealers. They either seemed not too knowledgeable; not committed to the brand; not eager to help; or to have your business. Contacting them by phone or email is a pain. No response, no callback. Sometimes they don't even answer the phone.

I ask myself do I really want to keep the bike. I don't see myself not riding but I am not enjoying the experience of ownership of the brand. I don't want to go back to a two-wheel as I feel I am too old to risk breaking a leg. Anyone else feel that way and what do you think can be done about it.

Thanks for listening to my rant.

J

[blacklightning]

With oil changes only being needed every 9,000+ miles, hopefully your spyder doesn't need to be in the shop but maybe once a year. I know it might be a pain in the a$$, but dealing with most dealerships of any vehicle seem to be. If you are not having issues with the bike, I say keep it and enjoy. Maybe even find someone local that can work on the bike for things as simple as oil changes.

[Jesster72]

A few thoughts, probably no help, but here goes.

I have owned bikes all my life, but never a HD, so my experience with dealers and service is somewhat like yours. For the last 15 years or so (riding Kawi's and 8 years on Victorys) service and dealers were always at least an hour away. So very few dealers to support. Can Am is similar, their network is pretty thin to say the least. My Spyder dealer is 80 miles away, so I have to plan my maintenance well in advance. They too are an all-outdoor motorsports dealer, but they seem to have a decent Spyder tech, they do laser alignments, so I consider myself pretty lucky to have them.

Where I differ from your situation is that I ride as often as I can, and I really enjoy each time I get out. That is what gives me my experience of ownership. I will put up with the distance to the dealership and hope like heck on our longer trips that either there are no issues, or I can find a dealer within AAA towing distance. Such is the adventure.

Now, what can be done in your situation? Can you find an independent wrench who can work on your Spyder? Do you have a mechanically inclined friend or relative who can help? There are a lot of folks on this forum that do their own work, so it can be done, including software updates if they have the license.

If all else fails, and you have a lot of money to play with, maybe an HD trike is in your future. I hope I don't come across the wrong way, but around here, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting an HD dealership, that would solve the dealer network issue.

I hope you can work out the issues with the Spyder - to me it is a superior machine that is a blast to ride in the twisties, and it has very nice long distance touring legs. I hope to have mine for many years and many miles.

[jbim]

Thanks for the posts. I too am hoping no major failures. I don't see myself on a HD trike. I think my next step would be a small convertible like the Mazda MX5.

[Badmotorf1nger]

All the dealers by me are crap (except one in NYC which is supposed to have 2 good experienced Ryker/Spyder mechanics)
The dealer I bought mine at was my best friend during the sale process. But as soon as I came back for a warranty service/issue it was the typical dealer BS excuses. Ended up fixing the problems myself, plus some things they screwed up assembling my bike.

So unless the motor blows under warranty, or some other really expensive part, then I'll be doing everything myself, even if it costs me some money out of pocket. Better peace of mind that way working on it yourself.

What a lot of people don't realize is that most dealerships (cars & motorcycles) hire complete idiots for most of their service team and pay them jack *****e.
Think of the teenagers who change oil at Jiffy lube & use a 1/2" impact gun to put your drain plug back on. They will have 1 mechanic who actually knows what he's doing for bigger jobs, maybe!

I have a bunch of friends who are service writers/parts managers at different dealers & they all tell me the same thing....

[slhanks004]

If dealer service in inconvenient to you, due to location it might be worthwhile to perform your own maintenance, if you are capable. You will save money and will know exactly what work was performed. I'm 7 miles from my dealer and I do my own service, primarily because I don't trust them.

[ARtraveler]

A very common complaint across the board. Unknowledgeable dealers seem to be the biggest complaint these days. In AK, my dealer was only 5 miles away. Now in AR I have an "independent" service (Lamonster Garage) 75 miles away. Currently, my go to place. I agree with the comment above, about once a year service every 9000 miles. So far, it has worked well for me.

[chipveres]

A very common complaint across the board. Unknowledgeable dealers seem to be the biggest complaint these days. In AK, my dealer was only 5 miles away. Now in AR I have an "independent" service (Lamonster Garage) 75 miles away. Currently, my go to place. I agree with the comment above, about once a year service every 9000 miles. So far, it has worked well for me.

More agreement. Although I have only dealt mail-order with Lamonster Garage, they have treated me right. Like parts that were supposed to take 2 months but showed up in two weeks.

At BRP, we are the afterthought to an afterthought. Primarily they make airplanes. Then they make snowmobiles. Then they make Spyders.

[BajaRon]

If dealer service in inconvenient to you, due to location it might be worthwhile to perform your own maintenance, if you are capable. You will save money and will know exactly what work was performed. I'm 7 miles from my dealer and I do my own service, primarily because I don't trust them.

This, for many, is an excellent option. With a 9,000 mile plus service interval, once a year usually takes care of it. BRP's Achilles heal is definitely customer support. The Spyder is, admittedly, difficult to work on. Mechanics, hence dealerships, don't like to service them. And it shows. We get a fair amount of business from customers dissatisfied with poor dealer service. It is a shame that the Spyder/Ryker suffer with support issues in some areas.

Our advantage is that we not only work on Spyders/Rykers all day long. But we also ride them. The combination has made it much less of an issue to get jobs done efficiently.

[sledge]

Hello Spyder Lovers,

Something has been nagging me over the past year. I don't ride that much but each time I do, I enjoy my Spyder. However, getting service from BRP dealers is frustrating. I live in a small town with a number of dealers within one to four hours. The closest is mostly into marine and winter and it seems they carry Spyders by accident or obligation to BRP. I have had my Spyder serviced at three different dealers. They either seemed not too knowledgeable, committed to the brand, eager to help or to have your business. Contacting them by phone or email is a pain. No response, no callback. Sometimes they don't even answer the phone.

I ask myself do I really want to keep the bike. I don't see myself not riding but I am not enjoying the experience of ownership of the brand. I don't want to go back to a two-wheel as I feel I am too old to risk breaking a leg. Anyone else feel that way and what do you think can be done about it.

Thanks for listening to my rant.

J

I know what you mean , I live in south east US ... same here with Spyder dealerships and shops ( some of them at least ) I made a living most of my life as a Mechanic , and I have done all my own Spyder work myself , but I know people who have been charged a lot of money to do very little work , and like you said most of them really don't know as much as a Shop Mechanic should know about their own name brand parts and bikes. maybe because they are so new around here .

[Columbia]

Enjoyment on a scale of 0--10, with ten being "Think I've died and gone to heaven" and zero being "Wish I could die, even if it means hell" I'm at a five (5)

Experience of Ownership, same scale, I'm at a 2.5.

[askitee]

You hit so many aspects of Can-Am ownership on the head.

I almost walked away from the brand when I bought mine new at a dealership. BRP had some extras as part of the deal and it took almost 6 months to get what I was entitled to - dealing with BRP Customer service was Customer frustration. On top of this the dealership was the cause of 80% of the problems I had with my '17TRL, (incorrect assembly, not completing jobs properly to spec, forgetting to fit parts after service, the constant battle with the service manager to get warranty work done). I have since found a good one who knows what they are doing, and are genuinely wanting to maintain a good relationship. They are a 600km round trip to visit but too me that's a good days ride I enjoy making.

I am self employed, provide I.T. services to business, and can say with absolute no hesitation that a good established relationship with a dealership is worth a spyders weight in gold. They know me, my expectations and my thoughts on what they do, and we've built up trust that has seen them go into battle for me with BRP and won on a few counts.

I am at the point that if the dealership service deteriorated and I couldn't find another to keep my '17RTL reliable then I'd sooner sell it than return to the constant frustration I had in the early days of ownership.

[canamjhb]

I had a BRP ATV and a BRP side by side before purchasing my Spyder. I was happy with my service and after-sale dealer experiences on both these purchases. (They were both purchased new). Then I bought my Spyder. BIG difference. I tried 3 different BRP authorized shops for service and all failed to provide customer satisfaction. The lack of dealer support/knowledge caused me to abandon the brand. I won't be back. But, guess what, I don't think they care.....

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

At BRP, we are the afterthought to an afterthought. Primarily they make airplanes. Then they make snowmobiles. Then they make Spyders.

Correction. BRP doesn't make airplanes. That's Bombardier, Inc., I believe it is. The recreational products part of Bombardier was spun off around 2003 which is what we know as BRP. They make three wheel vehicles, snowmobiles, personal watercraft, side x sides, ATVs, boats, boat motors, and Rotax engines. According to their latest financial report 3wv and sxs made up 55% of their revenue. So contrary to your statement, Spyders are not at the bottom of the list. So why doesn't BRP seem to be more supportive of owners. Good question!

[tntnj]

I have 2 dealers within 20 miles . I have tried both , one is bad (charged me $70 to balance 2 front tires that were ok and tried to say he is not paid for any updates) The other has fixed things that were not warranty for no charge. I do alot of maintance on the bike my self. I only take the bike on things that I can not do.
Try to do the maintaince on the bike your self. Watch youtube videos or ask the forum. There is a lot of experience here to help you .

[BamaJohn]

The following is Can Am Customer Service's reply to my complaint email regarding the LH multi-switch failure on my 2020 Spyder RT with 14,600 miles logged: (my reply back this morning is below their email)


Hello John,

Thank you for contacting BRP, I hope you are doing well.

I am very sorry to hear that you are having issues with your unit. If your dealer feels like this is a manufacturing issue, they can submit a claim with BRP, to see if it might be covered as you no longer are covered under warranty. We do not have any technical training here at customer support, so we are not able to know what is going on. I am sorry for any inconvenience.

Should you have any other questions or comments, do not hesitate to reach us by replying to this email or call us at T + (888) 272-9222.

Thank you again for reaching out to BRP.

Take care,

(and my reply back this morning

"We do not have any technical training here at customer support, so we are not able to know what is going on”. Looks like I sent my issue to the wrong department, so can you direct me to the department that can actually address the issue?

[Fat Baxter]

My dealer experience is such that I'm seriously considering selling my Spyder. It's to the point that if they have to go under the Tupperware, it's likely they will screw something up.

My wife said I could buy a new one, but why should I, when they can't maintain the one I've got?

[Flylow]

Sorry to see so many that don't like their bike or dealership. I am having the time of my life riding and doing long cross country trips. The only real problem I have had is the lift strut for the top box (2021 RTL). The dealership installed another but it made a lot of noise going up or down. A replacement is on order.

[Tango]

Look for an independant shop to do your oil changes. This year for my yearly oil change I did! I made the trip to see BajaRon and attended his first ever rally. It was well worth the trip. I saved approx. $130 and got full synthetic and a K+N oil filter. On top of that they let me watch them do it. And answered questions I had along the way. It was a pleasure to have them service my bike. On top of all this they were very happy about doing their work. Tom

[Spyderman2018]

Believe it or not, their engines are in quite a few ultra lights, which qualify as aircraft....

[PeterKelly]

I have been lucky so far with my dealer experiences in both California and BC. I admit my expectations aren’t sky high but Malcolm Smith in Riverside CA (service and warranty issues) and Greater Vancouver Powersports (sprocket recall) have been excellent so far.

Recently bought a 2023 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 - awful service from both the Dealer an Kawasaki - I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my positive experience with BRP Dealers continues.

[ARtraveler]

I have been lucky so far with my dealer experiences in both California and BC. I admit my expectations aren’t sky high but Malcolm Smith in Riverside CA (service and warranty issues) and Greater Vancouver Powersports (sprocket recall) have been excellent so far.

Recently bought a 2023 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 - awful service from both the Dealer an Kawasaki - I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my positive experience with BRP Dealers continues.

Once you get the Vulcan 900 running to your specs you should be good to go. I have owned two different Vulcan 900's and both were trouble free through their whole lives with me. Oil canges, filters, and tires were the only requirements over the years I owned them.

[bigbadbrucie]

I have been lucky so far with my dealer experiences in both California and BC. I admit my expectations aren’t sky high but Malcolm Smith in Riverside CA (service and warranty issues) and Greater Vancouver Powersports (sprocket recall) have been excellent so far.

I purchased me 2014 RTS from the Chilliwack location of Greater Vancouver Powersports back in 2015 and have always had great service from them. Number 1 in my book.

[chill]

Thanks for the posts. I too am hoping no major failures. I don't see myself on a HD trike. I think my next step would be a small co MX5.

Just in the market to get my first spyder. It is definitely a concern as I put a deposit on one recently and it has been almost three weeks and it still isn't ready for pickup. Doesn't instill much confidence in their ability to do quick repairs. I do think servicing your own bike is best, if at all possible, that is what I've usually done for basic stuff.

A roadster is a great alternative for sure. I've had an MX-5 and now have a Z3. Both have been a fun alternative and keep you dry on rainy day drives, not to mention A/C on the really hot days.

[bigbadbrucie]

Just in the market to get my first spyder. It is definitely a concern as I put a deposit on one recently and it has been almost three weeks and it still isn't ready for pickup. Doesn't instill much confidence in their ability to do quick repairs. I do think servicing your own bike is best, if at all possible, that is what I've usually done for basic stuff.

And what, may I be so bold as to ask, are you waiting for? What is the year and unit?