VSS unit gives up.

[WO1 SHARPE]

Hi,All spyder lovers.
Thought I might put down my thoughts over my last 8 months as a spyder rider in the UK.
Last year I purchased a 2010 Rt and apart from trying to familiarize myself with the riding techniques and enjoy the transition from two wheels to three, I have reluctantly returned the vehicle back to our one and only dealer in the UK. ( One and only as far as I know)
I believe that there are approx 800 spyders running around over here in the UK and it's a shame that there is not more back up from BRP in this country by way of more dealers. The reason for returning the machine back to the dealer was failure of the VSS unit and all kinds of fault codes showing up. Mileage 5300.approx.
I was told by my dealer after he had checked the bike out that a replacement for the unit was approx £1600 (ten to twelve weeks back order) and fitting would be somewhere in the region of £400. Then as it's at the dealers, might as well consider a service and possibly some new pads etc. Can't really afford to shell out that sort of money.Not likely to have much change out of £2500!
And as for hanging on to the bike for a few weeks and riding home in limp mode (60mile trip) and not using it for 12 weeks or so...well, I just didn't think it was worth it considering the initial price. More money on top of more money.
So I decided to return the bike to the dealer with the work outstanding who allowed me a reasonable allowance back on the bike.
So,a big lesson learnt here, make sure you have very deep pockets when being the custodian of a Spyder! This will be probably be my last bike as I am fast approaching 80 years old. (Unless I dabble with an MP3!) Safe and happy riding everyone.

[grumpybob]

Sorry to hear about your problems & cost for repairs. Maybe trade to a different spyder would work for you. At 80 you are just getting started to ride a spyder. Good luck & I hope something works out for you.

[Chupaca]

Not knowing much of the whole picture it is hard to own these machines abroad as they are not well represented (dealerships and techs) and very hi-tech. Here, even though we have many, we have similar problems in some areas. Stocking parts has been an issue from the start. I think they only make enough to build them and if you need a part they need to take one apart to get it to you.. we have found other suppliers. Hope you did enjoy your time with it and all the best to you..keep enjoying life..

[ARtraveler]

Sorry to hear that the 2010 did not work out for you. High maintenance cost and high repair costs are a common thread that runs through here.

The new 1330 ACE engine requires less maintenance overall, but it still is not cheap.

[OJ UK]

There are two Can-Am main dealers in England which are a couple of hours apart.
I'm not sure which one the OP is referring to.
Bottom line:
Anything can go wrong.
The more complex it is then the likelihood of a failure gets greater, as does the cost of repair.
For a hi-tech piece of kit the Spyder is, in the vast majority of cases, very reliable.
However, if the bike suffers a significant failure as in the above case then it's gonna hurt!
We can't at the moment get any extended warranties here in the UK as far as I know.
I had to very carefully consider my own financial position before buying the F3-S.

[bruiser]

It is a shame that you have to give up your Spyder. You take a chance whenever purchasing a pre owned vehicle. In most cases you don't know the history. We all take a chance with our Spyders due to the low availability of dealer support and parts.

[MikeinGA]

Hi,All spyder lovers.
Thought I might put down my thoughts over my last 8 months as a spyder rider in the UK.
Last year I purchased a 2010 Rt and apart from trying to familiarize myself with the riding techniques and enjoy the transition from two wheels to three, I have reluctantly returned the vehicle back to our one and only dealer in the UK. ( One and only as far as I know)
I believe that there are approx 800 spyders running around over here in the UK and it's a shame that there is not more back up from BRP in this country by way of more dealers. The reason for returning the machine back to the dealer was failure of the VSS unit and all kinds of fault codes showing up. Mileage 5300.approx.
I was told by my dealer after he had checked the bike out that a replacement for the unit was approx £1600 (ten to twelve weeks back order) and fitting would be somewhere in the region of £400. Then as it's at the dealers, might as well consider a service and possibly some new pads etc. Can't really afford to shell out that sort of money.Not likely to have much change out of £2500!
And as for hanging on to the bike for a few weeks and riding home in limp mode (60mile trip) and not using it for 12 weeks or so...well, I just didn't think it was worth it considering the initial price. More money on top of more money.
So I decided to return the bike to the dealer with the work outstanding who allowed me a reasonable allowance back on the bike.
So,a big lesson learnt here, make sure you have very deep pockets when being the custodian of a Spyder! This will be probably be my last bike as I am fast approaching 80 years old. (Unless I dabble with an MP3!) Safe and happy riding everyone.

Before you do anything have the battery checked. If it's the original battery, 5 years is old for a battery. Make sure the connections are clean and thigh. Check your charging system. Low voltage can cause all kinds errors. I hope this helps and good luck.

Mike