Dear BRP: I love you but why are you so nonsensical?

[griffontamer]

I fell in love with Spyders when they came out and wanted one regardless of my physical abilities (thank goodness, because now I have a bad hip and probably won't be able to ride larger 2 wheelers ever again).

But a lot of folks who get spyders are disabled. If they don't have use of their legs/feet, they could surely use a handbrake! And BRP already has the semi-auto transmission, which takes care of the left foot; but why on earth don't they have a hand brake??? It would make so much sense and would cost them very little to add (either as a standard feature or an option) and they could be making the money rather than letting some aftermarket company do it. I have no doubt they already have most parts available from their quads and what not and it would not require some insanely complicated redesign of the brake system.

Am I missing something? Are there any plans to have factory hand brakes for Spyders in the future?

 

[Peter Aawen]

I reckon that you'll find the single foot brake (just like most cars) & no hand-brake was mandated by many Governments around the world if BRP wanted Spyders to be ridden by people who only hold a standard car driver's licence.... :sour:

And since many more people keep clamouring for that over hand-controls, I believe it's unlikely that BRP will ever move to fit a hand-brake as a matter of course on their principal Roadster products, altho maybe they might eventually find their way into their 'optional extra's' list. There again, as far as their future plans are concerned, I'd guess that unless the actual & measurable demand for hand controls increases MASSIVELY & in a demonstrable way (like the ISCI offering becoming the single most popular option selected by Spyder buyers & making that company billions in profits) then they probably don't see too much profit in it long term....

 

[MRH]

With respect to those who are disabled, I would contend that as a percentage the number of riders unable to use the footbrake are very few. Handbrakes, while some have them, are not put on with great frequency, and may be confusing to some riders who have come from four wheels rather than from two (two brakes?). For those riders who are are accustomed to two different brakes (foot and hand) operating brakes on two different wheels, it may add even more confusion.

I would guess, if one were able to run the numbers, that the additional costs of the various scenarios involving hand brakes just don't add up profitably for BRP, and there are option for those who need handbrakes.

 

[tip]

handbrake

I think that the option of a handbrake would be very beneficial to sales for BRP. Just read the posts where people have bought Spyders because they are no longer comfortable on 2 wheels. As we get older it becomes harder to get the old body to respond to the brains order - much easier with the hand !
I ride with a gentleman that has very little use of his legs - but he has an Isci (?) hand brake and has extended his years of riding.
You don't have to be disabled or handicapped to want a front brake.
My opinion,
Tip

 

[MRH]

I think that the option of a handbrake would be very beneficial to sales for BRP. Just read the posts where people have bought Spyders because they are no longer comfortable on 2 wheels. As we get older it becomes harder to get the old body to respond to the brains order - much easier with the hand !
I ride with a gentleman that has very little use of his legs - but he has an Isci (?) hand brake and has extended his years of riding.
You don't have to be disabled or handicapped to want a front brake.
My opinion,
Tip

From a business perspective, the question is how many more Spyders will the sell, and how much does it add to the cost of making the Spyder (which is either lost profit, or a higher price for us). When the "what do you want on a new Spyder?" threads are put up on this forum, I can't recall this ever being a popular request when compared with other features. I also don't know that it would cost less than what is already out there.

I'm not saying the ability to add a hand brake would be a bad idea, I just don't know if it makes business sense to them. I would say that I don't want one standard - or at least I don't think I do.

 

[Cruzr Joe]

I fell in love with Spyders when they came out and wanted one regardless of my physical abilities (thank goodness, because now I have a bad hip and probably won't be able to ride larger 2 wheelers ever again).

But a lot of folks who get spyders are disabled. If they don't have use of their legs/feet, they could surely use a handbrake! And BRP already has the semi-auto transmission, which takes care of the left foot; but why on earth don't they have a hand brake??? It would make so much sense and would cost them very little to add (either as a standard feature or an option) and they could be making the money rather than letting some aftermarket company do it. I have no doubt they already have most parts available from their quads and what not and it would not require some insanely complicated redesign of the brake system.

Am I missing something? Are there any plans to have factory hand brakes for Spyders in the future?

I am very happy to not have a hand brake, if you want one, they are available on the after market.

Cruzr Joe

 

[cuznjohn]

i have the hand brake and love it. BRP could make it as a option, but i doubt they will. now if you have a dealer that will install it for you that also would be great. i had to install mine because my dealer refuses to install anything other then OEM equipment

 

[SpyderAnn01]

I wouldn't want a hand brake nor would I want to pay more for a Spyder because they added them to it. ISCI makes a great one and many folks that wouldn't be able to ride are able to because of their brake. BRP builds for the masses and the aftermarket customizes for the individual.

 

[Chupaca]

Agree..!!

:agree: the hand brakes available just operate the foot brake. If the hand brake were as on two wheelers operating the front brakes things may be different. Good they have them but doubt BRP will get into it...:thumbup:

 

[griffontamer]

I wasn't suggesting making a hand brake operate front wheels only; I figured we already have linked brakes, the hand control would do the same thing so you can use either or, or both. The parts (if added by BRP) would hardly cost a couple hundred dollars;

My right foot thankfully works fine, but it would be nice to sometimes put both feet on rear pegs (on long trips when the legs get tired of the same position for hours on end) and still have the ability to brake in an emergency. Not saying it needs to be standard, but it would surely be nice as a dealer-added factory option.

If governments mandate it, that's a real bummer but I guess at least they don't require Spyder seat belts! LOL

 

[BikerDoc]

i have the hand brake and love it. BRP could make it as a option, but i doubt they will. now if you have a dealer that will install it for you that also would be great. i had to install mine because my dealer refuses to install anything other then OEM equipment

I am really happy to have a dealer that will install anything on my bike that meets reasonable quality standards without trying to slam me for OEM prices on everything

 

[Darren111]

Hand Brake and Parking Brake

Is the hand brake the same as parking brake?:dontknow:

 

[pegasus1300]

I fell in love with Spyders when they came out and wanted one regardless of my physical abilities (thank goodness, because now I have a bad hip and probably won't be able to ride larger 2 wheelers ever again).

But a lot of folks who get spyders are disabled. If they don't have use of their legs/feet, they could surely use a handbrake! And BRP already has the semi-auto transmission, which takes care of the left foot; but why on earth don't they have a hand brake??? It would make so much sense and would cost them very little to add (either as a standard feature or an option) and they could be making the money rather than letting some aftermarket company do it. I have no doubt they already have most parts available from their quads and what not and it would not require some insanely complicated redesign of the brake system.

Am I missing something? Are there any plans to have factory hand brakes for Spyders in the future?

So to take your handbrake/car analogy a little further, I had a friend who lost the use of his legs due to Polio. His cars all had to have handbrakes. No matter what car he drove all of them had to be converted by an after market company to to hand controls. If no car manufacturer feels it is reasonable to include that as an option with their huge volume of sales why would a low volume motorcycle manufacturer consider it?

In the end it's about economics of scale and what will return them the most profit. To offer that even as an option given the low volume of Spyder sales and the even lower volume of those wanting such an option, it cost them too much to carry it in inventory.

 

[SmoovOpRatoR]

As someone whose not disabled I still would have liked to see a handbrake as an option. While I don't have a ton of experience on two wheels, I have enough that I found myself on more than a few occasions grasping at a brake lever that's non existent. BRP could still keep the linked setup, just allow you to activate it differently.

 

[griffontamer]

So to take your handbrake/car analogy a little further, I had a friend who lost the use of his legs due to Polio. His cars all had to have handbrakes. No matter what car he drove all of them had to be converted by an after market company to to hand controls. If no car manufacturer feels it is reasonable to include that as an option with their huge volume of sales why would a low volume motorcycle manufacturer consider it?

In the end it's about economics of scale and what will return them the most profit. To offer that even as an option given the low volume of Spyder sales and the even lower volume of those wanting such an option, it cost them too much to carry it in inventory.

But cars sell by the millions to all sorts of demographics... a lot of Spyders sell specifically to disabled and/or older folks. And even with "able bodied" folks, some of them want a hand brake. I just figured Spyders, of all things, should have a hand brake because they already have the tough-to-convert part (the clutchless transmission) available. The handbrake would be such and easy and inexpensive (for BRP) and welcome (for many of us) addition... That's all

 

[cuznjohn]

I am really happy to have a dealer that will install anything on my bike that meets reasonable quality standards without trying to slam me for OEM prices on everything

all it would take for a dealer to install after market parts is a waiver to sign saying he has no responsibility and all would be good. my guy won't even install tires unless he get's them right from BRP

 

[TommyBwell]

My left leg does not work well. If my right was like my left I would not be able to ride a Spyder without aftermarket parts. Plus when I'm manually rolling my Spyder out of my garage sometimes it difficult to get to the foot brake. I like the idea of a factory hand brake.

 

[Colin]

If you look at the pricing of most of BRP aftermarket options, there is a pretty good chance that if they did have a Hand Brake option it would be more expensive than those available elsewhere. So then people would then go elsewhere anyway.
Just my opinion.

 

[ARtraveler]

I am pretty sure that BRP will not do a "factory" handbrake set up. The single pedal and ABS plus VSS will stop you way better than most motorcycles with combined hand and foot brake.

Fortunately, for those that need a handbrake option--there is aftermarket out there and they do cost over $1,000.

I would not want to pay extra if not needed. :thumbup:

 

[Skip H]

For me the lack of a hand brake is a deal breaker. No hand brake, no Spyder.


A major advantage of OEM versus after-market is that any dealer (at least in theory) would be able to properly maintain the system and could not use its installation as an excuse to not perform warranty work on the rest of the Spyder's braking system should it ever be needed.


I accept that many people see no need for one, but for those who want or need one, the option should be made available. Whether it be direct from the factory or a dealer installed option, an OEM blessed offering should be readily obtainable.