YOU PEOPLE ARE SCARING ME TO DEATH

[bikeguy]

Well, we have 2500 miles on our RT and we'll put 700 more on it this weekend. We had a panel blow off right after we got it but the dealer replaced it and, other than that, no problems at all. It's by far the best two-up touring machine we've ever ridden and we love it. Family Powersports in San Angelo, Texas has proven to be an excellent dealer. Obviously, some owners have had problems but that's no reason to think that everyone will. I'm sure not gonna quit riding mine just because some others have experienced problems.

Cotton

 

[MackeyMouse]

Spyder problems

i had more problems with my spyder than anyone i know but i still love the thing and will buy again. my spyder has list of warranty repairs 3 pages long but that did not keep me from ryding it. these forums are good place to learn and share but don't get too discouraged because some have problems. :2thumbs: and please don't dis the members who do post their problem here. they are trying to resolve them.

I'm with you I have had odd ball problems the dealer is trying to get it fixed. BUT YA CAN'T REALLY FIX THE DRIVER:gaah: Sometimes (in my case) it seems the driver is the problem. But I hang in there and am still learning about the machine. It's a wonderful thing it takes me where I want to go and does it without flinching when I lug it!!! Workin on that!! once you get the hang of it it's just one big grin after another!!! SLMwelcome:clap::yes:

 

[canam9]

I understand how you might draw your conclusion from scanning this forum. But I see it differently...I've never owned a product of any kind where I have the kind of access to the ideas and shared experiences of so many folks with a common goal. This forum is, in a word, "priceless." I consider it it one of the most useful tools for maximizing my enjoyment of the Spyder. There are untold numbers of people who help each other, not the least of which is Lamonster, and I for one am grateful. Okay, enough of the paid advertisement.

Ride and enjoy! Cheers!

Well said!

 

[canam9]

How much did the Lamonster pay you? Actually, he and Fred Rau (through their blogs) were instrumental in my decision to buy an RT-S. Thanks guys. I was afraid that I'd have to give up riding because of a progressing back problem, but I'm happy to say that after 2,100 miles I suffer NO PAIN. And I'm leaving for a thousand-mile round tripper today.
Please pay in cash or certified check only. Just kidding.:clap:

:agree:Glad to hear about your back!

 

[osskicker]

Bought and took back

We bought an 09 SE5 a couple weeks ago from a used dealer with 1800 miles. 20 minutes into the 45 min ride home the trans started acting up, stopped and topped off the fuel. When trying to pull away the rpm's raced and the bike didn't move. Called the dealer and away it went on a rollback to the can am dealer. Giving them a chance to make it right and several excuses later we called the can am dealer ourselves. We were told they had 2 techs and 80 bikes ahead of us (not all can ams) but they did look at it between bikes. They stated they have never seen so many fault codes. Today we received a full refund. :2thumbs: We have noticed to me what seems to be a lot of used can am's with less than 1500 miles for sale. Is this not strange? Why would someone spend 16k $$ or more and then trade or sell it with only 400, 600, 1000 or more miles? You don't see this with other bikes with so few on the market. Am I the only one that thinks this is strange? :yikes:

 

[osskicker]

Thanks Scotty, we are not giving up, we love the spyder. We will probably just go new.

:2thumbs:

Rick & Christy

 

[Zerocool]

I have had my RT for a month, 1115 miles. Every time I come to this forum, its horror stories!!! Clutches and rear shocks going bad after a few hundred miles???? 2weeks at the dealers???
I was going to go out for a ride, but maybe I should just put it out on the road with a for sale sign!!
DID I MAKE A MISTAKE????

Do you read the obituaries? - probably not.

If you did, then everytime your @ss hurt you'd be thinking colon cancer. Chest pain must be a heart attack. Headache? - definitely a tumor. You'd paralyze yourself with fear.

What's my point? - I stopped my daily reads on this forum last fall because, well, it was like reading the obits. I don't have a problem w/#2475... but, after reading all these posts you can't help but to become hypersensitive to every pang, jitter, backfire, etc.

No offense to Lamont and the board, I love the people I met in Gatlinburg last year... but good grief, you'd think you just bought a time bomb after reading too much on here. I'm not trying to be flip, or disrespectful to the people who've had legitimate problems, but some of these contraptions actually work quite well hyea: Go out and RYDE! ... and stay away from the obits :2thumbs:

 

[MouthPiece]

I like the post just above me. It "rings" so true. I've had no problems with my RTS (knock on wood) and I'm closing in on 6,000 miles. Perhaps I'm one to look only at the good in things. However, I can honestly say that I'm having the time of my life on my spyder. My wife and I are thoroughly enjoying it. I'll also put in a plug for my dealer, Seminole Power Sports in Sanford, Flarda. (Sorry if that was a violation of forum terms) They've been nothing but great to me.

Chris PE# 0004

 

[krb1945]

Namknight... anytime you have thousands of units on the road some will have problemx. In the old days you didn't hear about the problems because we didn't have a forum like this to vent. We, "she who must be obeyed", and I have three of these machines and none have had problems except for the one I have the tupper ware off of getting it ready to spray. That one is a problem because it is to dog gone hot to finish it up.

At least you know there is a place to go if you have questions or are looking for tips. Ken krb1945

 

[murphybrown]

I have had my RT for a month, 1115 miles. Every time I come to this forum, its horror stories!!! Clutches and rear shocks going bad after a few hundred miles???? 2weeks at the dealers???
I was going to go out for a ride, but maybe I should just put it out on the road with a for sale sign!!
DID I MAKE A MISTAKE????

My opinion. ABSOLUTELY NOT. The beauty of ignorance (which I had when I purchased my Spyder RT) is that I had no expectations. Having lived my 3 score and ten I have purchased enough "stuff" to know that sometimes S$#@ happens. So I have backup plan, if ever needed, for warranty work and it is 160 miles away (1 way)...I knew this when I went into it. So far everything is working great..I have 2300 miles on my silver bullet..missing one bolt around the exhaust pipe housing..called selling dealer (he is in IL) and see if he will send me one...in case he doesn't then I go to plan B - dealer that will service my :spyder2:. For me life is wayyyy to short to get my panties in a wad when "stuff" happens. Just go to looking for solutions, cause trust me "stuff" happens...that is what we call LIFE. So my advise..relax, assess what you want, live your life to the fullest and don't get bogged down by the few negatives. My Spyder is cool!!! and fun!!!! and healthy!!!!:2thumbs:

 

[WaltH]

I have had my RT for a month, 1115 miles. Every time I come to this forum, its horror stories!!! Clutches and rear shocks going bad after a few hundred miles???? 2weeks at the dealers???
I was going to go out for a ride, but maybe I should just put it out on the road with a for sale sign!!
DID I MAKE A MISTAKE????

Attitude is everything in this life. I don't see horror stories. I see interesting information about the Spyder based on real life experiences. This information could be useful to me in the future. I store it in the hard drive in my head for future reference. If I ever need it, it will give me greater strength and knowledge to handle my problems at that time. Having this information makes me feel more secure. I am grateful to the members of this forum for giving me the benefit of their experiences.

I have ridden my Spyder more than most, with very little in the way of problems. I don't let the possibility of problems freak me out and interfere with the joy of riding. Keep the stories coming - good, bad, whatever.

Whether or not you have made a mistake will probably depend more on your attitude than it will on the mechanical characteristics of the Spyder.

 

[SpyderRyder2B]

RYDE IT!!

I have had my RT for a month, 1115 miles. Every time I come to this forum, its horror stories!!! Clutches and rear shocks going bad after a few hundred miles???? 2weeks at the dealers???
I was going to go out for a ride, but maybe I should just put it out on the road with a for sale sign!!
DID I MAKE A MISTAKE????

I am a new Spyder owner and sometimes the woes of other Spyder Ryders worry me too... but you know what? everything has problems of some sort
- have you had any problems yet? Ride the thing and enjoy it! I only have about 700 miles on mine and they have been awesome miles!!! :doorag: :2excited:

 

[freebob]

Spyder problems

I had the clutch problem but that was fixed. I just did a 1200 mile BBQ run this weekend and no problems. I now have 12,000 miles on this RT.

I would say if reading the forums freaks you out that much then don't read the forums, just ride the thing. :doorag:

I agree Lamont, But for some here riding become a real problem if it stays in shop for months, Some riders have short seasons and I do have compassion for them. Myself I have had no problems that I could not correct myself and really enjoy riding Spyder...2008 PE 193 SM5... :spyder2:

 

[SilverSurfer]

What's da pwoblem?

RT-S PE 0391 here ... I only have good news and some counsel. 2700 miles so far since the snow melted in March. No mechy problems. Mileage improving ... and have gotten over 32mpg. It's optimum mileage is achieved between 45 and 65 mph. I've mastered the 'how not to lose grommets' on oil-check. 600 mile service turned up no problems or computer codes. ALSO: I wish people would stop whining about performance characteristics as compared to a cruiser or a Goldwing. The Spyder is neither, was never designed to compete with either, and it has got to be learned as a new type of vehicle. I learned how to ride this new machine as a new skill, just like I learned how to ride a motorcycle, as compared to driving a car. I have no urgent compulsion to go out and buy $635.00 shocks or $250.00 sway bars. Respectfully, I assert that those who knee-jerked to go buy this stuff thinking they were addressing something wrong with the Spyder were not applying Rule 1 ... Learn how to ride the Spyder. THEN, go buy what one thinks might improve upon a good thing. Is there an after-market wish list? Of course, but the RT still has more on it from the factory than any other production "bike," I know of. RT-S SE5 needs ... umm ... a place to put a cup holder ... that's it.

One last discovery I made that enhances the riding experience (don't think I'm wierd), especially if you wear a 'shorty' helmet during the summer. I found I enjoyed riding my Spyder more after I found and started using a pair of marksman grade, high-quality, comfortable, gummi earplugs (got mine from the shooting section of Bass Pro Shop). Here's why: The engine, road noise, wind and surrounding traffic combine to generate a high amount of high frequency noise, which I find both fatiguing, and sometimes distracting. The earplugs kill the high-frequency, but leave me with more clear audibility of the Spyder's wonderful stereo, the gentle wind and most important, feeling/hearing the thrum of my engine and revs. Being more in touch with the engine and revs makes shifting more accurate and less noise overall just seems to lend a more enjoyable experience. One is also tempted to 'aggress' with the Spyder a little more, which builds confidence in the machine. After about three minutes, I'm not even aware of the earplugs ... just my grin and a floating sensation as I sweep through my morning backroad route to work.

 

[GeneralKaishi]

I have almost 18000 miles on my 2008 Spyder GS and still enjoying the ride.
Note: just watch out for the  flash comming from the  next to you. While riding at night  say goodbye night vision  I had to exit the freeway :gaah: and let the  go away, they must think its an  landing craft. :dontknow:

 

[3Ryder]

Attenuating ear plugs...Wow

One last discovery I made that enhances the riding experience (don't think I'm wierd), especially if you wear a 'shorty' helmet during the summer. I found I enjoyed riding my Spyder more after I found and started using a pair of marksman grade, high-quality, comfortable, gummi earplugs (got mine from the shooting section of Bass Pro Shop). Here's why: The engine, road noise, wind and surrounding traffic combine to generate a high amount of high frequency noise, which I find both fatiguing, and sometimes distracting. The earplugs kill the high-frequency, but leave me with more clear audibility of the Spyder's wonderful stereo, the gentle wind and most important, feeling/hearing the thrum of my engine and revs. Being more in touch with the engine and revs makes shifting more accurate and less noise overall just seems to lend a more enjoyable experience. One is also tempted to 'aggress' with the Spyder a little more, which builds confidence in the machine. After about three minutes, I'm not even aware of the earplugs ... just my grin and a floating sensation as I sweep through my morning backroad route to work.

Wow... your suggestion reminded me that I has some Westone attenuating earplugs made 12 years ago when I was starting to lose my high frequency hearing. Dug them out and tried them yesterday and I was amazed at the clarity of the external speakers and reduction in road noise. Thanks.

I love this forum...

 

[mrk2ejk]

The common theme running through this threat seems to be....you must have a good dealer that is competent, responsive, and professional. That said....any good stories about the dealers in the Virginia, Washington, DC, Maryland area? Thanks for all the information everyone shares.

 

[pjp623]

I first came to this forum because I had a problem and was looking for some input from knowledgeable people in this field. You won't get the same input from a dealer--they just don't have the experiance at this point in time that the forum collectively has. Besides, sometimes it's just fun to bitch a little. Keep in mind that this is a new concept and it will take time for BRP to work all the bugs out.
Good luck and just use the :cus: thing!

 

[pitmon]

This forum is a wonderful place. There is a wealth of information for whatever problem you may be experiencing... and lots of people willing to help figure out a solution. It's true that you hear a lot of problems, but I am sure you will find that on any forum. I love coming here to visit and I have learned a lot too. :thumbup: