Thank you for your help on "Prospective Buyer". It has been helpful. I've never been on a bike & I'm considering buying an RT. I think, however, that I'm going to hold off on my decision. There have been too many complaints about mechanical & electrical problems. It's expected from a first year model. My car is a first year model & it has too many problems for my liking(it was used so who knows how the previous owner abused it). I'm hoping that next year's model will have some of these problems ironed out. Perhaps they are also listening to you owners' suggestions. Am I expecting too much to be improved for the second year? I'm also disappointed that they only get 30 mpg. and they seem to be underpowered for a bike. I'm excited by the idea of riding one, but I want to make sure it's the right vehicle for me. Feed-back would be appreciated. Thank you. -Mike W.
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Still thinking about it
- Thread starter Bertmikew
- Start date
NancysToy
Motorbike Professor
The number of difficulties with the RT has been disappointing, but this is a very complex machine, so it takes time to find the bugs. Trust me when I tell you the factory is paying attention...and addressing problems as they arise. I think the later first year machines are already better, and the 2011 machines should be better still. JMHO
Mileage may be disappointing to you, but you are trying to punch a hole in the air the size of a barn door with this thing. It is not as aerodynamic as a car (or a jet plane), either. Thirty is gonna be about as good as it gets. Depends a bit on the gas where you live...I get worse. Nancy's RS is only marginally better. The biggest obstacle is the size of the gas tank and the limited range.
Power is in the eye of the beholder. The RT has enough beans to go down the road anywhere you want, riding two-up and pulling a trailer if necessary. It will do 100 mph, what more do you need? It is an rpm machine, not a torque monster. That takes some adjustment for folks used to the other end of the spectrum. If you want excess power, it may not be the machine for you, but it has plenty of power to be practical. Don't look at the numbers, ride one, then decide.
Mileage may be disappointing to you, but you are trying to punch a hole in the air the size of a barn door with this thing. It is not as aerodynamic as a car (or a jet plane), either. Thirty is gonna be about as good as it gets. Depends a bit on the gas where you live...I get worse. Nancy's RS is only marginally better. The biggest obstacle is the size of the gas tank and the limited range.
Power is in the eye of the beholder. The RT has enough beans to go down the road anywhere you want, riding two-up and pulling a trailer if necessary. It will do 100 mph, what more do you need? It is an rpm machine, not a torque monster. That takes some adjustment for folks used to the other end of the spectrum. If you want excess power, it may not be the machine for you, but it has plenty of power to be practical. Don't look at the numbers, ride one, then decide.
murphybrown
New member
Like all decisions in life Mike. You have to decide what is important to you. For me the Spyder addressed a BIG want on my bucket list. The closest I got to being a 2 wheeler owner...was my 49cc Zuma...I had spent a lot of years riding behind on a street/highway 2 wheeler..then when my life changed and I was a single great grannie pushing on 70 I still wanted that wind in my face. The Spyder met my wants list: Easy to handle. Takes me anywhere I want to go..perfect for extended road trips...I purchased the 2010 RT SE5 and have not had an ounce of trouble. I live 3 1/2 hrs. from warranty dealer (purchased my Spyder in IL)..drove it 2200 miles home..couple recalls...yep that happens on most anything anymore...for me waiting for the perfect year, the perfect Spyder (i.e. maintenance free)..not enough years left for that for me. Mileage..you bet I would take better mileage..but like I tell folks when they say "is that all you get"...my stock answer is if you are really concerned about the mileage, you probably shouldn't be spending the original $$ to purchase...the great thing about living life...is it is your life, your $$, you do what works for you and yours. Life happens...either I handle how I will respond in a reasonable, accountable way or life will DESTROY me and those around me....happy Spyder looking!! :spyder:
krb1945
New member
NO "bull" a statement of facts!
Scotty is telling you straight about the factory paying attention. I know this for fact. A friends warranty expired in april... he changed his oil and filter again this month. When he started it the check engine light came on and would not go out. He was concerned that he did something wrong changing the oil. I reassured him he did not cause the problem changing the oil. After checking relays, connectors, fuses, battery voltage and everything else you can think of his spyder went to the shop. After a few days the shop called and told him the computer was bad. They called BRP and a new computer was shipped and changed on the warranty. Remember I said the factory warranty expired in April. BRP is as concerned as we are about these failures. Any new technology is going to have its share of bugs to overcome. If we report things we notice when riding or inspecting under the plastic... they are checking what we are pointing out. Don't mis-understand what I am saying... they can't check the things we point out instantly but they do look and I would suspect they keep a digital file on potential problem areas or items.
I know when growing up on the farm, a growing up on the farm story, we had a brand new diesel tractor that had to have three new engines in one year. The problem was so bad during the planting season the factory to the dealer to provide a larger used tractor for us to use so we would not loose a full crop production. The problem with this tractor was engine main bearings... the bearing supplier had a bad run of bearings... once they were all weeded out... no more failures. These things don't happen too often these days but they do happen and when they do... they will be addressed in turn. The End / Fin and we lived happily ever after...
Ken krb1945
Scotty is telling you straight about the factory paying attention. I know this for fact. A friends warranty expired in april... he changed his oil and filter again this month. When he started it the check engine light came on and would not go out. He was concerned that he did something wrong changing the oil. I reassured him he did not cause the problem changing the oil. After checking relays, connectors, fuses, battery voltage and everything else you can think of his spyder went to the shop. After a few days the shop called and told him the computer was bad. They called BRP and a new computer was shipped and changed on the warranty. Remember I said the factory warranty expired in April. BRP is as concerned as we are about these failures. Any new technology is going to have its share of bugs to overcome. If we report things we notice when riding or inspecting under the plastic... they are checking what we are pointing out. Don't mis-understand what I am saying... they can't check the things we point out instantly but they do look and I would suspect they keep a digital file on potential problem areas or items.
I know when growing up on the farm, a growing up on the farm story, we had a brand new diesel tractor that had to have three new engines in one year. The problem was so bad during the planting season the factory to the dealer to provide a larger used tractor for us to use so we would not loose a full crop production. The problem with this tractor was engine main bearings... the bearing supplier had a bad run of bearings... once they were all weeded out... no more failures. These things don't happen too often these days but they do happen and when they do... they will be addressed in turn. The End / Fin and we lived happily ever after...
Ken krb1945
IWN2RYD
New member
Just wanted to comment on the gas mileage.... We live in a very hilly area. In fact... we cannot drive in any direction for 5 miles without going up and down hills. I bet the difference in mileage varies so much because of temps (Amount of clothing weight, and air impact) as much as the terrain does.
Also... Met a very nice couple on a Harley Trike completely tricked out... They said they only get 30 ish MPG as well. They blamed the lead foot and luggage. :roflblack:
I met a wonderful Spyder owner from Spokane last week, he gets 212-252 miles to the tank on his RT-S :yikes: Had the gas register to show me. He said his drive is all flat and hwy... Sets the Cruise and away he goes.
We almost always ryde two up, he is one...
It was clear his RT-S got better with age as well.
Of course my wife and I have no idea what our mileage AVG is. We just drive and fill, drive and fill.
Now when our RT-S finally gets back into our hands and all the "Toys" have been installed, I will be using it as my daily driver. So then I am sure I will start paying attention. :thumbup:
BTW... We applaud your way of doing this. It is your money and personal decision.
I would only add a different view from where I sit to what Scotty is saying by saying... To this point I have received absolutely ZERO response from BRP.
This does not mean that the factory is not all over these issues as Scotty has expressed, I am speaking about BRP as a whole in my personal experience. I have had no response to my letter. The only communication I have had with BRP is when I called, and they brushed me off to my dealer. I do not feel the same as others do. I feel that my situation was tossed off and made to be the Dealers issue. I feel no connection or desire from BRP to make this right. Had I not of gotten on top of the soap box when I did, my bike would have sat in the garage since the first week we owned it. The recall for the clutch was not until this week.
Now that said... Evey time a new vehicle specific, all encompassing "Update" rolls out... It is my understanding that BRP has the Dealer do these as a part of the Pre-Delivery process. Depending on the level of recall and such will of course dictate if they do it or have to wait for the owner to experience one of the symptoms or not is clearly in play here.
I would also go as far to at (At least up to this point) that I would purchase another RT-s in a heartbeat if I had a need. These bikes simply are nothing like the old Trike style. In fact... I think they take 75% of the work involved in driving a trike or side car away. I almost feel like I am cheating it is so easy to drive and control. :thumbup:
Finally... Most threads in any forum that stay in the first few pages for very long are the "Problems". Additionally, not everyone feels the need to express their findings or look for folks on the web. They have groups they already are a part of and ryde with them. Or they love the solo act. I would go as far as saying... A good % of folks here came looking for info before there purchase (We did) as much as folks starting to have a problem, goggling it, and finding us that way.
Good luck with your decision and search!! I understand the 2010's are almost gone and the 2011's will start showing up late this summer :dontknow::yes:
Also... Met a very nice couple on a Harley Trike completely tricked out... They said they only get 30 ish MPG as well. They blamed the lead foot and luggage. :roflblack:
I met a wonderful Spyder owner from Spokane last week, he gets 212-252 miles to the tank on his RT-S :yikes: Had the gas register to show me. He said his drive is all flat and hwy... Sets the Cruise and away he goes.
We almost always ryde two up, he is one...
It was clear his RT-S got better with age as well.
Of course my wife and I have no idea what our mileage AVG is. We just drive and fill, drive and fill.
Now when our RT-S finally gets back into our hands and all the "Toys" have been installed, I will be using it as my daily driver. So then I am sure I will start paying attention. :thumbup:
BTW... We applaud your way of doing this. It is your money and personal decision.
I would only add a different view from where I sit to what Scotty is saying by saying... To this point I have received absolutely ZERO response from BRP.
This does not mean that the factory is not all over these issues as Scotty has expressed, I am speaking about BRP as a whole in my personal experience. I have had no response to my letter. The only communication I have had with BRP is when I called, and they brushed me off to my dealer. I do not feel the same as others do. I feel that my situation was tossed off and made to be the Dealers issue. I feel no connection or desire from BRP to make this right. Had I not of gotten on top of the soap box when I did, my bike would have sat in the garage since the first week we owned it. The recall for the clutch was not until this week.
Now that said... Evey time a new vehicle specific, all encompassing "Update" rolls out... It is my understanding that BRP has the Dealer do these as a part of the Pre-Delivery process. Depending on the level of recall and such will of course dictate if they do it or have to wait for the owner to experience one of the symptoms or not is clearly in play here.
I would also go as far to at (At least up to this point) that I would purchase another RT-s in a heartbeat if I had a need. These bikes simply are nothing like the old Trike style. In fact... I think they take 75% of the work involved in driving a trike or side car away. I almost feel like I am cheating it is so easy to drive and control. :thumbup:
Finally... Most threads in any forum that stay in the first few pages for very long are the "Problems". Additionally, not everyone feels the need to express their findings or look for folks on the web. They have groups they already are a part of and ryde with them. Or they love the solo act. I would go as far as saying... A good % of folks here came looking for info before there purchase (We did) as much as folks starting to have a problem, goggling it, and finding us that way.
Good luck with your decision and search!! I understand the 2010's are almost gone and the 2011's will start showing up late this summer :dontknow::yes:
What kind of car are you refering to?:chat:
NancysToy
Motorbike Professor
Please note that I did not mean to imply that BRP responded directly to me, although we have had contact. BRP has responded to some of the problems in the Spyder RT by changing procedures, working of solutions, and making some design changes along the way. They have also, as you know, issued a recall for the 2010 SE5s. I call this response...but it is not personal.
As to contact I have had with BRP, mine was mostly a result of my Spyder being at the dealer first, and me contacting BRP through their tech support, when the dealer had not addressed my problems well. Frankly, any contact directly with the manufacturer is quite unusual, IMO, so I do feel they take things to a more personal level than is the norm. I'm sorry you are displeased. I hope your worries or problems are soon behind you.
As to contact I have had with BRP, mine was mostly a result of my Spyder being at the dealer first, and me contacting BRP through their tech support, when the dealer had not addressed my problems well. Frankly, any contact directly with the manufacturer is quite unusual, IMO, so I do feel they take things to a more personal level than is the norm. I'm sorry you are displeased. I hope your worries or problems are soon behind you.
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