Okay... maybe I'm going to be called crazy for this, but let me play the role of corporate apologist for a moment.
1. BRP marketed the Spyder heavily to novice riders. How many of those novice riders represent the % of loudest complaints?
Meaning, if you had no experience with bikes, and you came to the Spyder thinking, "Hey, it's just like an open-air automobile, it's so easy to ride... I bet that means it doesn't run hot, it's cheap to fix, and I can get service the same day!", you obviously got a rude surprise. The Spyder is NOT a car, it's a motorcycle, and a very unique, high-tech one at that.
It may come as a shock to some, but motorcycles require more maintenance than cars. And the more unique a bike is, the more unique its quirks are.
2. The Spyder is just a baby in the grand scheme of things. How many *decades* has Harley, Honda, BMW and others had to build their bikes? How many *decades* have they had to build dealer networks, supplier networks, experienced independent mechanics, and all the rest? How much has our collective experience with all the others colored our perspective with how BRP is doing it today (or *should* do it)?
To be honest, I'm genuinely shocked BRP has done *this well*, this quickly, with the Spyder. They launched a completely new product line, using technology no one has ever deployed before, and they've managed to support it to, in general, a high level of owner satisfaction. They're not perfect, of course, and we are *obligated* to note where they're not. But they've come a long, long way in the blink of an eye.
3. That all said, I agree that BRP will live and die by its dealer network. Which means that we should all find ways to improve that dealer network. Complaining in a private forum not read by BRP-- and most certainly not read by 99.9% of Spyder dealers out there, as we can all attest to-- isn't doing anything to improve that network.
What *does* improve that network is talking to your dealers, and giving them feedback. Talking to BRP-- *writing* BRP, not just emailing them, to tell them what they're doing wrong (and what they're doing right-- everyone loves deserved praise, after all). Taking positive steps, not just venting. Although, I agree, there's a time and place and need for venting, in the end, posting here at Spyderlovers is the equivalent of talking to yourself. Don't talk to yourself, talk to your dealers, talk to BRP, and make the experience better for yourselves, and the *next* Spyder owner to buy themselves their ride.
:2thumbs:
