2011-2012 Spyder Reliability

[packbuckbrew]

2010 RTS, 12,000 miles.

Only one real issue, bad solenoid in transmission. BRP towed the bike, fixed it and no other major issues. There are nearly always some issues with a model as new as the spyder RT and even the older RS. Most of these issues are relatively minor (squeaking brakes for example) that are certainly an annoyance, but cannot be considered a major design flaw. Some issues have been more significant, most notably the DPS failures, but it seems that this problem has largely been managed. As someone whom has been around a lot of powersports equipment over many years, I find the spyder to be no more or less reliable than average. Certainly not 5 star, but absolutely not the bottom of the barrel (i.e. the AMF Harley days). Hope that helps.

 

[MikeinGA]

2011 Spyder RS-S SE5

I have mine for 9 months. I did some mods, but no problems with the base product. I would say most problems are caused by the some dealers having poorly trained techs. and there basic skilles were poor. The Spyder is high tech machine and it think most of the bugs have been worked out. My Spyde has close to 6,000 miles on it and no real problems. Finding a dealer with a good service department is the key. Ask the spyder riders from your states forum. I ride mine as much as I can. That's IMHO.



Mike

 

[CajunJosh]

Thanks for all the responses! So it seems that proper assembly can be a big preventative to a large number of problems. I saw one response about a cooling issue. I know bikes in general don't do well in high temperatures at low speeds or heavy traffic but does the Spyder have any unique problems with heat or is its performance pretty consistent with a two wheeler with liquid cooling?

I wouldn't be using it as a commuter in traffic but would be riding in central Texas summers where 100-110 aren't uncommon.

 

[CyncySpyder]

No better advice can be given than to find a competant dealer, especially for Set-Up

We drove 350 miles one way when the 2010 RTs first came to market & that was after my local dealer (now closed) had my $1000 deposit & couldn't fufill my order as promised, but still refused to return my deposit. As bad as my local dealer was, the one in WVA where I ended up purchasing, ended up being even worse. Long story short, they rushed the Set-Up & we had nothing but issue after issue , even from my initial test-ryde (Oh if I only knew then what I know nowpps Being brand new to market, I knew going in their were likely going to be issues, but I was in no way prepaired for what we ran into. Last year, Len from Cowtown, a site sponsor & host of SpyderFest, anounced he was building 5 Special Limited Edition Spyderfest RT-S's & we made a deal to trade our 2010 for the very first 2011 #1 of 5 SpyderFest Edition RT-S & I can't tell you how good of an experience & a pleasure this past year has been :firstplace: In 11 months we put almost 14,000 miles on our 2010, we've now got almost 24,000 on our 2011 & thats also benn in only the past 11 months.:thumbup: Such a Great & Addictive Experience, that our new Spyder is OUR ONLY MODE OF TRANSPORTATION! PERIOD? BRP has improved & they do listen, even if they still have issues with getting parts to dealers in a timely manner. Most (not all) the problems you read about concerning the RTs , or any model Spyder for that matter, can be traced back to Initial Dealer Set-Up &/or driver error IMHO.For those other instances, BRP has done recalls with seemingly good results, besides Forrests 5Throttle Bodies now, but thats a one off, I think :dontknow: Bottom Line, even tho we took a loss by trading in, it was worth every penny & I couldn't imagine our lives without our Spyder RT-S in it:yes: You have to do whats right for you & educating yourself is the first step. Keep in mind, once bitten, theres no going back. Enjoy the ryde, we sure do :doorag:.