I don't own a Spyder, yet. I have an RT on order.
On the street I have ridden Yamahas and BMW's. Honda builds great stuff but I never rode a Honda street bike that felt good to me. That's just me, has absolutely nothing to do with Honda quality. In the dirt I've ridden Hondas, Yamahas, Kawasakis, Suzukis, OSSA's, Hodakas, and Bultacos. And I figure manufacturer quality is the same whether theyre building dirt bikes or street bikes.
To be quite honest, they were all good. I never had unexpected problems with any of them. I've never expected any of my vehicles, 2 wheels, 4 wheels, or 3 wheels, to be perfect and to never have a problem. BMW's require more maintenance than anything I've ever ridden but that's the way they are built. If you don't like to do your maintenance, you should ride something else. As a reward, you get the best riding, best handling, most satisfying ride I've ever owned. And again, that's just my opinion. I know and ride with many folks who wouldn't agree.
But to the point of my response. I have been watching this forum for some 6 months or so, wanting to learn all I could about Spyders while I saved some money to buy one. I have to say that BRP has responded favorably to more problems than any manufacturer I've ever been associated with. They have recognized, acknowledged, and sought solutions to problems when they were aware of them. BMW has had well known problems in the past that they never acknowledged. BRP at least admits when they have problems. I think you may be hard put to find another manufacturer who will do that.
Obviously, I can't compare BRP quality head to head with others because I haven't yet owned a Spyder. But their response to known problems is enough to convince me that they are a manufacturer worth buying from.
Cotton