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Just an inquiry about purchasing a used spyder

K

KeviCon

New member
Hey Guys,

I've been on spyderlovers for a few weeks now; after seeing a pair of RS-S around town and have been infatuated with them ever since. I'm not a motorcycle rider 2 wheel or otherwise but I have had alot of time on ATV's. When I sat down on a Spyder the feeling was so similar except way better because atleast the spyder I can ride on the road whenever I want. (I was lucky to be able to take my ATV out every couple months due to lack of places to ride).

I tried searching for a post similar to mine but I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. My question is this: I have decided I really want a spyder and as much as I would love to buy a brand new one; I just cant. I've found quite a few on craigslist in Florida for around $10k-13k. Ideally I would like to spend as little as possible but I am wondering if there are things I should look out for.

  • Should I avoid bikes with high miles? (I'm not really sure how these bikes hold up over time)
  • Any models/years I should stay away from or look for?

Again, sorry if I'm asking something thats already been answered but I just havent found it. The amount of time I spend on these forums is crazy considering I dont even have a spyder or have ever owned one, but you guys all seem so friendly and helpful and I take alot of interest in soaking up extra knowledge before I can get a spyder of my own :D
 
The mechanical folks will chime in shortly soooooo....... Wait for it ;)

but in my opinion if you are going to go used and do not know a lot about working on spyders/ motorcycles/ outdoor vehicles in general then I would say only buy from a dealer so if something goes wrong when you drive it off the lot you have someone to work with you because poor customer service travels quickly by word of mouth. However if you buy from "Joe Smoe" off eBay he/ she could care less about the spyder breaking down after it is no longer in their name. As for price point I'm pretty sure you could get a used 2010 for $10 to $14 grand. Of course mileage probably goes up as price goes down. Good luck!
 
lower better..!!

Lower miles are better of course. You can also check e-bay they also have quite a few and lower priced. I bought my 2012 new for 13 k so check dealers with older stock.. Good luck hope to welcome you soon as a spyder ryder...:clap:
 
Great deal!

Chupaca said:
Lower miles are better of course. You can also check e-bay they also have quite a few and lower priced. I bought my 2012 new for 13 k so check dealers with older stock.. Good luck hope to welcome you soon as a spyder ryder...:clap:
Click to expand...

Wow, you bought a 2012 for $13,000. Way to go. nojoke
 
hey kev

see if you can find one with warranty still on it. have the vin checked at a dealer, make sure all updates are complete or the whole bike inspected. an hour of dealer labor should do it. i'll bet a spyderlover in your area would help you out.
spyders are no different from any other bike in that many people buy them and seldom ride. i bought mine 2 1/2 years old with 1600 miles, under 10k. good luck with your search. be patient.:thumbup:
 
I am somewhat new as well

Hi Kevicon
I am not new to motorcycling but I am somewhat new to Spydering.
With that said I can tell you "bikers" are different about what they ride than
your average car driver. Bikers/Spyder riders tend to put less miles on what they
ride than the car guys with a few exceptions, bikers are proud of their service records
and tend to keep a file of everything ... oil changes, services, mods and such and will
in most cases be happy to show you them and or give you them when you buy their bike.
I have a good machanical background so I don't worry about the mechanical stuff on a bike
I can fix most everything BUT.... if YOU are NOT a motorcycle/engine mechanic, I would
strongly advise you when you find one you like ask the owner if you can have a SPYDER
Dlr. Service Dept. check it over at your cost. The last thing you want to do is buy some other persons problems. I bet any of them would be happy to comply.
As far as things going wrong... you will see almost ALL the posts of trouble are about something electricle, Computer stuff almost no engine troubles the Rotax engine is way better
than most others out there I am glad that is what the factory uses they had many choices they could have gone with. I bought a 2008 GS with 9,100 miles I took it to the dealer because I
wanted all systems gone over and so far it is great I ride year round here in California so it will
get lots of use.
Check around at your dealers you may find a good used one thet has been traded in on a new
one. Check the paper, Craigs list, EBay you can find them here as well.

Good Luck Ride safe :thumbup:
Dave
 
:welcome: I would think that there should be some really good deals out there on used or leftover Spyders right now. Like the others have said try to get one that is still under warranty and if you can find one with the extended BEST warranty that would be even better. If you find one under the original factory warranty you could still purchase the extended warranty yourself. Also, have a dealer run the VIN to see what services have been performed.

You should feel right at home on the Spyder given your ATV background.
 
First off: :welcome:
Now down to business... :shocked:
Buying pretty near anything can be a stomach-churning exercise in frustration... :gaah:
So none of this will be new to you! :thumbup:
Just take your time and do your research...
Ask lots of questions
Check the dealerships too; the 2013s have sent a lot of used bikes to the pre-owned corner of the dealer's lots...
 
:welcome:


Just so your aware while shopping, the 2008 Premiere Edition Spyders are worth more than the later years and will reflect in the price. This has been posted several times on this forum, so it has to be true. :p
 
I found mine through CycleTrader last year. Then I got a boat load of info from the generous folks on this site as what to look for and watch out for. Making sure it had all the updates, etc.

I purchased though a dealer who was selling it on consignment in NC. Like you, I couldn't afford a new one. It came with a BEST warrantry. Bought it with 1776 miles on it. It now has over 13K miles on it.

Best to you finding your ryde!
 
Suggestions for buying used.

When you find the one you think you want:

Take it to an authorized dealer and have them do a check over. That will be worth every $ you would spend. They can run the service history, check to see if all upgrades have been performed, and give you a good overview as to the condition of the vehicle.

If it is from a SL member, check its past out. People post good and bad information about their :spyder2:,s,

A good used :ani29: can be a joy to own and ride. Someone elses troubles, could be a nightmare, because :spyder2: are neither easy or cheap to fix.

Good luck on your hunt. Let us know what you find.
 
coz said:
see if you can find one with warranty still on it. have the vin checked at a dealer, make sure all updates are complete or the whole bike inspected. an hour of dealer labor should do it. i'll bet a spyderlover in your area would help you out.
spyders are no different from any other bike in that many people buy them and seldom ride. i bought mine 2 1/2 years old with 1600 miles, under 10k. good luck with your search. be patient.:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I've been looking around and Ive seen some 2008's with as low as 900 miles and as high as 20k miles.
The :spyder2: with 20k miles is listed for 10488 so I was really interested in that just because of the low price.
http://orlando.craigslist.org/mcd/3540743521.html
But I was a little shocked at the 20k only because It has been the only RS/GS I've seen with that many miles. So I wasnt sure if I should be concerned with that or not. Someone told me that motorcycle mileage compared to car mileage is like night and day;basically a motorcycle with high miles is no comparison to a car with high miles. (I don't know if that's accurate or not as I've never personally owned a motorcycle). However the comment above makes sense in regards to people 'just dont ride their bikes as much'
arntufun said:
:welcome:


Just so your aware while shopping, the 2008 Premiere Edition Spyders are worth more than the later years and will reflect in the price. This has been posted several times on this forum, so it has to be true. :p
Click to expand...

This is very helpful to know, thanks you. I saw quite a few listings with Premiere Edition in the description and I didn't really know what that meant. Is there any significant benefits to the premiere edition? I also saw quite a few references to 'Phantom' in the description. Can you fill me in on what that is as well?

So far I've figured out the earlier year spyders were GS instead of RS... Now theres RS and RS-S.

Again Thank you all for your information. This is an incredible site and the amount of info I've picked up so far is amazing. :2excited:
I'm going to take all this advice into consideration and anymore anyone can give will be greatly appreciated.

And if theres any :spyder2: riders in the Treasure coast of FL toss me a PM!
 
Last edited:
not really

arntufun said:
:welcome:


Just so your aware while shopping, the 2008 Premiere Edition Spyders are worth more than the later years and will reflect in the price. This has been posted several times on this forum, so it has to be true. :p[UOTE]
that's urban legend. arntufun won't see this till tomorrow, he's watching danica race. a phantom is a flat or satin black body kit on a gs/rs. very cool. a sm5 might be a little more reliable than a se5. i think the lower the miles, the better off you will be.:thumbup:
Click to expand...
 
coz said:
arntufun said:
:welcome:


Just so your aware while shopping, the 2008 Premiere Edition Spyders are worth more than the later years and will reflect in the price. This has been posted several times on this forum, so it has to be true. :p[UOTE]
that's urban legend. arntufun won't see this till tomorrow, he's watching danica race. a phantom is a flat or satin black body kit on a gs/rs. very cool. a sm5 might be a little more reliable than a se5. i think the lower the miles, the better off you will be.:thumbup:
Click to expand...
Strangely enough I've never driven anything thats had a clutch beforenojoke so I've been kinda looking for SE5; however I keep hearing using a clutch is the easiest thing in the world and I'm just psyching myself out and I should have no issue adjusting to manual (SM5)
Click to expand...
 
don't pass the sm5 by! it will take you about 15 minutes to catch on and you'll think you've been riding one for years.:thumbup: the feeling of shifting is dynamic and creates the old adrenalin rush. it's all an adrenalin rush, but the sm5 is just that little extra!:yes:
 
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