Negative Comments

[StanProff]

Happy

I am 25,000 miles happy with my 2010 RT-S. I have owned motorcycles all My life and still own 6 plus the Spyder. When I bought the spyder I tried out a used goldwing trike. Didn't like the way it rode, the wife was ready to get off after about a mile on a country road. (we had already tried out A new Spyder and she loved the way it rode with the adjustable suspension, I was favoring the Gold wing. I grew up with hondas and still have 3 of them).
I wanted a bike that was engineered to be what it is from the ground up. I did not want a kit. Bottom line we got the Spyder and have never looked back. Looking forward to the '15 RT's to see if we might trade up. I have never had a problem at all with the 2010. It has not been to the dealer with a problem yet. I do my own oil changes and basic service. That's all it needs. We've been cross country and back and taken many trips. It is a fantastic ride. If I were going to buy right now I wouldn't hesitate to buy a '14 RT over a Goldwing Kit.

 

[PrairieSpyder]

I have wanted a Spyder for several years. I started reading this site about a year ago and now don't know whether or not to jump in. I'm really very disappointed because I have been waiting all this time to get one and am now worried about a $25,000 investment that could go up in smoke, cook my legs, feet, etc. what I find interesting is that the people that are having these problems ARE on their second, third Spyder. That is very confusing to us newbies. :dontknow: I do know that forums are a place to air problems and try to get resolution but for heavens sake, some of these have PROBLEMS! So, I keep reading and waiting and hopefully I'll come to MY decision. A Goldwing trike would be an option but I could afford a 5-10 year old trike or a new Spyder. Doesn't seem like a very good option to me. Thanks for listening and thanks to the op for this thread to share what I've been thinking for awhile.

:welcome: Don't judge the product just by the problems discussed here. People who have no problems don't usually post about it.

 

[wyliec]

maybe spyders don't have more problems then others just bigger cry babiespps: :gaah:

If DrewNJ doesn't mind, I'm going to use a word I learned from him; That's HARSH.

 

[Bob Denman]

Wylie,
He deals in hyperbole...

 

[BikerDoc]

Today we met a man in a parking lot on a pretty new GL1800 Trike as we talked he mentioned that he really wanted a Spyder RT but after reading all the negative comments on this site we scared him away. I explained there are many, many very happy Spyder owners and I was sorry that the negative stuff turned him away. I have a 2010 RT that I love and if I had an issue BRP was there to take care of it.

I can't get too impressed by someone who makes his decisions based on forum comments rather than his own experience and test rides. Every forum i go on is dominated by negative versus positive comments.. It is the nature of the beast that unhappy people yell louder and happy people quietly enjoy themselves

 

[Pennyrick]

A nonscientific perusal of forums that provide similar kinds of information as Spyderlovers.com about other competitive products shows me that the mix of gripes, bitches and complaints is pretty much the same.

Even though those of us who are extremely happy and even moderately happy with the Spyder/BRP would probably like to see more happyTalk it isn't going to happen.
You can only say that you like your Spyder a few times.

These things are complicated & wonderful machines produced, serviced and rode by humans.
The machines ain't perfect and neither are the humans.

I agree Roger. Had there been internet sites back when I owned my first Harley There would have been lots of negative comments. Or in the mid 90's when Honda frames began to crack I bet you would have heard lots of negatives but there were few sites back then and fewer were connected.

Complaints on sites like this are a sign of newer technology in communications. The problems have been around for decades.

 

[3 Wheel Addict]

If I had researched the forums first I would have never have bought my "problematic" 13RTS. We would have saved for another year and had the money for the Goldwing trike. After getting my issues resolved and getting a 14RTS things are looking better now. The 13 model year put a big "black eye" on BRP and that info is out there for all to read. Like I have always said.... A happy customer tells no one but a pissed off customer tells everybody he sees!

 

[BajaRon]

It's the same old Catch 22.

This forum is a great place to get answers to problems and resolution of issues. There is no greater, single resource available to the Spyder owner, I don't think.

But then all the dirty laundry is hanging in plain sight for everyone to see. People tend to focus on warts.

All-in-all, I'll take the negative comments and the occasional customer who steers clear of the Spyder because of it.

It has been a rough ride for some. But overall, it's been a BLAST~ hyea:

 

[bruiser]

Our 2010 RTS was doing great. Sure, it had minor issues. But they were all taken care of. Then came the ride to Spyderquest. The dreaded screen of death, the broken windscreen mount. But that could just as easily been my 2012 RTS. You pays your money and you takes your chances.

 

[Jeffsm69]

Agree

Glad I didn't listen to this or any other website when I bought my first Spyder, the reason that there are so many negative posts on a forum like this is because the complainers are the loudest, I've had some issues with my 2013 but nothing I can't handle on my own, they are great machines and BRP Care does try to help anyone with problems, that being said, there is still a big problem with the 2013 RT's, I'm sure that something will be done in due time, but reading through this message board can sure turn off prospective buyers, I still recommend them to anyone that wants the facts

 

[sledmaster]

Getting to the Root Cause

Anytime an individual has an "issue" with their Spyder (or any other product, for that matter) we have to apply logical troubleshooting techniques and try to determine the root cause of the complaint.

Sometimes it is an actual issue with the engineering, assembly, or design of the product. These are indeed valid concerns.

But many times it is something else. Could be an issue with dealer prep, training, knowledge, for whatever reason a particular dealer can not handle it.

Then there are issues with the consumer. They have unrealistic expectations, or do not understand the product fully and complain about it doing or not doing something that is really a lack of their understanding. Could be an adjustment, could be an unrealistic expectation. They think it should do something that it just isn't capable of.

So when a newbie comes to a site like this, they are bombarded with problems of users. In an ideal world, they would be able to sort out which ones are simply chronic complainers who will post about the same "problem" over and over and over. Hopefully, they would be able to sort out which problems are truly design and engineering issues, and which ones are, well, due to what we call O.H.S. - Operator Head Space.

I have owned three different Spyders for 80,000 miles. They are exceptional vehicles. Knowing what I know now I would still have made every one of my purchases. I do believe the 2013s were plagued with more "new platform" issues than what we all expected, but these are slowly getting resolved as much as they can be with the catalytic converter placed where it is. I wouldn't buy a 990/991 Spyder if I was exclusively riding in 90-100 degree temperatures at slow speeds, that seems to be a condition I would avoid.

It is sad to learn of people who are scared off after reading posts on this site. Perhaps they are unfamiliar with the nature of forums in general, and focus on the negative instead of the positive. There are FAR more people who own a Spyder that are NOT on this forum than what are. The MAJORITY of Spyder owners are not here. We are a highly vocal minority.

 

[Oldmanzues]

I am on my second spyder for good reasons. They were fun, easy to ride, great on trips or around town with no real problems. Made fron the ground up by one company and the price difference are added joys.

Even today, if you look, there are all kinds of Horror Harley stories.
Oldmanzues

 

[Dan_Ashley]

I have a 2012 RTS-S. I love it. I've ridden two wheelers for 40+ years. The Spyder is the best of all of them.

 

[ARtraveler]

Here is another statistic that we don't have a handle on.
How many Spyders have been sold worldwide, and how many people are on this forum ?
I've met Spyder owners who know nothing of this forum, they just ride.
I wouldn't be surprised if the members of this forum are less than half of all the Spyder owners.

NHTSA says 52,000 Spyders through 2013. Add another 10,000 or so for 2014 and we should have ballpark 62,000 Spyders sold.

 

[Bob Denman]

So at the current membership level; we're at well over 20%... :2thumbs:

 

[ARtraveler]

I have wanted a Spyder for several years. I started reading this site about a year ago and now don't know whether or not to jump in. I'm really very disappointed because I have been waiting all this time to get one and am now worried about a $25,000 investment that could go up in smoke, cook my legs, feet, etc. what I find interesting is that the people that are having these problems ARE on their second, third Spyder. That is very confusing to us newbies. :dontknow: I do know that forums are a place to air problems and try to get resolution but for heavens sake, some of these have PROBLEMS! So, I keep reading and waiting and hopefully I'll come to MY decision. A Goldwing trike would be an option but I could afford a 5-10 year old trike or a new Spyder. Doesn't seem like a very good option to me. Thanks for listening and thanks to the op for this thread to share what I've been thinking for awhile.

You must have missed me. I am on Spyder number 5. I currently own two. No problems here. I would not drive a problematic brand of anything. That's why I have not bought a new VW since 1974.

 

[ThreeWheels]

NHTSA says 52,000 Spyders through 2013. Add another 10,000 or so for 2014 and we should have ballpark 62,000 Spyders sold.

Thanks. Roughly 15,000 forum members. Roughly 60,000 Spyders. If every single member of this forum had a problem, that's at MOST one out of four.
I'd hazard a guess that 10% of the forum members have problems.
That means 2.5% of the Spyder population is problematic. Not bad. Even if you double it. That's only 5%.
Just testing theory against real world experience: We recently had a big gathering of about 150 Spyders
I know of two Spyders with issues. That's 1.3%.

It would be interesting to find out how accurate these guesstimates are.

Yeah I know, approximately 82% of all statistics are made up on the spot!

 

[ARtraveler]

Thanks. Roughly 15,000 forum members. Roughly 60,000 Spyders. If every single member of this forum had a problem, that's at MOST one out of four.
I'd hazard a guess that 10% of the forum members have problems.
That means 2.5% of the Spyder population is problematic. Not bad. Even if you double it. That's only 5%.
Just testing theory against real world experience: We recently had a big gathering of about 150 Spyders
I know of two Spyders with issues. That's 1.3%.

It would be interesting to find out how accurate these guesstimates are.

Yeah I know, approximately 82% of all statistics are made up on the spot!

RE: Statistics. The number of Spyders above is pretty much on the money--unless BRP wants to come on and give us their exact information.

No comment on the other numbers. When we were discussing the "heat issues," I got into it with a fellow member or two based on statistical interpretation. :roflblack::roflblack:

I will personally say though--IMO--you are 98.57946232l87 % correct in your assumptions. :yes:

 

[Bob Denman]

You know what they say.
"Figures don't lie, but liars can figure!"

Problematic bikes are always going to be over-represented on open forums such as these...
It's just the nature of the Beast.

Besides; who really cares how many Angels can dance on the head of a pin anyway? :dontknow:

 

[ChasCS]

Yup, we can do this the easy way

Or we can proceed with the old difficult methods... ;-)

1 last one, and then I've got to run...

By the way, No major complaints here, just think our 94 octane fuel costs way too much.

Zero, sure a warm leg? Hmmm, what about it? It might be the only thing warm in me come cooler fall -* degrees.

Chas