New Member with Important Question

[BigLenny]

Hellooooo Spyderlover Folk!

My wife and I have been riding 2 wheeled bikes for years, and are highly considering moving to a trike. The Syder RT Limited is the trike we are most interested in. It appears right now is the time to buy one, with dealers across the country deeply discounting their 2016 models. We have test ridden an RT twice, and really like the overall design and technology that it offers.

Even though we are highly interested and considering pulling the trigger, there is an important question that keeps rolling around in my head. That question is; How reliable and trouble free are the Syder RT's? We have ridden Yamaha's for years, and have had incredible service from them. We have travelled all over the nation on our Royal Star Tour Deluxe, and have never been stranded, or even had to stop our trips to take care of anything that has went wrong with the bike. Last year, Consumer Reports published their 1st ever motorcycle quality and reliability study. Because we have had such strong reliability from our Yamaha bike, I wasn't surprised to see that CR rated Yamaha #1 as the most reliable brand. But, what gives me some concern is, they rated Can Am at the very bottom of all brands. I don't want to base my buying decision solely on a magazine article, so I thought I would ask all of you who live in the Spyder world to enlighten me on the real world reliabilities of this bike. I do not personally know anybody who owns one, so your opinions will be heavily weighted in my decision.

Thanks in an advance for your input.

Big Lenny

 

[Kwalsh]

as usual on the forums you usually see the worst case scenarios for everything so you have to take that with a grain of salt, that being said there are just as many people who have had trouble free rides from day one but they arent on here complaining they are out riding.

good luck with your decision and if you do make the leap welcome to spyderlovers

 

[Bob Denman]

:welcome: :2thumbs:

 

[robmorg]

Bob Denman gave you the "short answer" directly above, and it was the correct answer. :thumbup: I'll expand on it a little, as I am more verbose than he.

I also moved up from a big Yamaha (Royal Star Venture) into my Spyder RT Limited when I needed to move from two wheels to three. I rode the Yamaha for the last 10 years. The truth is a CanAm is not going to be as high on the "reliability scale" as a Yamaha. Few bikes are. And the CanAm is a MUCH more complex machine, which is mostly what lends to it's reliability ratings in those magazine surveys. However, if you need or want a trike at this point, you are not going to find any that are going to be rock solid machines 100% of the time. And you could do FAR worse in a trike than buying an RT Limited. But it's impossible to have more fun on any other trike.

I have absolutely NO regrets, and have ridden thousands of trouble-free miles on my 2013 RT Limited. The same is the case for most RT owners - especially with the newest ones. This is true despite the fact that there are some reported problems that CanAm is working to resolve - the most reported one being the occasional fault that crops up with the DESS (Digital Electronic Security key System). The majority of RT's never exhibit the problem.

But here is really the bottom line... While any bike can occasionally give you a problem or two, there is ABSOLUTELY no trike that is more FUN to ride than the CanAm. It will keep the wind on your helmet for many more years to come. It is fast, exhilarating, and an absolute pleasure to ride. I promise you (as will hundreds of other members here) that you will be very glad you bought one. And that really IS the only piece of the equation that matters, right?

So again... Just buy the damn bike. :thumbup:

 

[Bob Denman]

I'm usually not known, for being at a loss for words...

 

[cognaccruiser]

I understand your concern and there have been a few such questions by folks like yourself recently. You can probably find some of them and the responses. Many will tell you forums are full of comments about problems encountered while most of the happy campers don't comment about themselves not having problems. I fall into the latter category and really have not had any problems. Others with no problems will chime in too. As far as the Consumer Reports piece, I'm not sure exactly where they got their statistics and if it really represents what is happening. All I can say is that my 14 RTS has been very reliable and have taken some very long trips with my wife and will be taking many more and am not concerned about what might occur. I think that BRP has worked to eliminate some of the bugs that have shown up and these things are getting more reliable.
I share your enthusiasm for Yamaha and we owned a 2005 Midnight Venture which is basically the same as your Tour Deluxe. We did many long trips on it. It was not without its little problems too. I had to replace the rear shock 3 times. It had the tiny exhaust leak which was a manufacturing flaw and had to be fixed. The carbs had to be synced periodically etc.
Buying the Spyder was a great decision for us and our experience has been great. Sometimes things go wrong and any given bike can have a problem. There are tons of these things that are not having problems so I wouldn't let that report stop me. Find a good dealer and enjoy.
Good luck with your decision.

Gary

 

[Navydad]

Like you....

My wife and I have been touring on two wheels for 40 years. We started on Yamaha's and have had several along with Goldwings and a Kawasaki or two. I bought a 2004 BMW 1150RT when the forums were screaming about what a piece of junk they were. Rode it 80,000 miles and two flat tires were the only issue. We traded for a 2014 Triumph Trophy SE, now there's a piece of junk if there ever was one. Just go to the Triumph site and read about the issues. A very complicated machine where everything is managed by the ECU, even the electric windshield. It has many of the systems the Spyder has including the DESS key system. We put 49,000 trouble free miles on the Trophy and just traded for a new 2015 Spyder RT that had been sitting on the dealership floor for sometime. It is the base model and is black and it kept getting overlooked for the fancier and prettier Spyders. I got a killer deal and I can dress it the way we want, when I want. My point is that our last two bikes were bikes that really took a beating in the online forums and in some surveys, but turned out to be great, trouble free motorcycles for our travels. I am hoping our luck will hold out with this Spyder purchase ray: As has been stated here; you hear and read all the bad, but very rarely the good. Good luck with whatever you decide and ride on.

 

[d.o.spyder-rts]

:welcome:One thing to remember is a spyder, like any other vehicle, is a mechanical machine and anything can happen to them. That being said, I've owned a 2012 RTS and currently have a '16 RTS. I love(d) both of them. If you are considering a trike, a spyder is definitely the way to go. You also may want to check out the do's and dont's for new spyder owners in the general discussion area for additional good info. Good luck with your decision. Dale

 

[ARtraveler]

I have been with the brand since its inception. Had the first one sold to a customer in Alaska (2008). See my signature

Have owned five--including three RT's. Over 130,000 miles with the brand. NO major issues or mechanical problems.

Now you have my unbiased opinion. :roflblack::roflblack:

And

 

[quasi]

I like my 2012 RT-S, bought it at a Harley dealership of all places. wouldn't take a farm in texas for it, but would take a new F-3! i'm sold on the Spyders. Harley just sits in the corner of the garage. although I've only put a little over 5,000 miles on mine since getting it on 19nov2015, there have been no issues and I really don't expect any either. bike has about 8,500 miles on it at this time. if it breaks I will fix it. it'll get the tires rode off of it this coming year.

 

[Zip]

Hey, life is short don't sweat the small stuff. I bought a used 2010 RT SM5 and both my wife and I love it. The only thing I have had to do was top off the fluids now and then. Personally I would only buy a manual, I enjoy shifting and it will have less issues plus cost less for oil changes. Also I will not have to be concerned with keeping the RPM up there.

Bottom line buy the ryde you will be glad you did.

:welcome:

 

[Saluda]

Love our Spyder (past & present)

I'm going to say that the magazine rating was also partially based on a learning curve that Can Am went though (and may still be going through) with their Spyder products. It is a complex (not to scare you) and unique machine. It is also constantly evolving.

Very important item will be your dealer, having a good one can take the edge off any issue.

My advice, go for it. Nothing in life (other than death & taxes) is a guarantee. Good luck and enjoy.

 

[MurrayBrown]

Spyders are no worse than other motorcycles

Hellooooo Spyderlover Folk! My wife and I have been riding 2 wheeled bikes for years, and are highly considering moving to a trike. The Syder RT Limited is the trike we are most interested in. It appears right now is the time to buy one, with dealers across the country deeply discounting their 2016 models. We have test ridden an RT twice, and really like the overall design and technology that it offers. Even though we are highly interested and considering pulling the trigger, there is an important question that keeps rolling around in my head. That question is; How reliable and trouble free are the Syder RT's? We have ridden Yamaha's for years, and have had incredible service from them. We have travelled all over the nation on our Royal Star Tour Deluxe, and have never been stranded, or even had to stop our trips to take care of anything that has went wrong with the bike. Last year, Consumer Reports published their 1st ever motorcycle quality and reliability study. Because we have had such strong reliability from our Yamaha bike, I wasn't surprised to see that CR rated Yamaha #1 as the most reliable brand. But, what gives me some concern is, they rated Can Am at the very bottom of all brands. I don't want to base my buying decision solely on a magazine article, so I thought I would ask all of you who live in the Spyder world to enlighten me on the real world reliabilities of this bike. I do not personally know anybody who owns one, so your opinions will be heavily weighted in my decision. Thanks in an advance for your input. Big Lenny

You have now seen/read the many responses. Spyders are no worse/better than other bikes out there. My motorcycle club has every possible brand you can think of, and everyone has had some gripes at one time or another. The best "line" you have read is what one person wrote: "You only read about the bad incidents." If the bike has no flaws, why would anyone complain? And Consumer Reports isn't always the best source to go to. This forum ... probably your BEST source for Spyders ... is hard to beat. People here say it as it is.

 

[Peteoz]

Just out of interest Lenny, did Consumer Reports say exactly what they used as the parameters in determining the rankings?

I asked the same question (as do many others) when I was looking at switching from 2 wheels a few months ago, and received much the same answers as you have above. Sure there are some Spyders that experience issues, as there are with every marque. One major one (the DESS error), that may lock you up at startup (but was not experienced by many), has been addressed from 2016 on.....There is a buzzing at around 70mph due mostly to the length of the belt, that can be addressed with the addition of a $30 belt tensioner if it bothers you, and there are a couple of setup mods like a stiffer stabiliser bar and laser wheel alignment that you may like to install after you have ridden the Spyder for a while, but only if you feel the need.

I have no regrets buying the Spyder F3-L. It is the most exciting ride I have had. I still get an insane grin on my face when I am out and about on it :thumbup:.......and if you DO experience any issues, I don't believe you will find a better forum for helpful advice than here. I've never come across one.

 

[JimVonBaden]

If this is the same study I read from CR, it was less than thorough or scientific. IMHO, ignore it. Do your research on site like this with real owners telling your their opinions. I promise you that they will tell you an honest opinion, especially if they have had issues.

 

[marty1096]

Only 3 years of mc riding. 1 year with victory Vegas 8 ball road it about 500 miles ... Wasn't comfortable. June 2016 purchased RTS couldn't ride was too hot in AZ. Started riding again Nov 2016 to present 4000 miles. Learning curve for RTS is short and easy. Comfortable, larger foot print than a smart car.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[Bob Denman]

Hey Marty!
You must be hitting the "Sweet Spot" of your riding Season about now... :congrats: :2thumbs:
Put some miles on for the rest of us! :shocked:

 

[Chris Stroud]

Been riding since I was 7 years old. 55 now and no reason we can't ride 2 wheels , just like the trike. Last 5 bikes have been Harley's with the last being a Harley Triglide that we rode for 2 years. Got nothing bad to say about them . Heck got the Harley tattoo , dog named Harley and Granddaughter named Harley Lynn LOL...always wanted to try one and a riding buddy bought an RT so I got my chance to try it out. Rode a few miles and carried the wife for a ride on it and we traded 3 days later. Bought a 16 RT-S with the semi automatic. Really love this bike so far. Got about 1800 miles on it and just can't get enough of it. It has really put the "fun" back in riding. Go check them out and take a test ride. I think you are gonna like what you see......

 

[Bob Denman]

Chris,
How are you going to get your dog and grand-daughter, to understand this change? :shocked:
:joke::joke::joke:

 

[Chris Stroud]

Hey Bob ,
Still trying to figure that one out myself LOL