On the Fence More Than Ever About Purchasing a Spyder....

[Samson]

I have had 2 wheel bikes for 50 years. I decided last September that riding a 900 lb 2 wheel bike was not what I wanted to do as I have 2 very bad knees and worse shoulders from years of football. So with that said I did some research , mostly here on Spyderlovers ( Thanks to all the great members ). I decided to buy a F3 T. I purchased without ever riding a Spyder. I have been on ATV's, have a snow mobile so I had a little bit of an idea what this might be like. I rode the bike for about 800 miles and then I broke my wrist in 6 places as well as my hand. This took me off the Spyder for about 2 months. Then I had Total knee replacement 6 weeks ago. The past 2 weeks I have put about 2000 miles on it. I think it's almost a perfect bike, plenty of power, handles great. The only thing I have done is add the LED fog lights and headlights ( so people will see me coming ) as well as do the alignment. My first service was done this past week. Over all I am very happy for sure. Take advantage of the great people on this site and the vendors who support it, very helpful and a wealth of knowledge.

Life is short, buy the bike, if you don't like it then sell it. I can promise you this , if you don't buy it, you will regret it and that's a bad feeling.

Good luck

 

[south GA Farm Boy]

buying a Spyder

Although I've taken a test-ride (which I enjoyed), the more I read many of the threads here the more doubts enter my mind as to whether to get a Spyder. No - I'm not being a troll. It's just that although I have the finances for it, it would still be a significant investment, and I don't want to end up regretting it.

The positives about the Spyder don't need to be listed here, since it's clear that you all enjoy your Spyders.

But among the concerns I have are:

1. Service, service, service: I am not mechanically inclined at all, so would have to really depend on the dealer for all servicing. Unlike with a car or even a two-wheeler, where I have a choice of 3rd party/after market places to go for service, that doesn't appear to be a realistic option for a Spyder. And I only have two dealers within reasonable distance from me (one of which can't even manage to return a phone call).

2. Purchasing at a Good Price: Again, because I have only one responsive dealer in my area, how do I negotiate for a good purchase price? Sure, there's online competition, but if I purchase online to get significant savings, I'm back at....

3. Service, service, service again. How would the local dealer feel about servicing a unit bought elsewhere after he took the time to give me a test-ride or two?

4. Laser Alignments, Sway Bars etc: There are so many threads here that recommend both a laser alignment and/or a 3rd party sway bar. How do you get those done if your dealer doesn't do laser alignments? Not to mention that I'm not sure how he'd feel about installing after-market parts.

I don't live near a big city, and have few choices in dealers with reasonable distance. Another fact of life here is that the riding season is realistically only six or seven months long. (I won't ride it in winter.) However, there are so many back roads with little traffic around here that I'm sure that the Spyder would be lots of fun. I really want a Spyder, but am so torn because of the above concerns. My decision would probably be easier if it was possible to lease a Spyder. That way I'd be more inclined to take a chance on it. But I haven't seen that option anywhere.

So, that's my thought process in a nutshell. Any thoughts on my dilemma would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Really be sure that is what you want! I am on my second Spyder and will have to miss our monthly ride this month due to mine being in the shop! Yes it only has about 1200 miles on it, and it's at dealer number 2!!! Yamaha is ranked number 1 in reliability, Can Am Spyder is in last place at number 10! I love my Spyder like most of the others on this site, but I need reliability when I ride! Hopefully you will get a good one like my first one was! If this was my first one, I would have never bought number 2! My wheel bearing is out in the front, and there is none in stock even in Canada, and want be until May 25th at the earliest! We have a long trip planned before then, so I may have to buy something to ride! Good luck, and remember for everyone on this site having problems, there is probably 1000 that is trouble free! You hear of everyone problems, and very few people get on here and tell you how great their is!

 

[pegasus1300]

Newbert

"BTW - What is a "Zurich Warranty". "

The Zurich Warranty is an aftermarket 3rd party company that supplies warranties for motorsports vehicles including Spyders. If you were to buy a used Spyder (which I did) and the factory warranty had expired( which mine was) you are no longer eligible for a BEST warranty. I wanted a warranty so looked around and found out about Zurich and bought a 2 year one. It has a $50.00 deductible but pays the balance. Used it to replace my burnt out compressor,almost paid for itself with that.
Hope your family health crisis resolves in your favor soon.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

My wheel bearing is out in the front, and there is none in stock even in Canada, and want be until May 25th at the earliest! We have a long trip planned before then, so I may have to buy something to ride!

The fact there isn't one in stock is an indicator of just how extremely rare your misfortune is. Push the dealer to take an entire front wheel hub and knuckle assembly off of an in stock bike and put it on yours. Let the dealer feel the hurt for not being able to get a replacement part when needed.

 

[cheska]

Mine is great and trouble free

Really be sure that is what you want! I am on my second Spyder and will have to miss our monthly ride this month due to mine being in the shop! Yes it only has about 1200 miles on it, and it's at dealer number 2!!! Yamaha is ranked number 1 in reliability, Can Am Spyder is in last place at number 10! I love my Spyder like most of the others on this site, but I need reliability when I ride! Hopefully you will get a good one like my first one was! If this was my first one, I would have never bought number 2! My wheel bearing is out in the front, and there is none in stock even in Canada, and want be until May 25th at the earliest! We have a long trip planned before then, so I may have to buy something to ride! Good luck, and remember for everyone on this site having problems, there is probably 1000 that is trouble free! You hear of everyone problems, and very few people get on here and tell you how great their is!

I waited until I could buy a Spyder with a different engine than the 998. I just was not convinced it was the proper engine for the machine. I give all the early purchasers credit for sticking it out and making the spyder a success. I had medical concerns which made we wait longer than I wanted to but my 2016 RTS has been faultless. I purchased it in 2015 as a demo and so far great. I would purchase another and am trying to get my wife her own as she used to ride her own bike.
Remember as far as we know we only have one life. And crap happens like open heart surgery. Ride and enjoy Bob