RELIABILITY

[XB12X]

I am new to this forum. I would be interested in an F3S if a dealer opened in Portugal, the country I live in. I am a Brit. I have noted that Slovenia, Slovakia and other relatively minor countries economically have dealers established, so hopefully it won't be long.

I have been a motorcyclist since 1971, but, at 61, could well be tempted on to one of these bikes. To be honest, it's partly the fact that an F3 would be pretty damn hard to fall off. I don't make a habit of falling off motorbikes, but as all experienced bikers will agree, it really hurts when you do.

One thing that bothers me, though is reliability. I would have faith in the Rotax engine, but the bike does appear to have some pretty complex electronics, as a lot of modern machines do. To date, my Suzuki B-King has been faultless (18,000 miles), and I would hope that the Can-Am could match that.

Has anyone any comments?

 

[Bob Denman]

:welcome: The newer bikes with the 1330 triple and six speed transmissions, seem to just keep getting better and better!
SpyderAnn1 has about 40,000 miles on her 2014 RT-S, and it has been flawless! :thumbup:

 

[XB12X]

:welcome: The newer bikes with the 1330 triple and six speed transmissions, seem to just keep getting better and better!
SpyderAnn1 has about 40,000 miles on her 2014 RT-S, and it has been flawless! :thumbup:

That's encouraging. I also have a Buell Ulysses, so snapping final drive belts are something I have experienced. Has anyone experienced one of them with a 1330? How long are the belts supposed to last?

 

[ARtraveler]

:welcome: The only "bad" part about the :spyder2: line up is the complexity of the electronics. A bad (unknowledgeable) dealer can screw a :ani29: up pretty good.

That said--I have owned five and am approaching 120,000 miles total. Have not had any serious issues with any of them. That's 105,000 on 998 V twins and almost 15,000 on the new 1330 triple.

The jury is still out on the triples--but there are a few who are approaching 50,000 trouble free miles.

 

[XB12X]

I think I've been convinced reliability-wise. Thanks for the info, but if anyone has anything else to say, I'd like to hear it.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

You mentioned BELTS....Unless you damage the Main one with a rock / pebble etc ( get a Guard ) it will easily last 250,000 miles. A lot of the ELECTRONICS are re-dundant ( on purpose ) and the computer system has the ability to re-boot itself and clear almost all faults......Either by just re-moving the KEY and taking it away from the Spyder for a few minutes or dis-connecting the Battery.............I had an 08 GS that lit up like a Christmas tree for two years ( with codes ) but never failed to run FINE, Also only had one LIMP Mode and that cleared it self ......good luck....Mike ............PS get something with the 1330 Engine ONLY :thumbup:

 

[XB12X]

You mentioned BELTS....Unless you damage the Main one with a rock / pebble etc ( get a Guard ) it will easily last 250,000 miles. A lot of the ELECTRONICS are re-dundant ( on purpose ) and the computer system has the ability to re-boot itself and clear almost all faults......Either by just re-moving the KEY and taking it away from the Spyder for a few minutes or dis-connecting the Battery.............I had an 08 GS that lit up like a Christmas tree for two years ( with codes ) but never failed to run FINE, Also only had one LIMP Mode and that cleared it self ......good luck....Mike ............PS get something with the 1330 Engine ONLY :thumbup:

If I get one, it will be a 1330.

250,000 miles on a belt? I remember when the Buell Ulysses came out, the claim was that it would last the lifetime of the bike. Most of them went around 10,000 miles.

 

[OJ UK]

If I get one, it will be a 1330.

250,000 miles on a belt? I remember when the Buell Ulysses came out, the claim was that it would last the lifetime of the bike. Most of them went around 10,000 miles.

HD marketing BS....Nothing unusual there!!
I have a new F3-S with 1900-odd miles on it and it is superb! Comfortable and quick. If you decide on an F3 then get a backrest for the passenger otherwise
it may be 50 miles before you realise that they are no longer present!!

 

[XB12X]

HD marketing BS....Nothing unusual there!!
I have a new F3-S with 1900-odd miles on it and it is superb! Comfortable and quick. If you decide on an F3 then get a backrest for the passenger otherwise
it may be 50 before you realise that they are no longer present!!

Another Brit. Hiya, mate. It won't be as quick off the mark as my B-King, but I can't stop watching the videos on Youtube!

 

[OJ UK]

Yep the F3 is never going to be as swift in any respect as the Burger-King (Sorry, I couldn't resist!!)
BUT what it does do it does very well and is huge fun and very rewarding. You'll need a couple of hundred miles to
acclimatise to riding a Spyder as the technique is entirely different to two wheels.... no counter-steering for one!!
So forget all you know about motorcycle riding and let yourself in gently.
In fact if you go for an SE6 the only common factor is the twist grip. You'll LOVE the F3!!

*Oh! Don't do what I did at the first road junction and put your feet down!! Most embarassing!

 

[XB12X]

Yep the F3 is never going to be as swift in any respect as the Burger-King (Sorry, I couldn't resist!!)
BUT what it does do it does very well and is huge fun and very rewarding. You'll need a couple of hundred miles to
acclimatise to riding a Spyder as the technique is entirely different to two wheels.... no counter-steering for one!!
So forget all you know about motorcycle riding and let yourself in gently.
In fact if you go for an SE6 the only common factor is the twist grip. You'll LOVE the F3!!

*Oh! Don't do what I did at the first road junction and put your feet down!! Most embarassing!

I have experience of three-wheelers. As a 19-year-old, I bought a Reliant 21E van. Some vehicle, that! And then I chopped that in for a Bond Bug.

 

[OJ UK]

Well that's good then, loads of my mates who were bikers had Reliant vans and no car licence.
The big difference is having two wheels at the front and the driving wheel at the back.
Despite what you read elsewhere that this configuration is termed a "reverse trike" which is so much tripe!
Morgan's first trike had this configuration back in 1909!! Today the Morgan Three Wheeler is a cult
vehicle and if it wasn't so expensive I'd have one! Hand built machines do tend to be expensive!
The real kicker is that I have a Morgan Main Dealer just down the road from me at Borough Green!!
Ho Hum...

 

[XB12X]

Well that's good then, loads of my mates who were bikers had Reliant vans and no car licence.
The big difference is having two wheels at the front and the driving wheel at the back.
Despite what you read elsewhere that this configuration is termed a "reverse trike" which is so much tripe!
Morgan's first trike had this configuration back in 1909!! Today the Morgan Three Wheeler is a cult
vehicle and if it wasn't so expensive I'd have one! Hand built machines do tend to be expensive!
The real kicker is that I have a Morgan Main Dealer just down the road from me at Borough Green!!
Ho Hum...

Ah, those old Morgans. So, you have always been a three wheel fan. Yep, the one wheel at the front trikes are the 'reverse trikes' for sure. Two at the front has to be better for corners and all-round stability. I have been very impressed with how the F3 goes round corners on the videos I've watched. Have you come across any biker who derides the Spyder? I can imagine in England you would, as many bikers tend to have rigid views.

 

[XB12X]

Over three-and-a-half years later, and there is an Can-Am dealer established in the country I live in. I'm going up to have a look. The time has maybe come. Do you still have yours, OJ UK? Reliable?

 

[Raprider]

Enjoy the look...and let us inquiring minds know how the dealer turns out.

 

[MakoShark2]

I Live in Lisbon, have an F3S. Not many Spyders in Portugal but still some, and I know for a fact there are actually Spyders in the Algarve.

I think you can purchase a Spyder from AngelPilot in Lagoa, Algarve, but they are more sea bike oriented there.
So I would recommend you to go to Benimoto in Benedita/Rio Maior or Caldas da Rainha. That's an official BRP dealer (a very good one) and where I bought mine new.

If you're in facebook, you can join the european "Can Am On-Road European Riders" and portuguese "Can Am On-Road Portugal Riders" group.

 

[mcalva]

to those mentioned can add the concessionaires of Bragança, Matosinhos and Povoa de Varzim according to the BRP website.

 

[XB12X]

Thanks to MakoShark2 and mcalva. I am aware of the Lagoa place. I was thinking of popping down there tomorrow to see what they can do. It is an awful long way to Porto, but maybe it's a good idea to buy from somewhere which knows about these machines as opposed to somewhere which specialises in marine vehicles.

MakoShark2, how long have you had your F3S and have you been pleased with it?

Regards to you both.

Edit: I have looked up the Benimoto site. Thanks again.

 

[MakoShark2]

After 30 years of riding two wheels I've traded my last bike (Triumph Tiger) for the F3S last September and it's been only fun and joy.

I consider myself an experienced rider. I've ridden Picos de Europa, the Alps, Pyrenees, Stelvio, Glossglockner and the Sahara desert in Morocco.

But at 45, I've made the switch being the main reason something more secure and comfortable for riding two up (never felt good riding with the Missus on two wheels).
I previously was riding 95% of time solo I now ride 95% with my better half and been actually riding more with the Spyder than was with my previous Triumph, it's really addictive.

I've clocked 14000kms in 10 months and doing it mostly on weekends. Spyder is still young but until now not a single issue.

Not sure if you understand portuguese but if you do, check my website I've been logging trips and everything about it there: http://andardecoiso.pt

Oh and you don't need to go to Porto, Benimoto is located 100kms North of Lisbon, but still about 350kms from the Algarve.

I think there's a french guy in the portuguese group who is living in the Algarve and bought his Spyder from AngelPilot.

 

[XB12X]

Thanks for this post, MakoShark2. You are the second Lisbonite (the other was on the FB Portugal page) to tell me he has no issues in the first 15,000 km or so. That is encouraging. Since my last post, I have found out AngelPilot stock these bikes, and I am going to take a look early next week.

Like you, I consider myself an experienced rider of two-wheelers having covered almost 400,000 km. I currently ride a Suzuki B-King and a Yamaha MT-01. I know someone who is eager to buy the B-King. A quick sale, and I could be on the road on an F3-S in a fortnight.

All it takes on two wheels is a dog to run out in front of you (that's happened twice down here, but I avoided them), a diesel patch (been off on one in Italy) or one of the local I-don't-look-where-I'm-going car drivers, and you are off and injured. I'm 65, and I don't need any more injuries.

Thanks for writing such good English.

Regards, Nick