In my opinion, you're good. I never had an issue with your posting the link. I did get over ventilated with my reaction to that video. But that isn't your fault. Never intended to imply that your posting of the video was a problem.
I agree. This site is all about information. This discussion (including the bad-info video) may well help someone, or many someones. That's what it is all about.
Good evening, all! I didn't mean to stir the pot here, but I got caught out on this issue regarding the low oil service bulletin. That is my video on YouTube to document the case for a potential warranty claim, should one arise in the future. I guess this isn't the best intro post to a forum, so my apologies to all if I generated any unnecessary angst. I must be one of the "lucky ones" with a low or empty gearbox.
All of the confusion surrounding this issue is due to the missing or incorrect procedures in the Can-Am Operator's Manual, where they omit a couple of critical steps and highlight the wrong location as the check bolt. I didn't want to take down the video which might cause discontinuity. Instead, I have updated the comments and video description with corrected information to the best of my ability. The video now has a "card" at the intro that links to the follow-up video showing the correct oil level location, and there is also a Google Drive link containing the service bulletin images that Lamonster so kindly uploaded to this forum.
The gear noise that I heard on deceleration after the first ride might be normal due to the design of the gearbox on this bike, but it seemed to get louder as I rode further (more heat in the box). When I parked it at my office, switched into reverse, it hung until I revved the motor up a bit and then loudly whacked/clunked into reverse (much louder than when I test rode it at the dealership). I repeated the forward/reverse a couple of times and the issue persisted in both directions. I let it cool down about 30 minutes, tried it again, and it was much less noticeable. That's when I started researching the Ryker's to see if this was "normal". Every bike has a personality, so this could be normal... I was just being cautious.
Unfortunately for me, the low/empty gearbox issue seems to be a reality for my Ryker. The second video shows what I did to verify the oil level this morning... pulled the level bolt, pointed the nose uphill, but no oil at the check hole. I even stuck a white zip-tie about 3" or so into the hole and it came out dry. The check bolt itself was also dry (no oil)... just a thin coating of anti-seize on the threads. I'm relatively new to the Can-Am world, but not new to mechanics or motorcycling. I'm a motorcycle veteran with 40+ years of wrenching experience (and 14 bikes currently in the stable... Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Ducati, Chinesium Crap, etc). So, I try not to make any rash assumptions about service departments or manufacturer's claims about TSB's and recalls being performed. However, in this case, I was nose-to-nose with the problem and I knew that something was amiss.
Earlier in the day, I had an agreement with the dealer to have it towed back to the service department to check the problem (and to document the issue on the VIN for future reference). They called me back later in the afternoon and said that they were assured by their service department that the oil level had been checked (contrary to the evidence), and asked me to ride it back to the dealership to be checked out. Before I do that, I will certainly document the topping-off of the gearbox to see how low it is. It needs to go back for an alignment check anyway... hopefully this one isn't a lemon, because I really like the bike and waited months to get my hands on this one.
So, long story short... I don't know if any damage has been done in these first 25 miles, or exactly how low the gearbox oil is at this point. I plan to pick up a quart of 75W140 SYN gear oil and top it off before venturing any further. Fortunately, I do have several other bikes to ride while this is sorted out, so I'm in no particular rush to break anything or make enemies in the process. The videos are to document what, for all visible and logical accounts, seems to be an issue of missed PDI/pre-sales check, and to cover my due-diligence if a warranty issue should occur. At the very least, the alignment issue and scratched-up A-arms should not have slipped past the quality check ride. Again, I'm not intentionally bashing the dealer... I have purchased several other bikes from them with no issues. These are just the facts as they have revealed themselves.
So far, my Ryker ownership experience has been a case of caveat emptor and shoot-the-messenger all in one. Hopefully this will improve. ;-)
Best regards,
QuasiMotard
Katy, TX, USA
