Things you need to know

[msiple]

At 3pm yesterday I started out on a USA four corners tour. My starting point was going to be Madawaska ME. Needless to say I did not make it out of Vermont as my 2011 Spyder RTS started shooting oil and smoke everywhere. With only 3008 miles on it, this was a huge disappointment. What was an even bigger disappointment was when I contacted BRP Roadside assistance.

Just so you know when you call the USA number there hours are only 8:30am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday. Just so everyone knows, your SOL if you break down any other time other than that. To top it off, I was 16 miles from the closest town, on a road surrounded by woods.

I mean come on now seriously, roadside Assistance needs to be 24 hour, not 8:30am - 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. Luckily, I have Progressive roadside assistance and although it took 3 hours to get someone there, at least I didn'[t have to wait until Monday after 8:30am for help.

Sorry if I sound a bit bitter, but I am. I just had an oil change 50 miles or so ago, and this shouldn't have happened.

Has anyone else had an experience like this?

Thank you,

msiple

 

[murphybrown]

At 3pm yesterday I started out on a USA four corners tour. My starting point was going to be Madawaska ME. Needless to say I did not make it out of Vermont as my 2011 Spyder RTS started shooting oil and smoke everywhere. With only 3008 miles on it, this was a huge disappointment. What was an even bigger disappointment was when I contacted BRP Roadside assistance.

Just so you know when you call the USA number there hours are only 8:30am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday. Just so everyone knows, your SOL if you break down any other time other than that. To top it off, I was 16 miles from the closest town, on a road surrounded by woods.

I mean come on now seriously, roadside Assistance needs to be 24 hour, not 8:30am - 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. Luckily, I have Progressive roadside assistance and although it took 3 hours to get someone there, at least I didn'[t have to wait until Monday after 8:30am for help.

Sorry if I sound a bit bitter, but I am. I just had an oil change 50 miles or so ago, and this shouldn't have happened.

Has anyone else had an experience like this?

Thank you,

msiple

Dang sorry you had this happen. I also had similar on way back from Spyderfest this year but my experience with roadside assistance was totally different. Had a human error when had Ms Spyder serviced...got 600 mi closer to home and lost oil (o ring not seated properly)..out on the plains of WY...(good news cell phone worked!!). Called dealer who did oil change first. Then called Roadside Assist: It was a Sat...late afternoon and they were there and I couldn't have asked for any better service from RA, dealer who "whoopsed", dealers that fixed the whoops. Sure the delay was 3 days...but it was, for me, one of those make lemonade from lemons moments.
But I would agree roadside assist needs to always be there....hey I'm calling them right now to see what they tell me.
Have a great time ryding...

 

[BikerDoc]

Sorry to hear of your problems. Please let us know what the mechanical issue was as soon as your learn and how long it takes to repair. I watch all these early mileage problems on the 2011s with great interest and it makes me almost afraid to consider a newer ride when mine is running so well..

 

[fastfraser]

Sorry to hear that you had troubles. Will you start your trip when the :spyder2: gets fixed ? Let us know what went wrong.

 

[murphybrown]

At 3pm yesterday I started out on a USA four corners tour. My starting point was going to be Madawaska ME. Needless to say I did not make it out of Vermont as my 2011 Spyder RTS started shooting oil and smoke everywhere. With only 3008 miles on it, this was a huge disappointment. What was an even bigger disappointment was when I contacted BRP Roadside assistance.

Just so you know when you call the USA number there hours are only 8:30am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday. Just so everyone knows, your SOL if you break down any other time other than that. To top it off, I was 16 miles from the closest town, on a road surrounded by woods.

I mean come on now seriously, roadside Assistance needs to be 24 hour, not 8:30am - 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. Luckily, I have Progressive roadside assistance and although it took 3 hours to get someone there, at least I didn'[t have to wait until Monday after 8:30am for help.

Sorry if I sound a bit bitter, but I am. I just had an oil change 50 miles or so ago, and this shouldn't have happened.

Has anyone else had an experience like this?

Thank you,

msiple

Hi Again:
Called B.E.S.T. roadside assistance and gal said they are definitely 24/7...she thought maybe that you called customer service which does have "normal" office hours.
Here is the "right" contact phone # 1-866-477-1415
Here's hoping you never need it.

 

[ARtraveler]

Sounds like this is working out. :agree:that roadside assistance needs to be 24/7. What breaks down during normal office hours, and a block away from the repair shop?

Breakdowns, are the one thing that always puts a little fear in me when driving to somewhere in Alaska. Dealers in two cities, 350 miles apart--do they have the parts I may need? etc. etc.

I have been very lucky in over 50,000 miles of travel here. The scarry part--is my luck going to run out?

opcorn:

 

[retired1]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I hope they get you back on the road soon!:2thumbs:
Murphy; Thnx for the number, it's now in my phone.

 

[msiple]

Hi Again:
Called B.E.S.T. roadside assistance and gal said they are definitely 24/7...she thought maybe that you called customer service which does have "normal" office hours.
Here is the "right" contact phone # 1-866-477-1415
Here's hoping you never need it.

OMG your right that's what I did. I just checked my card again after seeing your post. The number is located further down on the card and in bold, but I called the one at the top for the USA. But considering the stress that I was under, I am surprised that Can-Am does not have an option for Emergency Roadside Assistance.

Thank you for your post and for bringing this to my attention.

msiple

 

[Questions]

brakedown calls

so i ride in canada and let me tell you. just about and brp shop have and can get parts sent in or to you. I would take a class from your dealer on how to work on your bike and shop book good to have with you at al times so you can fix most of the bike. we are now on our long trip from alask to st johns nf they call the rock great ride and long but we do it each year from west to east and back to Oregon via the states have a great spyder day to all

 

[Questions]

where do you live

Sorry to hear that you had troubles. Will you start your trip when the :spyder2: gets fixed ? Let us know what went wrong.

so what part of canada do you live in we are now in yukon on 1 for the night going to dawson for next night thks.

 

[NancysToy]

OMG your right that's what I did. I just checked my card again after seeing your post. The number is located further down on the card and in bold, but I called the one at the top for the USA. But considering the stress that I was under, I am surprised that Can-Am does not have an option for Emergency Roadside Assistance.

Thank you for your post and for bringing this to my attention.

msiple

I have the BEST # programmed into my cell phone. No "high pressure" mistakes that way.

 

[skosh]

Broken Key

We just completed a trip from Georgia to Niagara Falls with a layover in western Pa where I'm from originally. During the trip, my friend was walking out the storm door at my aunt's, and her Can-Am key got caught between the door and the frame and snapped in two. A unique happening I hope for the rest of you. The bike could not be moved out of the road because the parking brake was on. So we covered it and hoped no one would hit it until it could be moved.

To begin, a key cannot be cut from one that is in 2 pieces. So we called a neighbor in Georgia and had her spare key and my spare (I didn't want the same thing to happen to me) overnight expressed. It happened Saturday, so the first day it shipped was on Monday. We got the keys Tuesday. With keys in hand, we called multiple dealers in Pa, and finally found the closest to be in Irwin, Pa. We proceeded to the dealer. The dealer sold us 3 blanks at $35/key. The service mechanic told us we would have to have it cut somewhere else and then bring it back to the dealer for programming. The programming charge was $27.50/key. He also said not to come back any time soon because he had several people in front of us. I asked what time he wanted us to come back. He said he was open until 8 pm! Nice, huh.

We proceeded to the hardware store, Home Depot, several car dealerships and even called 3 locksmiths. No one wanted to cut the key because
1. They didn't sell us the blank
2. They didn't want to assume liability for the $35 blank
3. The Can-Am key is longer than most cars keys and they were afraid their cutter would mess it up

Finally, the parts man at KIA in Irwin, agreed to try to cut the key promising he would do his best but that he was assuming no responsibility if it didn't work. What did we have to lose?? Once cut, he followed us to the bikes and verified that the ignition barrel turned... it wouldn't start but we were making progress. The KIA man would take no money for cutting the key. I could have kissed him! Back to the Can-AM dealership for programming.

As we were getting off the bikes at the dealership, a 35-40 year old man dressed in T-shirt and jeans walked up and asked how we liked the Can-Ams. One of us was pulling a pop-up tent trailer and the other was pulling two labs on a home-made trailer. After all, we were wanting to leave for New York as soon as the key was made. Needless to say, we attract some attention. I told the man we liked the bikes but also unloaded to him about our experiences with this key thing. He questioned why the dealer couldn't cut the key at the dealership because he knew they cut other keys. I threw up my hands...I don't really know. However, my biggest concern was what if the key didn't work after it was programmed? Who's at fault? Who's liable? Will we just be out $35 for the blank and everyone points the finger at each other? The man said he would find out.

When we went back inside, the man came over to us at the service department. He first apologized for our poor experience. He said they sold lots of Can-Ams, made lots of money, and assured us he had instructed the service department to locate whatever was needed to be able to cut the Can-Am key. He then whispered to the service rep and walked away. The service rep immediately asked my friend to bring her bike to the back so the key could be programmed. I couldn't help but ask who that guy was. The service rep said "That's the owner". The programming took about 20 minutes and it worked! The service rep said there would be no charge courtesy of the owner. So, after about 5 hours and owner intervention, we were ready to go.

In summation, I was not happy with the service department or the service rep at this dealership. But my hat goes off to the owner of Mosites Motorsports in Irwin, Pa. He listened and then tried to make things right. I would trade with Mosites again because of this owner, who I assume is Mr. Mosite.

Anyway, if you have made it this far on this thread, my advice is to carry your spare key somewhere on the bike where you can get to it. I bolted my spare to the back middle of my license plate and then the license plate is held with wing nuts to the bike. This allows me easy access to the key should I need it and only the screw heads that go through the license plate show.

 

[bikeguy]

I know this information is too late to help now - BUT ---- If you have a non-programmed key which will turn the lock and a broken programmed key which you can secure next to the ignition switch, the combination will start a Spyder. See the following thread.

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19926&highlight=ignition

Cotton

 

[zeebill]

I made a trip cross country from WV to Gold Beach, Oregon on my SR the year before last. I had called ahead to set up an oil change and when I got to the dealership the door was padlocked. No signs or explanations at all. I noticed a Harley dealer across the interstate and went over and inquired if they knew what was going on over there. I was told a week ago an 18 wheeler pulled up early in the day and emptied the place and they assumed they went under. Told them great I need and oil change could they help me out. I told them I had both filters on the trike and they said if I would get the oil they would give it a try for $75. I looked around town and found no oil so I went back and they said head for Salina they had a dealer there.

Off I went and they had the oil and did the oil change for me. Unbeknowst to me they also screwed up the drain plug but that comes later. Around Cheyanne I got a load of gas that turned the pipe snow white and caused over heating and popping and banging in the engine. Stayed over the night and headed for the local Harley and Spyder dealer the next morning bright and early. He tore the trike completely apart and checked everything, even reprogrammed the updates my dealer had added to make sure the computer was up to date. He said they had trouble with gas stations adding more than 10% corn to regular around there and had two Harley units that gave them trouble. He found nothing else wrong and suggested I add some high test and that might solve the problem. I went the rest of the way to Oregon and road many miles day tripping around Gold Beach.

I headed homeward and hit the foothills outside of Klamath Falls, Oregon and the trike made a bunch of noise and the engine went into limp mode. I have had that happen a couple of other times and it was the oil sensor (I was on my 3rd 0ne) I had been able to get it out of limp mode previously but this time I wasn't able to get it out. I rode over the foothills into town with it popping and banging at a slow rate of speed that limp mode allows. I figured something big time had let go in the engine but it still ran although in limp mode.

The nearest dealer was 125 miles west and he had 2 weeks experience with Can Am Spyders. East bound I had to make it to Cheyanne to get to the dealer that way, that was about 300+ miles over mountains. I was lucky because a friend from the internet lived in Klamath Falls and he put me up for the night to rest and think about my choices. Next day I went to the U-Haul place and got a truck and bought a bunch of tie downs. I rode that ailing sucker up the aluminum loading ramp on the frame and the back wheel with the two front wheels hanging in mid air. I stopped just short of the floor of the truck set the brake and got off 3 of us wrestled that sucker by hand into the truck body. I used the side ties in the truck for furniture and the spyder was held down by its web of tie downs.

Next morning off I went for Cheyanne and the dealer. I got there and after a bit of a song and dance I opted for all the way home the way it sat in the truck. It cost a bundle more in gas and I really wanted the trike to run down Bonneyville Salt Flats not the truck but what the hell you can't have everything. Got the trike down to the dealer and he used a bunch of 4 wheeler loading ramps to get it off the truck no trouble at all. The computer said the oil sensor (the 3rd one) was bad and I was soon back on the road. This amazed me because when this one went it made a bunch of noise and heat and I thought for sure the engine was gone!

I had no knowledge of any road assistance for the Spyder at that time and indeed until Murphy Brown wrote about it I never heard anything about it. Like Scotty it is in the phone for sure. I doubt the dealership and service listing are any greater in amount now then when this happened and for sure many of the so called dealers can change oil and not much more for they have not invested in the many high priced special tools BuRP would like the dealers to have to use. I made it home in one piece with at least one way on the trike across the US. 3417 miles in 9 days with a layover at Cheyanne, not bad for a fat old 65 year old! I doubt I could do it today at 67 though. Well that is my misadventure! Bill hyea:

 

[Enuftruck]

I had the same problem with the oil filter gasket when the dealer did the 600 mile service last spring. When I called the dealer, they told me to just bring it back in. He was not happy when I told him to get off his butt and come get it fix it and bring it back. I learned to pay a bit closer attention after a dealer service. I have a tendency to take it for granted that a dealer knows what their doing. Not all the time.

 

[Radthorne]

So on the subject of keys... Question for you all.

When I picked up my new RT-S two weeks ago, I was handed two keys, each with a little plastic holder. Connecting the two holders was a plastic zip tie, and attached to the zip tie is small plastic tab with a four-digit number on it. The dealer rep told me that they could re-program a key from one of the other keys, or they could do it using the four digit number on this small tab, as he was advising me to make sure I did not lose or misplace this small tab (which otherwise looks like something not at all important that you'd toss out).

I've not seen any mention of this on the forum when keys are discussed, only that you have to have one of the other two keys available in order to have another made. Thoughts? Is this something recent, perhaps? Or just a confused dealer?

 

[NancysToy]

So on the subject of keys... Question for you all.

When I picked up my new RT-S two weeks ago, I was handed two keys, each with a little plastic holder. Connecting the two holders was a plastic zip tie, and attached to the zip tie is small plastic tab with a four-digit number on it. The dealer rep told me that they could re-program a key from one of the other keys, or they could do it using the four digit number on this small tab, as he was advising me to make sure I did not lose or misplace this small tab (which otherwise looks like something not at all important that you'd toss out).

I've not seen any mention of this on the forum when keys are discussed, only that you have to have one of the other two keys available in order to have another made. Thoughts? Is this something recent, perhaps? Or just a confused dealer?

This is standard practice. Automotive dealers do this. My impression is that BRP's system does not work this way or allow it, though, even though their keys are supplied with the code tag. Even if they were, it should just net you a key that is cut to the correct profile. The chip would still have to be programmed.

 

[SpyderAnn01]

I had no knowledge of any road assistance for the Spyder at that time and indeed until Murphy Brown wrote about it I never heard anything about it. Like Scotty it is in the phone for sure. hyea:

That number is for the B.E.S.T. extended warranty I don't think it will do you any good unless you have their coverage.

 

[msiple]

Oil Filter Housing

Hello All,
Thanks for the interesting reply's to my initial post. I got my Spyder back today. The mechanic said that the Spyder has two oil filters. He said that the second oil filter housing has a rubber gasket that was defected. He said that it had a dimple on the inside facing the housing and not facing out. He said that he has seen this one other time before, but it was a steady drip and not spraying out like mine was.

msiple

 

[SpyderAnn01]

Glad to hear you got your problem fixed. Have a safe trip and I hope you don't have any more issues with your Spyder.