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thinking about cross country ride?

S

sandeejs

Member
I'd really like to take my Spyder on cross country ride. If I take a major highway, will there be repair shops if I get into trouble? I've got a 2016 in good shape, new tire on the rear and good tread on the front. Starts without arguing, fresh oil, newer battery. I have AAA and AMA as backup. (And charge cards if needed.)
Whar do y'all think?
~Sandee~
 
Check your brake pad thickness front/back and it sounds like you're good to go. OEM brake pads don't last a heck of a long time. Stay safe have fun and wish I could go.
 
Brake pads - I ride hard and the OEM pads did 30,000 rear ( but they were toast - so 25,000 mi. is safe ) ...... Front 42,000 mi. and could have gone another 5000 mi. without an issue ..... I would not rely on any REPAIR shops other than at a Can-Am dealership .... so map your route and find out where they are before you go ..... I don't take my Spyder to any dealers, but you may have to. ..... good luck and have a happy safe trip ..... Mike :thumbup:
 
Sandeejs, I think you've got it well & truly covered, especially with the good advice above! :2thumbs:

If your Spyder is well maintained & otherwise running well; then simply toss & replace any OE Spec tires & check that any replacement auto tire you've fitted has suitable tread depth to last your anticipated trip (I'd suggest you start with at least 1/2 of their 'new depth' for a cross-country trip! ;) ); similar on the brake pads, as BK911 mentions above; and try to work out where you'll be whenever you're likely to hit your next scheduled service, particularly if you need to get one or more done while you're away! :thumbup: . You might even want to do a pre-trip service a little bit early & get that oil tested so that if you need to stretch your next or any subsequent oil change interval juuussst a little bit to make it home, you can confidently do so knowing how well your oil is likely to be lasting. :ohyea:

My 2013 RT Ltd still eats up the miles (& kms! ;) ) and I haven't yet & despite many earlier similar trips, I still don't hesitate to just pack up, gas up, and head off on the next 10,000km trip either solo or with me'n the Child Bride aboard - but I do always pay head to the above! :yes:

Go On - DO IT!! You know you want to! :thumbup:

Ps: sure, you might wanta stick to the major highways for your very first cross country trip, but don't let that restrict you for all your future trips! :rolleyes:
 
If you are doing a long journey and want to keep family etc updated on your whereabouts there is a free Spotwalla service that may be of interest. Its often used by Iron Butt riders (which is why I know about it) but can be used for anything. Spotwalla will display your location on a map every 15 minutes (or how often you choose), or you can choose to tag where you currently are. Theres also an SOS option as well - fortunately I've never needed it:-).

You can connect to it using a dedicated device (like SPOT or Garmin) but there are also app's for both Apple and Android - I use SWConnect on the Apple phone.

Here is an article about it written by one of the local riders, it was written for the TT2000 event but it got lots of good info on general usage:

https://www.wiltshire.net/2021/01/23/getting-setup-with-spotwalla-for-the-tt2000-event-2021/
 
Go where you wanna go. I broke down in the middle of nowhere on my Harley all on the Great River Road. I called Harley owners group and they said it would be at least $700 for a tow. I then called AAA and they got the exact location through my phone and a wrecker was there within 20 minutes. To get to a Harley shop they had to haul me all the way back to Memphis which they did at no charge. They were very understanding about motorcycles and trikes. And although it cost me a day of my trip the experience was exceptional. So get off the major highways and enjoy the fresh air.
 
If you have AAA you should contact them about adding RV coverage if you don't already have it. There is a waiting period of about a week as I recall but it has a much longer towing, I really mean rollback lift vehicle, mileage limit should you have a problem on the far side of beyond. You can always cancel the RV coverage after the trip. You can also have AAA create a TripTik to route you the way you want to go.

IMO, if you're going to make the trip I recommend planning it off interstate highways as much as possible; they're duller than dirt and no fun unless your primary objective is to eat up mileage as fast as possible. There is much more of our beautiful country to see and interesting people to meet off the interstate highway system. Jump on the opportunity and have a blast!! Good luck!!!
 
How far do you plan to travel and what distance do you expect to cover each day? Don't over think the trip. Long distance riding is my favorite time on the Spyder.
 
Last year my wife and I went north over the Big Mac then west on US2 all the way to Mount Olympic National Park, Then south down Highway 101 / US 1 to the Golden Gate Bridge. Through Sequoia National Park then west to Hot Springs, AR. There you will find Spyderpops's shop where the best group of people, who will treat you like family and your bike like their own. There they can get your ride purring like new again before you head back out on the road to come home to MI or continue on your adventure.
 
I have a related question so this isn't a high jack: How fast is safe for the Spyder, eating long distances on the Interstates, since the average speed I see is between 75 and 80 miles per hour? My new ride is a 2021 RT SE6 and I'm thinking about touring to Southern Calif in early Summer. I've done this many times on my past Motorcycles but I'm concerned about long distances on the RT.

To the OP, I suggest this: Never, ever start a long touring Vacation unless your Vehicle is in tip top shape! (A half worn tire for instance will wear out magically before your eyes in no time when you least want it to)

Sam:)
 
Rocketman 2012 said:
...How fast is safe for the Spyder, eating long distances on the Interstates, since the average speed I see is between 75 and 80 miles per hour?
Click to expand...

A properly aligned Spyder with tire pressure equalized front tires is capable of of being safely ridden at speeds that far exceed the skill of the nominal rider. In 2017 I comfortably rode for hours on end through OK and NM at 80-85 into a vicious headwind on my way to UT. My only concern at that speed was watching the gas gauge because at those speeds and into the headwind I got only a bit over 28 mpg. Unless you're a professional racer the Spyder has much more capability than you do.
 
1. Take the phone # of at least one knowledgeable Spyder owner or Service Mgr. If you do have a problem, it helps to have another person to lend advice or moral support.
2. If you have to go to a dealer, stress the fact that you are on an extended road trip and must be taken care of today or first thing in the morning. Even if they have to take parts off another Spyder. Be very polite, but very firm.
3. Definitely Go and Enjoy.
Roger
 
.

Got hooked up on a ryde out to Middlegate Nv. last fall. ( Should be called the middle of Nowhere Nv.) Between Fallon and Austin Nv. Hwy 50 is known as the loneliest road in the country nojoke. It is basically un patrolled. The fast sport bikes in the group were cruising a 90+ ----- and so were the Spyders ( all 4 of us ) No problems at all. We did loose some of the V-twins though. nojoke

Lew L
 
Most of the above replies are breakdown related so that's covered.
My suggestion is to keep your eye on the weather reports and radar maps. If you're not locked into a specific route, you can re-route around trouble spots and make the trip more of an adventure. We take long trips a couple times/yr and sometimes play "Radar Tag" to avoid rain, hail, or snow. We end up finding new gems we would have missed otherwise.

Just do it!
 
sandeejs said:
I'd really like to take my Spyder on cross country ride. If I take a major highway, will there be repair shops if I get into trouble? I've got a 2016 in good shape, new tire on the rear and good tread on the front. Starts without arguing, fresh oil, newer battery. I have AAA and AMA as backup. (And charge cards if needed.)
Whar do y'all think?
~Sandee~
Click to expand...

Repair shops are usually few and far between. The good old days, where you could pull into any gas station and get pretty much anything fixed are long gone. The :spyder2: is a very technical piece of equipment. Most of the things are controlled by computer. Road repairs are for the learned Spyder mechanic or for the brave. It is better in the lower 48 than what I experienced in Alaska for almost twenty years.

There were two Spyder dealers at first, then one, then none. I put on 150,000 assorted miles on five Spyders while I was there. Never had a breakdown on the road. At least, in the lower 48, there is at least one dealer in every state. Independent mechanics or gas stations, are not likely to want to work on them. Over the last five years, I think the Spyder is more dependable than the earlier models. I will drive mostly anyplace without the fear of breaking down. I keep mine maintained according to schedule and get anything I am not sure about looked at in a timely manner. :bowdown:
 
When I google or BRP search for Can Am Spyder dealers I get fewer locations than if I just search for Can Am dealers. I know a lot of dealers are primarily 4 wheelers but are they qualified on the Spyders or required to be?

I also plan a 2,000 mile trip this summer KS to AZ and want to map out dealers beforehand in case of issues. Just wondering?
 
milryder said:
When I google or BRP search for Can Am Spyder dealers I get fewer locations than if I just search for Can Am dealers. I know a lot of dealers are primarily 4 wheelers but are they qualified on the Spyders or required to be?

I also plan a 2,000 mile trip this summer KS to AZ and want to map out dealers beforehand in case of issues. Just wondering?
Click to expand...

Non Spyder, CanAm dealers are usually not qualified to work on Spyders, nor are they likely to volunteer. Dealers that go through the actual process for "official" Spyder mechanics spend a lot of time and money for that. Even the dealer where I came from fudged the last couple years, and I was getting to the point of move or sell the Spyders.
 
In that case southern KS through southern CO to Flagstaff will be w/o Spyder repair contacts. My guess is a 4 wheeler dealer would be better than a non BRP dealer if one had problems.
 
milryder said:
In that case southern KS through southern CO to Flagstaff will be w/o Spyder repair contacts. My guess is a 4 wheeler dealer would be better than a non BRP dealer if one had problems.
Click to expand...

One might get lucky, and it does not hurt to ask if a situation does come up.
 
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