What are the odds? BRP Focus Group at Owner's Event.

[daveinva]

So, you all read this thread before the Owner's Event, where we all mused what we would tell the BRP reps at the OE if we got the chance to talk to one:

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/...-do-YOU-want-to-tell-BRP-at-the-Owner-s-Event

Well, guess what? Not 30 minutes after my GF and I arrived at the event on Thursday morning, Chaz from BRP singled us out and asked us to participate later that day in a focus group on the Spyder. Heh.

We quickly surmised why we were obvious choices for a chat: we were under the age of 50 :joke:.

Anyway, after a great day of riding we made it back Thursday afternoon during the rain to sit and talk with Tom, BRP's marketing director. Unfortunately for him, no one else bothered to show up for the focus group, so it ended up just being the two of us. All apologies to folks, we may have skewed BRP's market research BIG TIME.

Tom was very nice... very Canadian :joke:. He's relatively new to BRP, but owns a Sea-Doo boat he enjoys with his family, and I'm pretty sure he owns an RS as well (he talked up riding it, so I don't know if he owns one or just has spent a lot of time on one). He definitely came off as not just an employee, but an enthusiast.

What we talked about:
-- Tom asked why I chose a Spyder, why I chose an RS over an RT, whether it was my first bike (it was), whether I would buy another one, etc. Plenty of basic questions, answered conversationally. That took about 10 minutes.

-- He asked both my GF and I to offer our impressions of each of the different models, RS, ST and RT. We both praised the RS for being a sportier ride, while I praised the ST for being a lot like my upgraded RS, but conveniently finished from the factory. However, we both agreed on the RT: as convenient and comfortable as the RT is, it can't avoid being a fuddy-duddy option. My GF went so far as calling it a minivan, which she later regretted-- she had wanted to call the RT a "Lincoln Town Car" :joke: In contrast, the ST and especially the RS instinctively appeal to a younger crowd. The RT may be a great machine, but it simply doesn't appeal much to a younger demographic new to riding in our opinion (and, frankly, witnessed by the great folks attending the Owner's Event-- the proof was all around us!)

-- I plugged Spyderlovers and Spydertalk as great resources for BRP to read and monitor. He agreed, and says that they do try to keep up with the community.

-- I offered my feedback/frustration on the dealer network: it needs improvement. Tom nodded, mentioning that improving the dealer experience is a major focus for BRP right now. He noted that when it came to BRP-only dealers, many of them still come from the "seasonal" approach to customer service, where you don't have to turn around Sea-Doos and Ski-Doos as quickly as you do motorcycles.

I mentioned how my Spyder is serviced by a local multi-brand motorcycle dealer. Yeah, I had to bring up my recent experience, how they recently took over two weeks to do my routine 14,000 mile maintenance, in large part because they needed five days (!) to order brake pads from BRP (a common wear item a dealer should have in stock-- or something at worse overnighted).

I freely acknowledged that I was aware motorcycle maintenance isn't like car maintenance-- I'm not expecting Jiffy Lube service in minutes here-- but I emphasized to Tom how that sort of service is unacceptable, especially when a Spyder is my daily driver (a fact Tom found quite interesting-- guess they don't hear that a lot!). Tom correctly noted that the dealers are independent franchises and unfortunately often out of BRP's control, but I reminded him that the dealers are the "face" of BRP to the owner, so helping them out however BRP can is in their best interest for the long-term success of the Spyder.

-- I mentioned the leg heat problems, and how I had addressed mine aftermarket (through Spyderpops). Tom noted that BRP has long heard the heat concerns and continues to search for ways to solve it. I acknowledged that I was aware that a bike isn't a car, that some heat was to be expected, but the Spyder definitely had a unique problem with leg heat.

-- I mentioned the many requests I've seen over the years for more range and more power. Tom asked why more power was important to me; I answered that while I really love the Rotax, I knew there were more powerful versions of the Rotax out there that could help give the bike more "oomph." I noted that most competitive bikes on the market have "sport tourers" with 1200 or 1300 cc options, and also referenced how the RT competes against an 1800cc Goldwing. I shared my main desire for more power lie in having extra margin at the "top end" of the powerband: at 70 or 80 mph, I feel maxed-out on my RS on the highway, having an emergency reserve I could tap for passing or even just to lower the RPM at highway touring speeds would be welcome.

-- I shared my suggestion for more "factory" options to compete with the aftermarket, in my case my hope for a Can-Am option top box, perhaps to match the Givi sidebags, that mates to the RS & ST without modification.

Oh, and Scotty-- I also suggested the oil sight glass :thumbup:

-- When asked about colors, I said I loved all the ones offered, but if I could have a new one, I wanted a British Racing Green added to the lineup. ray::doorag:

-- Side note: Tom had never heard the term "frunk" before, he liked it! nojoke

-- My one regret: I never mentioned that I would TOTALLY be in the market for a leaning Spyder if they ever put one out. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I'd love to see what design BRP comes up with. :thumbup:


Anyway, that's it. All told, we talked for about 45 minutes, a very good chat. Hopefully I conveyed enough of the Spyderlovers opinion to BRP! :firstplace:

** DISCLAIMER: All recollections above are my own, everything was paraphrased from my (rusty) memory...

 

[Sarge707]

:clap:Nice Job! Actually I,m 64 and already thinking of trading my New RT for a ST in the Late Fall because?:yikes:
The GS/RS has plenty of Accelleration from 75-100 IF I could avoid a Jail Sentence!:roflblack:

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

FEEDBACK ETC.

Well said and well done Dave , you are a credit to Spyderlover's everywhere.....Mike :thumbup:

 

[Phil]

Very well done. True, Balanced, and unafraid


Phil, Tyler TX- from my iPad 7.5 using Tapatalk HD

 

[Chupaca]

Great job..!!

sorry you had to go it alone but you did us proud..glad you were there..!! :2thumbs:

 

[Bob Denman]

Look at the bright side; Now we'll all know who to blame if the 2016 models aren't what we want! :shocked: :roflblack::joke::roflblack:

 

[PrairieSpyder]

I think you did good. Even if you don't appreciate the RT, you were honest and offered constructive opinions. It's too bad more people didn't show up.

 

[shelbydave]

I mentioned how my Spyder is serviced by a local multi-brand motorcycle dealer. Yeah, I had to bring up my recent experience, how they recently took over two weeks to do my routine 14,000 mile maintenance, in large part because they needed five days (!) to order brake pads from BRP (a common wear item a dealer should have in stock-- or something at worse overnighted).
.

Funny, I just got a survey to fill out about my last service, and I said the exact same thing. Common items, and items they see a pattern of failure, should be stocked so as to not add excessive wait time for the customer.

 

[currin20fan]

BRP

Great job!!! I couldn't have said it better myself. I think the biggest complaint I heard while standing in line under the tent, were the dealers. A BRP rep did come down the line and chatted with several folks. We told him about our dealer, who is Velocity out of Ladson, SC and our service tech, PJ. They are very good and I feel very fortunate to have them, even though they are 80 miles from me. We did state this to the BRP rep and he was :yikes:. He couldn't believe he was hearing something good about a dealer. He thanked us for it. Hubby then proceeded to bend his ear about the inexperienced techs and thats where either the dealers or BRP are lacking. Dealers will sell you anything but if they don't have the knowledge to repair these spyders, BRP will fail in that department. The BRP rep understood this. Now, whether they will do anything...............time will tell. In the mean time, I love my RT.

 

[daveinva]

Look at the bright side; Now we'll all know who to blame if the 2016 models aren't what we want! :shocked: :roflblack::joke::roflblack:

Heh, you're right Bob... you can all thank me for that 2016 ST-S in British Racing Green

 

[Bob Denman]

:2thumbs:

 

[spydercatjohn]

I commend BRP for the focus group and your participation. Re the Goldwing, the Spyder has only 10 horsepower less than the GW1800 , but has a faster 0 to 60 time , 4.5 sec vs 4.7 sec for the GW1800 (two wheel). The Spyder 0 to 60 time is faster than almost all those heavy cruisers with the big engines, because of the Spyder higher rpm.

 

[bruiser]

Nice job. Like you I wish we had a little more power and a 6th gear. I don't share your GF's view of the RT, however I do respect it. We have two. The RT is heavier, thus a little bit slower. But believe me, It'll get down the road. Cruising the back roads around here in 5th gear I've passed several slower vehicles without having to down shift and reached 80 or better in a few seconds. Some of my riding buddies have said they can't pass like that on their big bikes without downshifting first. I don't like the RS because of the seated position, even with risers. Same goes for the sport bikes out there.

Again, nice job. It's sad that others didn't see fit to honor the invitation. Wish I could have been there.

 

[Bob Denman]

:agree: I would have gone to the focus group; even though I'm too shy to speak up... :shocked: :roflblack:

 

[MidLifeCrisis]

There are no doubt a more mature crowd attracted to the RT than younger, but I personally don't see that steming from the RT being a "minivan" or "Lincoln Town Car". We're in our 40s and went with the RT, because we were going to primarily use it for longer hauls and over-nighters. We were also interested in the trailer option, but that went on hold for now, since it would spend most of it's time sitting.

My wife see's the weight stickers on the bins as recommendations, not warnings, so we would have spent way too much adding bins to the RS to not even get close to the capacity of the RT. Neither of us could ride the RS without mods to make us more upright, due to back issues, so the RT was the only option.

The extra 10K hit, is also cost prohibitive for most people raising families, so the RT ends up for the most part, out of range. I suspect, as the older ones become more affordable, we'll see a few younger owners, but no doubt the RS or ST will remain a favorite amoung 1up riders.

Extra power is always nice and a 6th gear, but with lowering the other 5 a bit too. I just don't see using 6th in the current configuration, since you have to be over 65MPH to even use it as is.

What I would really like to see is better electronics. Gauges that work would be sweet. A turn signal switch with a positive feel and overall switches that work solidly every time. Seems I'm always second guessing the push! Those would have been things I would have added to the "fix" list.

 

[daveinva]

What I would really like to see is better electronics. Gauges that work would be sweet. A turn signal switch with a positive feel and overall switches that work solidly every time. Seems I'm always second guessing the push! Those would have been things I would have added to the "fix" list.

Interesting that you mentioned the turn signal... I don't have much tactile feedback on the RS signal, but at least there's *some* give when I push it in to shut it off. While I demoed the ST at the event, I was struck by how hard it was to either tell the turn signal was on or off. I've always been in the habit of manually pushing in the signal anyway, so it wasn't an issue, but yeesh, that's a design that could stand a (minor) improvement.

 

[steve635]

Heh, you're right Bob... you can all thank me for that 2016 ST-S in British Racing Green

Hmmm, if that actually happens it could well be my next Spyder. I agree with everything you said (and what you didn't say). I will likely buy an ST next for the somewhat less aggressive riding position. I love my RS, but my 55 year old hips and knees are crying after a few hours in the saddle.
Great job Dave.

 

[asp125]

.....
-- He asked both my GF and I to offer our impressions of each of the different models, RS, ST and RT. We both praised the RS for being a sportier ride, while I praised the ST for being a lot like my upgraded RS, but conveniently finished from the factory. However, we both agreed on the RT: as convenient and comfortable as the RT is, it can't avoid being a fuddy-duddy option. My GF went so far as calling it a minivan, which she later regretted-- she had wanted to call the RT a "Lincoln Town Car" :joke: In contrast, the ST and especially the RS instinctively appeal to a younger crowd. The RT may be a great machine, but it simply doesn't appeal much to a younger demographic new to riding in our opinion (and, frankly, witnessed by the great folks attending the Owner's Event-- the proof was all around us!).....

We're in our early & mid 50s, the other day I mentioned a Goldwing to my fiancee, and she said "eeww, they're for old people". :roflblack: I guess the RT upgrade is not in our future either.

 

[Don in E Texas]

Great job!

You did a fine job! My only comment is about RT's. My first ride was on a friends Harley - that was when I was about 17-18 years old back in the 1950's. You sat up straight! My first bike that I owned was a 750 BMW - again, sit up straight. Next bikes were a 550 Suzuki then a 1100 Goldwing Interstate. All with sit up straight positions. No bikes for a number of years until the 2008 Spyder. Thought I could convert it with aftermarket 'stuff' to suit my riding style. Never happened. Now I have a 'sit up straight RT' and could not be happier. Main point; it is not age - some folks just like to sit up straight.

 

[ARtraveler]

Thank you for your informative write up about your talk with BRP.