Spyder RT Review Pro's and Con's
After reading the post above I went and looked up the article that was referenced. I to have been looking at the RT, I want one because of it's large storage capacity and would use it to back-up my two-wheeled machines. I thought the article was well written and honest and would like to link to it. But putting a link to another site would probably considered trolling and rightfully so. I contacted the author and got permission to re-print his review without mentioning the site. Lamont if there is any conflict please delete the post but again I thought it was well written and informative and should be shared with everyone looking to drop $30k on a recreational vehicle. So here it is:
WARNING: This is a very long, detailed review of my ownership experience with a 2010 Can-Am Spyder RT-S Premiere Edition.
Life is like Golf...There are days you show up at the course, tee up the ball and hit it like there's no tomorrow. Other days, you end up asking yourself why you took up this frustrating game in the first place.
Buying a new motorcycle can be much like the game of golf. More times than not, a new bike purchase is everything you hoped it would be, but there are occasions when you wonder why you bought it in the first place. Sadly, this was my situation with a 2010 Can-Am Spyder RT-S Premiere Edition.
As you probably already know, I pre-ordered a Can-Am Spyder RT-S Premiere Edition in October of 2009 and took delivery of it in mid-January of this year. While I was truly excited about purchasing this modern, state-of-the-art trike, I am sad to say that after just a few months of ownership that it's now no longer gracing the inside of my garage. In fact, I can state that it spent nearly as much time at the Dealership's service bays than it did in my garage.
The reason that I chose to get rid of it is that, in my opinion, it failed to live up to the hype and did not perform the way I had expected based on the factory's promotions. Here's an example of the statements that are featured on the RT section of Can-Am's Spyder website:
“The Can-Am Spyder RT Roadster. Riding Reinvented
With a host of standard features, the Can-Am Spyder RT roadster delivers enough comfort and convenience for long, extended escapes – because true freedom is never having to stop.”
Then, on the page promoting the RT-S model, there's this statement:
“The Ultimate Touring Experience.
The Can-Am Spyder RT-S roadster gives you the ultimate Spyder touring experience with premium audio, enhanced suspension adjustment and upscale features.”
Before I get into the negative issues I personally experienced with the Spyder RT, first allow me to highlight what I enjoyed about this machine:
Slow Speed Maneuvering: Having the two wheels in the front made slow speed and parking lot maneuvers a real no-brainer. Being vertically challenged and enjoying larger touring bikes, handling a larger bike at slow speeds can be a real pain. The RT is a great bike (okay, I'll call it a bike...I know it's a trike) for around town usage and the true (not electric) reverse gear was a pleasure.
Cornering: Once you get used to the type of snowmobile-style leaning required to whip the RT around a corner or through a turn, it can be ridden in a manner where it feels like it's “riding on rails.” It takes more effort than a two-wheeled motorcycle to whip it around the turns, but once the leaning technique is mastered, it's a blast to ride through tight turns.
Storage: The Spyder RT has four storage compartments. A large front trunk (frunk), two side bags and a rear cargo area as well as a small glove compartment. The side bags are not sized equally inside and while the right side bag will allow for the storage of a ¾ sized helmet, the left compartment is a bit smaller. The rear area features deep storage. While a matching trailer is available, I didn't purchase one as simply stated, I didn't have the garage storage area. For someone who packs fairly heavy on a bike (lots of camera equipment), I was happy with the amount of storage.
Electronics: I was told, but did not verify, that the audio system on the RT is the same as the one found in the 2010 Victory Vision and Cross Country. I will state that the sound of the audio was okay...not as clear as a Goldwing, but better than the 2008 Vision I previously owned. While at first glance, the numerous hand controls seem complicated, they are fairly intuitive and everything is within fingertip range.
I used the factory GPS mount for the Garmin Zumo 660 and it worked flawlessly...as it should considering the $1,200 price tag.
Like other bikes, the audio emitted from the iPod was better than the XM Satellite Radio and the XM was better than the AM/FM. But, I need to add that the AM/FM tuner was much stronger than my 2008 Vision. For whatever reason, and maybe bufetting was a factor, but the audio system was just adequate when riding at speed.
An interesting twist was the location of the satellite antenna. Instead of being mounted on the dash or on the trunk, it was located INSIDE the trunk and received a signal with no problem. This was a very cool feature. Considering that I live and ride on the edge of the satellite radio coverage area, having a concealed antenna that actually works is a noteworthy feature.
Cosmetics: The fit and finish was fairly good, but holy crap, there's a lot of plastic on the RT! If you think the Vision draws a crowd, then you'll be blown away at the People-Magnet capabilities of the Spyder RT. While most passersby may be familiar with motorcycle trikes, seeing the RT's futuristic design with the two wheels in the front had people asking “What is that thing?” I had quite a few people who had seen photos of the RT comment to me that it's much larger in person that it appears in the photos.
Engine Heat: Other than the heat emitted from the radiator fan and some heat that rose from the engine that kept the center glove compartment very warm (don't store chocolate in there, unless you want to make fondue), I didn't notice any disturbing heat generating from the Spyder RT. However, since I didn't ride it in temperatures above 80 degrees, I can't tell you if there's any additional engine heat generated in Summer riding conditions.
Ergonomics: I have to say that while I was fairly pleased with the riding position and ergonomics of the Spyder RT. I did feel the need to add the Utopia Backrest as it would allow me to sit a bit more forward in the saddle (yes, I'm only 5' 6” tall) and it provided some good lower back support for this aging rider. I would have liked to have experimented with adding some risers to the bars to make them easier to reach with my short arms, but they are not yet available. The Spyder seems to be the perfect machine to include some sort of telescopic mechanism on the bars to make them adjustable for different sized riders. I'll also add that it took around 1,500 miles for the seat to break-in and become comfortable.
The Dealership: Yes, a good Dealer is instrumental to the long term satisfaction of the rider. The Dealership I used is of the Mega-Dealer variety and I was satisfied with their efforts to attempt to repair the items that weren't working properly. Personally, I find it hard to blame them for the things that went wrong as they did their best to get it in and out of the shop in a timely manner, communicated the situations in a timely manner and even picked up and dropped off my bike when things were not operating properly. Yes, the delivery driver and I are on a first name basis as he was here picking up and dropping off the RT on numerous occasions. I will not blame the dealer when something went bad and the item necessary to repair it was on the dreaded “back-order” list.
Factory Customer Service: As highlighted in a previous report, I was truly impressed that a phone call can put a potential buyer or current customer directly in touch with a knowledgeable Customer Service person...Victory could learn from the way that Can-Am interfaces with its customers. However, even this open access could not change the experience I had with my Spyder RT.
Now, the not so good stuff:
I purchased this model with my eyes wide open. Since I knew that I was an early adopter of this model and purchased it sight unseen, I made the decision early on to only add “factory” accessories to my RT...at least for the first few months of ownership. The main reason for this decision is that if anything went awry, there would be no “blame game” as I kept the Spyder RT 100% stock (no engine, exhaust or juice box mods) and the only additions were the accessories offered by the factory...no third party stuff. The last thing I wanted was for the factory to deny a warranty claim if an electrical issue was to develop and blame it on the third party lighting or other electrical mod I may have added.
The factory accessories I added included the GPS Navigation System (Garmin Zumo 660, Mount and Wiring Harness), the XM Satellite Radio Kit as well as the fitted luggage and travel cover. Yes, the travel cover was
supposed to be included with the RT-S Premiere Edition, but instead, it came with the larger full-sized vehicle cover. Instead of swapping it out, I decided to keep the larger cover and purchased the travel cover as well. Allow me to note that the price of the accessories were what I would call very high. I also found it strange that if you wanted to purchase the factory GPS mount, you had to purchase the Garmin Zumo 660 from the factory. Hey in this day and age of ever-changing discounted electronics from sites such as Amazon.com, they should sell the mount and harness separately from the GPS unit itself.
The first day of ownership brought the first smelly headache...literally.
After the first day of riding, after I brought it home and tucked her in for the night in the garage, I grabbed the manual and the included DVD and took some time learning as much as I could about my new RT. As many new owners have experienced, I would go back and forth from the living room to the garage checking out things I learned while reading the manual. After the bike had rested for around an hour, when I returned to the garage I noticed an unusually strong gasoline odor. I'm not talking a faint smell, I'm referencing a very strong odor that would make me think twice before lighting a match. While I don't know the cause of this, it was rapidly addressed and repaired by my dealer.
After a few days of riding, while I knew upfront there would be a learning curve in becoming accustomed to riding on three wheels vs. the two I was used to, I was starting to notice that at highway speeds the bike delivered a “wallowing” feel that can only be described by taking much more work that I was used to to keep it on-center as well as a slight feeling of insecurity or edginess at highway speeds. After perusing some of the Spyder-oriented websites I learned that I was not alone in this experience and others had learned by adjusting the front shock settings (using the included Cam Wrench) to a firmer position, that this wallowing sensation would be minimalized. A call to Spyder Tech Support confirmed that an adjustment to the shocks as well as experimenting with different tire pressure and rear shock pressure settings was something worth trying.
Using the recommendations from the factory, I used a jack to elevate the front wheels and the cam wrench to adjust the shocks to a firmer position. There was a problem though...
The shock's cam adjustment seemed frozen and would not budge, so instead of breaking it, I called the Dealer and was told to bring it in...so I did.
The Mechanic wrestled with it for a few minutes and when he applied a strong force, the cam adjustment broke off. Of course it was replaced under warranty...not the shock, just the adjustment ring. That took around three days to arrive.
Using a variety of combination of shock settings along with experimenting with various tire air pressure settings as well as adjusting the settings on the rear shock, I just couldn't find that sweet spot to make it comfortable and stable at highway speeds. When I would find a setting that was close to what I was looking for, I wasn't prepared to have to recheck the settings every day. This scenario came into play when taking my first overnight road trip on the Spyder RT. Yes, it had been fully serviced and just a couple of days prior to embarking on this road trip to Naples, Fl, I checked and adjusted all the air settings to deliver as smooth of a highway ride as possible. While I didn't check them on the day of the ride as the RT hadn't moved since the previous pressure check, the trike was giving me a very hard time on this trip.
My friend riding alongside pointed out that the bikes rear end was bouncing like a 1960's Cadillac and from the Rider's perspective, at speeds over 50 MPH, the front end delivered a less than desirable feeling. It was far from a relaxing ride and "twitchy" might be a good description. Combine that with some wind and trucks on the road and I was having a very difficult time understanding that this was supposed to be a touring machine. I've owned a Honda Goldwing and a Victory Vision (and a dozen other bikes) in the past, and the highway riding capability of the Spyder pales in comparison to these two true touring bikes.
I'll also add that when Friends were riding behind me, I was told that the Spyder, (most likely due to it's wide front end), threw so much air that it made riding behind it very uncomfortable...that it was like being caught up in the buffeting area commonly found behind tractor trailer trucks.
If I had to guess as to what is causing the highway speed handling issues, I'd say it was a combination of factors that include having two wheels on the front that have no margin for error in the alignment department. I also think that the soft suspension and Dynamic Power Steering (DPS) combined with the large mass of this bike could also be causing some of the handling issues. I say this as if there's even the slightest bit of cross winds, the Spyder experiences a bit of body roll. Since this is not a two wheeled motorcycle, this body roll changes the riders posture and position as well as the input on the grips. It's this action that could be causing the DPS to over-react to subtle changes. Again, this is just a guess on my part.
Mileage: When one thinks of a touring bike, I think it's reasonable to expect strong mileage numbers. After all, there are some areas where there's not a gas station on every corner and having respectable mileage numbers is a reasonable expectation for any bike (or trike) that's promoted to be in the Touring category. Personally, in my opinion, that number would need to be around 200 miles between fill-ups. That's not possible with the Spyder RT as I never
experienced more than 25 MPG. Considering the tank capacity is 6.6 gallons, that provides a maximum of 165 miles per tank. Yes, others have stated that they have experienced 30 MPG, but since the vast majority of my miles were highway miles, I never achieved that threshold.
The low fuel light would begin illuminating at around 100 miles into a fresh tank and simply stated, that was frustrating as it's in our nature to react when a warning lamp illuminates and start looking for a gas station. Personally, this is unacceptable for any bike designed for touring.
Re-Fuelling: Also, when re-fuelling, if you thought that the Victory Vision was a bit picky in accepting a new tank of petrol into the tank, then you need to check out the Spyder RT as it makes the Vision look easy. It takes a very
delicate touch of the fuel pump's handle to get the fuel started without kicking off the pump's auto shutoff valve.
Fuel Gauge: One of the features of the RT-S model is that it moves the digital gas gauge from the center screen to an analog style gauge. The problem is that it doesn't work. There were days when the gauge's needled would bounce faster than the tachometer. Yes, there's a fix for that, but like other items, it's on back order.
Power: While some riders have criticized the Spyder RT's lack of power, personally, I didn't have any problem with this aspect of ownership. This is not a machine designed for drag racing and although it took some time to become reacquainted with a five speed transmission with a very tall first gear, the Rotax powerplant was sufficient for my needs.
The Ride: As stated previous reviews, this is not a motorcycle and is ridden in a completely different manner. Maneuvers that are second nature on two wheels require practice and some strength to do on three wheels. While around town the ride was rock solid, I don't think I'd be wanting to take the Spyder RT on The Dragon and would prefer a more nimble bike such as a Vision for extreme twisties.
Buffeting: As stated, I've owned both a Goldwing and a Vision in the past and am using these two touring bikes as my point of comparison. While (like the Vision), the Spyder RT-S does include an electrically adjustable windshield, the included air wings (deflectors) were not adjustable. Simply stated, I experienced a higher level of buffeting on the Spyder RT than I did with either two of the aforementioned motorcycles. Allow me to add, that the entire windshield is polarized and when wearing polarized sunglasses, depending on where the sun is located on the horizon, the shield sports those reflective spots all over it. This was an annoying distraction.
Braking: At first, I thought that the RT was fairly easy to stop. In practicing in a controlled environment (as stated in the manual), I was able to do planned stops in (what I felt) was a safe distance. However, when in real world
situations, for whatever reason, the Spyder RT seemed to take what seemed like a generous stretch to come to a stop. Even when applying the brakes in an aggressive manner, I never once felt the ABS kick in and deliver feedback to the brake lever.
Serviceability: There's a lot of plastic on this bike and even attempting to basic maintenance requires a lot of “plastic removal/re-installation time”
Helmet Holders: While there's a helmet lock incorporated under the seat, that uses an old style hook to secure your helmet, for whatever reason, after trying multiple helmets, it just didn't work. I'll chalk this up to a poor placement of the latch that is designed to connect to the helmet's D-Ring.
Speedometer: Okay, this might be nit-picky, but the speedometer needs a design fix. While the speed can be displayed in the center LCD, there's also an over-sized analog speedometer that doesn't make sense. That's because it features hash marks that go all the way up to 200 MPH. This means that if you want to see if you're doing 50 MPH or 60 MPH, it could be a bit difficult to read at a glance.
Tactile Feel: With so many controls at a Rider's fingertips, it seems the factory forgot to place a tactile feel on many of the controls. For example, when turning off the turn signals, that press of the lever has no tactile feel. The same is true when setting, increasing or decreasing the cruise control.
Limp Home Modes: The Spyder RT incorporates a sophisticated computer system that is designed to alert the rider when something is not working properly. This even alerts the rider when the trunk or side bags are not securely closed. When this happens, the rider is notified via an alert on the LCD screen that's difficult to miss. Depending on the severity of the problem, it could enter a Limp Home Mode which restricts the RPM to allow the rider to get off the road without being stranded. I had the same Limp Home Mode twice in ten days and the error was for an oil sending unit. Okay, once is one thing, but having it repaired and then a few days later the same error? Not good in my book.
Spyder 5 Marketing: I'll be the first to admit that Can-Am's PR folks truly pulled off a great maneuver with it's Spyder 5 promotion. In a nutshell, Can-Am gave five hand-selected riders a pre-production RT with the understanding that they would blog about their extended 5,000+ miles of riding experiences and produce videos along the way. It's my understanding that these blogs and videos by the Spyder 5 were to point out the good and “needs improvement” aspects of the RT so that the factory could address the bugs prior to going into final production. Without speculating, this was a wonderful concept that ended up failing as the reports did not seem to accurately depict many of the aspects of ownership in the open manner in which it was promoted. Sorry, but this is just my opinion. It was a great PR concept, that lost its luster in the execution. It did however succeed in spreading the word of this new machine to many riders around the world, but it did not, in my personal opinion, accurately point out the issues that a number of current owners are experiencing.
While Victory has a somewhat similar promotion starting where they are loaning ten riders with a new Cross Country or Cross Roads motorcycle, I can only hope that these “testers” will provide an honest evaluation of their experiences on the road. For example, if the factory decides to substitute a different than stock windshield, I hope that when the blogs and videos are posted, this point is made very clear so that a new buyer who may have been motivated to purchase based on these reports will fully understand that some modifications were made to the bike that differ from a stock purchase.
I say this as maybe it's just me an my old school thinking, but I've been wondering that if I had read about the handling/suspension issues that I experienced on the RT from the Spyder 5 reports, if I would have been so anxious to purchase the RT early or wait until the testers were satisfied with the fixes?
Summary: I really wanted to like the Spyder RT. It seemed like the right machine for this point in my riding life. Yes, fully loaded, it's an expensive purchase...almost $30K. Basically, I honesty feel that if Can-Am sticks with the RT, it will get better over time. Until then, in my opinion, it's not ready for prime time as a full blown touring bike/trike.
Slow speed maneuvers and U-Turns are a real pleasure when compared to a 900 lb. touring motorcycle. I truly liked the aspect of having the two wheels in front and if it would have delivered a smooth highway riding experience at highway speeds, I'd be out riding right now instead of writing this review. For around town and less than 50 MPH riding, I can give the Spyder RT very high marks. But in my personal opinion, it fails at highway speeds and should not be considered a true touring bike.
I will say this: I truly enjoyed many aspects of riding on three wheels and truly hope that Can-Am can get its act together very quickly and identify what's causing the problems that myself and others have reported. If they are isolated incidents, so be it. I truly hope the Engineers can come up with a fix that's not a band-aid allows the RT to deliver a smooth, confident ride at highway speeds. If and when they do this, I will gladly reconsider a purchase of a new and improved RT. Until then, I'll chalk this one up to experience.
In closing, can I recommend a Spyder RT to others?
The most basic answer I can give you is that if you'll only be doing occasional highway riding, possibly. If touring and highway riding are a priority, then as long as you know that the fixes could be a work in progress, I'll take the safe route and state that you may want to wait a generation or two before taking the leap to this three wheeled machine.
Finally, what am I doing with my Spyder RT-S Premiere Edition? It's taken nearly six weeks and the Dealer has told me it's now in safe riding condition. It's been in and out of the shop more often than any other motor vehicle I've ever owned. After testing so many products over my lifetime, I never thought that being an early adopter would be so much work.
Since my humid Summer season is just a few weeks away, and since the Dealership has finally told me the back-ordered parts are in and the bike is operating at spec, I have made the decision to sell it. It's now sitting on the showroom floor of Broward Motorsports in West Palm Beach, Florida and it's being sold at a great discount.
Yes, buying a motorcycle IS like golf. I'll compare my experience with the Spyder RT to a not-so-great day on the golf course and can only hope that my next bike will be like a round of golf that's filled with Par's, Birdie's and maybe even an Eagle or Hole-In-One.
). Good luck on whatever you decide!
