I have a friend that is considering the purchase of a Can Am. He would like to hear some comments about reliability and anything else that you can add.
thanks
LES
Prowler # 67
Iron Butt #33529
U.S. Naval Cryptologic Veterans Ass'n
Not sure if I have free time or I just forgot everything I was suppose to do.
Retired and highly recommend it.
I found the handling a touch "weird"....like the GL1800/Roadsmith a LOT more. However, I've been riding from 40+ years. Methinks a "non-rider" would adapt to the Spyder easier than an old motorcyclist. My concer would be relliabiliity. Over on the Spyderryder site there are a LOT of folks with reliability issues. Be sure he checks everything out and finds a dealer with a good rep whatever he does!
I have a friend who has the Spyder Roadster. He tells me it is a pain to change the oil. He has to purchase the oil kit that cost him about $100.00 and $200.00 in labor to change the oil. That is what he tells me. I guess living in NYC area things are high.
Everything appear to be enclosed on the trike. I never owned one so I'm just going by what my friend told me. See the link below to see what's involve to change the oil.
3 hundred dollars is about right across the country for a dealer to charge for the oil change on a spyder, but it is not just an oil change there's quite a few things the dealer should be doing, Its really an service + an oil change.
Most important it has to be hooked up to a computer [BUDS] And only the dealer can do that. I changed the oil on my spyder myself at least 6 times its a job compared to most bikes but if you know what your doing it's not a problem, The problem arises when some nimrod [most spyder owners never had a wrench in their hands] does it himself and confuses Torx for Allen's and strip out the drain plugs and or the oil cap bolts. And then blame the dealer or the factory for over tighten them.
Got a 2011 RT (touring model) Standard trans. Very expensive bike to maintain. Reliability?? road it 6 months spent 6 weeks in the shop for 9000 miles. Not made for a big guy (6'1") 275# tried pegs, floor boards never could get comfy on it. It's for sale, got me got me a RSV Yamaha/Hannigan kit, now I'm a happy camper.
I have a judge friend who bought one. He and his wife intended to travel from Tennessee to the west coast and was pulling a trailer. Wiring from trailer connection shorted out, ran up through his wiring and burned all of it up! He had gotten as far as the Grand Canyon. No one around there knew how to work on them so he had to rent a U Haul and haul it back to Tennessee. He got rid of the thing and bought a Harley. Said he thought about just parking the Can Am in the housing projects with the key in it (jokingly of course) and hope someone stole it and the insurance company could reimburse him. Hmmmm maybe I need to take my bass boat to the ghetto! Lol
Check engine light with limp mode is very common. [30 mph forced limit]
Too many problems to mention, Most i fixed myself [my dime] .
When i did have to tow it in ' it could/would sit in the shop for a month or two waiting for back ordered parts which is normal for BRP.
The last straw was the main shaft 2 thousand dollars my dime again/50 days in the shop.
Go to "Spyderlovers.com"..... Way to many horror stories for me to buy one! Tom