Can-Am Spyder? Hmmmmm.

[BigLenny]

We really like/love our RSTD that we've had now for 8 years. Haven't ridden it much since September because of a major surgery my wife had, plus 8 weeks ago my wife's 68 year old mentally handicapped brother fell and broke his hip, so we have been alternating staying with him at night and weekends at the rehab center. And my wife's sister died 6 weeks ago, which has caused us to have to finalize her estate. It's been a crazy weird end of 2015, start of 2016 at the ol Clayton house. Now, let me get back up from the therapy couch and finish what I was saying about our RSTD. Yes, we like/love our RSTD. Have had a lot of wonderful memories on the red machine. However, we've been tossing around looking at one of those Spyder RT Limiteds. The newest one that has the 1330 motor. We've never went down on our bike. Came extremely close on a couple occasions, but haven't yet been down. It sure appears a machine like that Spyder would lesson our chances of going down quite a bit. I know some of our site members here have made the change from bikes to the Spyder. I wonder if you folks could give me a good comparison of the two. I would be concerned that the Spyder would ride more choppy than the RSTD. The RSTD has a smooth ride that we enjoy. Also, I have a considerable concern about the overall quality. While Consumer Reports ranked Yamaha #1 in overall quality, it also ranked Can-Am as last. If we bought one, is it going to drive us crazy with little ticky tack things that are always going wrong with it? I did notice when McCarl had to spend an annoyingly long time to figure out an alignment issue with his Spyder. It wasn't even me going through it, and I felt disheartened for him. But, they are really cool looking rides! I bet people always wanna talk to Spyder riders at the gas station. Our RSTD has been such a phenomenal, virtually trouble free ride, I worry that the next bike we buy won't be as good a quality as what we've been experiencing.

[Pegasus1300]

I bought a 2012 V twin 998 RT in June of last year. I know it is very different from a 3cyl. but the ride is the same. It rides really well not choppy at all.Quiet and smooth. I also came from an RSTD that my wife and I just loved. Other then having to leave the lean behind there is nothing that I miss. Bike has been very reliable. They are complicated machines, so when something goes wrong it can be harder to fix. The 3 cyl machines have a longer oil change interval and no valve adjustments,so there go two of your biggest expenses for maintenance. Can Am has been building power sports vehicles for a very long time and they have a good reputation. The Spyder is no different,it works well. Ours has been reliable for almost 17000 mi. and should continue being so for many more. If you have ridden one and liked it then go find one you like and buy it.

[XV1100SE]

I'm sure Marcarl will comment on this. He went from a 1st gen to a Spyder. If you do a search for Marcarl and Spyder you'll find his posts.

[cowpuc]

I'm sure Marcarl will comment on this. He went from a 1st gen to a Spyder. If you do a search for Marcarl and Spyder you'll find his posts.

 

Gonna give that Canuckian @Marcarl a little assistance for you guys!! Ever wonder what riding on the back of a Spyder is like?? Keep an eye on the surface of the water of the Water Hole and you may get to do a ride along with Carl and Spidey the Spyder!!! This will teach those Mouseketeer rally goer's who attended the recent KW M&G and were all and NO 's!!!!

[Gray Ghost]

I have a 2013 RT so the 998 v-twin. Yes the Spyder has alignment issues which can make them a bit squirrelly, and they could use a beefier sway bar. When we were looking to buy a trike I test rode the Spyder and a Honda F6 trike. Even unmodified I felt that the Spyder was more stable and nimble. I still like the Venture, but for a bike that either I or the wife could pilot on a long haul the Spyder is awesome. We did about 16000 miles in 71 days riding around the lower 48 in 2014 and it was a lot of fun. Do I wish that you didn't have to practically disassemble the whole bike to check the valves, yes, but ask folks about changing the air filter on a Wing.

 

As far as the alignment issues go, a guy that developed a laser alignment system for NASCAR adapted that for the Spyder. Using that system you can get the alignment taken care of fairly easily. (I even carried the system with us when we went on the road so I could do alignments along the way). And there is a beefier sway bar available.

[cowpuc]

I have a 2013 RT so the 998 v-twin. Yes the Spyder has alignment issues which can make them a bit squirrelly, and they could use a beefier sway bar. When we were looking to buy a trike I test rode the Spyder and a Honda F6 trike. Even unmodified I felt that the Spyder was more stable and nimble. I still like the Venture, but for a bike that either I or the wife could pilot on a long haul the Spyder is awesome. We did about 16000 miles in 71 days riding around the lower 48 in 2014 and it was a lot of fun. Do I wish that you didn't have to practically disassemble the whole bike to check the valves, yes, but ask folks about changing the air filter on a Wing.

 

As far as the alignment issues go, a guy that developed a laser alignment system for NASCAR adapted that for the Spyder. Using that system you can get the alignment taken care of fairly easily. (I even carried the system with us when we went on the road so I could do alignments along the way). And there is a beefier sway bar available.

So Ghost, did you check your alignment while you folks were on the road and did you find that you needed to make adjustments to the alignment? Did you find your alignment changing as you rode and if so, was it the design of the Spyders front end that allows for the alignment to change so quickly or did it happen after hitting pot holes and ruts? Is the system your using basically a set of lasers used to set the "toe" geometry and not so much camber/caster?

Wow,, I am full of all kinds of questions aren't I

Larry ( @Carbon_One ) told me about a website that dealt with his new Slingshot and I read something on there about needing to have those trikes laser aligned. What your talking about sounds vaguely familiar. In the case of the Slingshot it almost sounded like Polaris Dealerships may have been having some catching up to do in Automotive type vehicle alignment work cause,, going from memory from what I read so I may be wrong here, those Slingshot owners over at that site were all talking about having to go outside of the dealer network to get the better alignment. I think the story you tell about some NASCAR stuff rings a bell too..

Fun stuff to know about if your an ol wanna be gear head like yours truly!!

[BigLenny]

The more I'm looking at these bikes on Youtube and such, listening to owners and seeing test rides, I'm getting more intrigued. Another thing that kinda enters the mind; on one of these, if we were to be out in the middle of nowhere and I have a health event that would prevent me from operating the bike, my wife could actually drive this ride and get us somewhere for help. Not something she's ever going to be able to do on our bike.

[cowpuc]

The more I'm looking at these bikes on Youtube and such, listening to owners and seeing test rides, I'm getting more intrigued. Another thing that kinda enters the mind; on one of these, if we were to be out in the middle of nowhere and I have a health event that would prevent me from operating the bike, my wife could actually drive this ride and get us somewhere for help. Not something she's ever going to be able to do on our bike.

 

Gotta plan your ill health events to happen while in crowds of people so they can all an ambulance if needed Lenny.. That happens naturally for me, I very seldom wipe out or go over backwards while riding a wheely when I am by myself - if I can't totally embarrass myself in the process of getting injured I am usually safe..

I totally understand where your coming from though brother.. As I mature I find myself asking myself some of those same questions.. Usually the answer comes in the form of a thought of something like, "if it happened way out here in the middle of nowhere I would get to ride in an Ambulance Helicopter" which actually sounds kind of fun:big-grin-emoticon:.. At least more fun then being draped over the back of a triked motorcycle like a sack of taters

[Gray Ghost]

So Ghost, did you check your alignment while you folks were on the road and did you find that you needed to make adjustments to the alignment? Did you find your alignment changing as you rode and if so, was it the design of the Spyders front end that allows for the alignment to change so quickly or did it happen after hitting pot holes and ruts? Is the system your using basically a set of lasers used to set the "toe" geometry and not so much camber/caster?

The main reasons I carried the gear was to make a little change doing alignments for those who weren't close to anyone that did alignments (that situation is changing).

 

To explain the alignment situation though, here is the story. The way Can-Am originally did the alignment (toe is the only thing that can be adjusted) was a complicated procedure requiring removing the shocks and wheels, mounting a flat bar along the frame and measuring from the brake rotors. The results once the unit was delivered to the customer was that about 99% of them were not able to roll in a straight line and any kind of loading from hitting a bump would send them in one direction or another. The ROLO alignment system uses a laser mounted in an adapter that fits in the hub and targets front and rear to set the fronts to a toe-in of an inch (works for most folks) over twice the Spyder length aligned to the rear wheel rather than the frame. Since the Spyder uses a belt instead of shaft drive the wheel will almost never be exactly parallel to the frame. Once you have the thing physically aligned then you have to get into the computer to reset the steering angle sensors so the bike knows what straight is. So we have the software to do that as well.

 

Once the Spyder is aligned properly (uses tie rods) it will stay aligned, unless something affects the tie rods, or if you do something that changes how the rear wheel sits in the swingarm. We changed the rear tire on the road and I did check and tweak my alignment after that.

 

 

Wow,, I am full of all kinds of questions aren't I

Larry ( @Carbon_One ) told me about a website that dealt with his new Slingshot and I read something on there about needing to have those trikes laser aligned. What your talking about sounds vaguely familiar. In the case of the Slingshot it almost sounded like Polaris Dealerships may have been having some catching up to do in Automotive type vehicle alignment work cause,, going from memory from what I read so I may be wrong here, those Slingshot owners over at that site were all talking about having to go outside of the dealer network to get the better alignment. I think the story you tell about some NASCAR stuff rings a bell too..

Fun stuff to know about if your an ol wanna be gear head like yours truly!!

 

You are correct about the Slingshot. The ROLO system can also be used to align the Slingshots and I believe the steps are about the same as Spyders. I know it would require different adapters than I have, not sure if it also requires changing computer settings. You can read more about the system at Spydercomfort.com

[adventurer 08]

Did you ever think about triking your RSTD? Some of use went that way and really enjoy it.

[Carbon_One]

"quote" You are correct about the Slingshot. The ROLO system can also be used to align the Slingshots and I believe the steps are about the same as Spyders. I know it would require different adapters than I have, not sure if it also requires changing computer settings." quote "

 

Yes the slingshot benefits from having a laser alignment done but in most cases reprogramming the computer isn't needed. Mike Loescher calls his system True Laser Track Alignment System for the Slingshots. Same system used for the Can Am's but they do use different hub adapters. On the Slingshot the rear wheel doesn't have any alignments, belt adjusting is done on the front sprocket.

Polaris early in 2015 had a steering recall which mine was one had done. I wasn't entirely happy with the steering so had the laser alignment done. Made a huge difference on the highways. Beforehand steering was constantly hunting back and forth, after the alignment it was rock steady. Money well spent.

Joyce & I really enjoy driving the slingshot. It helps that we're a lot more comfortable in it plus she can drive it too. Though licensed as a motorcycle here in Michigan it is classified as an "autocycle " so no mc endorsement needed, just a regular drivers license.

Larry

[Godlover]

I am also looking at the Spyder and have done a ton of research. I actually purchased a 2011 Spyder Limited and sold it 5 days later for a nice profit. I want to go to a 2014 or newer. The Spyder was a riot to drive and fun. The 2011 had a ring job at 14000 miles. Repair work by a dealer is pricey. Oil changes can run close to $200. The rear tire wears out quickly and many owners go to a car tire claiming it handles better and they last a long time. You can buy an extra 3 year warranty that takes the warranty out to 5 years with a $50 deductible. Some will say the limited really isn't worth the extra money. You get a bit of chrome, GPS and Luggage. There are better deals on the 2015 models right now. You can get a new Limited for 24000 if you look. When my Venure sells I will be shopping for a good deal on a Spyder. Check out spyderlovers.com. Good luck.

[Godlover]

Oh, do not buy a 2013. They had the most problems.

[Marcarl]

Didn't know if we did the right thing when we changed over to the Spyder. Did we buy a better quality machine? will it last as long as a Venture? will it gives us problems that would make us wonder?

Not sure of the answers, but as mentioned CanAm has been in this business for a while, so reliability should be ok, so we took that assumption, and only time will tell..

The 3 cylinder is a different machine than the 2 cylinder, that's the big reason we bought it, it runs smoother. We spent a day on the 2 cyl and found the vibration to be tiring and annoying, especially since we still owned the Venture I guess. The 3 cyl has power to spare and is real good on gas. Oil change is every 15k km so no issue there even though it takes a while to do. Tires are not so good, not happy with the Kenda so switched to Kumo, and now much better wear and happy with the tracking,,, CanAm says not to switch, but I don't read all that well at times. Not easy to find the right size for the rear so I down sized a bit on width but kept the same rolling distance. Alignment is an issue, but I designed my own set-up and now am very happy. Most Spyders need some toe-in to correct the problem and in my case the dealer was out to lunch and not very helpful,,, oh well, I didn't buy it for them to work on anyways. The trailer hitch that is designed for this unit looks bat ugly so I modified mine, and not it's acceptable. caution though, the hitch is hooked to the axle so reaction in the trailer is much different, especially the beer in the cooler on the tongue. Cans and bottles end to suffer some what.

We find the ride is as good or better than the Venture, but there is a learning curve in the twisties. Not only do you not get to lean, you actually tend to lean in the opposite direction. You get the feeling somebody is trying to through you off. It takes a bit to get used to how to handle that issue, but once you do you wonder why it took so long for somebody to discover this amazing piece of work. Advantage is, you can lead the pack, get through the twisties and have an ice cream before the rest get there. If you end up in the back of the pack, you'll just have to pass them first.

I thought I would miss my hiway pegs, so was ready to spend the big bucks getting a set. This guy is Dutch though, so I needed to be assured that I really needed them. I now have 30k km on this baby, but still no pegs, so I guess for me it's money in the bank for now.

There's lots of luggage room, but you need to figure out what goes where. We do miss our 1st gen big trunk on day trips, but getting used to it. On long trips we always take a trailer anyways.

It is said that the radio, cb, and stereo don't integrate. We added a Zumo, and a JMCB2003 and have no issues. Zumo plays through headsets as well speakers, Cb is headsets only so far, and the radio is either, although all controls are separate. The radio\amp far outclasses anything on a Venture. 'Course they didn't have to spend any money on a cassette deck.

Lighting is awesome, windshield is a bonus, horn is wimpy, side lighting can be improved, cruise works well and the gauges are just fine.

Anything else?

[Marcarl]

And oh,, the alignment set-up? 1 piece of 1x2 lumber, 2x8" magnetic laser levels (identical), 2 racket straps, 1 marker, 1 pencil and 2 jack stands and a crows foot wrench set to make it easier. Time for complete setup and adjustment, about 1 hr.

And oh oh,,, the drive belt is too long and tends to vibrate, so needs an idler pulley. Also the tension is too strong according to specs, so that needs to be adjusted to work better otherwise it's too hard on the bearings. Made my own idler for less than $100.

[Gray Ghost]

... Mike Loescher calls his system True Laser Track Alignment System ...

Larry

 

Yeah, Mike and Krystal are a great couple. His system goes by three different names depending on who you talk to or what day it is. I was fortunate to get to spend some time working with him doing alignments on Spyders just after I purchased my system. He knows a bunch about suspension, wish I could have sucked up all that knowledge. Glad it is working for you. I never checked into how much it would be to add the other adapters to my set, maybe I'll have to look into it someday.

 

Oh, do not buy a 2013. They had the most problems.

Yes, the heat was a big problem. I was part of a test on a possible fixed before they finally came out with the new vents. On a long trip I would start seeing the gas in the tank boil when I stopped for the second fill up of the day. It is a lot better now, but still doesn't get the mileage of the 1330 triple. And of course there is that whole deal with the valve check, the worst part being that the valve cover bolts on the back of the rear cylinder are almost impossible to get to.