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Catastrophic Damage at 2026 D3WR - any suggestions on transporters to ship an F3 home to NC?

JayBros

JayBros

Well-known member
I am posting this SOS on behalf of my Spyder touring partner who had a catastrophic mechanical failure during our 4,000+ mile junket to the D3WR. On our ride to see the Crazy Horse Memorial the transmission output shaft on his 2015 F3 snapped clean as a whistle right at the front sprocket. He was fortunate to have AAA RV coverage, and the trike is in temporary storage in Rapid City, SD. He has begun searching for a reasonable company he can engage to ship the F3 home to NC, and I would appreciate any suggestions from riders who have used such transporters. Thanks much.
 
I strongly suggest enclosed transport. If they load it backwards they might pull the screen off. It might end up on more than one vehicle and it might set off the right way around but who knows by the time it gets to you.

Whoever you use, be sure to tell them how to get the electric parking brake off and to use a cloth under the straps when they strap it down through the wheels, and not through the rear sprocket either.

Whoever you use may have never shipped or recovered a Spyder. As most vehicle transport can be via a bidding process, I'd try dealing with a company that ships custom or high value cars or motorcycles. Also ensure the insurance is sufficient.

I've shipped vehicles using cheap shippers and every time I've sincerely regretted it. I'd look up adverts in the back of custom car, vintage car, or vintage motorcycle magazines to see who is used to shipping vehicles properly. There is no such thing as cheap or discount shipping.
 
You sure it is not a 2017 covered by the Can Am recall? Might be a good idea to talk to BRP about it, given that it is a known issue with 2017 to 2019 Spyders. It is not a DIY job, so he might want to have it worked on in its current location, then go and ride it home.

can-am.brp.com

Engine Output Shaft Can Break - Can-Am On-Road

The output shaft installed on affected vehicles may be exposed to stress concentration that could cause fatigue failure.
can-am.brp.com can-am.brp.com
 
This might be an option if you have a tow vehicle:

U-Haul’s 16‑foot Toy Hauler flatbed trailer, designed for transporting cars and other vehicles, comes equipped with three 8‑foot loading ramps U-Haul+1.

This model is specifically built for hauling passenger vehicles, SUVs, trucks, motorcycles, ATVs, and side‑by‑sides. The three ramps provide multiple access points, making it easier to load and unload different vehicles without blocking the others. Each ramp is 8 feet long, with a 3'7" gap between them, and extends 6'4" beyond the trailer deck U-Haul.

Key features of the U‑Haul Toy Hauler with 3 ramps U-Haul+1:

  • Deck size: 16 feet long, 8'6" wide, 19" high
  • Ramp count: Three 8‑foot ramps
  • Max load capacity: 6,845 lbs
  • Tie‑downs: Multiple heavy‑duty points and rails for securing cargo
  • Drive‑over fenders: Protect the trailer when driving over obstacles
  • Vehicle security chains: Included for added safety
If you need a U‑Haul trailer with three ramps, the 16‑foot Toy Hauler is the model to rent. It’s ideal for both local and one‑way moves, whether you’re towing your own vehicle or using U‑Haul’s moving trucks U-Haul+1.

Tip: When renting, confirm the exact model and ramp configuration with your local U‑Haul location, as availability and features can vary by region.
 
I understand his desire to just want to get it home. It's not covered by the Recall. Even if he has to pay out of pocket for the repair, though, I think I'd also be thinking about just having it repaired there in Rapid City at Rice's, and then ride to home. Either go home and come back for it, or wait there if the turnaround time is short. Because of the Recall, they should have plenty of practice doing the job by now.
 
This is the same guy that I was searching for a couple of weeks ago. I did a search of options for shipping and renting a u-haul and they were super high. The shipping option was probably the cheapest, but the prices of around $800 that people were getting were not to be found. I will be talking to him today and after we get with his daughter, hopefully we can get this resolved. But please keep the suggestions coming.
 
My post is a perfect example of what a great website SL is. I will address replies through Lightning's as one.
1. mecsw and all, the process of getting the bike home will be very methodical and deliberate as there is no rush to get it back to NC and on the road again. I spoke yesterday with only one of a number of companies but most all offer the owner the option of enclosed shipping. The parking brake is off and the owner has the key to the F3. My partner is very savvy $$-wise and will not sacrifice the safety and security of the bike to save a few bucks. Due to pressure from a family member who insisted the team that began the trip would finish as a team despite the reduced expense to my partner of flying home and my history of successful solo adventures awheel, my partner rented a car in RC, emptied the contents of the F3 into it, and drove home as I rode my RT past the 100 grand odometer mark.

2. JC and Sagebrush, my partner is aware of the options of renting a truck and/or trailer and driving it home and must factor into the total cost the expense of having already rented a car to accompany me to our split up point in the NC piedmont. I personally wanted to see him fly home and my budget could handle the solo hotel stay costs.

3. Snoking, the bike is definitely a 15 and is not covered by the MY17 recall; however, my partner was contacted by the selling dealership at some point after the sale to bring in the bike for a check of the torque on the front sprocket bolt that was allegedly found to be OK but there was no paperwork documentation of the confirmed torque value. Because of that, I called BRP from Deadwood, explained the whole situation, was given a call case number and told by the BRP rep to give the call case number to the repairing dealership and have them open a technical case with BRP for possible assistance in covering the repair cost. I noted when inspecting the shaft break, sprocket and shaft piece there was some kind of compound on the sprocket bolt head that was not the yellow gorilla snot threadlocker that brought to my mind, "what the ****."

4. Snowbelt, yes, having Rice's RC dealership repair the bike is an option that may figure into the equation; however, the idea of having an unknown dealership repair a bike that will, according to Rice's Spearfish dealership, run on the order of three grand for labor alone, and then riding it all the way back to NC could be risky business. Speaking with one independent repair contractor the job, because of its complexity, is best done by one technician from start to finish. Were I in my partner's boots, I would seriously consider having Rice's RC dealership do the job. Always remember though, Murphy was an optimist.

5. Lighning, I absolutely agree - keep those suggestions coming. In all my years serving in your Marine Corps I always found a nugget or two in these kinds of discussions.
 
I have had the recall done on three different 2018 RT's. In all cases they had the trike most of a week, despite the number of hours BRP allows for the recall, which is I recall correctly is 10.5 hours, when the tech is taking the most of three days to do it. All three have been fine after the recall. If it was mine in the same situation I would have a Can Am dealer do it at it's location, and return to ride it back, after an extended test ride in the area before hitting the road for the return.

I do have another ace card in that I have a trailer setup to haul the Spyders, and if it was in my area I would offer it for the recovery. Maybe some one in NC area might step up with a similar offer.

Transmission Recall.jpgTie downs.jpg
 
The $3,000 quote for labor might seem a lot, but that’s about 20 hours.

That’s quite reasonable for the job I think, if $150 ph labor rate is considered reasonable, but that’s the going rate in my neck of the woods.

I’m sure BRP pays the dealer half of that for warranty work as they no doubt assume a) the dealer does lots of them so gets quite good at it, and b) they probably don’t give the dealer any profit on the work.

So, the dealer’s estimation for the work duration is seemingly realistic so they obviously know what needs to be done.

If I had them do the work, I would ask them if their warranty for that work is supported by them at your local dealer if there are subsequent issues down the road.

Me, I would check out reviews of the SD dealership, and if they seem to know what they are doing, I’d have them do the work, test ride it around for half a day near them and if all is well, ride it home.

I think that’s probably the cheapest option and probably the one I would choose. I wouldn’t worry about two techs working on it; they may use the regular certified service and repair tech to do the engine out and back in, and the certified master tech to do the transmission work. That’s what BMW shops often do.

If you can get BRP to at least provide the parts for gratis that would be good. By the time you get up there, pay for hotels and food etc, trailer rental, is trailering it back to your location going to be any cheaper even if your local shop is cheaper per hour and charge you a few less hours?

It’s not going to be a cheap repair anywhere you get it done. By the time you are all in it’s going to be 1/3rd of the retail value of a similar year used machine. You have to ask yourself if parting it out, or selling it to somewhere to part out, gives you enough financial bandwidth to upgrade to a newer model?
 
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