I love riding my Spyder, and just came back from a two and a half hour 100 mile ride in perfect weather, and it doesn't get much better than it was today. I filled up the tank (actually was able to put 6.2 gallons in, the most I think I ever did at one time) and pulled into the garage. I went to get something out of the left side case, and I could not get it open. The key turned, the latch mostly lifted, but the door of the case did not budge. I crawled underneath the bike and tightened the cable and the case popped open. But now I cannot get it to latch. Two thick bungee cords are holding it closed and I am grateful that my local Can Am dealer will take a look at it first thing in the morning. I have a big group ride on Saturday, and I would hate to not be able to go and would hate also to take the trip with bungee cords holding my bike in one piece.
Earlier this Spring the latch broke on the other side case, costing me more than a bit to get it fixed, and I had to wait while the dealer waited for the new plastic latch that had broken when I tried to open the case. Last Fall, I missed months of riding while the dealer waited for a speed sensor that was keeping my bike in limp mode.
I think about all of the Hondas that I owned over the last 40 years of riding, and every one of them was almost bullet proof. My last Honda, a Goldwing that I traded in for the Spyder, went 5 years and 35,000 miles with absolutely nothing done other than oil changes. I had the same experience with my Honda Shadow back in the '80's that I bought new, kept for 7 years, and other than oil changes and replacing worn out tires, it just kept going like brand new. My Spyder has mostly given me trouble free service, but these little things shake my confidence. It may not seem a big deal to not be able to open (or close) a side case, but had I been caught far from home in a heavy rainstorm, not being able to access my rainsuit would be a pretty big deal. And today, fortunately, the flopping open of the case happened in my garage and not while I was away from home, since those bungee cords were not with my bike. I imagine riding 50 miles home with a wide open side case would not have been much fun.
Despite all of this, I have no intention of switching to another bike, but it sure would be nice if my Can Am could have the reliability of a Honda, or a Yamaha or Suzuki for that matter.
Earlier this Spring the latch broke on the other side case, costing me more than a bit to get it fixed, and I had to wait while the dealer waited for the new plastic latch that had broken when I tried to open the case. Last Fall, I missed months of riding while the dealer waited for a speed sensor that was keeping my bike in limp mode.
I think about all of the Hondas that I owned over the last 40 years of riding, and every one of them was almost bullet proof. My last Honda, a Goldwing that I traded in for the Spyder, went 5 years and 35,000 miles with absolutely nothing done other than oil changes. I had the same experience with my Honda Shadow back in the '80's that I bought new, kept for 7 years, and other than oil changes and replacing worn out tires, it just kept going like brand new. My Spyder has mostly given me trouble free service, but these little things shake my confidence. It may not seem a big deal to not be able to open (or close) a side case, but had I been caught far from home in a heavy rainstorm, not being able to access my rainsuit would be a pretty big deal. And today, fortunately, the flopping open of the case happened in my garage and not while I was away from home, since those bungee cords were not with my bike. I imagine riding 50 miles home with a wide open side case would not have been much fun.
Despite all of this, I have no intention of switching to another bike, but it sure would be nice if my Can Am could have the reliability of a Honda, or a Yamaha or Suzuki for that matter.
