



Hi Spyder owners and enthusiasts, my name is Kathy Fletcher and I own a 2009 Can-Am Spyder SE5 RS. I have ridden my Spyder a lot – over 17,000 miles in less than nine months (and very few from my six mile roundtrip commute to my office at Malcolm Smith Motorsports!). I just absolutely love my Spyder RS.
I was given the opportunity to ride some of the break-in miles on our dealerships Can-Am Spyder RT-S demo unit. So I just had to 'sacrifice' a day of riding my baby. Someone has to do these hard jobs!
First Sight:
I really love the strong 'face.' I like the way the whole body seems to flow; all the bags are perfectly integrated so the lines are smooth. It looks a lot larger than the Spyder RS.
First Sit:
The seat was oh so comfortable! It feels like I’m sitting on my recliner at home. It has the perfect seating position for a touring machine; the handlebars come back so the seat position is upright and the foot pegs are well placed. The digital display is easy to read (very clear) and the controls are easy to reach while riding.
First Walk-Around:
The Spyder RT has tons of easy and useful storage. The only complaint I had was trying to remember what stuff I put in what compartment! The center console compartment is also a great idea – props to BRP! It is ideal for papers, cell phone, sunglasses and event chapstick (but don’t leave it in there on a hot day). Plus, when you lock the steering, the center console locks; it’s perfect! After getting a tutorial on the controls from Ken, I had it memorized and felt they were easy to learn.
First Ride on the RT:
In total, we rode for 380 miles. From my experiences and knowledge on my SE5 Spyder RS, there is a small learning curve with the SM5 clutch and the fly by wire throttle, especially after the ease of the SE5. While piloting the Spyder RT, the roadster does not seem that much larger than the RS; it’s easy to handle, responsive and has great acceleration. I really enjoyed the sound system – I used both radio and iPod. I felt it was easy to navigate through the settings.
The first 100 miles were on freeway and the unit felt a little 'top heavy' for me. It wasn’t a tilting feeling, but more of a slight rolling feeling side to side. After speaking with Ken about it, there was an easy fix. We adjusted the front shocks – it took no more than two minutes – from setting three to four on the cam adjustment. I also enjoyed the ability to customize the rear shock feel while driving, the set up on the center console makes it so easy to adapt for the freeway and then change for the mountains.
I felt the cruise control function was simple to turn on and off and was perfect for this machine. I only tested it for a brief period (because of the break-in process) but I definitely got the feeling that the cruise control feature will be spectacular for long stretches of freeway riding.
For the last 280 miles we rode through the San Diego mountain backroads. I found the Spyder RT easy to handle in curves and it always felt very stable. We finished the day long after sunset, so I also was able to test the lights. I feel they’re an improvement over the Spyder RS. I liked how the digital display changed colors to be more eye friendly after it got dark (went from white to blue background).
Although I feel my Spyder RS is more aggressive (acceleration and cornering), this in no way means the Spyder RT is underpowered. Its like the difference between a sports car and a luxury car – both are powerful but they use that same power differently. I rode many of the same roads on my Spyder RS the prior weekend and found I was far less fatigued after riding the Spyder RT all day than when I rode my Spyder RS.
I took photos of both units together and was surprised to see that the seat heights are almost identical. I felt that I was sitting higher on the Spyder RT, but that is apparently due to the width of the seat and not the actual height.
Overall impression:
I love the Spyder RT! I have a terrible case of the 'I want this!'