[justforfun]

A friend just bought a new 2011 Spyder RT (the touring model if I didn't get it correct) with all the bells and whistles. I was lucky enough that he let me drive it about 90 miles to his home since he's never had a bike before and wanted to practice some on the back country roads before taking it on the main roads.
Now the issues, the biggest one being the amount of miles (70) that were on the bike when we picked it up. I've had a lot of new bikes, and none of them ever had over maybe 5 miles when I picked them up from the dealer. When the friend bought the bike (a couple of months ago) it had 0 miles on it in the showroom, they stored the bike till he was able to make arrangements to get it picked up. At the time when he bought it, his bike was the only RT unit on the floor and what they told him at the time, is that it was the only one they had. Our thoughts...could they have been using his bike to give demo rides since they didn't have one and didn't want to lose out on a possible sale to other people? The person who gave us the keys to the bike didn't seem to know straight up about Can Ams except how to start them and open the bags. Couldn't tell us how to check the oil or what rating of gas it took. On top of everything else the bike wasn't clean, almost 30 grand for a bike and it wasn't even clean when we picked it. We could it had been ridden on a wet rode and never rinsed off, inside of the bags dirty at the seals, just not detailed out like a new bike should have been.
If these things seem entirely out of character for the purchase of a new Spyder, what should my friend do and what recourse should he and his wife take. Thanks in advance.

 

[dndfindley]

He shouldn't have taken delivery first of all. Secondly he should have made them give him a discount since they had been using it - that or give him some accessories. Third I don't think I would dealt with that dealership in the first place. Weren't there warning signs? David

 

[justforfun]

They are new to the biking world and I didn't want to cause a scene since I didn't know any of the particulars. I had red flags as soon as I walked into the dealership by myself (the buyer was still outside) and the one salesman wouldn't even get out of his chair to see if I needed anything.
How many miles were on your unit if you bought it new?

 

[Spyderman]

I've walked away from deals when a dealer is to cheap to fill the tank up with gas before I pick up.... one was classy enough enough to give a coupon for a local station to fill it up at the time of pickup! It is depressing to hear your friend was treated with such disrespect, that really is what we are talking about.

I am surprised it had "0" miles on it when he bought as all Spyders go over a chassis dyno at the factory.. so something greater than zero would have been expected.

It is unfortunate this was the first experience with Can-Am. Like all things, there are good and bad dealers and this is actually one thing that Can-Am is working to improve. Their dealers unfortunately do not have an overall positive reputation (do to similar experiences to yours), many were concerned about it when the Spyder came out. It sounds like the dealer your friend purchased from was not a top tier dealer, and concerns over them properly serving the bike should be thought about. Your experience was not what it should have been and the dealer should make up for it in some way (options noted in the first reply).

If he plans on using them in the future for service, they should step up to the plate and do something, a friendly discussion with the dealers general manager or owner is certainly in order. They both need to know the mileage and cleanliness issue and should have an answer/apology for both. If he has to use the dealer in the future, they should really earn his trust.... who is to say they wouldn't use your friend's Spyder for a demo when it is dropped off for service?

Also, a call to the BRP Spyder customer service group is not out of line, specially if the GM and owner do not fall all over themselves to correct the situation. The phone number should be in his owners manual.

 

[Corybud]

Mine was brand new with less than 10 miles on it from being tested after being set up in the shop. We took several days deciding on buying ours and I know it didn't move an inch from the day we first looked at it till we paid for it. It was almost a week after we bought it before we picked it up due to needing a motor cycle endorcement and insurance. It literally glowed sitting on the show room floor with a sold sticker on it and "PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH" plackard on the seat. After I signed the papers I was introduced to the shop personel and while I was there my can am was brought around so I could go over the features etc.

At this point I would be more concerned that the dealer in your case is able to properly provide service if needed. Sounds to me like a pretty shabby dealer that I really doubt I would do business with.

My dealer called me up twice to ask if they could give my number to prospective buyers who wanted to talk to owners and I always tell them to go ahead. It's nice though that they always ask first.

 

[Bob Denman]

I read somewhere that a pre-delivery test run was normal as part of the dealer's responsibilites.
70 miles??? This ride was a mule being used as a sales tool! Not cool!!

 

[sassapnts]

I, too, would have been mad and not taken delivery had my new bike racked up miles while I was arranging for a way to bring it home. That's bad business and they should certainly call the owner and talk with them about it. The sooner the better.

 

[shrevspyder]

follow your gut. i had a similer experience with my dealer and after my 600 mile service my baby caught fire 20 minutes later.so if it does not feel right they need to find another dealer.driveing out of the way will be worth it.good luck!