Why Your 2019 Can-Am Spyder RT SM6 Is Using More Fuel Than It Should
Shop parts for a 2019 Can-Am Spyder RT SM6 Motorcycle.
Your 2019 Can-Am Spyder RT SM6 is a liquid-cooled, fuel-injected four-stroke three-wheeler with a belt final drive and a six-speed manual transmission. Those details shape everything that follows. There is no carburetor to flood, no choke to leave on, and no chain to overtighten. What you do have is a heavy touring machine with a lot of frontal area, three tires on the ground, and an engine management system that depends on accurate sensor data to meter fuel correctly. When fuel economy slips, the cause is usually one of a handful of things, and most of them are things you can check yourself.
First, Make Sure the Change Is Real
Before chasing a mechanical cause, confirm the Spyder is genuinely using more fuel. Fill the tank, note the odometer reading or reset a trip meter, ride the way you normally ride, then refill at the same pump and divide the miles ridden by the fuel you added. One tank proves nothing – wind, temperature, and how hard you rode that day can swing a single fill-up noticeably. Track three or four consecutive tanks and look at the trend instead.
It is also worth questioning the numbers themselves. The Spyder derives speed and distance from wheel speed sensors, so a change in tire size or profile can make the odometer read short and your math look worse than reality. If you simply notice you are stopping for fuel more often without ever calculating anything, that observation is still valid – just establish a baseline over several tanks before deciding something is wrong.
Riding Conditions and Habits That Quietly Cost Fuel
Cold weather is one of the most common culprits. A cold engine needs a richer mixture, and short trips keep the Spyder in that warm-up phase far longer than a long ride would. Long idle warm-ups in the driveway make it worse, since you burn fuel while covering zero distance.
Fuel blend matters too. Winter-blend and ethanol-blended gasoline carry less energy per gallon, so the same riding burns more fuel. Add a headwind, a passenger, loaded luggage, or a long stretch of sustained highway speed and consumption climbs further – a touring three-wheeler pushes a lot of air, and drag rises quickly with speed.
Your own inputs count as well. Hard acceleration and holding lower gears longer than necessary both cost fuel. On the SM6, shifting up promptly and using the tallest gear the situation allows makes a measurable difference over a tank. If your Spyder has an ECO mode, riding with it engaged softens throttle response and encourages earlier shifts.
Rolling Resistance and Drag: Three Tires, Not Two
Underinflated tires are the easiest thing to overlook and the easiest to fix. The Spyder has three of them, and a front tire that looks fine to the eye can still be several pounds low. Check all three cold and check them regularly – a soft tire deforms more, runs hotter, and drags.
On a three-wheeler, front-end alignment deserves attention in a way it does not on a two-wheeler. Wheels toed in or out of spec scrub against the road continuously, and that scrub shows up as reduced range. A brake caliper that is not fully releasing is another classic drag source; after a ride, feel each wheel area for unusual heat. Confirm the parking brake releases completely as well – if it does not, you are effectively riding with a brake partly applied.
Because the Spyder uses a belt final drive rather than a chain, chain-related causes do not apply here. Belt tension still matters, though: a belt adjusted far too tight adds load to the driveline.
Air Intake and Ignition
An engine needs the right mix of air, fuel, and spark. A dirty or clogged air filter restricts airflow, and the engine management system compensates in ways that hurt efficiency. Filters are inexpensive and quick to inspect, which makes them a sensible early check.
Spark plugs are the other half of that equation. Plugs that are worn, fouled, or gapped incorrectly can fail to ignite the mixture cleanly, so some of the fuel you paid for leaves the engine unburned. Reading their color tells you a lot: sooty black deposits point toward a rich condition, while even wear simply means it is time to replace them. Your Spyder uses electronic ignition, so there are no contact points to wear or drift out of adjustment.
Fuel Delivery: What Fuel Injection Does When It Goes Wrong
Because your Spyder is fuel injected, the causes here look different from a carbureted bike. The system relies on sensors to decide how much fuel to deliver, and a sensor reporting bad data sends the mixture rich.
- Oxygen sensor: it tells the system whether the exhaust mixture is correct. As it degrades, the system can default to a richer mixture and economy drops.
- Temperature sensors: if the engine or coolant temperature sensor reports the engine as colder than it actually is, the system adds fuel that is not needed.
- Injectors: a dirty or leaking injector delivers more fuel than intended, hurting both economy and smoothness.
- Fuel leaks: a weeping line, fitting, or seal is fuel that never gets burned. A persistent fuel smell is a reason to stop riding and investigate.
- Stored fault codes: the system may log a fault without an obvious symptom. If a warning light appears, having the codes read narrows things down quickly.
Engine Condition and Cooling
As an engine accumulates miles, compression can fall off through normal wear at the rings and valves. Lower compression means less of the energy in the fuel becomes motion, so the engine works harder for the same result. A compression check confirms this, and it is a job best left to a shop with the right gauges.
Your Spyder is liquid cooled, which adds one more possibility: a thermostat stuck open. Coolant then circulates constantly and the engine struggles to reach full operating temperature, especially in cool weather. A cold-running engine stays in its enrichment phase longer, and fuel economy suffers. If the temperature gauge reads unusually low on a normal ride, mention it to your mechanic.
Modifications That Were Never Tuned For
An aftermarket exhaust or a high-flow air filter changes how much air moves through the engine. On a fuel-injected machine, that change needs matching fuel tuning. Install the hardware without addressing the fueling and the engine can end up running rich – you get the sound and the airflow, plus worse fuel economy and a sootier exhaust. If the mileage drop began right after a modification, that timing is your strongest clue.
When to Hand It to a Mechanic
Some symptoms point toward a deeper problem rather than a simple maintenance item. A strong, persistent fuel smell, black smoke from the exhaust, heavily sooted spark plugs, a warning light on the dash, or rough running that appeared alongside the mileage drop all justify a professional diagnosis. So does a decline that survives the basic checks – correct tire pressures, a clean air filter, fresh plugs, and several tanks of honest measurement.
When you bring the Spyder in, describe what changed and when: how many tanks you have tracked, whether the drop was sudden or gradual, whether it followed a modification or a service, and whether any other symptom appeared at the same time. That description is often worth more to a technician than anything else you can provide.
Related Shopping Categories
Shop Fuel System Parts for a 2019 Can-Am Spyder RT SM6 Motorcycle.
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Shop Brake Parts for a 2019 Can-Am Spyder RT SM6 Motorcycle.
Shop Spark Plugs for a 2019 Can-Am Spyder RT SM6 Motorcycle.
Disclaimer: This guide is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended to replace your motorcycle's official owner's manual. Always refer to your manufacturer's documentation for model-specific instructions, torque specifications, safety procedures, and maintenance requirements. If you are unsure or inexperienced, consider seeking assistance from a qualified mechanic or technician.
