The trip from HELL!!

[irish2themax]

I left home on 10 June on my way to visit my brother in Missouri and ryde with the SpyderLovers group in the run for the USO at Ft Leonard Wood. About 30 minutes from home on I-68, the skies opened up but I pressed on figuring I’d change into my rain gear at the first overpass. Guess what? I-68 has no overpasses!! So I rode for 6 hours through torrential rain, my kevlar gear now weighing about twice normal. UGH. I had chosen I-64 because I thought it would be more scenic than I-70. It might have been…IF 70% of it weren’t under construction with speed limited to 45 MPH.

I finally arrived in MO a day later than I had estimated. On 13 June, my brother on his Harley and me on my Spyder I met the other Spyder Ryders…Joe (xpeschon), Lee (Mo Lee), Andy (Midnighthog), Gene (BMWGENE), and captainryder…at Shoneys in Lebanon MO for brekkie. What a great bunch of guys!! The USO run was good and I’m glad I participated.

Left MO on the 15th headed home…this time by I-70 after my disastrous experience with I-64. I got as far as the Rest Area at MM 64 just west of Indianapolis. Spyder wouldn’t start!! VSS fault and DPS error…odd. Had to call BRP and request a tow. Tow truck came and the guy was SUPER in handling the byke. BRP said to have it towed to Diamond Collision in Indy. I questioned that but was assured they were the Indy place…got there and they WEREN’T? Now stuck with a byke that won’t start. Tow driver took me to a motel where I decided to go online. I should have taken the byke to Indy Cycle & Ski. So, the next day I called Road America and said I needed another tow. They informed me that it would be at my cost since BEST Plus only covers one tow every seven days!! What a CROCK! So, $187 later, I got the byke to Indy Cycle & Ski. They determined that the installation my dealer had done on my cruise control and my HID lights/fog lights was “the worst they had ever seen”. It was affecting the computer so they had the completely uninstall everything and return me to stock configuration but I’d have NO lights. I called my dealer and told them what happened and they were more upset over what I was told about the installation than the job itself. Decided I’d wait until I got home to pursue it further.

Sooooooooooo…two days (14 hours labor and $1100) later I was finally on my way out of Indy. The rest of the trip was uneventful…not sure I could have stood any more excitement!!

Glad to have met everyone on the run…clearly the highlight of my trip!!

[docdoru]

Yikes, sorry to hear about your bad experience. ... Heck you were still in the "getting to know you'r Spyder" stage so that could happen to anybody ... Don't let it get you down !

[Mo Lee]

Glad to hear you are home safe, hate to hear about all the problems if I got that kind of run around I'm not sure I could have kept my cool. I really enjoyed meeting and riding with you and would love to get together again sometime. There is some great pictures posted when you get a chance.

Lee

[Smylinacha]

Wow - now THAT is a trip from Hell! Keep us posted on what your dealer does. Seems like putting certain mods on the Spyder messes it up.

[captainryder]

hEY GUY!

Wow !!!! You story might become a sequel to "Drag me to Hell" now showing at the theaters... But glad you're safe. Still planning on Gatlinburg? I'm thinking of coming.

Thanks for coming to Missouri and say hello to you brother, his H.D. ( one of two he has correct?) was a sweet ride.

[lawawuu]

I've had a new SE5 for about 3 weeks and have had a lot of problems...not to scare anyone off, but in case you run into these things, maybe this will help you to know what to do. When I took it in for its first service they found that the transmission filter had collapsed. I'd only had it for 2 weeks then. Don't have an answer for that one yet. After it was serviced I noticed that the gears were messing up and finally it froze and I couldn't get it out of the gear it got stuck in. The dealer had to come and get it and found that the solenoid was no good after talking to BRP. BRP said that they will be sending out letters about this so that the ones that have the original solenoids they put in can be replaced! The new part is different apparently and also has to have new wiring for it. I also saw on their website that the power steering is having problems and they are still checking into that; should have that recall in action by July 6-7. There is a software download that your dealer will have for it. The parking brake keeps it from rolling forward, but mine will roll backwards!! I was told that the first Spyders had a spring problem with the breaks but they didn't know what would be wrong with the 2008-2009s. The breaks squeak! They said that there are also new and different brake pads that are supposed to correct that one. One thing though, BRP is backing up their product and all will be fixed I hope. Has anyone else had these problems????

[irish2themax]

hEY GUY!

Wow !!!! You story might become a sequel to "Drag me to Hell" now showing at the theaters... But glad you're safe. Still planning on Gatlinburg? I'm thinking of coming.

Thanks for coming to Missouri and say hello to you brother, his H.D. ( one of two he has correct?) was a sweet ride.

You bet...Gatlinburg is ON for me unless I'm in prison for killing my dealer

[irish2themax]

Wow - now THAT is a trip from Hell! Keep us posted on what your dealer does. Seems like putting certain mods on the Spyder messes it up.

Yeah...of course the bad thing is that, because all of the probs dealt with aftermarket stuff, NO warranty coverage. UGH!!

Just be careful of anything you add that connects in any way with the electrical system

[bone crusher]

I left home on 10 June on my way to visit my brother in Missouri and ryde with the SpyderLovers group in the run for the USO at Ft Leonard Wood. About 30 minutes from home on I-68, the skies opened up but I pressed on figuring I’d change into my rain gear at the first overpass. Guess what? I-68 has no overpasses!! So I rode for 6 hours through torrential rain, my kevlar gear now weighing about twice normal. UGH. I had chosen I-64 because I thought it would be more scenic than I-70. It might have been…IF 70% of it weren’t under construction with speed limited to 45 MPH.

I finally arrived in MO a day later than I had estimated. On 13 June, my brother on his Harley and me on my Spyder I met the other Spyder Ryders…Joe (xpeschon), Lee (Mo Lee), Andy (Midnighthog), Gene (BMWGENE), and captainryder…at Shoneys in Lebanon MO for brekkie. What a great bunch of guys!! The USO run was good and I’m glad I participated.

Left MO on the 15th headed home…this time by I-70 after my disastrous experience with I-64. I got as far as the Rest Area at MM 64 just west of Indianapolis. Spyder wouldn’t start!! VSS fault and DPS error…odd. Had to call BRP and request a tow. Tow truck came and the guy was SUPER in handling the byke. BRP said to have it towed to Diamond Collision in Indy. I questioned that but was assured they were the Indy place…got there and they WEREN’T? Now stuck with a byke that won’t start. Tow driver took me to a motel where I decided to go online. I should have taken the byke to Indy Cycle & Ski. So, the next day I called Road America and said I needed another tow. They informed me that it would be at my cost since BEST Plus only covers one tow every seven days!! What a CROCK! So, $187 later, I got the byke to Indy Cycle & Ski. They determined that the installation my dealer had done on my cruise control and my HID lights/fog lights was “the worst they had ever seen”. It was affecting the computer so they had the completely uninstall everything and return me to stock configuration but I’d have NO lights. I called my dealer and told them what happened and they were more upset over what I was told about the installation than the job itself. Decided I’d wait until I got home to pursue it further.

Sooooooooooo…two days (14 hours labor and $1100) later I was finally on my way out of Indy. The rest of the trip was uneventful…not sure I could have stood any more excitement!!

Glad to have met everyone on the run…clearly the highlight of my trip!!

That's a great attitude about everything that happened...nice to hear the crappy stuff didn't ruin your trip! Your perspective of things is refreshing...wish I was as mellow as that!

[Smylinacha]

Yeah...of course the bad thing is that, because all of the probs dealt with aftermarket stuff, NO warranty coverage. UGH!!

Just be careful of anything you add that connects in any way with the electrical system

Nope, haven't done anything aftermarket w/ the electrical - I've heard too many horror stories. Sorry you're going through this!

[Smylinacha]

I've had a new SE5 for about 3 weeks and have had a lot of problems...not to scare anyone off, but in case you run into these things, maybe this will help you to know what to do. When I took it in for its first service they found that the transmission filter had collapsed. I'd only had it for 2 weeks then. Don't have an answer for that one yet. After it was serviced I noticed that the gears were messing up and finally it froze and I couldn't get it out of the gear it got stuck in. The dealer had to come and get it and found that the solenoid was no good after talking to BRP. BRP said that they will be sending out letters about this so that the ones that have the original solenoids they put in can be replaced! The new part is different apparently and also has to have new wiring for it. I also saw on their website that the power steering is having problems and they are still checking into that; should have that recall in action by July 6-7. There is a software download that your dealer will have for it. The parking brake keeps it from rolling forward, but mine will roll backwards!! I was told that the first Spyders had a spring problem with the breaks but they didn't know what would be wrong with the 2008-2009s. The breaks squeak! They said that there are also new and different brake pads that are supposed to correct that one. One thing though, BRP is backing up their product and all will be fixed I hope. Has anyone else had these problems????

I've had bouts of squeaky breaks - on and off. Seems like it happens more in damp weather. Just ride it fast and jam on the the breaks - seems to clear it up for a little while.

[Lamonster]

[NancysToy]

I fail to understand the logic in a system that has convulsions every time a bulb burns out, or some such. Sure, program it to notify us, by why make a system and its programming so sensitive it will shut down completely, or go into limp mode? I understand the engineers' desires to go digital, and take advantage of the CANBUS, but the Spyder and some BMWs are just too darned sensitive. I'm sure some of this agony could be avoided by programming merely to notify, and I suspect some of the cascading faults caused by simple failures could be protected against electronically, too. If you make a system too sensitive to faults, it becomes a liability instead of the robust creature it was envisioned to be.
-Scotty

[Some Guy]

I fail to understand the logic in a system that has convulsions every time a bulb burns out, or some such. Sure, program it to notify us, by why make a system and its programming so sensitive it will shut down completely, or go into limp mode? I understand the engineers' desires to go digital, and take advantage of the CANBUS, but the Spyder and some BMWs are just too darned sensitive. I'm sure some of this agony could be avoided by programming merely to notify, and I suspect some of the cascading faults caused by simple failures could be protected against electronically, too. If you make a system too sensitive to faults, it becomes a liability instead of the robust creature it was envisioned to be.
-Scotty

I don't get it!...and obviously, THEY don't get it!

[NancysToy]

I don't get it!...and obviously, THEY don't get it!

I'm sure it makes perfect sense to some wet-behind-the-ears engineer, just not to an old fossil like me.
-Scotty

[Some Guy]

I'm sure it makes perfect sense to some wet-behind-the-ears engineer, just not to an old fossil like me.
-Scotty

Corporate mentality?

I work in a "cube farm" and I see dumb decisions that are "completely justifiable" all the time. I tell people that TV show "The Office" and the movie "Office Space" are not comedies, they're documentaries!

[retread]

Both my car and my truck warn me about burnt out light bulbs, but they don't affect the way they run/drive, how hard could it be, BRP?

john

[bjt]

I fail to understand the logic in a system that has convulsions every time a bulb burns out, or some such. Sure, program it to notify us, by why make a system and its programming so sensitive it will shut down completely, or go into limp mode? I understand the engineers' desires to go digital, and take advantage of the CANBUS, but the Spyder and some BMWs are just too darned sensitive. I'm sure some of this agony could be avoided by programming merely to notify, and I suspect some of the cascading faults caused by simple failures could be protected against electronically, too. If you make a system too sensitive to faults, it becomes a liability instead of the robust creature it was envisioned to be.
-Scotty

I'm sure it makes perfect sense to some wet-behind-the-ears engineer, just not to an old fossil like me.
-Scotty

I feel the same. Working in a factory that builds trucks, I see this same type of engineering in the equipment and machines used in truck assembly. They program / design 10 - 20 times the amount of stuff into making the machine stop (beyond the necessary safety stuff) than they do in making the machine run.

[irish2themax]

It took a while but I received a call from Carlo about the complaint I lodged against my original dealer. He was very cooperative and said they've red flagged that dealer. I also spoke with one of our sponsors (who shall go unnamed) and they said that the dealer is blackballed from receiving any of their products.

I also filed suit against the dealer in Magistrates Court.

Don't screw with a retiree...we have nothing but time on our hands...lol

[ataDude]

... Don't screw with a retiree...we have nothing but time on our hands...lol

.

[Roaddog2]

Wow - now THAT is a trip from Hell! Keep us posted on what your dealer does. Seems like putting certain mods on the Spyder messes it up.

IF THEY WERE NOT DONE CORRECTLY THINGS CAN GET MESSED UP

[QuadManiac]

I feel the same. Working in a factory that builds trucks, I see this same type of engineering in the equipment and machines used in truck assembly. They program / design 10 - 20 times the amount of stuff into making the machine stop (beyond the necessary safety stuff) than they do in making the machine run.

I think it's a function of an increasingly litigious society. They do all they can to cover their butts in case of a law suit.

Plaintiff's attorney: "You mean BRP had the ability to make the Spyder automatically slow to a safe speed when a burnt out headlight was detected and you DIDN'T implement this feature? And this reduction in light output caused my client to crash into a semi at 95MPH (while changing tunes on his iPod and programming a new destination on his gps) because his forward vision was impaired? Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, BRP could have prevented this tragedy... their liability in this case is obvious."

[SethO]

I think it's a function of an increasingly litigious society. They do all they can to cover their butts in case of a law suit.

Plaintiff's attorney: "You mean BRP had the ability to make the Spyder automatically slow to a safe speed when a burnt out headlight was detected and you DIDN'T implement this feature? And this reduction in light output caused my client to crash into a semi at 95MPH (while changing tunes on his iPod and programming a new destination on his gps) because his forward vision was impaired? Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, BRP could have prevented this tragedy... their liability in this case is obvious."

This is what is wrong with america, sue anyone for anything and don't limit the about they can sue for because it might be you that is sueing and who on earth would limit how much you can get.

This drives me nuts, the people that call me on the phone are the same way, I had a bunch of drunk people come over to my house and now they won't leave get them out of here right now.

You risk, you pay

[Fun2]

Mods Have several on the 2009 SE5 (5 that I can think of) all electrical Mods all of them NMN haven't had a problem at all with any of them.
Dealer has done the up grades for steering and ground wire on both the 2008 and 2009. Did have a problem when the steering upgrade was done with both getting stuck in gear, had to wait a couple of days for the ground wire parts, had the ground wire upgrade done and haven't had the gear problem since.
I think part of the stearing up grade has to do with the tech that does it. My dealer claims that they had problems with the first one they did with a lap top and found out when they took it for a test ride.
After that they started using a regular computer for the up grades and haven't had problems with the upgrades since.
So far my local dealer has been great with the service - no complaints with them.

Happy 2008 & 2009 SE5 owners

[QuadManiac]

This is what is wrong with america

I'd certainly agree that it's ONE of the things wrong... but without it and many other of the things that are deemed wrong, we wouldn't be what we are today - not sure I'd want to see that.

Still Proud!