My Spyder just left on a trailer

[grumpybob]

I had the steering lock up over the weekend. Couldn't turn the handle bars on a curve. Goood thing I wasn't going fast.

Got a code # 1' 55 fault Check DPS or close to that. was only 2 miles from home and made it safely.

checked: fuses
Battery voltage 12.53
terminals were tight

Tried to start it after I got in my garage and it would not turn over. Called my dealer this afternoon and he came over and looked at it at the house. Noticed it would not display what gear it was in, only displayed neutral.



Pushed it on his trailer and took it to the shop. Great to have a good dealer!!



2009 SM5 a little over 6k miles and DPS was changed in April as per update.

Will let everyone know what I find out.

[SteveMac]

That is very scary. Keep us posted. Of all my miles rYding the one thing that does pop into my mind from time to time is what would happen if a similar DPS situation like you describe happens on a curve with oncoming traffic and you can't make your turn. I hope I am never faced with that!

[boyallie]

I've heard of many problems so far...but this is one of the few that could have caused a fatality. I read one over the weekend regarding a brake failure as well. I"ve never heard of any incidents with any 'motorcycle' before that wouldn't allow you to turn the wheel (s). You are extremely lucky and I'm glad you are ok. BRP should give you a new bike.

[NancysToy]

I crashed my BMW Slash 5 in 2004 because I couldn't turn the bars...mechanical failure. It happens. I was knocked unconscious for four hours.

One thing to remember is that if the Spyder DPS fails, or the sensors start to fight each other, it can usually be steered...but steering is much harder. At first it may seem that the Spyder won't steer at all, but extreme effort will generally get the job done. Several people proved this before the DPS recall. It pays not to panic, and to try harder. Be prepared for over-correction if the steering suddenly kicks in, however. Better to prepare in your mind than to worry, IMO.

[pro10is]

I crashed my BMW Slash 5 in 2004 because I couldn't turn the bars...mechanical failure. It happens.

Really? Wow, the bars must have been locked rock solid because the amount of actual handlebar turn necessary to initiate counter-steering at speed on a motorcycle is minuscule, almost imperceptible. Did you ever find the root cause? What a nightmare. Glad you survived. That's why I prefer the Spyder over motorcycles, the slightest mechanical failure on a motorcycle front end and down you go. At least with the Spyder you stand a fighting chance.

[NancysToy]

Really? Wow, the bars must have been locked rock solid because the amount of actual handlebar turn necessary to initiate counter-steering at speed on a motorcycle is minuscule, almost imperceptible. Did you ever find the root cause? What a nightmare. Glad you survived. That's why I prefer the Spyder over motorcycles, the slightest mechanical failure on a motorcycle front end and down you go. At least with the Spyder you stand a fighting chance.

Problem was the fairing mount broke, pressing on the forks when the suspension compressed. I got her slowed down without incident, but ran out of straight road. Turned me hard right...in a left hand sweeper. The point is that steering failures can and do happen to all manner of vehicles...including conventional motorcycles. Ask anybody who ever survived a "speed wobble" about that.

[Bob Denman]

One thing to remember is that if the Spyder DPS fails, or the sensors start to fight each other, it can usually be steered...but steering is much harder.. It pays not to panic, and to try harder. Be prepared for over-correction if the steering suddenly kicks in, however. Better to prepare in your mind than to worry, IMO.

Great advice once again...

[boborgera]

Ask anybody who ever survived a "speed wobble" about that.

I agree, back in the olden days i had a Honda 400 that at speed and hitting a bump just right it would do the 'Wobble''
[tank slapper] Gets your attention real quick. All part of the fun of riding out in the open.

[Bob Denman]

My "Wing used to "blur the bars" every once in a while in right-left transitions... It sure would get your undivided attention!

[ARtraveler]

Glad you got through the situation safely. Keep us posted as to what they find out. That is a big safety issue.

[AZ Desert Spyder]

It seems like BRP may have a new problem. Prior to the DPS replacement, like many others, I had experienced the original steering issue where the steering would lock up and then break free with a hard push. In that case, you could actually feel it "break loose" suddenly. But after having the DPS replaced, I seem to have a new problem. My DPS was replaced several months ago and everything seemed fine until a couple of weeks ago. Now, I occasionally have the problem mentioned above where it's very hard to turn the wheel. It usually only lasts for a few seconds, but it's like trying to steer a car with the power steering not working. This is definitely different than the original problem because it doesn't "lock up". It just turns hard. I took my Spyder to the dealer and they hooked up to BUDS to check it out. They did see a couple of fault codes and reloaded some of the software, but that didn't fix it. The interest thing to me is that it worked fine for several months after the DPS replacement and now seems to have an issue. If anyone has more information as to what the issue may be, I for one would really appreciate hearing about it!

[frank3]

Have had an ongoing DPS issue with my RT since returning from Cuba Spyderfest earlier this spring. First time it occured, I was on the highway doing 65-70 mph and warning came on dash "Check DPS", lost all power steering. Was about 2 miles from home, pulled off highway, went home and parked it. Next morning, all was normal. This problem occures at least 2 or 3 times between oil changes (3,000 miles). Dealer has not been able to fix it because it is so random and I never seem to have the fault when it's there. Dealer resets fault each time. I have called BRP and logged the issue with them so there is a record of it in case the problem persist beyond warranty period. Each time it happens, I'm able to continue ridding but with much increased steering effort. Both battery terminals have been check and rechecked countless times. The orginal DPS unit was changed out last fall as part of the recall so I and the dealer are both at a loss. Unit is PE0180, a 2010 RT-S with 23,000 miles. Have put 9,000 miles and 3 oil changes (trips to dealer) on it since the problem first occured. It's due for it's 12,000 mile service soon and it will be close to cold weather so I might leave it with dealer, let him ride it for a couple of weeks and see it that helps.

[grumpybob]

Glad you got through the situation safely. Keep us posted as to what they find out. That is a big safety issue.

They are going to work on my spyder tomorrow. I did have it get really hard to steer three or four times on a prior ride. First time it made me real nervous, but I was able to use pressure with booth hands to turn ok. Ridiing this past weekend it was actually locked up and didn't want to turn. Drifted into the left lane before I got it stopped. I was going about 40mph when it happened. At a stop I couldn't turn the handle bars. Never saw a fault code when it happened. Turned it off and restarted it and all seemed fine so I rode home, about 2 miles. Turned it off and that was it, got 1'55 fault and it never started again.


Dealer came over to the house and tried to get it going. He was suprised at how it acted and said 'I have never seen this before'. When we pushed it out of the garage and onto his trailer the steering was working and it was easy to steer even thou it was not running.

[AZ Desert Spyder]

Good luck and please post the results. I never got any fault messages on mine, but I definitely have a problem that needs to be fixed! I'm really anxious to find out the cause so I can get it fixed before I head into oncoming traffic!

[AZ Desert Spyder]

In addition to my steering issue, I've had a few times recently when my Spyder didn't want to start. It would turn over once or twice and stop. Sometimes I've had to try 5 or 10 times before it finally started. I finally checked the battery connections (duh!) and sure enough my negative post connection was barely finger tight. I've tightened all my connections now and hopefully that problem is gone. But that got me to thinking...is there any chance at all that an intermittent battery connection could cause the DPS issue I've been having? It does seem to me that both of my problems started right around the same timeframe. Hmmmmm. And if so, could that also be what's causing some of the strange DPS issues other owners are having? Sorry if that's a dumb question, but I never claimed to be a mechanic or an electrical engineer!

[NancysToy]

In addition to my steering issue, I've had a few times recently when my Spyder didn't want to start. It would turn over once or twice and stop. Sometimes I've had to try 5 or 10 times before it finally started. I finally checked the battery connections (duh!) and sure enough my negative post connection was barely finger tight. I've tightened all my connections now and hopefully that problem is gone. But that got me to thinking...is there any chance at all that an intermittent battery connection could cause the DPS issue I've been having? It does seem to me that both of my problems started right around the same timeframe. Hmmmmm. And if so, could that also be what's causing some of the strange DPS issues other owners are having? Sorry if that's a dumb question, but I never claimed to be a mechanic or an electrical engineer!

The answer is yes! The DPS is the largest single electrical draw on the Spyder, other than the starter. It takes a lot of juice in a turn...especially a low speed turn.