Brake Lights stay on (2013 Spyder ST Limited)...

[Spyder Tony]

I bought a brand new Spyder ST Limited 2 days ago. I noticed that after each ride, all of the lights auto-shut off after a moment, but the break light stays on perpetually. I found out that if I tap the brake pedal a few times, it will shut off, but I don't feel comfortable having to do this on a brand new bike.

Besides the dealership forgetting a couple of screws here & there (saddle bag bolt missing, screw missing from rear tire fender), I have been problem-free so far, but the brake light is concerning. I assume that while i'm driving it is staying on too, so drivers behind me have no idea when i'm actually stopping.

I'm betting that someone else out there has encountered this problem and can lend some advice. i'd love to go into the dealership with a good knowledge base when I take her in for the repair.

Thanks in advance;
Tony

[NancysToy]

Could be a sticking pedal assembly, dirt or debris, or a slight interference with the rubber stop bumper. Could also be a loose brake switch. You need to see your dealer and let him troubleshoot it. It will likely cause you to go into limp mode during opereation...and it is somewhat unsafe.

[Bob Denman]

I just had to have the switch replaced... it was less than a hundred bucks on my own nickel. :shocked:

[samewok]

Take it back to the dealer and have them adjust the back switch.
If you push on the brake pedal with your fingure and here a click with very little movement it is out of adjustment.
the pedal should move about a 1/4" before brake lihgts come on.

[03hdjill]

I bought a brand new Spyder ST Limited 2 days ago. I noticed that after each ride, all of the lights auto-shut off after a moment, but the break light stays on perpetually. I found out that if I tap the brake pedal a few times, it will shut off, but I don't feel comfortable having to do this on a brand new bike.

Besides the dealership forgetting a couple of screws here & there (saddle bag bolt missing, screw missing from rear tire fender), I have been problem-free so far, but the brake light is concerning. I assume that while i'm driving it is staying on too, so drivers behind me have no idea when i'm actually stopping.

I'm betting that someone else out there has encountered this problem and can lend some advice. i'd love to go into the dealership with a good knowledge base when I take her in for the repair.

Thanks in advance;
Tony
Hi Tony,
Mine stuck a few times. When I took it in for my 600 mile service, the tech looked at it and said that he could not get it to stay on. He told me to watch it. It does not seem to be happening as of late. Mine has 1100 miles on it. Jill

[Spyder Tony]

Took the bike in for the 600 mile service and they adjusted the brake...took 2 service calls to get it right though. Now every time the brake lights disengage when the brake pedal is released. Just so happens that there was another Spyder in the shop for the very same thing. dealership said before mine (and the one that just came in with the same problem) they had not had any reported occurrences of the issue. That 600 mile service did wonders for my bike!!!

Thank you all for the sage words of advice. My Spyder knowledge base is growing exponentially with the help of each and every one of you :bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

[Lamonster]

Took the bike in for the 600 mile service and they adjusted the brake...took 2 service calls to get it right though. Now every time the brake lights disengage when the brake pedal is released. Just so happens that there was another Spyder in the shop for the very same thing. dealership said before mine (and the one that just came in with the same problem) they had not had any reported occurrences of the issue. That 600 mile service did wonders for my bike!!!

Thank you all for the sage words of advice. My Spyder knowledge base is growing exponentially with the help of each and every one of you :bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

There is a service bulletin about this now. It's not all but a few of the 13 have had this issue.

[rcturner]

On my 2012, the problem turned out to be the rubber stopper (708000759). It was too thick and caused the brake lever to not return far enough to shut the brake lights off all of the time. It also caused problems with the cruse. I cut the thickness in half and all is good now.

[pricemc1]

There is a service bulletin about this now. It's not all but a few of the 13 have had this issue.

Can you provide any additional information about this bulletin? Maybe a bulletin ID#? I asked my dealer and they hadn't heard anything about it.

[spyder-dude]

Yeah I just recently discovered this same problem. And also now I know why my cruise control wasn't working on my ride saturday! :( As the break was sticking. UGH!

[Zenagirl]

I bought a brand new Spyder ST Limited 2 days ago. I noticed that after each ride, all of the lights auto-shut off after a moment, but the break light stays on perpetually. I found out that if I tap the brake pedal a few times, it will shut off, but I don't feel comfortable having to do this on a brand new bike.

Besides the dealership forgetting a couple of screws here & there (saddle bag bolt missing, screw missing from rear tire fender), I have been problem-free so far, but the brake light is concerning. I assume that while i'm driving it is staying on too, so drivers behind me have no idea when i'm actually stopping.

I'm betting that someone else out there has encountered this problem and can lend some advice. i'd love to go into the dealership with a good knowledge base when I take her in for the repair.

Thanks in advance;
Tony
I have been having this problem as well. Bought my ST-L in February. Thought at first I was doing something wrong and tried different steps when setting the parking brake and shutting the bike off, but... still occasionally had the problem. I ending up just trying to remember to tap the brake and make sure the light was off when I walked away. I had posted this in our GOS site some time ago, but never heard any comments back about it. Had checked this forum as well and hadn't seen anyone with the same issue. I was really pleased, actually, when last Saturday, a tech at a different dealership had mentioned he'd seen this issue twice, and that it was an easy fix and covered under warranty. I was so glad my son was with me at the time, because I'm SURE he was thinking he was thinking I was doing something wrong. What a relief. Not major, but glad it wasn't me! :yes::yes::yes: By tomorrow afternoon, this should no longer be the issue and some shaving is going to be going on to make a rod or something a little shorter. :clap:

[Lamonster]

Basically BRP is having the dealer remove a little off of the rubber stop so that the peddle goes up a little higher.

[Spyder Tony]

Basically BRP is having the dealer remove a little off of the rubber stop so that the peddle goes up a little higher.

Yes...that is an unintended side effect I noticed. The brake pedal used to be flush with the footboard, now it's quite a bit higher...have to raise my foot (heel and all) to apply brake. Not a show stoper, but took a little getting used to. The pedal is adjusted to the lowest position but is still raised above the footboard. Small price to pay, and easy concession to make though:clap:

[Green RSS]

My wife's STS had to have the brake switch replaced at 530 miles due to the brake lights randomly staying on.

[54spyder]

My wife's STS had to have the brake switch replaced at 530 miles due to the brake lights randomly staying on.


We have not had this problem with our 2013 ST but I was talking with our service technician a few weeks back and he showed me two switches from :spyder2:'s that had gone bad recently. They were stocking replacement switches, just in case. It seems to be a common problem.

[Edsts]

I have my sts at the dealers for this is one of the issues, here's the justification the tech and owner gave to me of the why :banghead: If you turn off the unit while pressing the brake the light will stay on , to get the light to turn off you must tap the brake two times . Now If this is true , I laugh at that because two days later when I called for an up date , another tech tells me they have a new brake switch on order , lmao. When my light stood on couple times I tried every thing to turn it off , finally it did , but do not remember exactly what I did to get it to turn off .

[Spyder Tony]

If you turn off the unit while pressing the brake the light will stay on , to get the light to turn off you must tap the brake two times . Now If this is true , I laugh at that because two days later when I called for an up date , another tech tells me they have a new brake switch on order , lmao. When my light stood on couple times I tried every thing to turn it off , finally it did , but do not remember exactly what I did to get it to turn off .

Your tech and the owner are pissing on your leg and telling you its raining outside!!!
This is a well documented problem and it has nothing to do with how you are turning off the bike. Heck...a new brake switch isn't even necessary. They just need to shave/cut a small portion of the rubber stop of your existing brake. You might find it helpful to "educate" your dealer by sharing the information in this forum regarding the brake light with him. At least the next person who brings their trike to them will benefit from the knowledge exchange.

[Edsts]

Your tech and the owner are pissing on your leg and telling you its raining outside!!!
This is a well documented problem and it has nothing to do with how you are turning off the bike. Heck...a new brake switch isn't even necessary. They just need to shave/cut a small portion of the rubber stop of your existing brake. You might find it helpful to "educate" your dealer by sharing the information in this forum regarding the brake light with him. At least the next person who brings their trike to them will benefit from the knowledge exchange.


What that shop needs is a super Tony cus those techs are stupid ! Lmao
it gets better lol , so one of the other issues I was having is every time I would start braking my spyder pulls to the right . Here's the answer from John from the motorcycle mall .

JOHN the owner answers - the reason why the unit pulls to the right it's because the streets are beveled and they make the streets like that for safety . Lmao I could not believe that response . So I responded so all the highways are beveled too, lol
pi am giving them one more chance to finally fix all my issues !

[Spyder Tony]

What that shop needs is a super Tony cus those techs are stupid ! Lmao
it gets better lol , so one of the other issues I was having is every time I would start braking my spyder pulls to the right . Here's the answer from John from the motorcycle mall .

JOHN the owner answers - the reason why the unit pulls to the right it's because the streets are beveled and they make the streets like that for safety . Lmao I could not believe that response . So I responded so all the highways are beveled too, lol
pi am giving them one more chance to finally fix all my issues !

Okay, the part about him telling you the roads are beveled is HILARIOUS!!! Glad to hear you didn't buy into it. Not sure if there is one close to you, but you may want to look into a Can Am dealership with BRP Certified master mechanics. May not totally get rid of all the problems, but it'll sure cut way down on them. As others on this forum have pointed out...most problems owners are having with their Spyders seems to be linked to the quality of the dealership doing the assembly. I would not take my sophisticated technical piece of machinery to Gomer Pyle to repair...and that is exactly what the Spyder is.

[ARtraveler]

The posts above address the problem. At least, this is an easy and fixable problem that can be cured quickly. The BS from the dealer mentioned is another story. Rather than address a problem--which they should know about, if they read their service bulletins--they make up some cock and bull story.

Making up a story, rather than giving a good answer, just compounds the problem IMO.

[Spyder Tony]

The posts above address the problem. At least, this is an easy and fixable problem that can be cured quickly. The BS from the dealer mentioned is another story. Rather than address a problem--which they should know about, if they read their service bulletins--they make up some cock and bull story.

Making up a story, rather than giving a good answer, just compounds the problem IMO.

:agree:

[03hdjill]

I bought a brand new Spyder ST Limited 2 days ago. I noticed that after each ride, all of the lights auto-shut off after a moment, but the break light stays on perpetually. I found out that if I tap the brake pedal a few times, it will shut off, but I don't feel comfortable having to do this on a brand new bike.

Besides the dealership forgetting a couple of screws here & there (saddle bag bolt missing, screw missing from rear tire fender), I have been problem-free so far, but the brake light is concerning. I assume that while i'm driving it is staying on too, so drivers behind me have no idea when i'm actually stopping.

I'm betting that someone else out there has encountered this problem and can lend some advice. i'd love to go into the dealership with a good knowledge base when I take her in for the repair.

Thanks in advance;
Tony
Tony, You and I have the same bike. Mine does the same thing. My dealer has a brake light switch on order for me. Seems like this is something very common with our ST Limiteds. Good Luck with your new bike. I love mine! Jill

[spyder-dude]

Yeah I reported this issue to my dealer last month but of course he hasn't heard of any problems like this. I explained a ton of others complaining about it. I have to go 1 hour to the dealer for them to look at it and then they will have to order it and then will have to go back. Tired of wasting my time and gas for this type of issue! Why doesn't BRP issue a bulletin for this crap so people don't have to waste their time with their dealers trying to diagnose the same problems?????

[donnau]

Mine was doing the same thing, it would stay on even while driving....I brought it to the dealer and they shaved off the rubber stopper but now it is worse.:( It happens more often than before. when I bring it in for the oil change, I will have them look again but I don't have much confidence in them now. For now if I lift up on the brake a bit with my toe, it will go out. (my husband rides behind me and we have headsets...so this is how I know when the light stays on and goes off) I see that some here have a switch on order....wondering if I should have my dealer do this too. I've got a little over 4000 miles on it and wondering why this didn't start until about 1000 miles ago???

[NancysToy]

Mine was doing the same thing, it would stay on even while driving....I brought it to the dealer and they shaved off the rubber stopper but now it is worse.:( It happens more often than before. when I bring it in for the oil change, I will have them look again but I don't have much confidence in them now. For now if I lift up on the brake a bit with my toe, it will go out. (my husband rides behind me and we have headsets...so this is how I know when the light stays on and goes off) I see that some here have a switch on order....wondering if I should have my dealer do this too. I've got a little over 4000 miles on it and wondering why this didn't start until about 1000 miles ago???

Your dealer did the prescribed fix. No reason to lose confidence in them over this. Your's obviously has some additional problem. They can't fix it until you report it to them. They may have to contact BRP dealer tech support for assistance, since the service bulletin cure didn't do the job. Don't tell them how to fix it...just tell them it still doesn't work. That way both the dealer and BRP see the true nature of the problem. JMHO

[OldDog]

I remember demo riding an ST-limited in May. The ride leader said I was riding the brake the whole time I rode... I wasn't.

[donnau]

Your dealer did the prescribed fix. No reason to lose confidence in them over this. Your's obviously has some additional problem. They can't fix it until you report it to them. They may have to contact BRP dealer tech support for assistance, since the service bulletin cure didn't do the job. Don't tell them how to fix it...just tell them it still doesn't work. That way both the dealer and BRP see the true nature of the problem. JMHO

will do, thanks! I am just a little frustrated with the service department....this isn't the only issue I've had that needed to be addressed more than once. It is a big inconvenience trying to get it in there over and over, a bit upsetting with a brand new vehicle as well. I guess I should've expected some hiccups with a new model.

[stevencovert]

Mine was doing the same thing, it would stay on even while driving....I brought it to the dealer and they shaved off the rubber stopper but now it is worse.:( It happens more often than before. when I bring it in for the oil change, I will have them look again but I don't have much confidence in them now. For now if I lift up on the brake a bit with my toe, it will go out. (my husband rides behind me and we have headsets...so this is how I know when the light stays on and goes off) I see that some here have a switch on order....wondering if I should have my dealer do this too. I've got a little over 4000 miles on it and wondering why this didn't start until about 1000 miles ago???

Hi all,

My brake light stays on 100% of time when I turn the bike off, or ride down the road. Cruise doesn't work because of this. Have to quickly tap the pedal very fast with my fingers to finally get the stupid thing off:mad:

I was about to do the "shaving of the rubber stop", when I noticed something. The bike was COLD, I pushed the brake lever to duplicate the problem. It worked FINE. The lever dropped about 1/4" then I heard the click. Came back up, heard the strong click again and the light went off. However - it seems there is some brains between the switch and the light OR the switches stick, as when I move the lever fast, sometimes the light would stay on, BUT very easy to to turn off with one press on the lever. But again the switch was activating and de-activating exactly when it should...

Now when the bike is HOT, everything changes!! I can NOT hear the switch at all. Again with the fast tapping. Pulling the brake lever UP hard does nothing. It's like the switch is stuck. So it sounds like the switch, but... when it is cold it is fine! So looking under the bike I see the switches are behind a rubber cover. That rubber cover is like 5mm from the MUFFLER! I found this out the hard way, I went to pop the rubber cover off and the box (containing the switches) was damn hot - burnt the crap outta myself. So if that box is THAT hot, the switches are roasting.

So what I am trying is taking muffler tape (fiberglass wrap), folding it up to the size of the box (maybe 3" x 4") and shoving it in between the rubber cover and the muffler to try to get the temperature of the switches down while the engine is hot. edit - will also fill the box with the switches with fiberglass.

I am waiting for the fiberglass tape. Thought I would post my thoughts to see if anyone with the 2013 ST that has this problem can confirm/deny the switch acting different when it is cold versus hot. Brake like works fine when engine is cold, fails when hot.

Steve

[billybovine]

Hi all,

My brake light stays on 100% of time when I turn the bike off, or ride down the road. Cruise doesn't work because of this. Have to quickly tap the pedal very fast with my fingers to finally get the stupid thing off:mad:

I was about to do the "shaving of the rubber stop", when I noticed something. The bike was COLD, I pushed the brake lever to duplicate the problem. It worked FINE. The lever dropped about 1/4" then I heard the click. Came back up, heard the strong click again and the light went off. However - it seems there is some brains between the switch and the light OR the switches stick, as when I move the lever fast, sometimes the light would stay on, BUT very easy to to turn off with one press on the lever. But again the switch was activating and de-activating exactly when it should...

Now when the bike is HOT, everything changes!! I can NOT hear the switch at all. Again with the fast tapping. Pulling the brake lever UP hard does nothing. It's like the switch is stuck. So it sounds like the switch, but... when it is cold it is fine! So looking under the bike I see the switches are behind a rubber cover. That rubber cover is like 5mm from the MUFFLER! I found this out the hard way, I went to pop the rubber cover off and the box (containing the switches) was damn hot - burnt the crap outta myself. So if that box is THAT hot, the switches are roasting.

So what I am trying is taking muffler tape (fiberglass wrap), folding it up to the size of the box (maybe 3" x 4") and shoving it in between the rubber cover and the muffler to try to get the temperature of the switches down while the engine is hot. edit - will also fill the box with the switches with fiberglass.

I am waiting for the fiberglass tape. Thought I would post my thoughts to see if anyone with the 2013 ST that has this problem can confirm/deny the switch acting different when it is cold versus hot. Brake like works fine when engine is cold, fails when hot.

Steve

May I recommend starting a new thread for your problem. This causes a lot less confusion for people answering different peoples question. Also you may think your problem sounds like someone else's. The correct answer for your specific symptoms may be different.

I am guessing you have a ST but the year is a mystery and is important for this topic. If you have a 2013 ST and it appears the pedal does not rise enough because of the rubber stopper. That is bracket that the switch is mounted to. The there is a warranty campaign to fix this at no charge. If the switch is sticking. It may be just dirty and need to be cleaned. If dirt has damaged the switch. It needs to be replaced. It has nothing to do with heat. There is suppose to be 2 clicks when pressing the brake pedal. One for the brake light switch and the other for the low limit pressure switch.

[Micha.]

Look at this Thread (http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?89425-The-cursed-stuck-on-brake-light-problem&p=1083882&viewfull=1#post1083882). Mayby it helps.