Shifting Issues

[ladi2b]

Has anyone had any issues with their bike having issues with shifting? Mine just stopped shifting one day. It has less than 2500 miles

[trikermutha]

TAke it to the dealer for warranty work..

[SteveLaoyster]

I assume it's an se6. Probably doesn't have anything to do with shifting but have you checked the battery terminals for tightness? I know quite a few people have had issues because of bat terminals not being tight enough.

[CopperSpyder]

TAke it to the dealer for warranty work..

You need to get a little better when asking a question like what is your bike i.e. year model sm or se what do you mean stop shifting will not shift at all stuck in a gear? If under warranty then you should contact your dealer, a lot of times on se6 the shaft that connects to the shifting shift near the foot rest come loose, nothing major.

[Easy Rider]

Yes. A friend of mine is going through that right now with his '17 RT.

The '18s have had some bad paddle shifters, fixed by changing out the whole switch cluster on the left bar.

If it seems to be stuck in Neutral.......you haven't forgotten that you need to apply the brake, have you ??

[RICZ]

Thanks CopperSpyder. If I had a magic wand, everyone would put into their signature, the year, model and tranny of their Spyder. And when asking advice, they provide enough info that we don't have to play 20 Questions. Alas...no magic wand.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Has anyone had any issues with their bike having issues with shifting? Mine just stopped shifting one day. It has less than 2500 miles

Let me be the first to ..and buying your Spyder ….. as others have said we " need more info on what Spyder you have " ...low Battery power has and can cause many issues with these bikes …… Help us help you ….. Mike

[Dawn]

Following this post. I had an issue on my first real ride today, and was wondering if it's a mechanical issue I need to get looked at, or operator error. Did I do something wrong?

I was on the freeway this morning and stop-and-go traffic, I was downshifting, and miscounted the downshifts, (I keep forgetting it will do it for me if I miss one,) anyway, I was at a full stop, with my foot on the brake, and I ended up in neutral. When I tried to upshift back to first I couldn't get it to go back into gear. I hit the flashers, put the parking brake on, and right back off then it FINALLY shifted and I went on my merry way. But I had a little moment of panic when I was certain some stupid driver was going to take me out while I was fussing.

Any ideas if this is a newbie rider problem, and I'll learn, or does this sound like a mechanical or maybe a shifter paddle issue?

[CopperSpyder]

Following this post. I had an issue on my first real ride today, and was wondering if it's a mechanical issue I need to get looked at, or operator error. Did I do something wrong?

I was on the freeway this morning and stop-and-go traffic, I was downshifting, and miscounted the downshifts, (I keep forgetting it will do it for me if I miss one,) anyway, I was at a full stop, with my foot on the brake, and I ended up in neutral. When I tried to upshift back to first I couldn't get it to go back into gear. I hit the flashers, put the parking brake on, and right back off then it FINALLY shifted and I went on my merry way. But I had a little moment of panic when I was certain some stupid driver was going to take me out while I was fussing.

Any ideas if this is a newbie rider problem, and I'll learn, or does this sound like a mechanical or maybe a shifter paddle issue?

Not sure what may have happened, but it ended well. Maybe you just taped the paddle quickly and did not get it compressed all the way, or it might be an issue beginning. Keep it in mind and if it happens again I would let my dealer know. Hopefully it was just a onetime issue.

[SpyderChris]

Check your oil levels.

[RICZ]

Also being a newbie, I find one has to hold their mouth right and think good thoughts to get it into the desired gear position.

[JayBros]

Try to replicate the event in your driveway and see what happens.

[Dc8cappie]

Down shift only while moving. If you’re stopped, don’t down shift. The bike won’t go into natural if your moving. The bike will always be in first gear when you’ve stopped. This should prevent you repeating that incident again.

PS I’m assuming your riding a semi-auto unit!

Have fun, ride much!

[Easy Rider]

Any ideas if this is a newbie rider problem, and I'll learn, or does this sound like a mechanical or maybe a shifter paddle issue?

New rider issue.
I rode manual transmissions for close to 50 years......and thought I wouldn't like the automatic transmission.
I was wrong; I love it.

My suggestion.....try not downshifting manually......EVER.
Even with a lot of experience, the machine usually does it better than I can.

Note: That does not apply if you are a "spirited" rider....but it sounds like you aren't up to that point yet.

[Dawn]

No, not spirited yet. However I do notice when I let it downshift itself, it makes a loud clunking noise, and is really jerky. I can time my downshifts to be much smoother than the auto system. I’m still in the learning stage, and 15 years of manual shifting is proving to be a hard reflex to break. I need to retrain my count. On my manual, it was two toe taps down from second to pass over neutral. I need to remember only one.

[sandeejs]

1. Ladi2b: I had an issue with my first Spyder shifting. Turned out to be caused by dirty transmission fluid. (As i recall the transmission fluid is really brake fluid in a 2010RT)
2. One problem I have with with letting the auto-shift downshift on slow downs is lots of time I don't use the brake to slow down. YMMV, eh?

~Sandee~

[RICZ]

Dawn......Are you holding the throttle still, or impulsively backing it off when shifting? Hold 'er still.

[Easy Rider]

No, not spirited yet. However I do notice when I let it downshift itself, it makes a loud clunking noise, and is really jerky. .

Is that with the throttle fully closed ?
Keeping the throttle partly open while slowing down can mess up the process.

Getting used to the sound and feel of when a downshift is due is more valuable than "counting" but takes longer to develop.
With mine, if I close the throttle and pay attention to what the engine is doing.......when I know a downshift is due, the computer usually DOES it while I am reaching for the paddle.

And one other thought: Is it maybe likely that you are UP-shifting outside the "ideal" range ?
Going up below 3000 or above about 5500 might make your downshifts somewhat rough.

[Easy Rider]

1. Ladi2b: I had an issue with my first Spyder shifting. Turned out to be caused by dirty transmission fluid. (As i recall the transmission fluid is really brake fluid in a 2010RT)

2. One problem I have with with letting the auto-shift downshift on slow downs is lots of time I don't use the brake to slow down. YMMV, eh?

~Sandee~

NO there is NEVER brake fluid in the transmission......but it often is engine oil.

Why do you think that not using the brakes is a "problem" ?? It isn't......as long as you are ready to use them if needed.
I think about 80% of my stops are done without any brake at all, except at the very end to stop the slow roll.

[Dawn]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'll keep working on my techniques. Main take-away suggestions, close the throttle when down and keep it steady when upshifting, and less worrying about downshifting manually. I love the new ride, but it's such a giant upgrade, I've got some retraining of my brain and new muscle memories to develop before I become proficient, but I'll get there. I've already stopped reaching for the clutch, and remember to do the parking brake before shutting off the key baby steps.

I have 15 years of 2 wheel habits on a little 4 speed Honda Shadow to break. I started counting the shifts on the Spyder because I kept forgetting about the additional 2. My Shadow was a little whiney on the freeway, so I was used to that sound. Now I have 2 more gears to get through and no two clicks over neutral to first.

[ottawa-rider]

In case you haven't noticed, the dashboard displays the current gear you're in.

[Easy Rider]

In case you haven't noticed, the dashboard displays the current gear you're in.

Unless you have it in ECO mode, in which case the gear number is sometimes covered up.

If you let the machine do ALL of the downshifting (in most routine riding), I think you will quickly learn to love it.

[Daddyray]

I am having a similar problem as we speak. I have a 2018 RT Limited SE6 and it stopped going into gear at all. I had reverse but that isn't helpful on the highway very much. Mine is in the shop now and they are working with BRP to try and figure out the problem. I towed it to the dealer twice and backed it off trailer and parked it. The mechanic goes out later to move it and it goes into gear on the first drop off and never lost gears again. I drove it home and lost all forward gears that night. It is back in the shop and BRP is still trying to figure out the problem. I say take it to the shop and make sure they know other people are having same type of problem. I hope you luck.

[ottawa-rider]

Did the dealer diagnose if the problem is the transmission or the paddle shifter?

There is a service bulletin (2018-05) about trouble with the 2018 paddle shifter.

In most cases, users could not downshift or go to reverse, but some, including mine could not upshift.

The fix is to replace the complete left handlebar control module.

[Easy Rider]

It is back in the shop and BRP is still trying to figure out the problem. I say take it to the shop and make sure they know other people are having same type of problem. I hope you luck.

Based on reports here, I don't buy that "BRP is still trying to figure out the problem".

There have been a LOT of failures with the paddle shifters, requiring replacement of the whole switch assembly on the left bar.
I think there has even been a service bulletin issued.
(See post #24.)