Epic Spyder Fails

[Stache]

Off switch

[fatboy]

the kill switch

[MakoShark2]

or press the pedal...

[JayBros]

Wow, Paul, you sure did a number on yourself!

[JKMSPYDER]

Several years ago I was riding to the Deadwood three wheel rally and I was on the interstate in the left lane. I reached with my right hand to turn on my cruise control. Suddenly the engine died and I was doing 70 mph. Frantically I was searching the instrument panel to determine the problem and the Spyder was continuing to slow down with traffic behind me. Finally I turned on my hazard flashers and coasted to the left side of the lane and stopped. As you might imagine there is not much room to pull off on the left lane of most interstates compared to the right lane. After racking my brain trying to figure out what happened, I glanced at the right cluster on the handlebar and discovered the kill switch was OFF! I must have hit it when I was trying to turn on the cruise! Lesson learned! But I still shudder when I think about it as I could have been killed by a cager running up behind me while my engine was off and no brake lights since I wasn't using the brakes!

[ARtraveler]

It wasn't my Spyder, so I hope it still counts.
Finished a project with the bike, oil change or something. Putting my tools away. Missing a #&)#*%& screwdriver. Had to take everything apart to find where in the bike I left it.
~Sandee~

I am still looking for my five battery mag light after installing the seal floorboards on the 2011. An unresolved mystery.

[Peter Aawen]

I am still looking for my five battery mag light after installing the seal floorboards on the 2011. An unresolved mystery.

Yeah, but I have a sneaking suspicion that you just might've hurled that mag light into low earth orbit when something didn't quite work the way you wanted it to.... ....... or was it cos you skinned your knuckles doing up the bolts under those floor boards..... again???

I know that's where one of my really good crescent wrenches ended up back on 15 Jan 2013.... only I did hear of it again - it burned to a crisp on re-entry about 30 days later as its orbit decayed somewhere over Russia.... people all across Northern Europe & as far away as the UK thought it was a meteor, but no, it was just my crescent wrench!!

[pegasus1300]

Wow, Paul, you sure did a number on yourself!

Yes I did and it was so totaly stupid. But I will never again release the parking brake from the left side and I have since leveled out the trailer. Rode to Beaver for tacos,saturday just a short 2hour ride to see how things were, they were fine. Going over Mirror Lake this saturday,an all dayer, should be fun.

[oldgoat]

When I first bought my Spyder I dutifully read the operator's guide and watched the video disc that came with it. I believe it was in the op guide that it said to always hand move the machine from the right side so you could use the brake to stop it. One day, while on the left side of the bike I backed it out of the garage onto the driveway that had a slight lateral down slope to a natural area with several large trees. Soon the bike gained a bit more speed than I was comfortable with but there I was, ON THE WRONG SIDE, and I had only one way to stop the bike, with my RIGHT Foot. After a quick, "This is going to hurt," I shoved my foot in front of the rolling rear wheel. Yes, I stopped it but it HURT, big time; fortunately no broken bones.

I have a handbrake addition on mine and it has come in handy on several occasions, apart from stopping the Spyder when I am riding it.

[juscuz]

Got out to the garage early before the day got too hot. Ran the engine up to temp for an oil change, placed the pan under the drain areas after getting the bike off the floor, newspaper under the pan, you know how it goes - be a neat as you can makes cleaning up so much easier. First plug on left side of my 2015 F3s came out, no problem. Right side plug, yeah you guessed it, stripped but finally removed it. By now the sun is creeping ever so closely into the work area, temp begins to rise enough to cause a little sweat. Got the Oil filter and air filter changed out, things are looking better. I can see the end of the tunnel. Oil in, run motor to get things circulating, top off oil level, pat myself on back, excellent job I think to myself with a smile. Now I slide the pan out, lower the bike, reach down to pick up the oil drain pan, get a cramp in my leg and right hand goes into the drain pan filled with almost SIX quarts of VERY, VERY, VERY warm oil, Latex glove fills immediately, oil on floor and I stand there calling out words I haven't used in a long time. Still saved quite a bit of money though......

[AeroPilot]

I frequently change oil, usually with the front wheels pulled halfway up ramps to give me a little room to work and to slide the oil pan under.

After changing the oil and getting everything buttoned up, I pick up the tools, and release the parking brake to let it roll back into the garage thinking it'll be easier to gather up the dirty newspapers, oily rags, and carry the oil drain pan to pour into the recycle jug. Well as the Spydee rolls down the ramps on its own, the front of the bumpskid just catches the trailing lip of the oil pan and neatly flips it upside down making a big mess all over the drive.

Since then, I always slide out the oil pan and move it away before letting the Spyder roll back down the ramps!!!

[Ready2Retire]

I frequently change oil, usually with the front wheels pulled halfway up ramps to give me a little room to work and to slide the oil pan under.

After changing the oil and getting everything buttoned up, I pick up the tools, and release the parking brake to let it roll back into the garage thinking it'll be easier to gather up the dirty newspapers, oily rags, and carry the oil drain pan to pour into the recycle jug. Well as the Spydee rolls down the ramps on its own, the front of the bumpskid just catches the trailing lip of the oil pan and neatly flips it upside down making a big mess all over the drive.

Since then, I always slide out the oil pan and move it away before letting the Spyder roll back down the ramps!!!

Having worked fleet maintenance for the last 45 years, I can relate. Not on a Spyder, but have you ever filled the crankcase with the proper amount of oil and nothing shows on the dipstick only to discover you forgot to put the drain plug in? That also makes a huge mess. Ask me how I know...

John

[Peter Aawen]

...... just catches the trailing lip of the oil pan and neatly flips it upside down making a big mess ......

...... but have you ever filled the crankcase with the proper amount of oil and nothing shows on the dipstick only to discover you forgot to put the drain plug in? That also makes a huge mess. Ask me how I know... .....

Glad to know that I'm not alone - on both messy counts! Just the once tho - each that is; but still....

And when you do that sorta thing, you've just gotta laugh, don't you?? A bit hysterically, maybe... but it's still laughing!!

[Steve W.]

I believe it was in the op guide that it said to always hand move the machine from the right side so you could use the brake to stop it. One day, while on the left side of the bike I backed it out of the garage onto the driveway that had a slight lateral down slope to a natural area with several large trees. Soon the bike gained a bit more speed than I was comfortable with but there I was, ON THE WRONG SIDE, and I had only one way to stop the bike, with my RIGHT Foot.

I was standing on the left side when I mistakenly pushed the parking brake button. ...
Very exciting running next to a Spyder while turning the handlebars as the side of your neighbor's pickup gets closer, and not being able to brake!

As I got off the Spyder on the left side I remembered that I left something in the frunk. I thought " I'll just release the parking brake and let it roll back a little and re apply the parking brake". Doesn't work. It rolled back out of the out of the trailer ...

But I will never again release the parking brake from the left side ...

I must be doing something wrong.

I release the brake quite often from the left side, if that is where I happen to be at the time. When I want the bike to stop, I push the parking brake button AGAIN.

Yeah, there is no finesse involved. When the brake is applied, it's applied NOW. In my situation, the floor is either flat or very gently sloped, so there is not much speed involved, but in the situations above, which could be considered a mild EMERGENCY, so what if the brake locks up a bit violently. There was at least one broken bone and several incidents that could have cost thousands of dollars. Wouldn't it be quicker, easier and cheaper to push the button AGAIN?

.

[spyderider1]

This may get too long for some but I'll try to keep things on track. First, I'm very happy with my Spyder. I had one issue but it was covered by the warranty and nothing since. This is not so much a Fail on my part but the part of the dealer/salesperson I bought it from.

Here goes. A couple of years ago I started shopping for a Spyder. We have two dealers in my area so I had some inventory to choose from. Settled on the model that I would eventually own and started the negotiating process. The salesperson was difficult to engage, maybe he didn't think I was serious about buying, but whatever. We settled on a price and he wrote it on the back of his business card. I returned a few days later to "pull the trigger" and he didn't want to honor the quote on the back of the business card. So, we did the dance again, he "talked with his manager", etc. finally he agreed on the written quote.
The day to pickup my new Spyder arrived. I called ahead to let the salesperson know I'd be in at One O'Clock. Fine, when I get there he's nowhere to be found, out to lunch. After a better part of an hour he comes strolling in and as soon as he sees me I can tell he forgot all about it. By this time my fuse is down to a nub...but I wanted that Spyder! He has someone from the shop bring my new Spyder out to the show room. it hadn't been detailed and it was covered with fingerprints and dust. Again, my fuse was now at the point of ignition. As the salesman attempted to start it, nothing. Dead Battery! So he scrambled to pull a battery out of a floor model. (I suppose some schmuck ended up with a Spyder with no battery) At this point I climbed on and drove my new Spyder out the door. Never to set foot in that dealership again.
I heard later that the salesman left the dealership and went in to politics. I'm thinking he'll probably do pretty well in that line of work.

[pegasus1300]

I must be doing something wrong.

I release the brake quite often from the left side, if that is where I happen to be at the time. When I want the bike to stop, I push the parking brake button AGAIN.

Yeah, there is no finesse involved. When the brake is applied, it's applied NOW. In my situation, the floor is either flat or very gently sloped, so there is not much speed involved, but in the situations above, which could be considered a mild EMERGENCY, so what if the brake locks up a bit violently. There was at least one broken bone and several incidents that could have cost thousands of dollars. Wouldn't it be quicker, easier and cheaper to push the button AGAIN?

.

I did push it again, but it didn't catch! I don`t know if I missed the button, the Spyder was moving too fast, or Murphy was overactive that day. All I know for sure is it didn't grab and I had no brake peddle to step on. Sitting on the Spyder or standing on the right side would have given me that access. Yes it was stupid, yes if pressed it should have worked,it has ever other time before and since.

[Wmoater]

Dumbest thing I ever did was last April. Same as above. For some reason I got the dreaded "!" even when the parking brake released. I could push it, the brake would release but the "!" stayed on. So after finishing the oil change the front wheels where on ramps back wheel on ground I decided to clean the parking brake. I air blasted it, cleaned it all up, cleaned the cables grime and dirt around the entire area. Super clean. To me dismay when you release the parking brake to see if it works and it does, gravity takes over! The Spyder rolled off the ramps. Now my garage is on and incline, so down the driveway towards a huge cliff she kept rolling. I ran as a fast as I could to catch up and without thinking ran to the left side to grab a brake handle that the Spyder DOES NOT have. Don't know why is was my first instinct Guess what no brake. Ran around the front to the right side pushed my foot on the brake pedal down about 20 yards before it went over the hill. DUMB DUMB. Both my boys watched me do it and laughed their butts off. wheel chock behind rear wheel wheel on ramps now!

[ARtraveler]

Dumbest thing I ever did was last April. Same as above. For some reason I got the dreaded "!" even when the parking brake released. I could push it, the brake would release but the "!" stayed on. So after finishing the oil change the front wheels where on ramps back wheel on ground I decided to clean the parking brake. I air blasted it, cleaned it all up, cleaned the cables grime and dirt around the entire area. Super clean. To me dismay when you release the parking brake to see if it works and it does, gravity takes over! The Spyder rolled off the ramps. Now my garage is on and incline, so down the driveway towards a huge cliff she kept rolling. I ran as a fast as I could to catch up and without thinking ran to the left side to grab a brake handle that the Spyder DOES NOT have. Don't know why is was my first instinct Guess what no brake. Ran around the front to the right side pushed my foot on the brake pedal down about 20 yards before it went over the hill. DUMB DUMB. Both my boys watched me do it and laughed their butts off. wheel chock behind rear wheel wheel on ramps now!

You got the adrenalin running with that description.

I just hate it when the Spyder gets away and rolls off a cliff.

[glennm]

It hurts the Forum's standing on all the internet search engines out there Mikey, and THAT really hurts the continued viability of the Forum & so ultimately, threatens its continuation. So IF you want to delete a post of yours that's more than just a short while old; or you want to gut the contents of a post you made more than just a minute or so back, PLEASE DON'T - instead, just contact a Mod so that we can use the facilities that we have access to that you DON'T have access to and we can do it for you in a way that won't harm the Forum quite so much....

I don't see why this is such a biggie; you can still get things deleted, you just hafta ask, and by doing so, you'll be helping to keep this place alive for us all to share?! But just like the 'Delete your own thread' facility was removed because it was hurting the Forum's continued viability; and more recently like the 'Edit your own Post' facility was restricted to just one day because some people who should've known better were abusing the feature (or was it malicious?? ) - but regardless, indiscriminate deleting of posts &/or gutting their content hurts the Forum, SO PLEASE, DO NOT DO THAT!

You can all help, firstly by thinking BEFORE you post, we really don't object to 'fine tuning' or spelling corrections etc; but If you have posted something anything more than just a min or so back that you now want to remove or delete, PLEASE, just ask a Moderator instead of gutting it &/or replacing it with something like 'Deleted' - we can remove it from the public pages in a way that isn't quite so damaging, and by doing so, YOU will be helping to keep the Forum open for us all to use, share, and discuss our various Spyder/Ryker experiences - and you do want to do that, don't you??

It's that simple really - do you like the place, and having access to the Forum?? If you do, then PLEASE DO NOT GUT YOUR POSTS OR DELETE THEIR CONTENT ONCE POSTED! Ask a Mod/Admin instead.

As already replied to Peter's pm, apologies I hadn't realised the consequences.
Please soft delete if you still can.
Thanks for picking me up on it, much better than making the same mistake over and over and creating a negative domino effect.

[Peter Aawen]

No worries Glenn, I was pretty sure that like most here, you wouldn't knowingly do anything to hurt the place; so my first post re that 'delete' post was really just a heads up to you in a way intended to let everyone know about the 'preferred option' - and with any luck, it has maybe helped a few more become aware of the potential issue so that they too can do the right thing!

[glennm]

Now I can post something relevant. Pulled the rear wheel and took it off to have a new Hankook Kinergy tire fitted. They couldn't balance it but no biggie as it is on the rear (thanks Mike for the advice). Installed the rear wheel and tightened everything up. Spun the wheel a few times and wasn't 100% happy with the location of the belt so decided to make a minor adjustment then start the bike up while it was in the air. Went round to the right side (see I do read and learn from others) started Spydey up, into 1st then accelerated slightly and the instrument panel lit up like a christmas tree. WTH? Dopey here kept his foot on the brake! Result, brake failure and warnings everywhere along with the pretty much expected vss fault as the front wheels were stationary. Once I realised what I had done took a deep breath and remembered what others had said on here. Pull the key for a few minutes, take it for a ride and see if the warnings clear. Thankfully all good. Hopefully I will remember this when the rear tire next needs changing.