Spring riding problems ???

[fjrlover]

We have a 2012 RSS , got it out of winter storage today . This one has the manual parking brake . The brake won't lock , supposed to put some weight on it and the pedal will lock down , push down again to release. Went for a short run anyway and the "check transmission " fault came up on the screen . Then "check engine' fault came up. shut it down and pulled the key to clear the code , started driving again and 5 minutes later check engine light came back . Could the issue with the parking brake and "check Transmission " fault be related ? What is the proper sequence the find trouble codes if any with this Spyder 2012 RSS ? THKS If i disconnect the positive battery terminal will that clear the codes?

[Mikey]

Check oil level, and have the battery load tested!! Good luck!

[fjrlover]

oil level is good , engine cranks over good , don't think its a battery issue

[Mikey]

Ok, all I know is there are a lot of people on here chasing there tails with electrical issues that have found that there battery was not up to stuff! These bikes are very finicky about there power needs! It's a easy check then you can take that off the table. Good luck hope you find it!

[PhilY]

If it is an SE5, do a search of the Forum for error code P0826. Many with similar problems have found the paddle shifter is the issue. FWIW, I'm dealing with the same problem. Downshifts fine but upshifts are iffy, with a Check Trans/Check Engine warning.

[fjrlover]

Thanks Mikey
I checked voltage using a meter , showed me 12.3 volts . I have a newer digital battery charger so i hooked that up and it showed the same voltage , the meter can also measure the battery in percentage , when i switched to %% it showed me that the battery was at 50% ?????? Don't know it can show 12.3 volts and only be at 50% ??? Charged the battery to 100% and took it for a run . Five minutes into the run the fault came up "CHECK TRANSMISSION" stopped and pulled the key to clear the code . Then we rode 100 to 150 Kilometers after that with no problems . Looks like problem solved , fingers crossed Thanks again

[Peter Aawen]

On these things, just like on most modern computer controlled engines & vehicles, 12 volts in a battery for all intents and purposes means that battery is FLAT, while anything over 12.8v showing on a rested battery is considered 'Fully Charged', altho if it's just been taken off the charger in the last 10-20 mins or sso, it should show something closer to 13.8v to be considered fully charged!! So your digital gauge/meter/whatever showing 12.3 volts as being just 50% State of Charge is pretty close to right.

That initial '100% charge' before your ryde probably wasn't much more than a 'Surface Charge', resulting in the Check Transmission warning you got not too much later, but the longer run after that should've been spot on for giving your battery a 'proper' deep & closer to truly 'full charge'....

So with any luck, that will be the solution for now - but you need to consider what caused the initial poor state of charge that kicked all this off in the first place! If your battery is the original from 2012, then it's well past time to replace it - now that you've had one 'flat battery incident, you'll probably have more on an increasingly frequent basis until you do! However, if your battery is relatively new, you might want to get your battery tender/maintainer checked & replaced if necessary; put your battery on a good quality 'smart charger' for about 24 hours or so every couple of weeks; &/or ryde it for 30-60 plus minutes at Hwy speeds once every week or two - keeping a battery on a tender whenever it's not in use can easily hide a failing battery such that it'll start fine when you leave home, but unless you give it that 30 plus minutes of solid ryding before stopping it again, you'll be risking the battery depleted by that first start not being charged up enough to kick it over again, leaveing you stranded maybe 30 mins away from home!

Proper 'Smart Chargers' with both Maintain & Condition cycles in their charging program are better than the old style 'trickle chargers' and many newer 'non-smart' battery chargers &/or tenders too; but none of those should really be left connected to your battery ALL the time, altho doing that might keep the battery charged & useful for a while, especially during a short winter lay-over. The best thing you can do for the longest life of your battery is give it a good ryde of 30-60 mins or so at open road/Hwy speeds once every week or two... hard if you live in snow country I know, but if you can't do that, then you should probably start thinking of replacing your battery every third or fourth year unless you like contending with battery failures that can 'apparently' happen out of the blue, even if your Spyder started fine & was running OK right up until it just didn't any more! Even just turning a corner might cause the DPS to suck enough juice to cause the computers to shut down - and once that happens, good luck trying to start it again without a jump box or help!

[fjrlover]

On these things, just like on most modern computer controlled engines & vehicles, 12 volts in a battery for all intents and purposes means that battery is FLAT, while anything over 12.8v showing on a rested battery is considered 'Fully Charged', altho if it's just been taken off the charger in the last 10-20 mins or sso, it should show something closer to 13.8v to be considered fully charged!! So your digital gauge/meter/whatever showing 12.3 volts as being just 50% State of Charge is pretty close to right.

That initial '100% charge' before your ryde probably wasn't much more than a 'Surface Charge', resulting in the Check Transmission warning you got not too much later, but the longer run after that should've been spot on for giving your battery a 'proper' deep & closer to truly 'full charge'....

So with any luck, that will be the solution for now - but you need to consider what caused the initial poor state of charge that kicked all this off in the first place! If your battery is the original from 2012, then it's well past time to replace it - now that you've had one 'flat battery incident, you'll probably have more on an increasingly frequent basis until you do! However, if your battery is relatively new, you might want to get your battery tender/maintainer checked & replaced if necessary; put your battery on a good quality 'smart charger' for about 24 hours or so every couple of weeks; &/or ryde it for 30-60 plus minutes at Hwy speeds once every week or two - keeping a battery on a tender whenever it's not in use can easily hide a failing battery such that it'll start fine when you leave home, but unless you give it that 30 plus minutes of solid ryding before stopping it again, you'll be risking the battery depleted by that first start not being charged up enough to kick it over again, leaveing you stranded maybe 30 mins away from home!

Proper 'Smart Chargers' with both Maintain & Condition cycles in their charging program are better than the old style 'trickle chargers' and many newer 'non-smart' battery chargers &/or tenders too; but none of those should really be left connected to your battery ALL the time, altho doing that might keep the battery charged & useful for a while, especially during a short winter lay-over. The best thing you can do for the longest life of your battery is give it a good ryde of 30-60 mins or so at open road/Hwy speeds once every week or two... hard if you live in snow country I know, but if you can't do that, then you should probably start thinking of replacing your battery every third or fourth year unless you like contending with battery failures that can 'apparently' happen out of the blue, even if your Spyder started fine & was running OK right up until it just didn't any more! Even just turning a corner might cause the DPS to suck enough juice to cause the computers to shut down - and once that happens, good luck trying to start it again without a jump box or help!

Good Advice
Thank You

[Mikey]

Good Advice
Thank You

Glad you brought that up Peter, he didn't want to take my advise. Glad you got him to look at it!

[fjrlover]

Glad you brought that up Peter, he didn't want to take my advise. Glad you got him to look at it!

But i did take your advice and i helped solve my issue