Another stall in start/stop traffic

[wd5gnr]

I don't think I posted it here, but my ride home from the dealer, I was in rush hour traffic and my new 2013 RT-S just died. Well, having all of 15 minutes experience, I didn't realize that I could not shift to N with the engine not running. I also THOUGHT I had the brake down when starting in 1st, but I think now I did not (or I had hit the kill switch in my panic and then forgot) because eventually it did start and I think it was just the foot on the brake that got it going. I know now, of course, that I can't shift with it not running (SE5 tranny) and that if I am not in N I have to hold the break. OK.

Tonight it happened again. Same kind of conditions -- start/stop/start/stop/start/stop -- very hot day in Galveston. Both time no codes, no lights (well the oil light once the engine dies because the oil pump stops, but that's normal and goes away when you do crank it over). Both times it seemed to have trouble going to N later (although it would go).

So this leads to a few questions:

1) This can't be normal. Makes you nervous to be in traffic. Any ideas? The thing has 300 miles on it, so it should not be fuel filter or anything like that unless it is an anomaly. The dealer told me it had all the service done on it, but I doubt he actually knew that. Is there any service bulletin/recalls/new firmware version that might help?

2) If you were to get stuck in first gear, how would you move or tow the *$(*#$ thing? I thought I read somewhere there was a way to take a wrench under it and force it to neutral. But I can't find any details. If you are stuck in the road and can't get started, you'd really want to shift to N.

Any ideas?

[kinggeek]

Is the Spyder brand new? Mine did this a 2-3 times in the first month. Has not happened since. I THINK heard something about something in the gas tank during manufacturing burns off and causes this on new units or possibly gear calibration not done correctly on an SE5. Can't be sure on any of it its been 2.5 years since mine did it.

[wd5gnr]

Yes brand new. I, too, have heard it mysteriously goes away. The first time I thought it might be operator error, but I've put about 300 miles on and I am pretty comfortable now and I'm 99% sure I didn't do anything I don't realize. Now, maybe I'm doing something on purpose that I ought not to and just don't know better. But I'm not like, say, hitting the kill switch by mistake or anything like that.

[SpyderAnn01]

If it continues have your dealer check your purge valve. My 2013 developed this problem at around 10000 miles (it did not do it when brand new) it ran rough, won't idle and will stall at random times. It was the purge valve.

[wd5gnr]

It does seem very rough at low RPM. I try hard to get to 5000 turns in first but it always sounds awful. Ditto for 2nd to a lesser degree. I've gotten pretty good about holding 3rd and 4th to higher shift points though. I'm trying to get more consistent on the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts. My wife commented tonight she thought I was shifting to late (but I keep telling her everything I can find says to push it into the 5000+ range before shift).

The stalls only seem to happen in very hot weather when you are just starting and stopping over and over again.

[54spyder]

It does seem very rough at low RPM. I try hard to get to 5000 turns in first but it always sounds awful. Ditto for 2nd to a lesser degree. I've gotten pretty good about holding 3rd and 4th to higher shift points though. I'm trying to get more consistent on the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts. My wife commented tonight she thought I was shifting to late (but I keep telling her everything I can find says to push it into the 5000+ range before shift).

The stalls only seem to happen in very hot weather when you are just starting and stopping over and over again.

Our 2013ST did the same thing until we hit around 300 miles. We have almost 1600 miles on it now and have not had any problems since. The stalling has mysteriously disappeared.

[Ex-Rocket]

I have a 2012 RTS SE5 and mine did it for the first 700 miles or so. Very aggravating to say the least. Now have almost 2500 miles and hasn't done it since about the 700 mile mark. Like most 's the problem will probably just disappear. But if it persists a visit to the dealer is in order.

[Bob Denman]

I hate to say, "Live with it.", but it allmost seems to be a pecularity to the new bikes; if you can give it 1000 miles; it might just stop on it's owm...
Mine did the same thing for a couple of hundred miles, and then it cleared it's throat and has behaved ever since...

[Steve Barnes]

The first two days of ownership I experienced the same problem on my '13 RT-S SE5. Has been fine since. I have 1600 miles on it now.

[Bob Denman]

Steve,

(I see that they didn't let you pick a "cute" screen name either! )