Got a swerve maybe DPS on 2013 RT

[Magdave]

On my way home from my 600mi service I was on a 4 lane highway. I was in the right lane doing 60mph when all of a sudden my bike went left. I was able to regain control before going past the left lane as I throttled down and braked. I talked with my tech and he said it sounded like what used to happen with the older model DPS problems before the recall. Did any of you older guys ever have that happen before the fix? I hate to think what might have happened if I had been on a 2 lane road with on coming traffic. He said if it ever happens again to bring it in. I got no code when it occurred but it did make a certain body part pucker as I tried to turn right and it kept going left.

[Big Arm]

Don't wait for it to happen again....take it to the dealer and tell them to fit it !!!!

[Magdave]

Don't wait for it to happen again....take it to the dealer and tell them to fit it !!!!

Fix what? No codes not totally sure what happened I do not remember and big wind gusts. I will be impossible to replicate it was after a 150mi. ride that it happened and only lasted a few seconds. It felt like a tire going down is the best I can say.

[bruiser]

Sounds like a gremlin to me. I would keep an eye on it though. It does sound like what would happen with a DPS problem.

[Big Arm]

Fix what? .

Your DPS

[NancysToy]

I agree with your tech, if it happens again bring it in. There are several possible causes. The first would be wind gusts. Sometimes these go unnoticed but when passing a vehicle or a gap in the topography or trees, you suddenly get caught. Another cause would be road irregularities. Wallowed out lanes, potholes, and severe crowns can make for some tricky steeering. Both of these types of problems are greatly exaggerated by the suspension alingment. Inadequate toe-in can make a Spyder change lanes before you can react. I have experienced shoulder to shoulder excursions from merely approaching a semi. A correctly aligned vehicle does not react severely in these cases. Other than that, you could have steering sensor miscalibration or a failure. The sensors can be tested and calibrated by your tech as a precautioin, without any corresponding fault codes. Beyond that would be a problem with the DPS, similar to the earlier recall issues. What you described is exactly what they did. In that case replacement of the DPS would be in order. Finally, did you check your tire pressures?

Now that you are aware, be on the lookout, be ready to react, and get the Spyder to the dealer ASAP if it happens again.

[bobnaquin]

This sounds exactly like what happened to the early Spyders with the DPS problem. Ask me how I know. It is what got me off of #610. The original problem was that the DPS would intermittently quit. Then when you had to steer the operator would put input into the steering. When it would not respond the operator would put a LOT of input into the steering. Then the power steering would kick in and the bike would basically be over steered which seemed to make it jump. Scary. I would have it looked at very very soon.

Good luck

[Bob Denman]

You didn't mention road surface issues; was anything funky going on with the road itself?
Our roads are famous for the,lousy patch jobs...
You'll drop a wheel down into one; and they can really upset the bikes... My Elkas and RonBar have reduced the pucker factor by over 90 percent...

[Magdave]

I agree with your tech, if it happens again bring it in. There are several possible causes. The first would be wind gusts. Sometimes these go unnoticed but when passing a vehicle or a gap in the topography or trees, you suddenly get caught. Another cause would be road irregularities. Wallowed out lanes, potholes, and severe crowns can make for some tricky steeering. Both of these types of problems are greatly exaggerated by the suspension alingment. Inadequate toe-in can make a Spyder change lanes before you can react. I have experienced shoulder to shoulder excursions from merely approaching a semi. A correctly aligned vehicle does not react severely in these cases. Other than that, you could have steering sensor miscalibration or a failure. The sensors can be tested and calibrated by your tech as a precautioin, without any corresponding fault codes. Beyond that would be a problem with the DPS, similar to the earlier recall issues. What you described is exactly what they did. In that case replacement of the DPS would be in order. Finally, did you check your tire pressures?

Now that you are aware, be on the lookout, be ready to react, and get the Spyder to the dealer ASAP if it happens again.

Thanks Scotty None of the above other than possible wind gust. I have had many semis going the opposite way and never cause any movement like this. Bike ran flawlessly for 150mi doing 60+ mph in some sweepers and blind curves and tracked perfectly. Road was flat straight and well paved when it happened although I seem to remember an open field on my right when it occurred. Ever since I put Ron's sway bar on it has been easy to steer and control. Drove an additional 50mi. after the incident with no issues but you are right I am forewarned. I hate waiting for something bad to happen I was just finally getting to the point of appreciating it and relaxing after getting the last few kinks ironed out. I really hope it was a one time glitch. Coming from the Corvette world they had some issues with the steering position sensor that cause similar actions on the early C5 models. I really wish it had tossed a code.

[Bob Denman]

we can only bring up the codes for stuff tha't happening right at the moment...
Could this have been an intermittent issue? A quick trip to the BUDS tool at the dealership will pull up the codes for everything that has happened...

[Magdave]

we can only bring up the codes for stuff tha't happening right at the moment...
Could this have been an intermittent issue? A quick trip to the BUDS tool at the dealership will pull up the codes for everything that has happened...

Good thought I could get that checked at my seller 15min down the road. They might be good for something.

[NancysToy]

You only get a fault code if...

A - It can be sensed.
B - The processor is programmed to generate a fault under those conditions.

There are many things that will upset the apple cart but not leave a fault code behind.

[Magdave]

You only get a fault code if...

A - It can be sensed.
B - The processor is programmed to generate a fault under those conditions.

There are many things that will upset the apple cart but not leave a fault code behind.

Were the earlier DPS issues ever occurring without codes?

[NancysToy]

Were the earlier DPS issues ever occurring without codes?

They generally left no codes.

[Magdave]

They generally left no codes.

I just can't get a break. Oh well my wife says I am a very good worrier so I guess I got something to occupy my mind when I am riding.

[gottago]

On my way home from my 600mi service I was on a 4 lane highway. I was in the right lane doing 60mph when all of a sudden my bike went left. I was able to regain control before going past the left lane as I throttled down and braked. I talked with my tech and he said it sounded like what used to happen with the older model DPS problems before the recall. Did any of you older guys ever have that happen before the fix? I hate to think what might have happened if I had been on a 2 lane road with on coming traffic. He said if it ever happens again to bring it in. I got no code when it occurred but it did make a certain body part pucker as I tried to turn right and it kept going left.

Oh my, I had that very thing happen to me turning left onto an Onramp. I thought it was me but didn't have my right hand around the throttle and the thing kept going left when I told it go right. It only happened that ONE time but I watch it like a hawk. Hope dealer finds out why it did that. Good luck...Jim

[Knarfoh]

Fix what? No codes not totally sure what happened I do not remember and big wind gusts. I will be impossible to replicate it was after a 150mi. ride that it happened and only lasted a few seconds. It felt like a tire going down is the best I can say.

Leave sufficient documentation for your heirs so they can sue the dealer and manufacturer after your untimely demise.

Seriously, you posted here because you are concerned (I assume) but you ignore the soundest advice you are given, i.e. have it checked out.

If for no reason other then documentation that you considered the problem serious enough, i.e. life threatening, that you wanted it checked out.

If they give you a clean bill of health, so be it. But carefully write out the description of the problem and make sure they respond in writing what they found.

Then mail to me (as your surviving heir) so I can get that big pay day I deserve when you are traveling down that two-lane highway you mentioned.

P.S. Try to hit a bus (Greyhound, not school bus) or a construction vehicle so no one on the other side is injured.

GOOD LUCK!

[Magdave]

Leave sufficient documentation for your heirs so they can sue the dealer and manufacturer after your untimely demise.

Seriously, you posted here because you are concerned (I assume) but you ignore the soundest advice you are given, i.e. have it checked out.

If for no reason other then documentation that you considered the problem serious enough, i.e. life threatening, that you wanted it checked out.

If they give you a clean bill of health, so be it. But carefully write out the description of the problem and make sure they respond in writing what they found.

Then mail to me (as your surviving heir) so I can get that big pay day I deserve when you are traveling down that two-lane highway you mentioned.

P.S. Try to hit a bus (Greyhound, not school bus) or a construction vehicle so no one on the other side is injured.

GOOD LUCK!

Gee thanks for the well wishes. I know it will not be repeatable I have 982 miles on it and it did it once. If it happens again it will be random. I have already talked to my tech( told me like a prostate cancer Dr. "watchful waiting") and my wife knows about it she was following me when it happened. She thought I was just changing lanes and that was about how gradual it was at 60 mph till I got it going straight again. Sorry Charlie she is in the will and 11 yrs younger than me.

[Bob Denman]

Dave,
If your MIssus says that you're a good worrier; worry about what all of the worrying is doing to your blood pressure...
Get it checked, ride the bike, and have some fun!

[Capt John]

My GS/RS did it twice on 1 road trip long before the DPS recall. I pulled over and checked my relays and found I had a bad one. I didn't have a spare with me, so I swapped it with the headlight relay. I've never had it happen to me again, but I did notice my relays were all loose and not seated properly. I've since added more foam to the relay cover to keep them in place. I keep spare relays with me now.

[bobnaquin]

Gee thanks for the well wishes. I know it will not be repeatable I have 982 miles on it and it did it once. If it happens again it will be random. I have already talked to my tech( told me like a prostate cancer Dr. "watchful waiting") and my wife knows about it she was following me when it happened. She thought I was just changing lanes and that was about how gradual it was at 60 mph till I got it going straight again. Sorry Charlie she is in the will and 11 yrs younger than me.

Get it checked out. If it is the DPS problem it may not repeat for another 10,000 miles. That does not make the bike safe to ride. It can kill you and at the least it will scare the heck out of you.

I went through 3 DPS units on #610 in 45,000 miles. Eventually I had enough. I reported it to NHSTA, and sold the bike. Three months later I got the recall notice that BRP were changing out all of the DPS units on all of the produced bikes, about 15,000 then, as they had found the culprit. The description of the fault had something to do with dis-similar metals wearing a detent in the rotating power steering plate which pretty much made sense to me. Others here can give you the engineer version of what went wrong.

I have since bought another early RS, #104, it has had the DPS recall done and has behaved flawlessly for 17,000 miles. So maybe they got it right.

Get it checked out. I truly believe that early on a couple of people killed themselves because of this but it was attributed to operator error, bike design, yada yada yada. I suspect we will never know.

Good Luck.

[grumpybob]

Had that happen on my '09 after the DPS upgrade. No codes. Took it in to the dealer right away. Turned out to be corroded connectors. Had nothing to do with the DPS just the electrical connections. Cleaned the connectors di-electric grease and never happened again. Might be something to check out. I did ride in some very heavy rainstorms prior to my problem.

[Magdave]

FYI went to the dealer he took me into his Fortress of Solitude and let me watch him using BUDS. Geeze it looks like a Windows 3.0 program no wonder they don't want anyone to see it. Any way no codes, calibration is dead nuts on and everything looks OK. I even got him to take the fender light wiring braces off of their Demo and put them on mine. They fired the guy who put mine together that explains a lot about all the small stuff I have had to fix.

[Bob Denman]

Chalk it up to your computerized systems having a mean sense of humor then!
(That's how I'm taking this past Saturday's code-throwing rant... )

[Catniption]

I have a "check DPS" message that popped up last weekend and the check engine light is on. I rode it to an appointment, it was fine, got back on after an hour, got the message and light. It seemed to run same as usual, but I've had a hesitation and lurching issue for a while now. Steering was slightly stiff, but not bad.

So when was this recall? I have an '09 but don't remember getting a notice, although I purchased it in late '10. I wonder if it got fixed in the first place.

As the local dealership was not far away, I went there, but they only have one tech for Spyders and wouldn't even look at it. They told me it would be fine to ride the 30 miles home and to bring it back. I got home and called East Tennessee.