Undependable - when is a lemon a lemon

[lasermic]

I bought the wife a 2011 RT - SE-5 about three months ago. The bike has been in and out of the dealers service department three times. The only certified mechanic tells me that I caused the most recent issue - a loose ground. The throttle body was replaced and the bike ran great for three days. I went to move the bike and it put on a light show that even Lamonster had never seen. All the lights, blinkers and gauges went crazy - it was like the bike had become possessed. Called the mechanic - he tells me the battery died. He said that the sales guy should have insisted I buy a battery tender and that I just needed to charge the battery. I put it on the charger and went on vacation the next morning. Got home and tried the bike - same thing. Called the mechanic he told me that I caused the problem and that the warranty would not cover the repair. I tried to install a battery tender (where did I get that idea????) and when I attempted to attached the negative side of the harness the bolt spun and appeared stripped. This got my dandurf up and I called the owner who couldn't have cared less. He said it was all BRP and that they were just the middleman - he wished me luck. I have to pay to tow the bike to the dealer and probably pay for the repair. I would like to push the bike over a cliff and be done with it.

 

[Lamonster]

Lot's of people spin that ground bolt, it can be tightened if you wedge a flat screwdriver blade from under the bike and then tighten down the bolt.

I talked to the tech today about your problem and he says that's the sign of a dead battery, it's a relay going on and off. If the battery wasn't charging because of a bad ground then that is a problem. If you have a meter that will tell you the voltage it's putting out. It very well could be a bad battery, that happens. I would first fix your ground as described, hook it back up to the charger and after it's charged test your battery. If it's not holding a charge then you have a bad battery and it is covered and should be replaced by your dealer.

I wouldn't go so far as to call this a lemon just yet. nojoke

 

[Blue Star]

I wouldn't go so far as to call this a lemon just yet. nojoke

Sounds like the dealer is a lemon nojoke

 

[Lamonster]

:agree:

 

[ARtraveler]

Very good advice above. Suggest you follow what they say.

RE: Dealer is a lemon----:2thumbs::2thumbs::2thumbs::2thumbs::2thumbs::2thumbs::2thumbs::2thumbs:

I would find another one--if possible. That kind of customer service is not worthy of staying in business.

BRP should get a phone call or letter complaining about the dealer. Keep it to the facts--for best results.

 

[lasermic]

I have cooled off a little - I did the ground fix by stripping down the right side and holding a 10 m wrench - real tight now. It was only a tiny bit loose and only needed 1/2 - 3/4 turn to tighten up. I have it on the charger over night. more to come. (it is nice to know you guys are out there!)

 

[SpyderDen]

Lot's of people spin that ground bolt, it can be tightened if you wedge a flat screwdriver blade from under the bike and then tighten down the bolt.

I talked to the tech today about your problem and he says that's the sign of a dead battery, it's a relay going on and off. If the battery wasn't charging because of a bad ground then that is a problem. If you have a meter that will tell you the voltage it's putting out. It very well could be a bad battery, that happens. I would first fix your ground as described, hook it back up to the charger and after it's charged test your battery. If it's not holding a charge then you have a bad battery and it is covered and should be replaced by your dealer.

I wouldn't go so far as to call this a lemon just yet. nojoke

I agree Lamont. You run a great forum here and I personally appreciate all that you do. Coming from a 25 year plus of operating a Fortune 500 Franchise location ( In electonics,by the way where most don't take returns), I know that you can't "please all the people, all the time". I just have a hard time believing that a "Franchised" faciltiy doesn't have the skilled personel to at least tighten the battery connections. It's never caused me a probem, but shame on the dealers that put that burden on their customers. By the way, just bought my second 2011 RTS-SE5. And I'm a happy Spyder Ryder. See ya in Daytona!!

 

[Mr. White]

I have cooled off a little - I did the ground fix by stripping down the right side and holding a 10 m wrench - real tight now. It was only a tiny bit loose and only needed 1/2 - 3/4 turn to tighten up. I have it on the charger over night. more to come. (it is nice to know you guys are out there!)

Mike, I am sorry for your trouble....it is not necessary. However, you can get a pigtail that plugs into your battery tender and into your outlet in your trunk. I plug mine in when I get off BR1 and open my trunk to get my junk...plug him in until next time. JMHO

:spyder2:

 

[NancysToy]

Just for future reference...never loosen or try to attach anything to the jumper terminals under the seat! Always go to the actual battery terminals within the bodywork. In the case of the Spyder, the easy way out is not so easy. There are numerous threads on this forum referring to this issue.

 

[exwinger]

Question......why in the world do you need a battery tender on a brand new bike with a brand new battery ??? If the battery is being sufficiently charged by the alternator , you shouldn't have a problem unless there's a drain on the battery when the bike is shutoff. If you're running extra lights or something else you may be causing the problem by over pulling ( ? ) alternator output. First thing I'd do is have the alternator output checked. A loose ground will definitely cause the battery to not charge along with a myriad of other problems , the first and most important being a "hot" connection developing and causing a fire. Unless the bike is setting over an extended time especially in cold weather there shouldn't be a problem with the battery maintaining a charge....or if the battery is bad to start with. If I had any vehichle that needed a tender everytime I turned it off I'd be looking for the cause.

 

[exwinger]

Think I may have accidently posted this reply in someone elses thread here....sorry , didn't mean to put it there.......even though I can't find it now....LOL
Hopefully I didn't screww the whole page up.

My original reply...Today, 11:09 PM
exwinger

Question......why in the world do you need a battery tender on a brand new bike with a brand new battery ??? If the battery is being sufficiently charged by the alternator , you shouldn't have a problem unless there's a drain on the battery when the bike is shutoff. If you're running extra lights or something else you may be causing the problem by over pulling ( ? ) alternator output. First thing I'd do is have the alternator output checked. A loose ground will definitely cause the battery to not charge along with a myriad of other problems , the first and most important being a "hot" connection developing and causing a fire. Unless the bike is setting over an extended time especially in cold weather there shouldn't be a problem with the battery maintaining a charge....or if the battery is bad to start with. If I had any vehichle that needed a tender everytime I turned it off I'd be looking for the cause.

Also and not being sarcastic....a little loose is just as bad as the terminal being off.​

 

[daveinva]

Question......why in the world do you need a battery tender on a brand new bike with a brand new battery ???

You don't. Hence the harsh verdict on this dealer for (seemingly) trying to pass the buck.

I don't mind dealers going all tech support to start, i.e. "Is your computer plugged in? Is your computer power turned on?", but the simplest solutions are rapidly exhausted. When dealers come back a *second* time to tell the owner's still doing it all wrong, my patience wears thin. Hey pal, I'm dumb, I'm not stupid! :sour:

EDIT: Ha! exwinger really fooled me there :joke:

 

[JoanJenn]

WHEN IS A LEMON A LEMON

DON;T THINK MINE IS A LEMON BUT STILL SOME BUGS--- also was told need to put battery tender on when I am not riding and I wonder about this- seems the battery is not strong enough to carry the higher electrical drain on the RT's- after a 4-5 days without d=riding mone does not want to go and sometimes doesn;t. book said over a month of not using requires Tender-- why not put the correct size battery in it????

LOVE MY BIKE _____ JJ

 

[boborgera]

DON;T THINK MINE IS A LEMON BUT STILL SOME BUGS--- also was told need to put battery tender on when I am not riding and I wonder about this- seems the battery is not strong enough to carry the higher electrical drain on the RT's- after a 4-5 days without d=riding mone does not want to go and sometimes doesn;t. book said over a month of not using requires Tender-- why not put the correct size battery in it????

LOVE MY BIKE _____ JJ

If after only 5 days , The battery gos dead then You need a new battery.,
Or something ''NOT'' normal is draining it, Either way unless its fixed, One day it won't start at all ,tender or not.

 

[NancysToy]

DON;T THINK MINE IS A LEMON BUT STILL SOME BUGS--- also was told need to put battery tender on when I am not riding and I wonder about this- seems the battery is not strong enough to carry the higher electrical drain on the RT's- after a 4-5 days without d=riding mone does not want to go and sometimes doesn;t. book said over a month of not using requires Tender-- why not put the correct size battery in it????

LOVE MY BIKE _____ JJ

That is pure, plain baloney! The RT doesn't come with a Battery Tender because it doesn't require a battery tender for normal use. Your usage is minimal, but certainly within the realm of normal. The battery should hold a charge for a month or more in warm weather. The tech needs to remove or disconnect your battery, then charge it. If the disconnected battery holds a charge until morning, and passes a load test, then you have a short somewhere. These can be hard to track down...and a new wiring harness may be in order. If the battery doesn't hold or pass a load test, it needs to be repalced. If your technician is not capable of dealing with this, perhaps you need to visit another dealer. I hope Carlo contacts you, or you contact him. I'm sure this can be resolved.

 

[SteveMac]

:agree: 100%. Mine has sat now for almost a week (Im going stir crazy not being able to ride) but I digress. Mine has sat for about a week. Just went out, fired right up. If you are losing charge after five days, then you have a drain (short) or a bad battery.

That is pure, plain baloney! The RT doesn't come with a Battery Tender because it doesn't require a battery tender for normal use. Your usage is minimal, but certainly within the realm of normal. The battery should hold a charge for a month or more in warm weather. The tech needs to remove or disconnect your battery, then charge it. If the disconnected battery holds a charge until morning, and passes a load test, then you have a short somewhere. These can be hard to track down...and a new wiring harness may be in order. If the battery doesn't hold or pass a load test, it needs to be repalced. If your technician is not capable of dealing with this, perhaps you need to visit another dealer. I hope Carlo contacts you, or you contact him. I'm sure this can be resolved.

 

[lasermic]

I spoke to Carlos. He arranged for the parts (a second new throttle body and EMC) to be over nighted to the dealer. Even offered to pay to have it towed back to me?? I am ray: that we are now past most of the issues.

 

[SpydherLuv]

I had a very similar experience recently and it ended up being that the charging system cable had rubbed against the fuel tank and shorted out, causing the battery to not receive a charge. My dash lights lit up like a Xmas tree, I couldn't get it out of 2nd gear, and it wouldn't start. Make sure they test the charging system. My dealer replaced the charging system cable, charged and installed a new battery, and even paid the tow company for the extra charge for additional mileage. :2thumbs:
This happened about 2 weeks ago and my :spyder2: has been running great! :clap:
I hope you're able to get your :spyder2: fixed soon.

 

[Bob Denman]

I am ray: that we are now past most of the issues.

Glad to hear that the situation appears to be improving. :thumbup:
Battery Tenders are great for storage and completely unnecessary during the normal riding season. Any dealer who tries to tell you anything other than that has obviously got lots of Tenders that they're trying to sell to correct problems on bikes that they don't know how to service correctly. :gaah:

 

[ARtraveler]

If the battery tender is required to keep your Spyder starting up--I agree wilh all those who suggest you may have a bad battery or battery connection problems.

My RTS is going on two years service now. Three or four times this summer I left the RTS parked for 4 to 5 days at a time. I was riding my 2-wheeler instead.

Each time I went back to :spyder2: it started instantly and without hesitation. I did put battery tender on during winter (Oct-March) and when I fired it up in early March--instant starting with no hesitation.