• There were many reasons for the change of the site software, the biggest was security. The age of the old software also meant no server updates for certain programs. There are many benefits to the new software, one of the biggest is the mobile functionality. Ill fix up some stuff in the coming days, we'll also try to get some of the old addons back or the data imported back into the site like the garage. To create a thread or to reply with a post is basically the same as it was in the prior software. The default style of the site is light colored, but i temporarily added a darker colored style, to change you can find a link at the bottom of the site.

Parking brake light comes on & brakes lock up - UPDATE!

Bob Denman said:
First: there's an interlock that prevents the parking brake from applying at speeds above 6 mph...
Click to expand...

Exactly how is that "interlock" supposed to work ?

It prevents the brake from applying above 6 MPH... via the "normal" mechanism, right - like pushing the park button??

It would be pretty hard to design a safety interlock for all possible system failures.
 
Reading this sure makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Hope your dad recovers alright, and will he ever feel safe to drive a Spyder again?
 
This thread is SCARING ME! Our Spyder is mainly for my wife, who, at 4 foot 11, is not exactly bullet proof... If the brakes lock and she gets thrown off, OMG! That would be terrible! I would be talking to a lawyer at that point... Yikes!
 
Bob Denman said:
In spite of the histrionics: you can relax. The Sky isn't falling.
Click to expand...

Maybe it IS.

There are a LOT of reports of parking brake failure.
Just read back through ALL of the posts in this thread.

A friend of mine had his fail and then lock up on him.
Thankfully he was going real slow at the time.

Some speculation here but I think the good news is that we haven't heard of any lock-ups just out of the blue.
So the lesson is, once your parking brake fails, do NOT ride it until it is fixed.
And - do not accept "We can't find anything wrong" from the dealer!
 
Last edited:
If your Spyder isn't making you happy when you ride it: cut your losses, and sell it.
Nobody should ride a bike that they don't trust... nojoke
 
Reminds me of the old line from many Harley dealers..."They all do that!" I will park the RT and get it towed if the parking brake starts giving me headaches... Until then, we will ride without fear, cause I am sure they do NOT all do that!
 
Question, this thread is under Spyder RT Touring! Why isn’t it under Spyder general so everybody sees it! I’m sure it’s not an RT only problem.
 
Popgun,
Didn't you post on Facebook about this same incident? I thought you said he had problems with the brake not releasing, so he disconnected the cable at the parking brake so he could get it to the dealer? If the brake cable had been disconnected, how did the bike lock the parking brake?

There have been a number of failures of the electric parking brake control, but your is the first I have heard causing the brake to lock up while riding. Just FYI, locking up the parking brake does not effect steering and should not have you off in a ditch, just slowing down pretty darn quick. I've done this before. If the bike jerked to one side on brake lock up, it was more likely one of the front brakes that locked, not the parking brake. Entirely different problem.

I am glad your dad is going to be ok, just would like to figure out what really happened mechanically here for future prevention.
 
Last edited:
Having originated this thread back in July 2017, I posted an update in Oct 2017 that read .....

......."Trouble ticket says -- 1) replaced gear motor, 2) replaced parking brake module.

P0571, P1571, HBS switch fault and HBS switch deactivation fault respectively.
Good continuity between pin 1 & 3, closed and open. Good continuity between grn/wh wire and cluster.

Hope this may be of help to any on the forum.

Dealer tech wasn't able to duplicate the fault but a case # was created anyway."

Quite a few thousand of miles later and I've not had this problem reappear.
Jus' sayin'
 
Parking brake self applied at 50 mph twice

I am serious. Without warning or cause my 2020 Spyder RTL parking brake applied itself while I and my wife were riding at 50mph. The smell of burning brakes was obvious. I was able to pull over but WOW this is scary. I will call Can Am tomorrow.
 
On my 2018 RT, the Parking/E brake started locking up and not releasing. The last time, I could not make it release under any circumstances. Got a 12 mm wrench, removed the brake cable, and I was able to drive it home.
I lubricated the cable and it worked again a couple of times correctly, but today it locked up again in front of my driveway, and I had to remove the cable again. I saw on-line that there is a Technical Bulletin on 2018 Spyders for this issue. I will call the dealer tomorrow since they installed a new rear tire last week, but I don't think this has anything to do with the work they've done.
 
Update of the Parking Brake Issue
Today I visited the RIDENOW Powersports Dealerships (2) in our area of Central Texas to get more info on the cost of repairing the issue with the Stuck Parking Brake on my 2019 CanAm Spyder RT.
First, the Spyder is out of Warranty so you are on your own for anything even the diagnostic ($250) to tell me that it is broken and that is a common issue on Spyders. (I already know that from all the comments and videos posted online and Youtube.)
Second, If I decide to fix it, the basic parts and labor costs are as follows:
Electronic Control Panel, the part that goes in the left handlebar that turns signals, start and stop, radio tuning, windshield control, turn signal, etc It is all one unit the price is $661 plus $440 labor. (And, it takes two weeks to get the parts and install them.) and the next available appointment is 2 weeks from now.
If the problem is the electric motor that engages and releases the parking brake cable then, the Cost is $225 for the motor and $277 for labor.
He mentioned that the Most likely scenario is that both parts have to be replaced for a reasonable price of $1623.00 plus taxes and shop use charges (Whatever that is).
I decided to keep driving it with a handy piece of wood in the trunk to use as a chock for the rear wheel and try to park on flat surfaces only.
It works!
Lesson learned: Spyders are Expensive to maintain running!
Just two weeks ago the dealer Replaced the rear tire and did Oil Change was a mere $653.09
 
Oldtimer51 said:
Update of the Parking Brake Issue
Today I visited the RIDENOW Powersports Dealerships (2) in our area of Central Texas to get more info on the cost of repairing the issue with the Stuck Parking Brake on my 2019 CanAm Spyder RT.
First, the Spyder is out of Warranty so you are on your own for anything even the diagnostic ($250) to tell me that it is broken and that is a common issue on Spyders. (I already know that from all the comments and videos posted online and Youtube.)
Second, If I decide to fix it, the basic parts and labor costs are as follows:
Electronic Control Panel, the part that goes in the left handlebar that turns signals, start and stop, radio tuning, windshield control, turn signal, etc It is all one unit the price is $661 plus $440 labor. (And, it takes two weeks to get the parts and install them.) and the next available appointment is 2 weeks from now.
If the problem is the electric motor that engages and releases the parking brake cable then, the Cost is $225 for the motor and $277 for labor.
He mentioned that the Most likely scenario is that both parts have to be replaced for a reasonable price of $1623.00 plus taxes and shop use charges (Whatever that is).
I decided to keep driving it with a handy piece of wood in the trunk to use as a chock for the rear wheel and try to park on flat surfaces only.
It works!
Lesson learned: Spyders are Expensive to maintain running!
Just two weeks ago the dealer Replaced the rear tire and did Oil Change was a mere $653.09
Click to expand...
You ned a new dealer. My 2018 started having issues with the parking brake not releasing. I played with it and it would work for a while and then would not release. I finally took it in and they diagnosed the issue. The left handlebar switch assembly was the culprit. I got a call today that it is fixed. Total bill for parts and labor under $800. Not cheap, but a lot less than your dealer's quote. Mine is a 2018 F3L and this is the first issue I have had with the Spyder. That comes out to less than $150 a year, which I don't think is too bad.
 
Oldtimer51 said:
Update of the Parking Brake Issue
Today I visited the RIDENOW Powersports Dealerships (2) in our area of Central Texas to get more info on the cost of repairing the issue with the Stuck Parking Brake on my 2019 CanAm Spyder RT.
First, the Spyder is out of Warranty so you are on your own for anything even the diagnostic ($250) to tell me that it is broken and that is a common issue on Spyders. (I already know that from all the comments and videos posted online and Youtube.)
Second, If I decide to fix it, the basic parts and labor costs are as follows:
Electronic Control Panel, the part that goes in the left handlebar that turns signals, start and stop, radio tuning, windshield control, turn signal, etc It is all one unit the price is $661 plus $440 labor. (And, it takes two weeks to get the parts and install them.) and the next available appointment is 2 weeks from now.
If the problem is the electric motor that engages and releases the parking brake cable then, the Cost is $225 for the motor and $277 for labor.
He mentioned that the Most likely scenario is that both parts have to be replaced for a reasonable price of $1623.00 plus taxes and shop use charges (Whatever that is).
I decided to keep driving it with a handy piece of wood in the trunk to use as a chock for the rear wheel and try to park on flat surfaces only.
It works!
Lesson learned: Spyders are Expensive to maintain running!
Just two weeks ago the dealer Replaced the rear tire and did Oil Change was a mere $653.09
Click to expand...
I think if it was me, I would get a copy of that bulletin and read it well, then maybe find a shop that doesn't want to bend you over! From what you're saying, it sounds like a switch problem and you're saying they want to change out the motor and switch! Smells like fish to me! Maybe they just want to get you prepared for the worst case!! Who knows, good luck anyway!! I find it hard to believe that the switch for that brake isn't a separate part in that block that can't be taken out and replaced!
 
UPDATE. Dealer replaced the left handlebar control to fix the parking brake issue mentioned earlier. After all was done, guess what? It still didn't work right. So no charge for the almost $800 ticket, but the Spyder is still not fixed. And still got a new switch. Talked to the service manager and they are going to re-diagnose what it can be, get it fixed, and then deliver it to me (over 100 miles from dealership). Bummer that they didn't succeed the first time, but sure can't complain about how they are handling it. Incidentally this is RideNow in Peoria, AZ

UPDATE: Turns out there were 2 problems. Switch was bad, but they also found a bad connector on the parking brake motor. They fixed that and tested it several times. They want to keep it a few more days, so they are absolutely sure that it is fixed. They decided to give me a discount of 50% on the ticket and still deliver once they are done testing it.
 
Last edited:
When I disconnected the parking brake cable to get home when it happened the first time, I cycled the switch and could tell the motor was working, so don't think that is the problem, but who knows.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
2024 RTL vs. 2020 RTL
Replies
3
Views
370
racoon
racoon
A
Parking Brake Light Will Not Turn Off - Parking brake works! Any ideas?
Replies
18
Views
2K
Fulcher1
F
E
Do other Short people have an issue reaching the 2025 RT Sea to Sky brake pedal?! What are others like me doing?
Replies
19
Views
957
Peteoz
Peteoz
2
2011 Spyder with warning light - BRAKE FAILURE - any ideas on how to fix this?
Replies
4
Views
521
Bfromla
Bfromla
R
Where can I get a 2010 RT parking brake cable? Any other options?
Replies
17
Views
1K
Mikey
Mikey
Back
Top