Battery Dead, seat not opening - does it need power to open?

[sledge]

First thing, I have been sick for 9 months, Prostate Cancer, and my 2011 Spyder RTS has been sitting in my Garage the whole time. It was running fine when I started Cancer Treatments in Oct. of 2023, then about 2 months ago I went to the Garage and started the Spyder. It started fine, seemed ok, except the Check Eng. light was blinking in the Dash. I turned it off and never started it for another couple weeks. Then when I was gonna start it again, everything was dead... nothing comes on in the dash, soooo Dead Battery. BUT, I was gonna raise the seat and check the Battery and couldn't get the seat to release. Does the bike have to have power to open the seat??

 

[DGoebel]

No, the seat release on an '11 is a cable from the ignition switch to the seat release. Sometimes it's a push down on the seat while turning the key (pushing the key into the switch, then turning) to the seat release side, then the seat will release and you can lift it. That cable may need lubing, the seat release may need lubing and or adjusting to make it easier in the future.

 

[sledge]

No, the seat release on an '11 is a cable from the ignition switch to the seat release. Sometimes it's a push down on the seat while turning the key (pushing the key into the switch, then turning) to the seat release side, then the seat will release and you can lift it. That cable may need lubing, the seat release may need lubing and or adjusting to make it easier in the future.

OK........ thanks a bunch

 

[PMK]

Sledge, fingers crossed your health is doing well.

As for a battery, realize earlier Spyder with the V Twin do not utilize and alternator type charging system. That said, it seems the charging system struggles to keep a lithium battery up. Probably best to stick with a conventional lead battery if you need replacement.

A quick call to Lamonster Garage can verify if my words are in error. Simply mentioning it, as I have seen many posts from non-alternator type charging system owners, mentioning the lithium came up short.

 

[sledge]

Thank you about my health, and well, I never had any problems with my Spyder until it sat in my Garage for 7 or 8 months. Now I think I'm going to sell it, but I am going to have to get it fixed or I couldn't get much out of it, I think. I tried to get the Seat up with no luck. I am a retired Mechanic ... not a Spyder Mechanic. But enough to do most anything to most anything. I'm gonna see if I can get the side panels off with the seat down enough to see what the problem is. But problem is since all the Treatments I have a hard time putting in much work, just very short time. But I'm tinkering on it. lol........ Thank you guys very much.

OK ...... I was out in the Garage a few minutes, there is NO WAY to even get the side panels off with the Seat Down, there are some screws under the seat. I guess I need to think about this some and get this Seat Up. LOL. I worked in a VW dealership in 1969, and a Fiat dealership in 1976... and then I worked on every kind of 18-wheeler in 3 different shops for about 15 years and I learned there is Always a Way, no matter what the question! LOL

 

[Navydad]

Can't help with the seat, but good luck with your health adventure. I had surgery in 18 and a year later I took radiation treatments. I did well until the last week of the treatments and the fatigue set in. I was a month recovering but today I am healthy and ornery with good numbers at my recent check up. I wish you the best.

 

[sledge]

Can't help with the seat, but good luck with your health adventure. I had surgery in 18 and a year later I took radiation treatments. I did well until the last week of the treatments and the fatigue set in. I was a month recovering but today I am healthy and ornery with good numbers at my recent check up. I wish you the best.

Thank you Navydad, so much. Well, as I'm sure you know, they want our Numbers to be below 4; and in Sept of 2023 my numbers were at 8.7! Yeah, I did a Radiation Treatment every day from 10-17-23 until 11-13-23 and on 12-20-23 my numbers were 3.5! I have not been checked since; but I have been sick in 1 way or another ever since the first week of Treatments. I lost 20 lbs in the first 7 days of Treatments, and a few more every week after. I couldn't keep down even Water most of the whole time. The Treatment was Nothing, but man, them Side Effects was something else! I wouldn't wish that on Anyone, and I Hope nobody else ever gets it... But we know that's not gonna happen! But thank you for your service and for your kind words sir. :lecturef_smilie:

 

[Peter Aawen]

So sorry to hear about what you've been going thru sledge, but I do hope that the treatment has been successful and that you're now on the 'Up and getting past it all' stage! Not that it ever really fully 'goes away' once you've been hit with this sorta stuff, but I do hope that at least you'll be able to get back to some semblance of your previous life & can enjoy things again. :thumbup:

As for your seat, check out the pics below. With any luck, you can see how the latch activation arm, where the cable attaches, needs to be moved/pulled toward the front of the Spyder to release the seat locking pin. If they don't already have an 'emergency release cable' fitted, some have managed to (after padding both the tupperware & the seat to avoid doing any damage!) snake a piece of stiff wire with a hook bent into the end of it up into that area and then been able to hook onto the lever arm to pull it forwards, doing that while pressing down on the seat pad to make it easier to release... . IIRC, the piece of wire needs to go up from the bottom edge of the seat just behind the join in those two panels you can see in the 'closed seat' pic, then once you can feel that the wire's reached up as far as the lever arm (it won't go much further due to the frame/main spar) it needs to turn & pull down to hook onto the lever arm, then pull forwards. It's usually frustrating as all **** to get the bend & hook in the wire juuuust right first, then even more f****** frustrating to hook the lever, but it can and has been done by a fair few! hyea:

However, I suspect that cos it hasn't been used for a while, your seat release mechanism &/or the latch/lever itself have just dried out and jammed onto the seat locking pin; so before you go quite as far as the frustrating bent piece thing, what do you feel on the key when you press down/in on it before you turn it clockwise to release the seat (instead of anti-clockwise to release the frunk )?? Does it feel as tho there's still any resistance or pull on the cable?? If it's still doing that, instead of just turning freely without ANY resistance from the cable (indicating the cable or one of its ends are likely broken), then the cable is probably still connected and working, just not far enough/hard enough to move the lever arm enough to release the seat locking pin, and in THAT case, you might want to try spraying something like contact cleaner, brake kleen, or maybe even WD40 into the latch area under the seat in the hope of cleaning/lubing the release lever & latch enough to let it work, but even if it does work to free up the release mechanism, you'll still have the potential of a jammed/stuck seat locking pin in or to the latch! So you'll very likely need some fairly significant downwards pressure on the seat above the latch area in order to let it release as you activate/turn the key, then once you have turned and while still holding the key turned, pull upwards on the seat edge nearest the latch.

And once you DO get it open, lube it well; but also fit up an emergency release cable before you close it again! :lecturef_smilie: I reckon there's a few albums showing this, and quite a few threads/posts discussing how to do it on the Forum. :thumbup:

Good Luck, and Good Health too! :2thumbs:

 

[happyspyder2039]

Just checking. Are you sure that you’re pushing the key down and turning the correct way while turn the key.

 

[sledge]

So sorry to hear about what you've been going thru sledge, but I do hope that the treatment has been successful and that you're now on the 'Up and getting past it all' stage! Not that it ever really fully 'goes away' once you've been hit with this sorta stuff, but I do hope that at least you'll be able to get back to some semblance of your previous life & can enjoy things again. :thumbup:

As for your seat, check out the pics below. With any luck, you can see how the latch activation arm, where the cable attaches, needs to be moved/pulled toward the front of the Spyder to release the seat locking pin. If they don't already have an 'emergency release cable' fitted, some have managed to (after padding both the tupperware & the seat to avoid doing any damage!) snake a piece of stiff wire with a hook bent into the end of it up into that area and then been able to hook onto the lever arm to pull it forwards, doing that while pressing down on the seat pad to make it easier to release... . IIRC, the piece of wire needs to go up from the bottom edge of the seat just behind the join in those two panels you can see in the 'closed seat' pic, then once you can feel that the wire's reached up as far as the lever arm (it won't go much further due to the frame/main spar) it needs to turn & pull down to hook onto the lever arm, then pull forwards. It's usually frustrating as all **** to get the bend & hook in the wire juuuust right first, then even more f****** frustrating to hook the lever, but it can and has been done by a fair few! hyea:

However, I suspect that cos it hasn't been used for a while, your seat release mechanism &/or the latch/lever itself have just dried out and jammed onto the seat locking pin; so before you go quite as far as the frustrating bent piece thing, what do you feel on the key when you press down/in on it before you turn it clockwise to release the seat (instead of anti-clockwise to release the frunk )?? Does it feel as tho there's still any resistance or pull on the cable?? If it's still doing that, instead of just turning freely without ANY resistance from the cable (indicating the cable or one of its ends are likely broken), then the cable is probably still connected and working, just not far enough/hard enough to move the lever arm enough to release the seat locking pin, and in THAT case, you might want to try spraying something like contact cleaner, brake kleen, or maybe even WD40 into the latch area under the seat in the hope of cleaning/lubing the release lever & latch enough to let it work, but even if it does work to free up the release mechanism, you'll still have the potential of a jammed/stuck seat locking pin in or to the latch! So you'll very likely need some fairly significant downwards pressure on the seat above the latch area in order to let it release as you activate/turn the key, then once you have turned and while still holding the key turned, pull upwards on the seat edge nearest the latch.

And once you DO get it open, lube it well; but also fit up an emergency release cable before you close it again! :lecturef_smilie: I reckon there's a few albums showing this, and quite a few threads/posts discussing how to do it on the Forum. :thumbup:

Good Luck, and Good Health too! :2thumbs:

Thank you so much, and yeah, I'm doing the best I can. What is meant to be will be ... and thank you for the pictures, I saved them. And I've been sitting here bending the Clothes Hanger wire... I'll let everyone know, maybe tomorrow night... Thank you to all you fine folks. :2thumbs:

 

[sledge]

Just checking. Are you sure that you’re pushing the key down and turning the correct way while turn the key.

yeah........ I have rode this Bike for 2 summers , I guess the cable is just stuck ..... but thank you for the help . :lecturef_smilie:

 

[Tango]

Sledge sorry to hear what you went through. Hope it all turns out good for you. Doctor scared the crap out of me just doing all the testing. Finally he referred me to the "MAYO CLINIC". Doc there said everything's fine. Go home. Goof luck! :thumbup: Tom :spyder:

 

[pegasus1300]

26-year survivor of Prostate Cancer. 5 weeks radiation, the first 4 weeks weren't too bad, but that last one really made me sick. I took a month off work to recover. Then they did a day of timed radiation seeds. Just take it easy and do a little exercise every day. It takes a while to come back, but you will.

As to your seat, get someone to help you. Either you push down and turn the key, while they push down hard on the seat, or vice versa. Work the key gently back and forth while pushing down on the seat, it will come loose, it just takes a bit. Then grease up that latch until it works really easily.

 

[Mikey]

If you haven't tried to give that battery a good charge, I would try that first before giving up on it! That is once you get the seat up. Good luck with you, and the bike and get on the road for some wind in your face!!!

 

[NorwegianRT]

Hope you recover 100% Sledge !

I just had a thought about the seatlock. I don't know if it is doable, but I reckon people in here will tell us.
I just saw a seat for the RT with a fuel door that allows you to fuel without having to lift the seat, it also has a lock and key.
What if one of those doors was installed on the right side of the seat and used as an emergency access to open the seatlock ??
I don't know how that would line up with the lock tho, one would have to go do some meassuring first !
Just an idea.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Hope you recover 100% Sledge !

I just had a thought about the seatlock. I don't know if it is doable, but I reckon people in here will tell us.
I just saw a seat for the RT with a fuel door that allows you to fuel without having to lift the seat, it also has a lock and key.
What if one of those doors was installed on the right side of the seat and used as an emergency access to open the seatlock ??
I don't know how that would line up with the lock tho, one would have to go do some meassuring first !
Just an idea.

That will work, However I have a gas door on the left where it should be and I added a PULL wire that goes connects with the seat LATCH .... and that also works .... But neither is necessary on my 14 RT because my seat latch has been dis-abled .... so now the latch can never get stuck ....Mike :thumbup:

 

[sledge]

26-year survivor of Prostate Cancer. 5 weeks radiation, the first 4 weeks weren't too bad, but that last one really made me sick. I took a month of work to recover. Then they did a day of timed radiation seeds. Just take it easy and do a little exercise every day. It takes a while to come back, but you will.

As to your seat, get someone to help you. Either you push down and turn the key, while they push down hard on the seat, or vice versa. Work the key gently back and forth while pushing down on the seat, it will come loose, it just takes a bit. Then grease up that latch until it works really easily.

thats good Info. thanks , I found a video late last night of a guy showing how he unlatched his seat with a Clothes Hanger Wire... I have not tried it yet. but I will maybe tomorrow . thanks again :lecturef_smilie:

 

[Snoking1127]

My Asphalt Grey one does not have them "yet", however my Champagne one has hidden manual release cables left front wheel well for the Frunk and right wheel well for the seat that run parallel with the key release cables.

 

[sledge]

OK Folks , I thank everyone for the Info and the Help .,, it was a pretty tough job, but I am thankful to say I Got the seat Raised , AND Now , I am gonna put a ( Just In Case ) release cable for the Next Time. because I am wet with sweat and completely worn out after working on this for at least 2 hours or more , I am done for this day, But I sure Thank you All. :yes:

 

[canamjhb]

I've been following your thread! First of all..... Wishing you well on your recovery. My humble advice is to not overdo it. I've found that checking off just one thing on my to-do list each day gives me a sense of satisfaction. Then I have something left on my list to look forward to doing tomorrow. The help and caring from the good members on this forum are why I stick around. Lots of good people willing to help even with things not related to Spyders. Take care..... Jim