My Spyder has me feeling less than warm and fuzzy

[SpyderAnn01]

I had to take a pre-trip trip today to Leeds, UT to pick up my house/dog sitter. He wanted to have his motorcycle here but doesn't have any capacity for luggage so I hitched up my RT622 and headed out in balmy 100+ temps. Things were going good and I was cruising along about 78 with the cruise control on when I hit a bump, nothing huge just a bad joint in the pavement, and the cruise went off and the Spyder went into Limp Mode with a VSS warning. I was half way between nowhere and the middle of nowhere so I took the next exit which goes nowhere and pulled off the road. Turned off the Spyder walked away and voila the Limp Mode was gone. The same thing happened when I was on my way home from Spyderfest.

I continued on my merry way with the thermometer showing 122 degrees and the temp gauge never went beyond one click above the midpoint. In St. George I stopped for gas and when I went to open the gas cap I thought it was going to blow off so I just left it cracked and left the vapors escape. When I finally put gas in it blew out all over I guess as the cool gas from the pump hit the hot gas in the tank. Got back on the Spyder and the check engine light was on along with limp mode. It also showed the high temp warning light. I knew it wasn't actually in limp mode this time as it revved over 5000 rpm so I got on the highway and pulled the code P0127 which is intake air temp too high. Got up to speed and the lights went away.

On the way home the radio decided to flake out on me it would quit for 5 seconds or so then come back on. I would try to change the station or change from FM to AM and it wouldn't change. Every once in a while it would make a loud blaring sound before it went out.

So as you can imagine I'm a little worried about how things will go when we head out tomorrow for Maggie Valley. I've got 750 miles planned for tomorrow and another 750 on Tuesday with a short 625 on Wednesday. Wish me luck

 

[Chupaca]

Good luck..!

ray: Hope those were just glitches from the heat. With those temps and low fuel it must have been boiling. Hoping your travels will be towards cooler temps and you can keep up speed to have good air flow. All the best and you will be fine...enjoy MV...:thumbup:

 

[diesel-dawg]

I had to take a pre-trip trip today to Leeds, UT to pick up my house/dog sitter. He wanted to have his motorcycle here but doesn't have any capacity for luggage so I hitched up my RT622 and headed out in balmy 100+ temps. Things were going good and I was cruising along about 78 with the cruise control on when I hit a bump, nothing huge just a bad joint in the pavement, and the cruise went off and the Spyder went into Limp Mode with a VSS warning. I was half way between nowhere and the middle of nowhere so I took the next exit which goes nowhere and pulled off the road. Turned off the Spyder walked away and voila the Limp Mode was gone. The same thing happened when I was on my way home from Spyderfest.

I continued on my merry way with the thermometer showing 122 degrees and the temp gauge never went beyond one click above the midpoint. In St. George I stopped for gas and when I went to open the gas cap I thought it was going to blow off so I just left it cracked and left the vapors escape. When I finally put gas in it blew out all over I guess as the cool gas from the pump hit the hot gas in the tank. Got back on the Spyder and the check engine light was on along with limp mode. It also showed the high temp warning light. I knew it wasn't actually in limp mode this time as it revved over 5000 rpm so I got on the highway and pulled the code P0127 which is intake air temp too high. Got up to speed and the lights went away.

On the way home the radio decided to flake out on me it would quit for 5 seconds or so then come back on. I would try to change the station or change from FM to AM and it wouldn't change. Every once in a while it would make a loud blaring sound before it went out.

So as you can imagine I'm a little worried about how things will go when we head out tomorrow for Maggie Valley. I've got 750 miles planned for tomorrow and another 750 on Tuesday with a short 625 on Wednesday. Wish me luck

I may be incorrect, but I thought you were not supposed to use cruise control while in trailer mode. Am I wrong? Could that be what caused it?

 

[GloryRyders]

I have had some of the same issues over time on my 2011 RT Ltd. except for the radio. Last year on the way back from the Owners Event in Kansas the temp gauge was reading between 117 and 119 and when we stopped for gas it took several minuets to take off the filler cap because of the pressure build up that was released. We ended up stopping and leaving the next morning at 3 AM when it was a lot cooler. That high of heat does wierd things to my :spyder:. In answer to ther above question about cruise control with the trailer, I have never had a problem, I always use it on the interstates!

Have a safe trip!

 

[Tierhog]

I may be off my rocker... But try this. Take some bubble wrap or something and put a thin layer on top of your fuses by the Frunk, and put the cap back on. Might be snug but it should click secure. That will keep those pesky relays where the belong.

As far as your gas issue, I have no clue

 

[Bob Denman]

May the Spyder Gods smile upon you and may you arrive in Maggie Valley 10 minutes before the Limp Mode Demon knows you are on the road.

Now THAT'S what needs to be put on the Safety Card that we are supposed to read while the bike is booting up... :thumbup:

The bump itself might have (?) caused just enough movement in the brake pedal (As it bounced) to de-activate the cruise control...
The heat is a cmplete mystery to me; but it doesn't seem as if it's only your bike that feels it... :gaah:

Good Luck, and Safe Travels! :2thumbs:

 

[ulflyer]

My 11' used to jump out of cruise at any sizable bump untill BRP did a computer update that fixed that issue. Didn't go into limp mode tho. Sounds like the 13's need an update too.

If gas issue continues, perhaps you can ride early and take a more northly (cool) route.

 

[bobnaquin]

I may be off my rocker... But try this. Take some bubble wrap or something and put a thin layer on top of your fuses by the Frunk, and put the cap back on. Might be snug but it should click secure. That will keep those pesky relays where the belong.

As far as your gas issue, I have no clue

There should be a piece of foam installed from the factory there and you should be able to see the indent of the relays in the foam indicating they are pressing down. I have heard the above suggestion often enough to think a lot of these got out of the factory without this piece of foam installed. But hitting a bump and then having a problem does sound like a relay seating issue. I have such a problem, the foam was in place, but it was caused by the relay cover not latching properly.

 

[bullant12]

I have had some of the same issues over time on my 2011 RT Ltd. except for the radio. Last year on the way back from the Owners Event in Kansas the temp gauge was reading between 117 and 119 and when we stopped for gas it took several minuets to take off the filler cap because of the pressure build up that was released. We ended up stopping and leaving the next morning at 3 AM when it was a lot cooler. That high of heat does wierd things to my :spyder:. In answer to ther above question about cruise control with the trailer, I have never had a problem, I always use it on the interstates!

Have a safe trip!

My 2010 or now my 2013 has not had any heat issue.... although here in Memphis we haven't seen temps over 95 until it is forecasted for this week... and we leave tomorrow to MV...
As Jim state in bold... :agree: I only use it on the interstate. If I see that the road is hilly or curvey, no cruise control. Too much throttle control on these situations and the computer would not handle that kind of situation regardless of trailer.

The bump itself might have (?) caused just enough movement in the brake pedal (As it bounced) to de-activate the cruise control...

I've been there... hit a bump with cruise control on and the brake pedal has been accidentally pressed, turning off cruise control. It does it in my cars too.

 

[NancysToy]

Having the cruise kick out and getting some other brake related warnings when you hit a large bump is not unusual with any vehicle. It has happened with both of my Spyders, my F-150, and Nancy's HHR. It is caused by the weight and momentum of the brake pedal causing the brake to become slightly applied when you hit the bump. The brake switch kicks out the cruise, and the vehicle sometimes senses that the brakes are appied without sensing any brake pressure.

The boiling fuel is not just common to the 2013 Spyder, the earlier RTs did it, too. In extreme temps (over 100-110) and with a very low fuel tank, the pressure will build and the fresh gas will boil off as soon as it hits the hot tank. Happened to me repeatedly coming back from Durango last year. Best to relieve the pressure slowly, as you did, then squeeze in just a tiny bit of fuel at a time, waiting in between for it to boil off or cool. The tank will soon cool enough that you can fill normally. As to the high heat warning, it will happen whenever the sensor detects high intake air temperatures. In extreme heat, with the enclosed bodywork, that can happen anytime you stop. We had that last year, too. My cure was to start the Spyder, ride a short distance to the end of the driveway to move some air, then shut off and restart to reset the warning.

Can't help with the radio. I would also be very disappointed if I were in your shoes. I would have thought that BRP's quality control would have been better with the 2013s, after their learning experiences with previous introductions, but it appears that the gremlins still reside in their production line and supplier chain.

 

[Jeriatric]

I had to take a pre-trip trip today to Leeds, UT to pick up my house/dog sitter. He wanted to have his motorcycle here but doesn't have any capacity for luggage so I hitched up my RT622 and headed out in balmy 100+ temps. Things were going good and I was cruising along about 78 with the cruise control on when I hit a bump, nothing huge just a bad joint in the pavement, and the cruise went off and the Spyder went into Limp Mode with a VSS warning. I was half way between nowhere and the middle of nowhere so I took the next exit which goes nowhere and pulled off the road. Turned off the Spyder walked away and voila the Limp Mode was gone. The same thing happened when I was on my way home from Spyderfest.

I continued on my merry way with the thermometer showing 122 degrees and the temp gauge never went beyond one click above the midpoint. In St. George I stopped for gas and when I went to open the gas cap I thought it was going to blow off so I just left it cracked and left the vapors escape. When I finally put gas in it blew out all over I guess as the cool gas from the pump hit the hot gas in the tank. Got back on the Spyder and the check engine light was on along with limp mode. It also showed the high temp warning light. I knew it wasn't actually in limp mode this time as it revved over 5000 rpm so I got on the highway and pulled the code P0127 which is intake air temp too high. Got up to speed and the lights went away.

On the way home the radio decided to flake out on me it would quit for 5 seconds or so then come back on. I would try to change the station or change from FM to AM and it wouldn't change. Every once in a while it would make a loud blaring sound before it went out.

So as you can imagine I'm a little worried about how things will go when we head out tomorrow for Maggie Valley. I've got 750 miles planned for tomorrow and another 750 on Tuesday with a short 625 on Wednesday. Wish me luck

Cruise control.

Have had exactly the same thing happen. For sure it's a shocker when it happens. I chalk it up to Nanny misinterpretation and her being overly sensitive. (has never thrown codes tho)

Boiling fuel.

Been there too. A few times. In order to prevent it from happening. I now park the spyder get something to drink and fuel after my break.

Riding in the heat.

Don't you know you're not supposed to do that? :joke:


Made in Canada.

Tested and approved in Florida.

When the real test would be Nevada, Arizona, or California in July and August. nojoke


Guess you could follow advice given here in the past.

Ride at night or, park it. :joke:


Seriously. Perhaps one day they will hear us. :dontknow:

Hope you get some help with your problems!

 

[MidLifeCrisis]

Good idea to let the engine idle for a bit, before you shut it off at stops. It has helped keep the high temp warnings in check at restarts, especially after fueling when stops are relatively short.

 

[Jeriatric]

I may be incorrect, but I thought you were not supposed to use cruise control while in trailer mode. Am I wrong? Could that be what caused it?

There are places out west where we can drone on for miles, and miles, and miles, without the elevation ever having changed 25'. Being on cruise won't hurt a thing in those conditions. Trailer or not.

 

[Buttsy]

So as you can imagine I'm a little worried about how things will go when we head out tomorrow for Maggie Valley. I've got 750 miles planned for tomorrow and another 750 on Tuesday with a short 625 on Wednesday. Wish me luck

The last time you broke down away from home you came home with a new shiny RT..........................what's next? :dontknow: Good Luck I am sure all will be well and all you folks will have a blast. Stay safe...........................:thumbup:

 

[TicketBait]

On the way home the radio decided to flake out on me it would quit for 5 seconds or so then come back on. I would try to change the station or change from FM to AM and it wouldn't change. Every once in a while it would make a loud blaring sound before it went out.

On my 2010 RTS , riding back from Spyderfest #2 in Cuba, when I got to New Mexico, my XM radio was cutting in and out, by the time I got thru AZ and into CA it was completely out including my ipod and regular radio, then my GPS was only on battery power. A short occurred somewhere on the rainy trip/desert heat. :dontknow: After 2 1/2 months in the shop for that and other things, they got it working, never did find out the cause, they just kept replacing parts and testing. I got a new console with 0 miles on the odometer. The issue has never resurfaced. I remember riding with no sound thru the desert and just taking in the sound of the engine and wind, (said to self) this is what it must have been like for bikers in the old days.

Good luck and have a safe trip.

 

[ARtraveler]

Ann: You shall be in our thoughts and ray:ray: as you travel. You seem to be having your share of issues and I hope that they will get solved soon.

PM sent.

 

[MikeT]

You've Got To Be Kidding Me, boiling gas????. Can't open the gas cap without going thru some "ritual"? This must be a phenomenon specific to the Can-Am RTs. Is the retained heat the result of all the tupperware that prevents adequate air flow in and around the motor???????
I took riding up after a 25 year hiatus in '96. I've ridden 3:H-D EFI touring bikes('96-'09) and 2:GL1800(03-present) both as bikes and as trikes(Champion & Hannigan). My current ride is an '09GL1800 Hannigan trike with an aux. fuel tank. I have NEVER encountered boiling gas with any of my rides. I can tell you that the H-Ds got plenty hot. I have had an isolated occurance of not being able to transfer gas from the aux. tank to the main tank on my Hannigan when it was in the high 90s and high humidity because of the way the Hannigan is set up + the pressures in the fuel system when at highway speeds.
I have a medical reason to want to go to a SE5 RT model. However, after spending about 6 weeks here, I'm beginning to wonder if:
1. there are way too many weird occurances that can/are happening that take the enjoyment out of riding. Ya just never know when you're going to be left stranded. At least in regards to the RTs. Are they really ready for prime time? There seems to be too many glitches that can crop up at any time, for simply no rhyme or reason. Are they "nanny" induced, or gremlins in the system? Again I wonder about the capacity for airflow and cooling under the encapsulating tupperware.
2. of greater concern, are the reports of the inordinate amount of time that is spent in the shop to get the problems solved orther than replacing parts and testing. It is well documented here that not all Spyder shops "are created equal". To me it seems like the "bad apples"(competent service & prices charged) are ruining it for BRP. Does BRP care is a bigger issue????? It's one thing to have a customer service dept and an annual Owner's Event. It's quite another to do anything with the feedback.
Were my H-Ds perfect? Were my GL1800's perfect? Were my trike conversions perfect? The answer is NO; but they never left me in limp mode or stranded. If I ran into a problem there was usually a dealership within a 45-60 minute ride, no matter where we were. That's another issue that BRP needs to address, the build out of their dealer network. They are advertising on national TV, and promoting the H out of the Spyder. Marketing is only one side of the business coin. They better have the goods to suport their marketing.
I'll get off my soap box now. Sorry for rambling.
Mike

 

[MidLifeCrisis]

Wrapping or ceramic coating the headers will resolve the boiling gas issue. As a side benefit, it will also reduce the heat on the seat and keep vaccume lines from drying out, etc. All other things aside, BRP would have done themselves and owners a huge favor by providing wrapped/coated pipes from the factory. It's not like they didn't know they would put sealed tupperware all over their bikes.

 

[Jeriatric]

On my 2010 RTS , riding back from Spyderfest #2 in Cuba, when I got to New Mexico, my XM radio was cutting in and out, by the time I got thru AZ and into CA it was completely out including my ipod and regular radio, then my GPS was only on battery power. A short occurred somewhere on the rainy trip/desert heat. :dontknow: After 2 1/2 months in the shop for that and other things, they got it working, never did find out the cause, they just kept replacing parts and testing. I got a new console with 0 miles on the odometer. The issue has never resurfaced. I remember riding with no sound thru the desert and just taking in the sound of the engine and wind, (said to self) this is what it must have been like for bikers in the old days.

Good luck and have a safe trip.

That'll keep them out of the sun! :roflblack:

 

[philbert1998]

I feel the same as you.

You've Got To Be Kidding Me, boiling gas????. Can't open the gas cap without going thru some "ritual"? This must be a phenomenon specific to the Can-Am RTs. Is the retained heat the result of all the tupperware that prevents adequate air flow in and around the motor???????
I took riding up after a 25 year hiatus in '96. I've ridden 3:H-D EFI touring bikes('96-'09) and 2:GL1800(03-present) both as bikes and as trikes(Champion & Hannigan). My current ride is an '09GL1800 Hannigan trike with an aux. fuel tank. I have NEVER encountered boiling gas with any of my rides. I can tell you that the H-Ds got plenty hot. I have had an isolated occurance of not being able to transfer gas from the aux. tank to the main tank on my Hannigan when it was in the high 90s and high humidity because of the way the Hannigan is set up + the pressures in the fuel system when at highway speeds.
I have a medical reason to want to go to a SE5 RT model. However, after spending about 6 weeks here, I'm beginning to wonder if:
1. there are way too many weird occurances that can/are happening that take the enjoyment out of riding. Ya just never know when you're going to be left stranded. At least in regards to the RTs. Are they really ready for prime time? There seems to be too many glitches that can crop up at any time, for simply no rhyme or reason. Are they "nanny" induced, or gremlins in the system? Again I wonder about the capacity for airflow and cooling under the encapsulating tupperware.
2. of greater concern, are the reports of the inordinate amount of time that is spent in the shop to get the problems solved orther than replacing parts and testing. It is well documented here that not all Spyder shops "are created equal". To me it seems like the "bad apples"(competent service & prices charged) are ruining it for BRP. Does BRP care is a bigger issue????? It's one thing to have a customer service dept and an annual Owner's Event. It's quite another to do anything with the feedback.
Were my H-Ds perfect? Were my GL1800's perfect? Were my trike conversions perfect? The answer is NO; but they never left me in limp mode or stranded. If I ran into a problem there was usually a dealership within a 45-60 minute ride, no matter where we were. That's another issue that BRP needs to address, the build out of their dealer network. They are advertising on national TV, and promoting the H out of the Spyder. Marketing is only one side of the business coin. They better have the goods to suport their marketing.
I'll get off my soap box now. Sorry for rambling.
Mike

I can buy a nice car for $30k and can get in it with confidence to travel but for the price of a Spyder about the same it seems to have a lot of problems that may pop up at anytime.I've been interested in an RT-S but I'm losing confidence in BRP because they can't or won't make the
Spyder more dependable.I may take the plunge into Spyder ownership any way but at the moment I'm very aprehensive.