New bike 600 miles and already troubles?

[Jibrilll]

Just bought a 21 with 300 miles and drove it another 300 miles in one trip.

The bike has been sitting for about a year and barely ridden since the original 300.

I rode it from LA to SF as a treat once I purchased it.

However, this morning I turn it on and to my surprise it won’t crank. No sound and the screen turns on for just a minute before going blank.

The error messages I received were:

• check engine light
• vss fault
• brake failure
• check dps

Any suggestions on what to do? I jumped the battery thinking because it was sitting for a while it could’ve been that?

Also I might have to mention, I was doing mini donuts the day before I parked it in my garage and on one of the donuts the left wheel lifted up as if the bike was going to flip.

Any advice on what to do? I’ll attach a video here as well.

Startup:
https://streamable.com/yq7nw0

Second try:
https://streamable.com/yfrrrj

 

[Ex-Rocket]

Did you have a battery tender hooked up to the battery? If not then its probably a dead battery. Either try jumping the Spyder off with another vehicle, but don't have the jumper vehicle running or charge the battery up using a battery charger till it is fully charged.

 

[Bfromla]

Probably dead or bad battery, give good full charge & or remove get it tested at auto parts place. (Clean/tight terminals, preferably with star washers for good secure contact)

 

[Peter Aawen]

.....

Also I might have to mention, I was doing mini donuts the day before I parked it in my garage and on one of the donuts the left wheel lifted up as if the bike was going to flip.

Any advice on what to do? .....

As others have mentioned, it sounds a whole lot like you've got a dead battery - you should probably load test it then if good, charge it properly & fully; &/or if bad, replace it and then charge the new battery properly & fully BEFORE trying to start your Spyder again! ( ie 8-12 hours charging on a suitable charger/charge rate for that battery type, not just plug it in to a battery tender! :lecturef_smilie: ) Those star washers are a great idea too - once you tighten the bolt/nut down on them, they'll make sure the electrical connection is good and also that it's extremely unlikely for the bolt/nut to ever come undone by itself! . Besides the possibility of your 'new battery' being a dud from the factory, it's also quite common even for brand new batteries to initially only have a 'surface charge' cos they probably won't ever have been charged properly; in which case it's very likely that the battery won't hold that charge for a heap of time, especially if it's been stored/laid up partially charged &/or before that 'proper charge' ever happened.....

As for this bit quoted above, just lifting an inside wheel on a reasonably cambered road surface during tight cornering (or doing donuts! ) is not really a major issue, and if you go on & learn to ryde your Spyder anywhere near its limits thru the corners/twisties, it will likely become quite a commonplace event!! hyea: . Even if it feels like you might flip cos one wheel is in the air without the Nanny stepping in, you'll likely hafta work a whole lot harder to flip it than you'd think, cos just lifting a wheel is by no means a harbinger of doom due to flipping; it takes a whole lot of lift; a poor road surface/reverse camber/hitting a kerb; &/or some seriously 'improper guidance' before the Nanny will step in, and for just some air under one front tire, you don't need worry too much, the Nanny is FAAAARRR better than letting a little thing like that become a major issue, and she will react to a truly dangerous situation a whole lot quicker than you ever could! :lecturef_smilie: . Just don't try lifting a front wheel while you're travelling in reverse!! That truly IS an indicator that a flip is imminent, and there's even a vid clip on here somewhere to show that! :yikes:

 

[BajaRon]

Yes, dead battery will throw all kinds of codes. Hopefully, you can resurrect the one you have. Check both terminals to be sure they are clean and tight. Use a charger that will desulfate and you'll have a better chance of saving it.

Riding is better for a vehicle than sitting. Low miles isn't always the best indicator of condition. Get your battery squared away and I'd say you'll be fine.

 

[EdMat]

My bet goes for a loose battery terminal.

 

[Piratezz]

I saw your film, and me thinks it's not the battery but a faulty switch, your safety card message is'nt disappearing, try to hold the button for a while, so that the safety message disappears - maybe a little compressed air would help, sprayed in the switch...
If that message doesn't get away, the engine will not start, no matter what. Try to hook up another battery, but the safety message has to clear, before you can start the bike.

 

[ARtraveler]

Another card on the pile for battery issues.

And...Peter gives good solid advice on the subject. :2thumbs:

 

[Jibrilll]

Thank you all so much for the feedback. I bought a tender and I’m now charging the battery so I will keep you posted to my progress!

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Thank you all so much for the feedback. I bought a tender and I’m now charging the battery so I will keep you posted to my progress!

The correct generic term is a battery " MAINTAINER " ....Tender , Minder etc. are specific Product names, and may not do what ALL Maintainers do ..... I hope your " tender " is a battery MAINTAINER ...... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Peter Aawen]

Thank you all so much for the feedback. I bought a tender and I’m now charging the battery so I will keep you posted to my progress!

If it's just a Battery Tender, it probably won't do the job of fully charging/re-charging your battery! :lecturef_smilie:

This is the trap that many fall in to! :banghead: . Battery Tenders are designed to keep an already fully charged battery in good condition over a long period of time! Few will actually fully charge a battery that isn't already very close to that anyway, and it sounds very much like you need to PROPERLY & FULLY Re-Charge a battery that is in somewhat less than ideal condition, which few if any Battery Tenders can do!! :gaah:

You need a Battery CHARGER or a Battery Charger/Maintainer that will charge at an appropriate amperage/charge rate for the type of battery you are charging - which for the OE batteries & direct replacements, should be an AGM battery; so you need a Battery Charger or Charger/Maintainer (my preference! ) that has a Charge option suitable for AGM batteries. I don't believe the particular brands of Charger/Maintainers I use here in Oz are available over there, but I'm sure someone local could help you with the necessary details. :thumbup:

Ps: didn't see Mike's post above before submitting my reply..... but both replies still apply!

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

The correct generic term is a battery " MAINTAINER " ....Tender , Minder etc. are specific Product names, and may not do what ALL Maintainers do ..... I hope your " tender " is a battery MAINTAINER ...... Mike :thumbup:

Let me Clarify the " Maintainer " ..... I have a few of them .... and they all will CHARGE a weak battery --- then they will keep it fully charged ( ie. maintained ) without over-charging it .... See Peters post above ..... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Bfromla]

More helpful items mentioned here:
https://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?135857-Pre-hibernation-battery-charge-maintainer

 

[Vincef329]

1st video the parking brake is off. It must be on to start and your foot on the brake.
2nd video, bad battery or connection. It's not that expensive, pull it and have a health check done on it.

Good luck!

 

[Jibrilll]

Quick Update:

Thank you to everyone who helped suggest fixes. It ended up being the battery being out of juice for sitting in a garage for nearly a year.

Cheers!

 

[widowmaker2011]

Glad it came back up.... However , You stated in your original post that you rode it from La to Sanfran already.... that distance is way more than needed for your charging system to fully charge the battery. If , after that ride it shortly went dead , I would seriously consider a replacement battery. While the charger brought it back up , a Spyder sitting for a year with no charging is tough on these small (already not the most durable ) batteries. Happy Riding!