no power stering

[hondaman]

mine is one day old.the power steering works sometimes.then other times it jerks all over the road.other times it just quits.This should be a saftey recall.EPS is nothing new we have had it at honda for 9 years and has been a great system.

 

[OkiNutsEP3]

I have replaced probably 3-4 DPS(power steering) units in the past 6 months. There was a problem with BUDS at one time in calibrating the *new* DPS units. Takes me 45min tops to replace one and reset BUDS. But I mean really, you can't be mad you have a failed part. It's electronic, it's gonna fail sometime.

 

[kalavera]

well, they've had my bike for over 20 days and I bought it 22 days ago. They updated the their BUDS and have changed out the DPS 3 times. Now they are replacing electronic parts one by one till it stops getting any fault codes. I am at the point to where I just want my money back. Only got to ride it one day. I love the bike just aggravated with the situation. Maybe I just got a bad bike, I don't know.:dontknow::banghead:

This DPS problem seems to be a more common thing the more I research it. Is there something I am missing?

 

[kalavera]

While searching this and two other forums I counted 27 people from all over the US (including one in Paris and another in Spain) that had steering problems.

I even found one news article about a lady that hit a tree (possible steering connection).

I know in the grand scheme of things, 27 riders out of the thousands that are out there is not that significant but it is an issue that needs to be addressed. Hopefully the fatality was not connected to a steering problem.

 

[NancysToy]

While searching this and two other forums I counted 27 people from all over the US (including one in Paris and another in Spain) that had steering problems.

I even found one news article about a lady that hit a tree (possible steering connection).

I know in the grand scheme of things, 27 riders out of the thousands that are out there is not that significant but it is an issue that needs to be addressed. Hopefully the fatality was not connected to a steering problem.

Let's not read anything into incidents we know nothing about. Reports on this forum indicated that woman was a brand new rider, with no experience. No reported connection to the steering, so let's not speculate and start rumors. It may or may not be, and if it is, it will be brought up in a court somewhere, someday, and we will certainly hear about it. Until then, why feed the fire of a rumor mill?

I will agree that steering issues are something that needs to be taken seriously, and I think BRP is doing so. If 27 people out of 10,000 have issues, it is only 0.27% of the Spyder population, so they have to have time to realize the problem, and affect a cure. That assumes that all problems are identical, which is not the case, since some steering issues reported have been DPS units, and some have been related to the gear sensor. I realize that this is fast becoming an "instant" world, where everyone wants answers ten minutes before they report problems, but let's be fair to BRP and the dealers and give them time to act. Few people, if any, have reported steering issues and non-responsive dealers.

We should also remember that a portion of the steering failures reported indicate lack of power steering. This does not mean those Spyders can't be steered. This is less of a safety issue, therefore. If the problem comes and goes without warning, or the problem is erratic behavior and jerky steering, it is an immediate safety concern, and you should have your Spyder transported to the dealer until the problem is resolved. If the steering is uniform, but just more difficult, I would worry less, but I still think you should get it fixed. Best thing Spyder owners can do is report any steering problems, and be patient and understanding enough to let the dealer diagnose the problem and fix it appropriately. I have no way of knowing whether you are one of those people involved, since you did not say. If not, why get everyone's panties in a wad? Stirring the pot won't make things better.
-Scotty

 

[Magic Man]

I have one of the Spyders that from day one never had any power steering with no codes or other signs that it was not right, other than when I sat on our SE5 there was quite a bit of differance.

I rode this bike all over the place this last season, including some real killer turns and roads in South Dakota following Lamonster around, and had no real problems at all.

Now I'm not saying that my bike would not handle better with a full function power steering unit, but other than taking a bit more effort to turn it, it never caused me one problem all season long.

My Spyder went in for it's new power steering unit today and should be back tomorrow? I will report on how the new unit works once I get it back.

As for what does and does not cause another person who is a new rider to crash, that is very, very hard to say? Without knowing all the details nobody should jump the gun and assume that bike had any kind of steering problem at all just because there were other bikes that did.

I think assumptions like this is how they started burning witches in Salem? :yikes:

MM

 

[kalavera]

I have no intention to stir the pot or instigate a rumor mill

This is a forum. Looking it up I found the definition below

Forum
Noun
1. a meeting or medium for the open discussion of subjects of public interest

So I was just discussing a subject.

Now as far as Libel I do not believe that fits against what I said. It was not a written defamation of the riders character. I read about the accident on a few other forums and on this forum I stated "(possible steering connection)." Not Probable or definite or was I saying that it was the cause. Read what was said. Later I say, "Hopefully the fatality was not connected to a steering problem."

So how am I committing Libel? How am I stirring the pot?

I was simply discussing what I have found while researching a problem My Spyder was having. I get my bike back tonight. They had it for 3 weeks. I owned it for 3 weeks. I got to ride it once. At the end of my first ride, the bike pulled to the right. Later it pulled to the left. The next day I go to ride and the readout says Check DPS. While my bike was idling, the handlebars was pulling to the left then to the right with out rider input. So yeah, my bike had a MAJOR issue. Had my wife been riding and all of a sudden it pulled to one side, who knows what she might have hit. I parked it and had the dealer pick it up. Now they are bringing it back to me good as new. Yay me. Hopefully this issue is resolved

 

[Questions]

The Necromancer of Placitas commands this long-dead thread to claw from its grave!

my power steering was butter smooth in the first 5k miles. I could navigate curves with one hand and often goofed off doing things like leaning off, waving to the side or just gliding through a curve.

Chapter 1;
Somewhere after 5k miles the DPS became unpredictable. The same curves that I once navigated with such ease would now be completely unpredictable. Sometimes as I entered the turn, the force to make the turn suddenly became so great that I would have to get off the throttle and use upper body strength to make it through. I'm talking slow speed turns on back roads and not on the highway. Under 30MPH but still fast enough to generate some panic because even at 20mph a tree will hurt.

Symptom number two would be instant increase or decrease in steering while in the turn. This really started bugging me because now I would enter a curve feel that it was hard, pull with extra strength and then suddenly the steering would break loose (DPS kicks in) and now all that extra force is not needed and I'm actually pulling myself in to the other lane. Now we are reaching higher levels of panic cause I don't want to hit the front bumper of a Buick. This also started becoming a serious issue for me as I navigated NYC traffic before and after work. Weaving from lane to lane I need to know how much force to use and what to expect.

I spent alot of time at the other forum and posted this info there. A few other folks talked about it but I also read enough horror stories about it not getting fixed so I was not about to run down to the dealer. ( I have an issue and I don't want to stop riding) I was not at all excited by the idea of leaving it with the dealer while everyone attempts to discover what is wrong. One person described a situation where the dealer received a new DPS unit with a newer part number than expected and this new part number caused issues with their computer system. So although they installed it, it threw codes left and right the second the engine started, so it took 4 weeks to get his ride back.

Doing all I could to avoid placing myself in that kind of situation I instead pulled the front DPS control fuse and boom. Now I had no DPS at all. I'm ok with that cause I'm strong enough to move the bars and now I never had to worry about it coming and going.

Chapter 2;
I read on the other forum that someone's dealer had discovered the DPS unit would eventually get warm and start drawing more power than it needed. By testing the amount of power being pulled in at start up and then checking again after a 30 minute ride. After the ride the unit was pulling way more than it should. (i never noted the values)

When I first started having issues I noticed my fender lights dimming as I applied pressure on the bars. It would not happen in the morning but as I approached the end of my 90 minute commute and sat at red lights, I could give a little push on the bars and the lights would dimm down as well as my RPMs. Now we are in the 10k - 15k mile range and now when my rpms drop down in traffic my engine seems to want to stall. Eventually its does start to stall on me.
After an unknown amount of time my engine would just start dying down as if it was dying... and I started thinking about that phantom power draw at the DPS. "Was it draining my battery?"

The few times that it did stall I would be able to just fire it back up, battery light would flash, I would rev it up for a little bit and then all would be well again.. Anytime this would happen I would also start to get a really strong gas smell and I would start backfiring like a popcorn maker. I would approach red lights, let off the gas, pull in the clutch and my RPMs would drop down as far as 1k. If I was not ready to give it gas, it would just stall out and my gauge would blink as it does when you firt put the key in. (gauge needles fly up and down)

Chapter 3;
Needles to say this became a hassle after a while. Then the idea came to me. Although I removed the front DPS fuse, that is not the main DPS fuse. So I went to the rear panel and removed the large DPS fuse. My thought was that maybe the DPS device itself is still drawing power as the front sue was only for a switch to tell it to work... (don't how true this is, its just a thought)

WoW!


No codes, No DPS at all, RPM issues no longer there,
flashing battery light in city traffic = gone,
strong gas smell in city traffic = gone (and yes I still overfill sometimes to the point of spilling out)
backfires in city traffic = gone
stalls at red lights = gone

I start noticing a difference about 50 miles in to my first ride after removing the rear fuse. The Spyder runs like new again. I've logged nearly 4k miles this way with no codes and the engine is running great!

I dropped the Spyder at the dealer yesterday for Tires, brake pads, rear bearings and to replace a faulty oil pressure switch. I also specifically asked them to not touch the DPS, just leave it alone. I'm still riding with heated gear and I don't care to be a guinea pig to have this gremlin tracked down. I'm perfectly happy wihtout the assistance of the DPS.

I take the time to put this in here just to share the information and not recommending that you do the same. Just sharing my experience.

There is life without DPS.... * Disclaimer * I'm not a mechanic or a CanAm tech so its entirely possible that whatever was causing me issues was not the the DPS. The fact that all my problems dissapperaed at the exact moment of me removing those fuses could just be a coincedence.... or, may not

Can-Am Noob here. I recently purchased a "new-to-me" 2008 Can-Am GS Roadster #2690 from a member in CO. Just Friday it began exhibiting the symptoms of a dying DPS. The dealer in ABQ can't see it until Tuesday (not an unreasonable wait) but "Old Yeller" is my only transportation most days and it's almost 30 miles to the dealer in ABQ. So I followed your lead and the problem with the DPS disappeared completely. I could easily live without DPS from now on but for the fact that the control panel continually scolds me in two ways;

1. The Check Engine Light comes on and never goes away.

2. A little less than every 10 seconds the words "CHECK DPS" march across the central control panel it never goes away either.

I'm going to try putting the Control Fuse (solely) back in to see what happens. In the interim I ask; "Does anyone know a way to stop the annoyingly repetative text "CHECK DPS" and the "check engine" light?

Many Thanks,

Ace Café Rat

 

[Questions]

Ace Cafe Rat Reporting Back!

Didn't do a damned thing.

ACR

 

[coz]

Battery cables

Have you checked your battery condition , cable connections, main ground, fuses and relays ?
The dps uses a lot of juice. Anything wonky with the electrical system could cause problems.
#1 would be the battery and cable connections.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

MAYBE

Didn't do a damned thing.

ACR

I lived with a GS that was lit up like a Christmas tree for a couple of years but always ran.......Try removing key and putting it at least 30 ft from Spyder for at least 10 min........While you are waiting remove both leads from Battery + & - , and touch them together......since they ARE NOT CONNECTED TO BATTERY ....NO SPARK will occur........and this may do a complete re-boot......when you re-connect leads put STAR washers on bolts before you tighten........They will never loosen by themselves again........good luck ......Mike .................If it's the DPS try and get another one under warranty..ray:ray:ray:

 

[Questions]

No Power Steering -- And Loving It!

Have you checked your battery condition , cable connections, main ground, fuses and relays ?
The dps uses a lot of juice. Anything wonky with the electrical system could cause problems.
#1 would be the battery and cable connections.

Coz,

Gracias amigo for your suggestions. Yup, checked all of those. Everything was good. The battery connections were tight, so tight I almost couldn't loosen them to take the battery to a battery tester. Tested the battery, it was fine. Put it on SmartTender and it was fully recharged in less than 5 minutes. Fuses were good, etc, etc. Finally followed the advice of Nickcaro and pulled the two DPS fuses. LA VIOLA! No more problem of "Old Yeller" trying to kill me by veering into the oncoming lane.

I LOVE how it steers now that there is no power steering! All I wanna find out is how to stop the damn "CHECK DPS" message from hoping up every 7 seconds AND how to reset the "Check Engine" light to turn it off.

Ace Café Rat

 

[Questions]

I lived with a GS that was lit up like a Christmas tree for a couple of years but always ran.......Try removing key and putting it at least 30 ft from Spyder for at least 10 min........While you are waiting remove both leads from Battery + & - , and touch them together......since they ARE NOT CONNECTED TO BATTERY ....NO SPARK will occur........and this may do a complete re-boot......when you re-connect leads put STAR washers on bolts before you tighten........They will never loosen by themselves again........good luck ......Mike .................If it's the DPS try and get another one under warranty..ray:ray:ray:

BlueKnight,

Gracias amigo for your suggestions too. I checked all of those. Everything was good. Finally followed the advice of Nickcaro and pulled the two DPS fuses. LA VIOLA! No more problem of Old Yeller (yes I name my motorcycles) trying to kill me by veering into the oncoming lane. I LOVE how it steers now that there is no power steering! All I wanna find out is how to stop the damn "CHECK DPS" message from popping-up every 7 seconds AND how to reset the "Check Engine" light to turn it off.

Based on all the online research I've done and from talking to the service managers of both Can-Am dealerships in ABQ, NM, I'm pretty sure, pretty damn sure as Fox Mulder would to say, that it is the DPS. Problem is the PO had it replaced in the mass recall of the GS. If I can just shut that light and scolding message off I NEVER will go back to having DPS on "Old Yeller".

I have an appointment with one of the Can-Am dealerships tomorrow to have them check out "Olde Yeller" I too am hoping they will fix it under warranty even though its a 2008 that has already been "fixed". I am nervous about trying the complete reboot, mostly because IMHO Murphy was an optimist. Did it work for you?

Ace Café Rat

 

[Questions]

How do I turn off the scolding by Spydernanny?

my power steering was butter smooth in the first 5k miles. I could navigate curves with one hand and often goofed off doing things like leaning off, waving to the side or just gliding through a curve.

...Chapter 3;
Needles to say this became a hassle after a while. Then the idea came to me. Although I removed the front DPS fuse, that is not the main DPS fuse. So I went to the rear panel and removed the large DPS fuse. My thought was that maybe the DPS device itself is still drawing power as the front sue was only for a switch to tell it to work... (don't how true this is, its just a thought)

...No codes, No DPS at all, RPM issues no longer there, flashing battery light in city traffic = gone, strong gas smell in city traffic = gone (and yes I still overfill sometimes to the point of spilling out, backfires in city traffic = gone stalls at red lights = gone

I start noticing a difference about 50 miles in to my first ride after removing the rear fuse. The Spyder runs like new again. I've logged nearly 4k miles this way with no codes and the engine is running great!

I dropped the Spyder at the dealer yesterday for Tires, brake pads, rear bearings and to replace a faulty oil pressure switch. I also specifically asked them to not touch the DPS, just leave it alone. I'm still riding with heated gear and I don't care to be a guinea pig to have this gremlin tracked down. I'm perfectly happy wihtout the assistance of the DPS.

I take the time to put this in here just to share the information and not recommending that you do the same. Just sharing my experience.

There is life without DPS.... * Disclaimer * I'm not a mechanic or a CanAm tech so its entirely possible that whatever was causing me issues was not the the DPS. The fact that all my problems disappeared at the exact moment of me removing those fuses could just be a coincidence.... or, may not

Nickcaro,

I'm right there with you amigo about not going back to using DPS. But how do I turn the damn "Check DPS" message off and the engine light too?

Gracias,

Ace Café Rat

 

[AMTJIM]

There is no method to turn off the computers on the Spyder and no dealer will do that via BUDS...they won't even change sensor values. Turning the key on and off 3 times in 5 seconds, I believe is trick, will reset messages unless they are active and reoccuring. Pulling relays and fuses will trigger faults and the screen will continue to flash messages.
The frame ground under the seat was one that was often loose, a little hard to get to, have to get the underside of it, but you can see the top side of it when you lift the seat. There is also a ground lug on the steeing unit, they missed it when they changed mine and it was a little glitchy.
The relays up front, they are available at the autoparts store, a very slight twist of the legs gives it great contact, change the relays around, too...you may find one thats bad.

The DPS unit lowers it's input as the Spyder gains speed so it's not oversteered easily, probably why you are okay with it not working. It's gives most the assist when you are stopped, it's feels difficult to steer if not working.