Steering sticks

[jvicker]

Haven't had a problem since the DPS update in Aug. But..... Yesterday I'm riding down the highway and go to exit. Can't turn right. Handle bars are stuck at center. With a little force I am able to turn right. Exit, turn left, no problem. Riding down a "banked" road the bike naturally wants to go left. Try to turn to the right to ajust and again it sticks at center. Did some swerving back and forth. Swerve left, ok. Swerve back to the right and sticks. Under 20mph, no sticking.

Dealer hooked it up to the computer and nothing. No codes and no new update. Left the Spyder there. 3 different service guys take it for a ride and nothing. No one can duplicate the problem. Bomb has heard of a few problems like mine. Dps replacement seems to be the option. Warranty ends in 7 days so... sure. Ticks me off that they couldn't get the steering to stick. Makes me think I'm loosing it.

Do I replace the DPS? Or is it something else?

 

[SpyderWolf]

Unfortunately at this time it is very hard to say. Some of the fixes so far have been by replacing the DPS, others the Gear Positioning Sensor (GPS), and I read a few needed a new Steering Angle Sensor (SAS). Since you still have 7 days on the warranty, I would push the dealer to talk to BRP about the problem. BRP is well aware of the issue with the steering problems, and will hopefully address yours.

Please keep us informed as to what happens, as you may be the closest one to being out of warranty that this has happened to so far. How you are treated by BRP and the dealer may be a pattern for the rest of us.

Best of luck in getting it fixed under warranty. :thumbup:

 

[RoadHammer]

Haven't had a problem since the DPS update in Aug. But..... Yesterday I'm riding down the highway and go to exit. Can't turn right. Handle bars are stuck at center. With a little force I am able to turn right. Exit, turn left, no problem. Riding down a "banked" road the bike naturally wants to go left. Try to turn to the right to ajust and again it sticks at center. Did some swerving back and forth. Swerve left, ok. Swerve back to the right and sticks. Under 20mph, no sticking.

Dealer hooked it up to the computer and nothing. No codes and no new update. Left the Spyder there. 3 different service guys take it for a ride and nothing. No one can duplicate the problem. Bomb has heard of a few problems like mine. Dps replacement seems to be the option. Warranty ends in 7 days so... sure. Ticks me off that they couldn't get the steering to stick. Makes me think I'm loosing it.

Do I replace the DPS? Or is it something else?

you dont replace the dps,, Bombi does. Call Carlo, and or email him. Explain your situation to him. You obviously have a problem that cannot be ignored.
819-566-3366 Canada

819-566-3062
[email protected]

 

[magnum]

I had that problem steering started sticking then went 8mos and nothing then on a ride last Dec stuck in center position. Had the DSS replaced and now the bike is fine. Some say check to make sure yor battery is fully charged this could cause a problem. Don't wait make your dealer get with BRP.WE had one rider have an accident because of this. Good Luck.

 

[COOLMACHINE]

Maybe a small portion of the solution

Hello jvicker,
If nothing else, have you considered purchasing an extended warranty? Still have 7 days left. Just a thought to maybe help you down the road.

 

[Capt John]

Haven't had a problem since the DPS update in Aug. But..... Yesterday I'm riding down the highway and go to exit. Can't turn right. Handle bars are stuck at center. With a little force I am able to turn right. Exit, turn left, no problem. Riding down a "banked" road the bike naturally wants to go left. Try to turn to the right to ajust and again it sticks at center. Did some swerving back and forth. Swerve left, ok. Swerve back to the right and sticks. Under 20mph, no sticking.

Dealer hooked it up to the computer and nothing. No codes and no new update. Left the Spyder there. 3 different service guys take it for a ride and nothing. No one can duplicate the problem. Bomb has heard of a few problems like mine. Dps replacement seems to be the option. Warranty ends in 7 days so... sure. Ticks me off that they couldn't get the steering to stick. Makes me think I'm loosing it.

Do I replace the DPS? Or is it something else?

Mine did the same thing last year. It was a bad relay.

 

[YPILOT]

:agree:

Hello jvicker,
If nothing else, have you considered purchasing an extended warranty? Still have 7 days left. Just a thought to maybe help you down the road.

 

[SpyderWolf]

Here are some other things you can check on your own as well.

Make sure the battery is fully charged, as the electronic components on the Spyder seem pretty sensitive to low voltage. Push down on all of the fuses and relays to make sure they are fully seated, this includes the ones under the seat.

Unfortunately, I don't think Carlo is going to be back in the office until May 4 which means your warranty will be expired before you can get in touch with him. You are going to have to lean on the dealer to contact BRP and find out how they want to handle resolving the issue.

As for the extended warranty, Bert's Mega Mall has a posting on here about a discount that is good until April 30, if you decide to go that route.

 

[jvicker]

I do have the extended warranty. Anything after 4/30 will cost me $50. A small price but I would rather throw that money The Magicman's way. I did just install a 12volt in the dash and was charging my phone at the time.
:dontknow:

 

[SpyderWolf]

I do have the extended warranty. Anything after 4/30 will cost me $50. A small price but I would rather throw that money The Magicman's way. I did just install a 12volt in the dash and was charging my phone at the time.
:dontknow:

Glad to hear you have the extended warranty; however, this may be an issue that BRP needs to fix without you paying for use of the extended warranty if it is related to the steering recall and associated problems.

Unless your battery is on the way out, I don't believe charging your phone through that outlet should have any impact.

 

[jvicker]

Update

New DPS is on backorder. Steering has locked up twice since. Nothing major. Hope it gets fixed before Chicago.

 

[jvicker]

How the !@#$%

DPS arrived early this week. Brought the Spyder in Thursday night so they could start on it right away Friday. Well..... The NEW DPS is defective. Another was ordered and is backordered. May not see it till June.

Now, how does BRP sent out a brand new DPS system and have it be defective. I'm beyond ticked. First the problems with the crank case and now this. My mistake for purchasing a demo.

 

[Smylinacha]

I went thru the exact same thing - steering got stuck and I "unstuck" it and it "popped or clicked" when I did. Same thing w/ the DPS - they got a replacement in which was defective. Got another one in and so far so good.

DPS arrived early this week. Brought the Spyder in Thursday night so they could start on it right away Friday. Well..... The NEW DPS is defective. Another was ordered and is backordered. May not see it till June.

Now, how does BRP sent out a brand new DPS system and have it be defective. I'm beyond ticked. First the problems with the crank case and now this. My mistake for purchasing a demo.

 

[spyder30517]

Steering

Just my .02$ worth
Mine was doing the same thing - felt as if DPS was going out from time to time.
Replaced relay - didnt help.
Checked front tire pressures -
Left was at 12
Right was at 18
equalized tire pressures to 17 in each
Problem seems to have been resolved so far (been 200 miles since then)
Something to check on though.
From what I can figure the front end ABS/VSS electronics are SUPER sensitive to the the amount of air - this would also have a small effect on tire diameter/rotation speed when making a turn - my thought is VSS/ABS might have been kicking in on mine making it feel as if DPS was shutting down.
Just my thoughts
PRAYING its not the DPS ray:

 

[pathfinderjoe]

front tire air pressure

Just my .02$ worth
Mine was doing the same thing - felt as if DPS was going out from time to time.
Replaced relay - didn't help.
Checked front tire pressures -
Left was at 12
Right was at 18
equalized tire pressures to 17 in each
Problem seems to have been resolved so far (been 200 miles since then)
Something to check on though.
From what I can figure the front end ABS/VSS electronics are SUPER sensitive to the the amount of air - this would also have a small effect on tire diameter/rotation speed when making a turn - my thought is VSS/ABS might have been kicking in on mine making it feel as if DPS was shutting down.
Just my thoughts
PRAYING its not the DPS ray:

Question - In what way would the diameter and rotation speed of a front tire impact the VSS? IMHO -the front tires free-wheel and are rotating at different speeds when traveling in any direction other than a straight line. The tighter the curve the greater the difference in rotation speed between the front tires. Obviously the rear tire is a different story.. However, I have recently installed 185-60-14 tires on the front and soon after had my first encounter with a steering problem. No DPS codes displayed on the gages. Took my :spyder2: to the dealer who could not find any indication that there was a problem with the DPS and feels that the steering issue is a result of the larger tires. I lowered the air pressure in the front and have not had any problems since (approx 600 miles). My question is - Is the DPS impacted by tire size and / or air pressure? Is it possible to have DPS problems that do not display on the BUD?

 

[NancysToy]

Question - In what way would the diameter and rotation speed of a front tire impact the VSS? IMHO -the front tires free-wheel and are rotating at different speeds when traveling in any direction other than a straight line. The tighter the curve the greater the difference in rotation speed between the front tires. Obviously the rear tire is a different story.. However, I have recently installed 185-60-14 tires on the front and soon after had my first encounter with a steering problem. No DPS codes displayed on the gages. Took my :spyder2: to the dealer who could not find any indication that there was a problem with the DPS and feels that the steering issue is a result of the larger tires. I lowered the air pressure in the front and have not had any problems since (approx 600 miles). My question is - Is the DPS impacted by tire size and / or air pressure? Is it possible to have DPS problems that do not display on the BUD?

Remember that it is possible to have steering difficulties caused by physics...and not by the DPS. Obviously, if there is no component or system failure, there will not be a code. The system does not record normal system triggers, like loss of traction, or lifting a tire for instance. You do not say what type of steering problem you encountered, but the fact that a mere lowering of tire pressures cured it, indicates to me that it was likely either a physical issue caused by the larger tires and higher pressures, or that the system is sensitive enough to have "seen" the taller tires and the changed rotational speeds, and it reacted accordingly. Lowering the air pressure made the rolling diameter of the tires smaller, and made them rotate faster.

I am not privy to the programming of the Spyder modules, in particular the VCM, but I think it would be possible for uneven front tire pressures to affect the VSS. The Spyder monitors wheel rotational speed, steering torque, steering angle, and vehicle yaw to try to maintain what it feels is the desired steering line. A substantial difference in front tire pressures could affect both rotational speed and yaw, and make the Spyder think something was amiss. Just theorizing, of course, and it does seem the system would have to be quite sensitive to pick this up, but it is theoretically possible.

 

[pathfinderjoe]

Thanks for the input Scotty. I'll be a happy spyder ryder if in fact the tire pressure created the problem and by lowering it the problem is solved. There are a lot of posts on this forum about DPS problems and I have become gun-shy. Going forward from here I'll closely monitor tire pressure and we'll what transpires. :thumbup:

 

[jvicker]

Finally

After 24 of the longest days of my life, I got the spyder back. Short ride home in the rain but everything seemed good. :2excited: So happy to have her home that I ordered her some Kewlmetal highway brackets. Gonna need them for Chicago.

 

[SpyderWolf]

After 24 of the longest days of my life, I got the spyder back. Short ride home in the rain but everything seemed good. :2excited: So happy to have her home that I ordered her some Kewlmetal highway brackets. Gonna need them for Chicago.

:congrats: on finally getting your Spyder back. I hope it is fixed for good and you don't have any more problems with it.

 

[groundeffect]

After 24 of the longest days of my life, I got the spyder back. Short ride home in the rain but everything seemed good. :2excited: So happy to have her home that I ordered her some Kewlmetal highway brackets. Gonna need them for Chicago.

:thumbup::thumbup: Congratulations - glad you are back up and running. Good luck and ryde safe out there!


Cheers from Newfoundland.