No First Gear after unloading from the trailer - what do I check and how do I fix it?

[Richard T.]

Was taking my Spyder off the trailer when my shift control module cover got hooked on the trailer.
After releasing it and getting it off, I only have reverse and it won't shift into First. What do I check and how
do I fix it? How would I straighten the protection box? Doesn't look bent or anything. Just a little mark where it
got hooked on the trailer. Thanks for any help!

 

[Mikey]

If you hooked it as bad as you say, I would say there is something bent down there somewhere! It's too bad you didn't have another bike to compare it to and see if the angle of the dangle is the same! Make sure the actuator arm is not bent in any way, maybe have someone get on the bike and work the shifter while you get down and see what it's doing down there! Possibly unhook the top of the unit, hold it out of the way, and work it to see if the piston fully strokes in both directions, making sure the collar on the shifting shaft is not stripped! It's hard to be a Monday morning quarterback from this far away and not have eyes on the prize! Good luck, and let us know what you find!

 

[Snowbelt Spyder]

Was taking my Spyder off the trailer when my shift control module cover got hooked on the trailer.
After releasing it and getting it off, I only have reverse and it won't shift into First. What do I check and how
do I fix it? How would I straighten the protection box? Doesn't look bent or anything. Just a little mark where it
got hooked on the trailer. Thanks for any help!

Richard, shift control module cover, and protection box, are both terminologies that aren’t standard. Plus, what year and model. I’m going to take a wild ass guess here, and assume you’re talking about the “reverse actuator” that hangs down under the bike on the left side. That’s what typically gets snagged when you are backing off of a trailer. And yes, if it’s been bent downward, just a bit too far, it will mechanically prevent you from being able to shift into first. If I’m on the right track, then you’ll just need to get under there, inspect it, and try to straighten it up by hand. Once I get back to my computer, I can attach a picture.

Edit: OK Richard. If this is the component in question, this is your Reverse Actuator. When you push the R button, and shift to reverse, the solenoid pulls in, pulling on that little piece of cable, and pulling that lever back to the rear. Mechanically, inside the gearbox, that allows the gearbox to go into reverse. If you snag that and bend it down, it pulls back the lever and keeps it there. It doesn’t take much. That mechanically prevents the gearbox from shifting into first gear. Just inspect it and straighten it out. If I’m way off base here, you’ll need to provide more information on year, model, and what component is in question here.

 

[BajaRon]

What Snowbelt Spyder said. This is common with trailered Spyders as this bracket hangs low right in the center of the bike making it very susceptible to hanging up when loading or unloading, depending on the angle of the drop gate. We usually jack the front of the trailer up if the angle is too great, or relocate the trailer for a better exit angle.

Hanging it up during unloading is worse due to the angle of the bracket. But we've seen this with speed bumps as well.

As Snowbelt Spyder says, it doesn't take much. You can try straightening the bracket. You might get lucky. But many times, a new bracket is required. Because everything has to be pretty close to Just Right for it to work.

It’s a very poor design. I wish the BRP engineers were allowed to tuck this assembly up higher to give it more protection.

 

[Richard T.]

Richard, shift control module cover, and protection box, are both terminologies that aren’t standard. Plus, what year and model. I’m going to take a wild ass guess here, and assume you’re talking about the “reverse actuator” that hangs down under the bike on the left side. That’s what typically gets snagged when you are backing off of a trailer. And yes, if it’s been bent downward, just a bit too far, it will mechanically prevent you from being able to shift into first. If I’m on the right track, then you’ll just need to get under there, inspect it, and try to straighten it up by hand. Once I get back to my computer, I can attach a picture.

Edit: OK Richard. If this is the component in question, this is your Reverse Actuator. When you push the R button, and shift to reverse, the solenoid pulls in, pulling on that little piece of cable, and pulling that lever back to the rear. Mechanically, inside the gearbox, that allows the gearbox to go into reverse. If you snag that and bend it down, it pulls back the lever and keeps it there. It doesn’t take much. That mechanically prevents the gearbox from shifting into first gear. Just inspect it and straighten it out. If I’m way off base here, you’ll need to provide more information on year, model, and what component is in question here.

View attachment 255957

'23 RTL. Yes, it's the reverse actuator. So I pushed it back up. Now I have 1st but lost Reverse. Should I push it up more or try to pull down? Thank you.

 

[Snoking1127]

What Snowbelt Spyder said. This is common with trailered Spyders as this bracket hangs low right in the center of the bike making it very susceptible to hanging up when loading or unloading, depending on the angle of the drop gate. We usually jack the front of the trailer up if the angle is too great, or relocate the trailer for a better exit angle.

As Snowbelt Spyder says, it doesn't take much. You can try straightening the bracket. You might get lucky. But many times, a new bracket is required. Because everything has to be pretty close to Just Right for it to work.

It’s a very poor design. I wish the BRP engineers were allowed to tuck this assembly up higher to give it more protection.

Does it hang down on the Canyon? Maybe there is a solution there? All three on my 2018's have been trailered at one point or another. Champaign one did a round trip AZ to WA and back twice on the trailer, before coming to Washington on its on it's own three wheels.

This was m solution:

 

[Snowbelt Spyder]

'23 RTL. Yes, it's the reverse actuator. So I pushed it back up. Now I have 1st but lost Reverse. Should I push it up more or try to pull down? Thank you.

Yeah Richard. Maybe it’s up too far now, and the solenoid can’t pull it far enough. So, as long as it’s still functioning, you have to bend it down a bit till it’s in the sweet spot. But as Ron pointed out, most times an owner has to buy a new bracket. Then the alignment is correct.