While returning home from a 35 mile ride, my Spyder shut down while riding. I was on a residential street going approximately 25mph when the rpm’s dropped and the engine shut down. After getting the bike off the road, I tried to restart it and it would start, run for about 2 seconds, and then shut down. I did not see any warning indicators on the dash display. I tried starting it a few more times and saw the display go blank and then flash grey vertical lines. I waited for a couple of minutes before trying to start it again. Prior to going through the starting sequence, I turned the kill switch off and then back on. The bike started this time but then displayed LIMP mode. I had the bike towed to a dealership and it arrived there about 2 hours after the initial engine shut down. Of course, the bike started and ran fine at the dealership. The battery in the bike was replaced about 2 weeks ago. Any thoughts or ideas on what could be the problem?
-
There were many reasons for the change of the site software, the biggest was security. The age of the old software also meant no server updates for certain programs. There are many benefits to the new software, one of the biggest is the mobile functionality. Ill fix up some stuff in the coming days, we'll also try to get some of the old addons back or the data imported back into the site like the garage. To create a thread or to reply with a post is basically the same as it was in the prior software. The default style of the site is light colored, but i temporarily added a darker colored style, to change you can find a link at the bottom of the site.
2012 RTS-SE5 engine shut down while riding, looking for possible causes - any ideas?
- Thread starter Hobie1
- Start date
Snowbelt Spyder
Well-known member
Well Hobie, grey, vertical lines, on that era of a Spyder display, is the signature indication of a low electrical system voltage. LIMP mode as well as VSS or ABS faults are also common. Now, whether or not that was the root cause of the initial shutdown, or whether that was just the result of multiple start attempts, is the question. After a few hours at the dealer, it started, given the battery had the time to regenerate somewhat. I'd look at that first, because it was the same gas at the dealer as it was when it quit on you.
So, I'm on the side of an electrical issue. The battery was changed 2 weeks ago. So, that's the most recent change to look at. Was it the correct battery? Was it properly charged and activated before install? Who did the work? Are the terminal connectors still tight? Has it been run often? Do you use a battery maintainer? etc, etc, etc.
One thing to know about the 998 - like many bikes, it uses a magneto (stator) type charging system, not an alternator type. The power output of the magneto is dependent on engine RPM. Starting off with a marginal battery charge, and following that with prolonged operation at lower RPMs, will actually cause you to drain down the battery, not keep it charged.. Especially if you are running all of your accessories, like grip heaters, etc. Or, doing a lot of maneuvering and using DPS a lot. All Spyders are electrical power hogs. Always keep your battery charged, maintained, and buy the good stuff.
So, if it's still at the dealer, check battery terminal tightness, charging system, ground connections, give it a charge, and bring it home. Or, bring it home now and do it yourself.
You're a new owner of a 998 apparently. You probably need to read through this, also.
So, I'm on the side of an electrical issue. The battery was changed 2 weeks ago. So, that's the most recent change to look at. Was it the correct battery? Was it properly charged and activated before install? Who did the work? Are the terminal connectors still tight? Has it been run often? Do you use a battery maintainer? etc, etc, etc.
One thing to know about the 998 - like many bikes, it uses a magneto (stator) type charging system, not an alternator type. The power output of the magneto is dependent on engine RPM. Starting off with a marginal battery charge, and following that with prolonged operation at lower RPMs, will actually cause you to drain down the battery, not keep it charged.. Especially if you are running all of your accessories, like grip heaters, etc. Or, doing a lot of maneuvering and using DPS a lot. All Spyders are electrical power hogs. Always keep your battery charged, maintained, and buy the good stuff.
So, if it's still at the dealer, check battery terminal tightness, charging system, ground connections, give it a charge, and bring it home. Or, bring it home now and do it yourself.
You're a new owner of a 998 apparently. You probably need to read through this, also.
Last edited:
Deanna777
Well-known member
Hi Hobie1,
The dealership can use BUDS to find out if there are any codes on the Spyder.
Deanna
The dealership could not replicate the issue, so I picked the bike up and rode it home. A few days later, I took it out and rode for about 35 miles and experienced the same drop in rpm’s and engine shut down. I waited about 10 minutes and tried to restart. This time I videoed the startup attempt. No joy on a restart so, I had it towed to the dealer again. After seeing the video, the dealer technician diagnosed the problem as a bad ground. The ground had visible corrosion. The connection was cleaned up and everything was tightened back up. I am picking the bike up this morning and going to try to get it past the 35 mile or so “break down” range. Hopefully the dealership found the issue.
Similar threads
