2026 S2S transmission failure - Anyone else having similar issues?

[Randy J]

Anyone have issues with the transmission on their Spyder? I have 1000 miles on my 2026 S2S and have had it towed twice to the dealer, it just goes into Neutral, both times while I was traveling 70 mph.
Not sure my dealer has a clue what the issue is.

 

[mecsw500]

My 2026 S2S has been faultless so far.

Does it throw any fault codes BUDS3 can pick up?

That’s going to be a hard one to trace as it could be electronics, wiring, solenoids, or mechanical issues.

I’m sure the dealer is as puzzled as you are, as it’s probably a pretty rare issue they may never have personally seen before.

They need to get BRP support involved.

A definitive fault needs to be found, as it could be dangerous. I’d also file a report on the NHTSA website in case it’s a more common problem than perhaps we think.

 

[Jetfixer]

Without any fault codes to go by, or a diagnosis by BUDS3, this is a tough one to call. The only thing listed in the service manual for this states:
Unexpected Shift -> Internal HCM Problem. -> Inspect, replace HCM if determined defective.

 

[Snowbelt Spyder]

Anyone have issues with the transmission on their Spyder? I have 1000 miles on my 2026 S2S and have had it towed twice to the dealer, it just goes into Neutral, both times while I was traveling 70 mph.
Not sure my dealer has a clue what the issue is.

Hey Randy. Just a clarification question for my little lizard brain. You say it "just goes into Neutral". Did you mean that literally, one second you're in 6th gear and a split second later it pops into Neutral? Or, does it start downshifting all on its own, and sequentially downshifts through all the gears and stops in Neutral?

 

[Raven]

Towed twice in the first 1000 miles !
I wouldn't be yelling at the dealer, but I would be raising bloody hell with BRP.
They have three options.
Replace the bike.
Money back.
Or talk to my lawyer.
Of course I have a short fuse, takes a bit to get it lit, but then stand back.

 

[JayBros]

Anyone have issues with the transmission on their Spyder? I have 1000 miles on my 2026 S2S and have had it towed twice to the dealer, it just goes into Neutral, both times while I was traveling 70 mph.
Not sure my dealer has a clue what the issue is.

If you are uncertain the dealseship knows what's going on you should politely tell the service manager you want them to open a case with BRP.

 

[jcthorne]

Sounds like the clutch is letting go while riding. Actually shifting from 6th to N would be 5 shifts as this is a sequential transmission and there is no path to get from 6th to N without going through all the other gears.

The clutch is held clamped by oil pressure through the HCM (hydraulic control module). I would have the dealer look for oil pressure anomalies and oil pump issues. Or very low oil levels.

The very first indication of an oil pressure issue on these bikes is loss of clutch clamping and thus slippage. Will happen much sooner than the low oil pressure switch that lights the dash indicator.

 

[EdMat]

Probably a small piece of trash floats into one of the valves in the control module. BUDS2 can be used to open and flush out the valves.

 

[BajaRon]

I was going to post what jcthorne said until I read his reply. There is no way for the transmission in the Spyder to go from 6th to neutral in one step. It can only do that from 1st or Reverse. It must be a clutch issue. If it is releasing completely there may not be any damage to the friction disks. It is interesting that it is intermittent. As JC says, it's probably an HCM issue, since it's unlikely that you're losing oil pressure. But you could be losing pressure to the hydraulic clutch system with blockage or a valve that is opening which it should not.

 

[rbolt809]

No issues with my 2026 RT S2S... over 3k miles. Good luck!

 

[Ozarkwoods]

I have not had any problems with mine. 1200 miles on it.

 

[Randy J]

As a fellow up on this, the gas mileage on my bike has been terrible since new, the best mileage (according to the trip computer) is 26 mpg, that’s in town, I tried to take it on a trip and after 40 miles the trip computer was showing 19 mpg.
The dealer replaced 2 solenoid valves the first time I had it towed in, and it had 4 codes, P1987, P1940, P1960, and P07B1.

 

[Peter Aawen]

There's an earlier thread on similar codes here:

https://www.spyderlovers.com/threads/2020-f3ltd-codes-p07b1-p196c-and-p194d.132039/

Might be helpful, might not, but still... Good Luck.

 

[BajaRon]

As a fellow up on this, the gas mileage on my bike has been terrible since new, the best mileage (according to the trip computer) is 26 mpg, that’s in town, I tried to take it on a trip and after 40 miles the trip computer was showing 19 mpg.
The dealer replaced 2 solenoid valves the first time I had it towed in, and it had 4 codes, P1987, P1940, P1960, and P07B1.

A slipping clutch is just one way to get poor fuel mileage. With the codes you've got, a slipping clutch could just be a minor symptom of the sudden 'Neutral' issue you're having. The HCM system is extremely sensitive to any contaminants in the oil. With only 1,000 miles so far, I'd say the clean out process performed at the factory might not have been as effective as it needed to be. An oil change, done correctly, might be a very good idea.

There may be nothing wrong with the hydraulic valving. But they are not designed to deal with any crud that circulates into them. If this is the case, replacing the valves isn't going to be a long term fix, not unless you get clean oil into the engine.

Your oil may look nice and clean even with particles, like fine shavings, etc, floating around in it.

All it takes is one small particle getting into one of the hydraulic shift valves to create havoc. This is one reason we do not like the 'Suck it Out' oil change procedure, and recommend draining the oil hot, right after riding (which is what we do at the shop), because this does a better job of removing those larger, heavier particles - though it isn't nearly as important on a Manual Trans machine.

I am sure that once they get this right, you'll have no further problems with your Spyder.

 

[Randy J]

Hey Randy. Just a clarification question for my little lizard brain. You say it "just goes into Neutral". Did you mean that literally, one second you're in 6th gear and a split second later it pops into Neutral? Or, does it start downshifting all on its own, and sequentially downshifts through all the gears and stops in Neutral?

Thanks for asking for the clarification.
On the dash it says I am in 6th gear, however, I can push it liked it’s in neutral, it will not start because it thinks it’s in 6th gear. This happened both times, I coasted quite a way so I could get off of the highway.

A slipping clutch is just one way to get poor fuel mileage. With the codes you've got, a slipping clutch could just be a minor symptom of the sudden 'Neutral' issue you're having. The HCM system is extremely sensitive to any contaminants in the oil. With only 1,000 miles so far, I'd say the clean out process performed at the factory might not have been as effective as it needed to be. An oil change, done correctly, might be a very good idea.

There may be noting wrong with the hydraulic valving. But they are not designed to deal with any crud that circulates to them. If this is the case, replacing the valves isn't going to be a long term fix unless you get clean oil into the engine.

Your oil may look nice and clean even with particles like fine shavings, etc., floating around in it.

All it takes is one small particle getting into one of the hydraulic shift valves to create havoc. This is one reason we do not like the 'Suck it Out' proceedure, and recommend draining the oil hot right after riding (which is what we do at the shop). Because this does a better job of removing those larger, heavier particles. Though it isn't nearly as important on a Manual Trans machine.

I am sure that once they get this right, you'll have no further problems with your Spyder.

I had the oil changed at 500 miles, but it wasn’t getting good gas mileage at that point.
They did change the oil again at 800 miles when I had it towed in for the first incident.

 

[mecsw500]

A slipping clutch is just one way to get poor fuel mileage. With the codes you've got, a slipping clutch could just be a minor symptom of the sudden 'Neutral' issue you're having. The HCM system is extremely sensitive to any contaminants in the oil. With only 1,000 miles so far, I'd say the clean out process performed at the factory might not have been as effective as it needed to be. An oil change, done correctly, might be a very good idea.

There may be nothing wrong with the hydraulic valving. But they are not designed to deal with any crud that circulates into them. If this is the case, replacing the valves isn't going to be a long term fix, not unless you get clean oil into the engine.

Your oil may look nice and clean even with particles, like fine shavings, etc, floating around in it.

All it takes is one small particle getting into one of the hydraulic shift valves to create havoc. This is one reason we do not like the 'Suck it Out' oil change procedure, and recommend draining the oil hot, right after riding (which is what we do at the shop), because this does a better job of removing those larger, heavier particles - though it isn't nearly as important on a Manual Trans machine.

I am sure that once they get this right, you'll have no further problems with your Spyder.

Isn't there an HCM filter that perhaps should be changed as well, just in case of swarf or clutch material?

 

[BajaRon]

Thanks for asking for the clarification.
On the dash it says I am in 6th gear, however, I can push it liked it’s in neutral, it will not start because it thinks it’s in 6th gear. This happened both times, I coasted quite a way so I could get off of the highway.



I had the oil changed at 500 miles, but it wasn’t getting good gas mileage at that point.
They did change the oil again at 800 miles when I had it towed in for the first incident.

Having had these early oil changes makes this even more interesting. However, changing the oil isn't going to remove contaminants already floating around in the HCM system. But changing out the solenoids (at the same time) should have resolved that.

As for the 'Non-Start'. I'd say your Spyder doesn't 'Think' it's in 6th gear. It IS in 6th gear if you did not downshift during your coasting to a stop. If, as we suspect it is the clutch releasing, it just feels like it is in Neutral when it is actually still in gear. There is no Neutral between gears in a constant mesh transmission. Hence the term, 'Constant Mesh'. Meaning that it's always in gear except when specifically placed in the Neutral position, which requires moving through each gear one at a time until you get there.

@mecsw500 brings up a good point. If contaminants are the suspected culprits, the trans filter should be changed with the oil because it could be harboring and reintroducing the problem. Though I haven’t quite figured that filter out. Because it does not appear to be able to capture small particles. Previous HCM filters have been of the 30-micron kind. No way the mesh in the 1330 filter gets anywhere near that.

I am left to believe that particles small enough to pass through the current HCM filter are not considered to be detrimental to the hydraulic system.

I must say that the problem you are having is very rare in the 1330’s. So, the current HCM filter appears to be effective.

This is a weird one. We all hope they can get this sorted out. I know you do as well.

 

[Raven]

Ok, I am the first to admit I don't know a lot about Spyders.
But if the clutch is slipping that much, wouldn't there be damage to the clutch ?

 

[mecsw500]

I would suspect that if the Spyder is in 6th gear, which it appears to be, then like Baja Ron says, it points to the clutch. If you are throwing false Neutrals between gears, it means that you have mechanical problems in the transmission, but that’s unlikely to be honest.

It’s much more likely to be the clutch. Now that could be an assembly problem or some kind of failure that leads to its disengagement and the clutch itself is OK. Either way, that’s a dealer kind of failure that needs to be fixed under warranty. I wouldn’t go poking around in there myself as I’m sure the first thing they will do is throw it on their BUDS3 system to start the diagnosis before they even start pulling the clutch cover off.

The clutch itself probably depends upon hydraulic and to an extent electronic control. I’d let the dealer go poking around in there. They likely have a diagnostic protocol established by Can Am to go through. After all these years of production it’s unlikely this is the first Spyder to have this problem and hence then BRP at least will be able to steer the dealer in the right direction. Well, we live in hope.

Please let us know what the dealer finds, we are all now invested and curious as to what the problem is.