RT 2014 ground clearance

[lascar]

Hello guys !!!!!!!!

Some french RT 2014 owners has ground clearence problem .They rub the front trunck background on the ground and not a hight speed .Some of you have add this problem .
Some picture of one of them :

http://nsm08.casimages.com/img/2014/...8112334383.jpg
http://nsm08.casimages.com/img/2014/...8112334344.jpg
http://nsm08.casimages.com/img/2014/...8112334309.jpg

[SpyderAnn01]

They need to get the Spyderpops Bump Skid. And they need to be careful when going over bumps.

[Benggolf]

Fortunately, I had the Bumpskid Plate installed on my 2011 RT Ltd.
It saved my front end on my last trip to Port Renfew in Vancouver Island. A dip on the logging rond that I didnt quite see on time
scraped the bottom and would have cause serious damage if I didnt have the skid plate.

Going thru bumps and dips on driveways may also cause the front end to scrape on the pavement. The price of the Spyderpops
Bumpskid plate is definitely worth the protection. A must have mod IMHO.

Beng

[Highwayman2013]

Yes have them get the Bumpskid,Spyderpops rocks!

[BajaRon]

[DRTSB]

I had that problem with my 2011 RT Limited, I put a set of shock re-locators from Pitbull and Elka stage 1 + r shocks, I went from 4 1/2 inches to 7 1/4, that's out of the box, I can get more if I adjust the spring pre-load on the springs but at 7 1/2 he handles sweet!!

Dave

[Questions]

I too have noticed what appears to be ground clearance issues. I am new to Spyders, just bought a 2014 RT Ltd. Here in NH some of our State roads are in need of resurfacing, and I have managed to hit / tap my Bumpskid several times even at slow speeds. I mentioned this to my dealer upon the bikes 600mi service, and from his explanation it sounded as if I was riding with the adjuster too soft (one notch below the middle). So I have adjusted it to full hard when on these certain roads and have done better. BUT it still seems awfully low to the ground. And has created a rather paranoid driver. I try to avoid these certain roads, but there are currently quite a few of them around here at the moment.

I was actually cruising this forum to see if anyone else was having similar issues and or had inexpensive solutions. Other than leave it in the garage.

[Jim&Teresa]

From my 3-21-14 post -- some pics for you -- Bumpskid is very important to protect front/bottom of the RT!

Hello all, just finished my bumpskid install on my 2014 RT L! I had installed one on my 2012 RT L as well. This one went very smooth and an easy install expecially that I had the bike up in the air for the BajaRon sway bar install yesterday....worked great!

Here's a few pics of the install and a few suggestions:

1. Have your Spyder up so you can drill it easily (I had the bike up about 18" ground to frame).

2 Just follow instructions -- I thought this was "easier" than my 2012 RT L install of the bumpskid!

3. The back two holes you need to drill into the metal frame....careful to not penetrate your drill bit too far to prevent damage! I just used tape on the drill bit wound around a few layers to act as a stop....some of you may have a formal drill bit stop, but that's my solution (had about a 1/4" of the drill bit exposed to drill through the metal -- worked great! The holes drilled into the tupperware I drilled while the bumpskid was mounted, the two back holes into the metal -- I marked with the bumpskid in place, then drilled those back two holes with the bumpskid off to insure I could see what was happening as I drilled!

4. I looked twice at the top of the bumpskid and discovered it was protected with the premask layer as well. Glad I caught that before the install. Obviously pulled the top premask off before mounting the bumpskid to the Spyder. The last thing I did was pulled the premask protection layer off the bottom of the bumpskid when completely finished with the install.

Attached Thumbnails

[PrairieSpyder]

+1 for the BumpSkid from SpyderPops.

And DRTSB - I love your avatar!

[BajaRon]

Everything in life is a compromise. The ground clearance on the Spyder is fine for the great majority of what most riders experience, but this does not mean that some will not have issues.

One problem, in my opinion, is that there is no front shock pre-load adjustment. So when you load up the Frunk and put two riders on the Spyder you are going to get more compression in the suspension, especially when hitting a bump or when going into a driveway.

You can raise the front to get more ground clearance but this creates other problems. Raising the front any significant amount will raise the center of gravity making your Spyder more top heavy which will negatively impact handling characteristics. It will also cause your front wheels to go out of alignment.

For most riders, the SpyderPops Bump Skid is the best answer.

[lascar]

It is important that all users who know the big worries do know from their dealer with photos of the damage, serial number, mileage and possible circumstances shocks, all by email. BRP before moving expects ski clients ...
In France several guys have had this problem !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are normal on a machine of this price be forced to change its dampers. Do you know the many new car or motorcycle when the same is done??

[Chupaca]

have heard the 14's are lower than previous years. The bumpskid from spyderpops gives you protection but put it a 1/2" +/- lower. I put the pitbull shock relocators on my RS and it did raise the front end. Otherwise you would have to change the shocks...

[rtmario]

Simple solution is to shim the front springs, at the bottom with about a 5/8'' to 3/4'' bushing this will raise the front about 1'' . This will stiffen up the front suspension a little bit , not that much and will give you a sportier feel and to add bajaron sway bar. Perfect set up for rough and curved road...plus excelent side and front wind burst control. No more fighting to keep it in a straight line. You will need an alignment and budd adjust to 0 after that .

[Princeau99]

Simple solution is to shim the front springs, at the bottom with about a 5/8'' to 3/4'' bushing this will raise the front about 1'' . This will stiffen up the front suspension a little bit , not that much and will give you a sportier feel and to add bajaron sway bar. Perfect set up for rough and curved road...plus excelent side and front wind burst control. No more fighting to keep it in a straight line. You will need an alignment and budd adjust to 0 after that .

Probably a dumb question; where do you find these shims? I presume they are fitted for the spring curve.
thanks

[rtmario]

Yes they are and my dealer had them made by a machine shop ; they're made of aluminium ...
Nice peices and easy to install with a shock compressor ... worst part is to remove and reinstall !!

Probably a dumb question; where do you find these shims? I presume they are fitted for the spring curve.
thanks

[Bob Denman]

Until a practical solution is found: maintain "Situational Awareness"...