what does this do to the ride. Am I mistaken in thinking the hitch attaches to the swing arm? Isn't this then unsprung weight?
what is the weight limit of the rack/hitch
what does this do to the ride. Am I mistaken in thinking the hitch attaches to the swing arm? Isn't this then unsprung weight?
what is the weight limit of the rack/hitch
Does not effect the ride. This rack sits farther forward for better balance. You won't even know it's there.
Not sure what unsprung weight is. The swing arm, hitch, and rack are all in non-suspensioned area of the bike. We suggest clothes, tools, equipment, etc on the rack to free up your bags/cases for more fragile stuff.
Weight limits vary. I believe the BRP unit is 35 lbs. With the rack on there that will give you 25 lbs. carrying capacity. Believe me, that is a lot of clothes.
The weight limit of the hitch per BRP/Owner's Manual is 40#. I think the rack weighs approximately 10#. That would allow you to pack 30# of clothes, raingear, and riding gear(jackets&chaps). The Spyder Pak volume is about 2.8 cu.ft.
Hope this info helps
Mike
In a ground vehicle with a suspension, the unsprung weight (or the unsprung mass) is the mass of the suspension, wheels or tracks (as applicable), and other components directly connected to them, rather than supported by the suspension. (The mass of the body and other components supported by the suspension is the sprung mass.) Unsprung weight includes the mass of components such as the wheel axles, wheel bearings, wheel hubs, tires, and a portion of the weight of driveshafts, springs, shock absorbers, and suspension links. If the vehicle's brakes are mounted outboard (i.e., within the wheel), their weight is also considered part of the unsprung weight.
Effects of unsprung weight
The unsprung weight of a wheel controls a trade-off between a wheel's bump-following ability and its vibration isolation. Bumps and surface imperfections in the road cause tire compression—which induces a force on the unsprung weight. The unsprung weight then responds to this force with movement of its own. The amount of movement, for short bumps, is inversely proportional to the weight - a lighter wheel which readily moves in response to road bumps will have more grip and more constant grip when tracking over an imperfect road. For this reason, lighter wheels are sought especially for high-performance applications. In contrast, a heavier wheel which moves less will not absorb as much vibration; the irregularities of the road surface will transfer to the cabin through the geometry of the suspension and hence ride quality and road noise are deteriorated. For longer bumps that the wheels follow, greater unsprung mass causes more energy to be absorbed by the wheels and makes the ride worse. Pneumatic or elastic tires help by providing some springing for most of the (otherwise) unsprung mass, but the damping that can be included in the tires is limited by considerations of fuel economy and overheating. The shock absorbers, if any, damp the spring motion also and must be less stiff than would optimally damp the wheel bounce. So the wheels execute some vibrations after each bump before coming to rest. On dirt roads and perhaps on some softly paved roads, these motions form small bumps, known as corrugations, washboarding or "corduroy" because they resemble smaller versions of the bumps in roads made of logs. These cause sustained wheel bounce in subsequent vehicles, enlarging the bumps. High unsprung weight also exacerbates wheel control issues under hard acceleration or braking. If the vehicle does not have adequate wheel location in the vertical plane (such as a rear-wheel drive car with Hotchkiss drive, alive axle supported by simple leaf springs), vertical forces exerted by acceleration or hard braking combined with high unsprung mass can lead to severe wheel hop, compromising traction and steering control. As mentioned above, there is a positive effect of unsprung mass. High frequency road irregularities, such as the gravel in an asphalt or concrete road surface, are isolated from the body more completely because the tires and springs act as separate filter stages, with the unsprung weight tending to uncouple them. Likewise, sound and vibration isolation is improved (at the expense of handling), in production automobiles, by the use of rubber bushings between the frame and suspension, by any flexibility in the frame or body work, and by the flexibility of the seats.
I am not trying to cause a problem here. I have been in 2 wheel motorcycle repair,restoration,racing and riding for 50 years and we have always thought that reducing the unsprung weight would allow the the wheels/tires to follow the road better and give a better more controllable ride.Adding 40 lbs behind the axle according to what I have always though would have an impact on the ride/handling. I am not a 3 wheel expert and especially not a Spyder expert by any means, just trying to be more informed.
Not sure about that, Pegasus. There really is no difference having a 40 lb tongue weight from towing a trailer or having a 40 lb load on the Spyder Rack. Actually, since the rack has foward positive balance (almost 50% of the weight is in front on the hitch ball and dispersed over a larger area rather than being concentrated right on the hitch ball like it would be pulling a trailer), the bike handles better the closer to fully loaded the Rack is.
I just got back from a 180 mile ride to the North side of Indy to pick-up 50 lbs of blast media for my cabinet. I split the load and carried 25 lbs on the Rack in the Spyder Pack and the other 25 lbs in the frunk. During the 90 mile ride home both the wife and I remarked that the bike rode smoother. So, I am not sure that what you are saying applies in this situation. All I can say is, this works for me. Also, the Spyder Pack got rained on hard for about 10 minutes and not one drop of water got inside it! That is pretty water resistant.
I will say this: I have been ask to create a longer Rack (extending farther away from the bike behind the hitch ball) and I will not do that as I feel that is not safe and may even damage the hitch due to focusing the weight where it does. I cringe when I see things for sale on Ebay like this. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Show-Chrome-...145bec&vxp=mtr
I do not like the design on this rack. It shifts the load behind the hitch ball, putting too much stress on the ball area and can not be good for the bikes handling.
Not sure about that, Pegasus. There really is no difference having a 40 lb tongue weight from towing a trailer or having a 40 lb load on the Spyder Rack.
I agree with you 40 lbs. is 40 lbs. I have pulled trailers with motorcycles before but the hitches were always attached to the frames thus sprung weight rather then the swing arm. When this Gold Wing Trike sells and I get my Spyder it will be interesting to feel the difference.
With adding a full cooler on the trailer arm and front loading my trailer I am sure I occasionally exceed the 40# tongue weight on my hitch.. It still always pulls like a dream and we notice no difference in ryde comfort. Seriously doubt that this would make any difference either
220,000 Mile Spyder Ryder, IBA Premier member #59352, Saddlesore 1000 (11), Bun Burner 1500 (3), Saddlesore 2000 (2), Bun Burner Gold, MILEEATER SILVER
I have been waiting for this..But.it doesen't look like it would be quick and easy to remove and install when not in use..
Depending on which way you install it will determine how easy it will come off. If you leave the hitch ball in place, it will take about 5-7 minutes to remove it using a 9/16" ratchet and socket.
If you use the hitch ball hole for installation, you will need the tools to remove the larger 3/4" bolt. I am in the process (within a few days) of offering a kit for the hitch ball installation that will include a tool to easily remove the larger bolt. The adaptor plate that is used will have 2 small steel runners on each side that will trap the head of the bolt and keep it from turning so no wrench is required. The bottom will have 2 nuts welded onto each end of a 3" long sleeve. What this will do is make it much easier to get to it remove it. I will also have a hole drilled just above the bottom nut so that a 10" long "breaker bar", which is included in the kit, can be used to install and remove the rack. I may even attach to the bar a 9/16" deep well socket. That way you can carry one very small tool and check your bolts and nuts, tighten as needed, or remove for any reason.
Last edited by Roadster Renovations; 06-05-2015 at 09:18 AM.
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