Installing Mods tonight!

[JulieMarie]

My order is here! Getting started tonight on installation. My BF will be there to coach me but I'm doing this myself, even though I've never done anything like this before. He's incredibly knowledgeable about all things with motors though he has never worked on Spyder before. So if anyone has advice or videos or instructions to share please do!

My Spyder is a 2016 F3 Limited

By the end of the weekend it will have...

A BajaRon Sway Bar - Seriously I can't fix the towel bar in the bathroom but I think I can do this?
A SpyderPops lighted bumpskid - I'll probably be in tears by the time I get to this one
Lamonster Longhorn lights - I'm good at computer stuff and I'm wicked with a glue gun so maybe I can do this one
Lamonster LED headlights - If I can't get them to stay in I can use duct tape right?
A cup holder - I'm pretty sure I can do this one!
Foam grips - Yep, I got this one too!

Honestly I don't even know how to set up my avatar on this page so please, just pray for me! I'm in way over my head! Buy I love my !

[cuznjohn]

good luck, i wrenched for years and even i didn't do the sway bar

[JulieMarie]

good luck, i wrenched for years and even i didn't do the sway bar

That's enough to scare me out of it! Lol. I think I'll call and get a quote. But I'm not leaving it anywhere. If they can't do it while I wait. I'm not losing riding time.

[Chupaca]

Take your time, take breaks and enjoy the company. You will do fine and we will be here waiting for the pictures...of the finished work not the breaks...

[JulieMarie]

So I just called the dealer. If I had bought the sway bar from them it would cost $340 plus tax for them to install it. Since I didn't buy it through them they won't install it at all. Does that seem reasonable? Just wondering because I just bought my Spyder and I'm not feeling real good about the dealer. When I left the dealership it didn't have enough gas in it so we had to gas up. They told us to put in regular. Which of course was wrong. A friend also bought one. They told her the same thing about the gas. She also bought a new seat with a passenger backrest and speakers and paid to have them install it. After it was all done the speakers didn't work. Oh, well that take another $300 part if you want the speakers to work and then she had to pay for installation for that too.

So is this normal for a dealership? Unfortunately the only other option is an hour drive away. Which seems ridiculous since I live in a good size city.

[pegasus1300]

JulieMarie,just take your time.You have scheduled a lot of things,some really simple,some not so much.Pick the easiest thing first,to give you a little confidence. If you have to schedule another day to finish your projects.
I applaud you for tackling this stuff yourself.You will learn a lot about your Spyder and yourself and in the end become a more competent owner and ryder. Soon you will be doing all your own maintenance.

[Beachbum]

Wish I could sit back and watch this show! Best advice I can give you is to get at the headlights from the access panels on top (where the air filter is on the right and the oil dipstick is on the left). I wasn't brave enough to jack the spyder up high enough to do the swaybar and skidplate so I let the dealer do that one. I'm sure you will do just fine and gain a lot of confidence about doing the work yourself. It's a special way to make it truly YOUR spyder. Best of luck to ya and if frustration sets in just walk away for a bit then come back and try it again. You'll be changing your oil and checking your belt tension with ease!

[Beachbum]

The experience you just had with calling that dealer you spoke of in post #5 is why lots of us do our own work and many others have to drive an hr to find a good dealer. BRP really needs to fix this dealership issue with service. It almost scared me out of buying a spyder.

[H2O]

If the dealer you are talking about begins with an A and ends with a K with an S in the middle, I think some people have been OK with them but I would never deal with them due to a really bad experience many years ago. I went north on I-71 to Johnny K's at Burbank to buy my RT and my wife's F3 and was treated very well. The wife's F3 picked up a rock in the belt on the way home from the dealership and the service department was able to get it replaced under warranty since it was brand new. I know some dealers would have said "tough luck".

H2O

[SpyderAnn01]

There are a couple of ways to tackle this 1) Start with the hard stuff and finish off with the easy or 2) Start with the easy so if you don't finish anything else you will have accomplished something! Good luck and be careful those cupholders and foam grips could give you fits.

[JulieMarie]

If the dealer you are talking about begins with an A and ends with a K with an S in the middle...

H2O

On the money! I am quite underwhelmed. My F3 limited cost as much as my Honda CRV. At the Honda dealership I feel appreciated and like they are partners with me keeping my vehicle in good repair. At the "unnamed" CanAm dealership (snicker, snicker) they seem very lax, disinterested and not very knowledgeable. It's alarming that they tell you wrong kind of gas to put in going out the door. I don't have any faith in them and I don't think I want them working on it. I saw there is a dealership in Springfield. Know anything about that one? I also wasn't aware of the one up north. I live just north of Columbus.

[JulieMarie]

My plan is to start with the Sway Bar because that is the most important piece to me. So I will start that tonight. I've got all weekend to work on it. And if it's not all done this weekend I'm ok with that. Once I get the swaybar on I'll want to take a ride!

[H2O]

On the money! I am quite underwhelmed. My F3 limited cost as much as my Honda CRV. At the Honda dealership I feel appreciated and like they are partners with me keeping my vehicle in good repair. At the "unnamed" CanAm dealership (snicker, snicker) they seem very lax, disinterested and not very knowledgeable. It's alarming that they tell you wrong kind of gas to put in going out the door. I don't have any faith in them and I don't think I want them working on it. I saw there is a dealership in Springfield. Know anything about that one? I also wasn't aware of the one up north. I live just north of Columbus.

The dealer in Springfield started selling Spyders in late 2013 or early 2014. I tried to get their best price on a 2014 RT-S SE6 with no trade and they were just barely below list price. Don't know about their service but they sell several brands and it makes me wonder how many of their techs are trained on Spyders. Johnny K's has 2 locations that sell Spyders along with other brands and the one at Burbank (about 85 miles north of Columbus) seems to cater to Spyders. We have only had the one warranty issue and I do my own service so I can't say I have used them for a lot of items. Good luck.

H2O

[SteveLaoyster]

My order is here! Getting started tonight on installation. My BF will be there to coach me but I'm doing this myself, even though I've never done anything like this before. He's incredibly knowledgeable about all things with motors though he has never worked on Spyder before. So if anyone has advice or videos or instructions to share please do!

My Spyder is a 2016 F3 Limited

By the end of the weekend it will have...

A BajaRon Sway Bar - Seriously I can't fix the towel bar in the bathroom but I think I can do this?
A SpyderPops lighted bumpskid - I'll probably be in tears by the time I get to this one
Lamonster Longhorn lights - I'm good at computer stuff and I'm wicked with a glue gun so maybe I can do this one
Lamonster LED headlights - If I can't get them to stay in I can use duct tape right?
A cup holder - I'm pretty sure I can do this one!
Foam grips - Yep, I got this one too!

Honestly I don't even know how to set up my avatar on this page so please, just pray for me! I'm in way over my head! Buy I love my !

Use lots of hand sanitizer to put the foam grips on and don't worry about the mess, it will clean up.

When you have it up in the air for the swaybar, put the bumpskid on too. That way you are only putting it up one time.

If you are drilling and under the trike, got to have safety glasses or goggles. I got a piece of metal in my eye once with safety glasses on. Luckily I got it out before it got embedded. Good luck & have fun!!

So I just called the dealer. If I had bought the sway bar from them it would cost $340 plus tax for them to install it. Since I didn't buy it through them they won't install it at all. Does that seem reasonable? Just wondering because I just bought my Spyder and I'm not feeling real good about the dealer. When I left the dealership it didn't have enough gas in it so we had to gas up. They told us to put in regular. Which of course was wrong. A friend also bought one. They told her the same thing about the gas. She also bought a new seat with a passenger backrest and speakers and paid to have them install it. After it was all done the speakers didn't work. Oh, well that take another $300 part if you want the speakers to work and then she had to pay for installation for that too.

So is this normal for a dealership? Unfortunately the only other option is an hour drive away. Which seems ridiculous since I live in a good size city.

That really stinks that they couldn't even have the tank full. I guess they don't feel the need for return customers.

[Spyder_Cowgirl]

JulieMarie .... per this thread, you might want to put a "duct tape" (or some other kind of stop) on the drill bit so you don't accidentally nick a radiator when the drill bit breaks through the plastic. Also, per same thread, make sure you are vertical and not drilling at an angle.

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...ation-disaster

You got this .... just take your time .... Ann

[loisk]

You will have fun.

Once the spyder is high enough, sway bar and links are fairly easy. We drive up two ramps leaning on a retaining wall, then chock back wheel and put jacks under the ramps where the front wheel sits, just for peace of mind.

The Absolute Biggest Tip - poke towels in all spyder openings, spread sheet underneath, do not work on a gravel surface - spyder screws etc are fatally attracted to running into the deepest darkest most inaccessible places ! !

[Ramg66]

That looks tough, but good for you. One trick is on the foam pads use hand sanitizer like there is no tomorrow. Good luck, I'm a retired technician and I know it takes a lot to jump in and tackle something new and hard.

[Blue Star]

I too installed the foam hand grips, and agree with the hand sanitizer. It really does do the trick, and will be gone in a day or two.

As for the Ronbar; Get it up to the 20 - 22 inches, or park over a hole to give that much clearance. I thought of this, but then my neighbor told me he had a floor jack that went that high. Just have someone to balance the bike for you, as you only need it that high for a minute or two.

Trust me, the instructions make it really easy to do. Remember read them once, then again, and at each step.

Also as said by others, install the bumpskid while the bike is raised up.

[Bob Denman]

And remember: we're waiting to hear about the glorious results!
Good luck, and please keep us in the loop!

[Spyder 10]

Julie

If you need any help give me a call. I live in grove city. I have two jacks that should be able to get your bike up high enough to change the sway bar. If need help call me on 6145073863.

[LateLifeCrisis]

My order is here! Getting started tonight on installation. My BF will be there to coach me but I'm doing this myself, even though I've never done anything like this before. He's incredibly knowledgeable about all things with motors though he has never worked on Spyder before. So if anyone has advice or videos or instructions to share please do!

My Spyder is a 2016 F3 Limited

By the end of the weekend it will have...

A BajaRon Sway Bar - Seriously I can't fix the towel bar in the bathroom but I think I can do this?
A SpyderPops lighted bumpskid - I'll probably be in tears by the time I get to this one
Lamonster Longhorn lights - I'm good at computer stuff and I'm wicked with a glue gun so maybe I can do this one
Lamonster LED headlights - If I can't get them to stay in I can use duct tape right?
A cup holder - I'm pretty sure I can do this one!
Foam grips - Yep, I got this one too!

Honestly I don't even know how to set up my avatar on this page so please, just pray for me! I'm in way over my head! Buy I love my !

You have my utmost respect and admiration - My Honey took my hot glue gun away after the incident that left my fingers attached to the kitchen counter....SERIOUSLY. It's something I'm not proud of, however sh*t happens. But with your "tech adviser" standing by, I'd say you have a pretty good chance of succeeding; plus you've got the benefit of all of the experience and expertise from the Spyder-Meisters here on the Forum!


Words of advice: 1. FIND A NEW DEALER! 2. GET A FRESH ROLE OF DUCT TAPE (JUST IN CASE!)

And if all else fails, you can always play your Girl Card! As in, "Oh, Honey........."

[Ron2andia]

Good luck and have fun!

[pitzerwm]

First IMO your dealer is a POS, 2 even if it takes hours and hours when you finish, there is no better feeling that doing it yourself, EVEN if there are mistakes along the way. The only way you learn something is screwing it up. Keep in mind if some brain dead kid at the dealership can do it, there is no problem of you figuring it out.