Initial Maintenance and Work

[Rednaxs60]

Have just purchased a new to me 2-14 Spyder RT LE with 9K Kms on the clock. Have had a few rides in the last 24 hours and have done some 250K Kms, solo and two-up. Coming from Goldwings. Ride is excellent, quality of finish is quite good, all round very enjoyable. Not much to do to this Spyder. Original owner put the beefier sway bar on, upgraded the handlebars to the tri axis handlebars, and I think a few other items. Only annoyance and I will find a work around for it, is the brake pedal is in the wrong spot for me.

Have looked into oil/filter change, HCM/transmission filter, fuel filter, and checking air cleaner. Will be doing over the next month. Have to schedule in between getting a V-Strom and Goldwing ready to sell. Plugs should be good.

Have ordered a set of passenger arm rests for the Mrs. Looking at a trailer hitch for my N-Line trailer as well.

Will be looking at replacing the front shocks and upgrading to the Elka stage 2 shocks for the RT. Looked at Baja Ron shock adjusters at $185.00 USD - $233.00 CDN pls shipping, taxes/duty. The Elka shocks are just shy of $1K CDN plus tax and shipping I would imagine - out of Boucherville Quebec. Looking at time, tooling and such, the Elka shocks are a better way ahead, and considering the Kms on this Spyder, do it now and enjoy the change. Keep the OEM shocks for a time when the Elka shocks may need to be rebuilt.

Not intimidated with removing the plastic, have owned - now sold, an '08 GL1800, have a '95 GL1500 and an '85 GL1200 Limited Edition Goldwing.

Will be browsing the forum for information on doing this maintenance/work.

Cheers

[pegasus1300]

Welcome to the forum and Congrats on the new to you RT. Post early,post often and post pictures.

[P.W.]

Sounds like you have things under control for the time being .....just remember that when/if you do need help there are a lot of people here waiting to help out.

Take care,
P.W.

[ARtraveler]

:welcome: and :congrats: on your new purchase. :yes:

[Rednaxs60]

Thanks. Wasn't going to take the leap for another 3-4 years when I hit 70 or so, but this Spyder was too good to pass up. If I had not taken it, my friend would have - something like going shopping for an item, look at a lot of places and end up back where you first looked and hopefully it is still there.

This will be a good year to get setup for Spyder work/maintenance as I do not expect our countries to open up that much. Did some more browsing on line and thinking the belt tensioner change would be good to do this year before too many Kms are on it ensuring trouble free motoring as we go forward.

Have been looking into the oil to use. The oil thread on here is similar to the Goldwing forums I'm on, lots of recommendations/opinions. I'm a fan of synthetic. Know about the JASO spec, and have read the owners manual - lots of things to get my head around regarding operation of these Spyders. Looking at using Amsoil or Liqui Moly - German product. Price point comes into play as well. Have had very good luck with the inexpensive synthetic oils in my 1200/1500 Goldwings that were manufactured before the JASO spec came out. I look for the API donut, the round symbol on the bottle that has the lower half blank, indicates there are no friction modifiers in the oil - disregard the oil spec in the top half of this API donut - for example only. The 1200/1500 engines are close tolerance engines so should be an easy mindset change to the Spyder engine.

Have used Amsoil before, know it is a good product. My son-in-law had a Honda CBR 600 a few years back, always operated hot in the city and rad fan was constantly cycling on/off. Convinced him to switch to Amsoil and he mentioned that after doing this, the rad fan rarely cycled. So it's down to a price point as I go forward. I do try different oils, if I like it I'll stay with it, if not will change - lots of choice out there. If there was one oil out there that made the "feel" of the engine operation to everyone's liking, there'd only be one oil made. Like buying oil in case lots to get the price lower.

Have what is called a Big Blue Lift. My retirement project on it is an '85 Honda Goldwing Limited Edition. Found a YouTube of a fellow who had his Spyder on this lift. Big Blue Lifts make a lift accessory for the Spyder. Spyder won't fit on my motorcycle lift that I know off without some good mods done. Here's a couple of YouTube links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNXpiJLixok https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIoQuzc5sn0

If you want to work underneath the Spyder, use this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMBeH-xSmow

Looking for a manual, have a lead from one of the forum members. Looking into the BUDS Software. Want to know what it is all about. Closest dealership is over an hour away.

Bleeding the brake system is also on the list - probably has never been done. Thinking Speed Bleeders are the way to go, have these on my 1200 Goldwing.

What I generally do is make a list of work/maintenance items that fit into a week, no longer than two weeks, do these, then ride, repeat as necessary.

Cheers

[Rednaxs60]

Armrests coming for the Mrs. Have been looking for the OEM service manuals, need the 2013 Roadster Service manual and the 2014 RT supplement. Bit pricey new at $320.00 CDN taxes in for both. The 2014 Supplement is $135.00 CDN taxes in. Have found a used 2013 on eBay for $60.00 CDN delivered.

Going to bleed the brakes as well. Will order Speedbleeders, have these on my 1200. There is an extra step and that is to bleed the VCM/ABS (have to find out what this acronym means). You also need a software program B.U.D.S - BRP Utility and Diagnostic Software, to finish bleeding the brakes. Can be done without the software, but I've read it's not easy. More of an ouch to the pocketbook - software and 1 year license $900.00 CDN. I guess with a machine this complicated electronically, this is a good investment. Something like the new GWs, lots of electronics to consider. Found a 28 page document describing the software and what it can do for you. Reminds me of the supplement for my '85 Limited Edition.

Watched a video on bleeding the brakes on the Spyder with the software program hooked in. After the initial flush, he did a flush using the BUDS software. It is very specific in the order you do the flush, similar to flushing the brake system on an 1800 Goldwing. informs you when each step is successfully completed. The other advantage to using the software in that it activates the VCM/ABS unit during the procedure, something you cannot do when manually bleeding the system.

There is a pressure sensor on the brake system. After successfully completing the brake bleed manually and with the BUDS software, you do a pressure test of the system using the BUDS software. The pressure test is a pass/fail scenario.

The brake system flush can be done without the software, but there are a couple of steps that should be done and can only be done using the software. Thinking a brake system flush in the shop is not inexpensive and as such, doing one or two brake system flushes yourself using the software, would pay for the software.

Have looked into the BUDS software, and without going for a knockoff, the software from Powersports Diagnostics appears to be a complete package with no other pieces to buy to use. Can anyone confirm this? May have to ask the company the question. Here's the site link: https://www.powersports-diag.com/en/brp-diagnostic-kits/1-brp-buds-buds2-mpi-3-diagnostic-kit-4-tec-e-tec.html#/17-license_type-all_dealer_dealer_technician_1_year

Had to put some gas in the Spyder. Uses high test - ouch, not used to buying the premium.

Finding out all sorts of good info regarding the maintenance on my Spyder.

[bigbadbrucie]

Welcome to SpyderLovers.....lots of knowledgeable people on here. I also have a ‘14 RTS SE6. With regards to fuel, most members are running 87 octane with NO ILL EFECTS. No loss of power nor mileage loss.

[Rednaxs60]

Thanks for the info, will try a tankful.

Have been looking for a suitable oil for the Spyder. Read the Owner's Manual and the oil to be used: "Use the XPS 4-Stroke SYNTH BLEND OIL (SUMMER) (P/N 293 600 121) or a 5W40 semi-synthetic (minimum) or synthetic motorcycle oil meeting the requirements for API SL. SJ, SH, SG or higher classification."

Most of these API service types have been superseded by the API SN spec.

Have been using a EURO synthetic 5W40 in my Goldwings for the past several years that meets the OEM requirement mentioned in the Owner's Manual. The Honda GW engines are close tolerance, not only between the heads and pistons - break a timing belt and not a good end result, but also with the con rod and crank journal bearings such that these engines were almost completely balanced resulting in the historic smoothness. The oil I use in my GW engines works well, and no ill effects on the wet clutch, has to work in the Spyder engine. Euro formulation - engine made in Austria (?), excellent relationship.

[Rednaxs60]

Picked up a used 2013 Service Manual on eBay - $65.00 CDN delivered - good price. May have to get a new 2014 Supplement.

Found a new belt tensioner on eBay. Appears to be the upgraded tensioner with the larger roller and different mounting bracket.

Looking for the HCM/transmission filter.

Checked out the BUDS software diagnostic kit from Powersports Diagnostic. There are two promos for the month of April. An Easter promo discount of 10%, and a promo giving a two year license instead of a one year. Have sent company a message asking if both can be applied to a single purchase. This would bring the price down just under the $800.00 dollar mark. Seems like a good deal.

[Rednaxs60]

Mentioned the need for a trailer hitch and that the trailer I will be towing is an N-Line trailer. Web site: https://www.n-line.com/ great trailer for behind a 1500 Goldwing. Same width as the saddlebags so goes wherever the GW will fit.

The hitch assembly for the trailer is different from a standard ball. The connector is specific to this trailer. An adaptor would have to be made. I'm talking to the owner of N-Line trailers and he has one collecting dust. Here is a pic of the hitch with the N-Line trailer connector.
Will be talking to him next week and discuss cost, shipping and such. The N-Line trailer weighs in at 80 pounds and has a mentioned capacity of 100 pounds. Not a lot of weight by some standards. Thinking the carrying weight is because it is meant to be towed behind a motorcycle. Capacity will now probably be dictated by trailer volume - will discuss with the owner next week.

[Rednaxs60]

Continuing my procurement of what I think are essential to doing maintenance/work on my 2014 Spyder. I have purchase the B.U.D.S. kit from Powersports Diagnostics today. They had a sale on, 10% off on the sale price, and an Easter special of a two year instead of a one year license. Have browsed the various threads on B.U.D.S., and viewed several YouTube videos where maintenance was done and this software package was either used or highly recommended, brake bleeding being the most prevalent. My friend who accelerated my purchase of a Spyder has offered to go half in on the price and I might just let him. He's a trusting sole and will let me do maintenance/work on his Spyder if required instead of taking it to a dealer an hour away - closest one to Victoria. Also think it's a good purchase with these more technical marvels.

Have ordered the transmission filter, on back order until end April.

Thinking Elka shocks, the 2014 supplement (have a used copy of the 2013 service manual on the way) and a new updated belt tensioner will round out the what's needed category, then ride it and have fun. It'll start to get a lot more use than it had with the PO as I have sold my 1995 Honda Goldwing GL1500 that we used mostly for two up riding and touring - touring is probably on hold this year so we are planning for 2022.

Cheers

[Rednaxs60]

Have done some further thinking on how to provide power to new items such as GPS, USB connections for front/rear, battery tender and the likes. Don't want to get into a lot of wiring and relays. I'm a fan of not using the existing OEM wiring for this if at all possible. In this regard intend to install an accessory fuse block - the Fuzeblock FZ-1: . This is a very compact unit with an integral 30 amp relay, and combined power and ground bus - all in one unit. Have used the Eastern Beaver PC8, and inexpensive fuse blocks from Amazon powered through an external relay, but for this application, I think this is the way to go - should tuck in the "frunk" quite nicely. Another item I have been using for wiring is the expandable wire sleeve - comes in all sorts of colours and such, and does great job of making a nice, neat install
- had the bike apart to do an engine rebuild and complete paint job. I've attached two pictures of my '85 Honda GW Limited Edition wiring that I cleaned up - before and after picture. I use OEM style connectors instead of the solderless crimp connectors, and/or splice wires together and solder.

[Rednaxs60]

Getting a fair bit of road time on the Spyder, the Mrs likes riding it as well and suggests riding days. Almost 1000 Kms in less than 2 weeks, the previous owners put just over 9K on in 7 years. I guess I like riding more.

Received the Show Chrome passenger arm rests yesterday, installed. First order of business to keep the MRS on side.

BUDS software is on the way. Should be here this week. Need to order Speedbleeders, have these on my '85 Honda Goldwing.

Looked into the ECU upgrade from Monster that has been mentioned on this forum. Talked to the owner at Monster in Ontario. He answered all my questions. Discussed the follow on after an ECU is upgraded. He recommends going directly to Stage 2 unless budget is and noise level is a consideration. He also mentioned that the Stage 2 tune is very good for two up riding, towing trailer, and hilly terrain such as the mountains in BC. He seems to be knowledgeable about the clutch aspect of the 1330 in that it doesn't fully hook up below 3000 RPM, better towards the top end of the 3000 RPM range. Mentioned it is hard on the clutch to shift under 3000 RPM. Not the same but similar to my '85 Honda Goldwing Limited Edition in that the 1200 Honda engine relies on RPM for it's performance (7500 RPM redline) unlike the larger 1500/1800 models (5500 RPM redline) that have a lot of low end torque. There is no need to change out the stock exhaust unless you are heavy into performance. Cost to us north of the border is Stage 1 - $400.00 CDN, Stage 2 - $500.00 CDN. He is getting quite the network in Canada - has affiliates from the east coast into Alberta. Probably working on one for BC. Asked how the upgrade is done and he mentioned that the ECU is connected to a diagnostic machine, it does its magic for lack of a better explanation. The ECU is not taken apart. Asked about shipping and the owner is responsible for shipping to/from.

Discussed the issue of an ECU upgrade with the local dealer here on the island. He is aware that this is happening but did not know any specifics. He did mention that these engines are severely detuned to meet the various countries regulations, and that there is a lot of potential to be unlocked.

This appears to be a fall/winter project.

Have an issue with the brake pedal on the Spyder 2014 RT LE with the stock seat, it's more an annoyance than anything else. I'm 6'2" and the placement is less than optimal. Was looking at pedal extensions and such, but when I was at the dealer yesterday there was a similar 2014 with the comfort seat. This allows me to sit two inches back and the brake pedal placement is much better. I mentioned that with the stock seat, I sit on the Spyder like I would on the Skidoo REV platform, but with the comfort seat, it is a more traditional seating with the legs more forward. Will be taking a ride up there with the Mrs to make sure the seat is a good fit.

Lots to consider, research and look at with these machines. Just have to prioritize the requirements.

[BertRemington]

Ernest -- thanks for the information on shift point affecting clutch life. I bought my 2014 RT-S with 77K by the first owner. I was worried about oil pressure so replaced RH gauge with GlowShift (which uses 3-wire 5V pressure sensor). Using XPS 5W40 I see 58psi when cold which is the engine relief pressure so the gauge is accurate. Hot pressure above 3500rpm is 50psi and hot idle is 14psi, which is satisfactory for this type of engine. I ride with rpm above 3500 but not so much with shifting. Now I know to shift higher. Thanks.

Did you ask Monster if Stage 2 changes the hydraulic pressures and therefore perhaps the shift points or clutch life? I intend to replace the HCM filter with every 5K oil change but if Stage 2 will increase clutch life it's worth $500 to me.

[Rednaxs60]

Ernest -- thanks for the information on shift point affecting clutch life. I bought my 2014 RT-S with 77K by the first owner. I was worried about oil pressure so replaced RH gauge with GlowShift (which uses 3-wire 5V pressure sensor). Using XPS 5W40 I see 58psi when cold which is the engine relief pressure so the gauge is accurate. Hot pressure above 3500rpm is 50psi and hot idle is 14psi, which is satisfactory for this type of engine. I ride with rpm above 3500 but not so much with shifting. Now I know to shift higher. Thanks.

Did you ask Monster if Stage 2 changes the hydraulic pressures and therefore perhaps the shift points or clutch life? I intend to replace the HCM filter with every 5K oil change but if Stage 2 will increase clutch life it's worth $500 to me.

Bert - Will be talking to him with regards to your question. Information I would want to know as well. The cost for Stage 2 is $500.00 CDN, little less for yourself. I would not replace the HCM filter every oil change. I liken this to your car, and how often do you change the transmission oil. The HCM filter is $158.00 CDN at my dealer, so I will be looking at every 2/3 years. Have to look at the maintenance interval in the owner's manual.

You changed out the engine temp gauge with an oil pressure gauge. Did the system automatically default to having the engine temp on the LED screen? I have read that the same happens if you remove the fuel gauge - the fuel level defaults to the LED screen.

Nice to know your oil pressure readings. The Mrs's brother is looking at Spyders, likes the one I have. Have found one at the local dealer and the price is quite attractive. It has 85K Kms (approximately 52K miles) on the clock. Will relay the numbers to him. Thinking these engines should be good for at least 150K miles before any major overhaul, caveat is that the engine is well taken care of.

Picture of the oil pressure gauge would be nice.

I have made my decision regarding the oil I will use - it will be a full synthetic 5W40 with no friction or energy conservation additives. Never get into this type of discussion since it's very personal, something like a car tire on a Goldwing. Most times I'm changing the oil/filter between 5K to 8K Kms on my bikes. I have gone to 9K Kms on my 1995 1500 Goldwing - just sold, with 182K Kms on the clock, used 1/2 quart of oil on the trip.

Have just ordered the RT mount for my Big Blue Lift. The Canadian distributor told me that the Big Blue Lift and Spyder mounts have been selling very well this past year. he informed me that this mount also works on the 2018 F3 Limited as well. My riding friend will be pleased, won't have to take it to the dealer for oils and such.

Cheers

[EdMat]

He also mentioned that the Stage 2 tune is very good for two up riding, towing trailer, and hilly terrain such as the mountains in BC. He seems to be knowledgeable about the clutch aspect of the 1330 in that it doesn't fully hook up below 3000 RPM, better towards the top end of the 3000 RPM range. Mentioned it is hard on the clutch to shift under 3000 RPM.

I think the clutch waiting to 3,000 + RPM's was on the earlier 998 engine, not the 1330. The 1330 is hydraulic and locks quickly.

[Rednaxs60]

New to this engine and the way it works. Will find out what makes it tick. I do notice that the engine operation is similar to my '85 Goldwing engine that responds better to shifting and operation above 2900 RPM or so - needs to be at this RPM to get into the power band. Have got used to shifting in this range and above so I'm not adverse to doing the same on the Spyder. My Spyder shifts well between 3500 and 4000 RPM.

[BertRemington]

Ernest -- here's my gauge post https://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?138127-Just-bought-2014-Spyder-RT-S-SE6-77K-miles-with-RT-622-trailer&p=1562238&viewfull=1#post1562238

I sent a Contact Us message to Monster asking about Stage 1 and extending clutch life. If Stage 2 is the answer that's where I will go. I always use Premium in the Spyder and MG so octane isn't an issue.

As I said the first owner put about 77K miles of highway driving with trailer on the RT-S. The second owner seemed to "flip" it for personal reasons (he seemed to have a lot of toy vehicles) so very few miles. The coolant looked good when I changed it. But the oil was black although it flowed well and there weren't any sparkles in the drain pan (the magnetic gear drain plug had a few whiskers but nothing serious). I changed the spark plugs and they were a lovely brown.

So where did the black come from? After 1K miles the oil shows no signs of darkening. That plus plugs plus coolant points me to clutch friction material. I've studied clutch plate replacement which looks easier that my MG but still it's something I'd rather avoid. So a $100 HCM when doing a $100 oil change is a fairly minor thing to me if I don't have to change clutch plates.

As far as working on the RT-S it's not too bad. I took my 1989 Mustang open tracking and afterwards if I only spent 5 days working on it for every day on the track I was happy. And I bought the RT-S because I was getting too old to commute an hour to a friend's workshop, spend 6 hours working on his SCTA roadster (I'm the electronics guy), and commute home safely on my MG. So the RT-S is my solution and it's working. So I spend a few hours removing and replacing bodywork fasteners. I enjoy examining another engineer's work product and I think Bombardier did a nice job with this "2nd-Gen" Spyder.

How far have I delved into my RT-S? Try finding any Torx fasteners. Now they're all flanged button-head hex socket, most with a washer to protect the plastic from torque forces.

Besides clutch life, my other concern is suspension/steering. New "car" tires improved things from "evil" to "concerning" so there's a ways to go. I made my Mustang work at the track so I think I can make the RT-S work on the freeway. PMK and others are providing excellent insight and suggestions. I'm looking for boring comfort, not fun performance which is why I kept the MG.

Anyway keep posting about the Monster and other upgrades.

[Rednaxs60]

Thanks. These forums are a wealth of information.

Been perusing the forums and querying the web for more insight into the ECU tuning. Comments have always been favourable, but chatting with the company is the way to go. Think I have my friend who is responsible for my Spyder purchase, hadn't planned on going with a Spyder just yet - however, it's a deal I could not refuse, almost convinced/talked into an ECU tune as well.

Have an '85 Honda Goldwing Limited Edition, the 10th anniversary fuel injected model. Have started a project to do an ECU replacement. Very interesting so far and lots to consider. There are aftermarket units, Megasquirt is common. There is the Speeduino project as well that I have settled on. Uses Arduino components. C-19 put this on hold as I took on some larger projects to keep busy. Have most of the parts/pieces for the project including the Tuner Studio Software. The reason I am doing this project is that there is no tuning of the OEM ECU, and if the ECU fails, the bike becomes a boat anchor. The main issue is finding all the specs for the various components in the CFI system. It's a good primer for understanding the Spyder ECU and what goes into an ECU flash.

What type of oil was used in your Spyder? This could tell the tale of why the oil colour was what it was.

Working on my RT LE will continually remind me of my 1500 and 1800 Goldwings - lots of plastic to remove to get at anything. My 1800 took 3 to 4 hours just to change an air filter - engineers buried it.

The tires on my Spyder are original and in good condition, no cracking along the sides as one might expect. These work well at this time so no intention to change. The suspension is always an interesting topic when it comes to one's "toys". Suspension is the first item on my agenda to upgrade when I get a new to me bike. Only components on the bike that keep the tires firmly planted on the road, and enhances the ride and safety of the bike. I understand why it's not done very often because of cost. Have the beefier sway bar, but will be changing out the shocks to Elka stage 2 shocks. Better to do this type of upgrade sooner than later so I will get to enjoy the ride longer. I mention to my friends that anytime you go into a tire/suspension shop there are posters detailing tire issues and why these happen. If you correct the issue, you won't be back for a while, if not, pay me now or pay me later. There's no quick fix to a lot of the issue with a bike, always need to get to the root of the problem.

I'm similar in what I want out of this machine. A good ride, comfortable touring machine. I notice that there is a slight hesitation on start, but once rolling works well. I'm thinking the ECU tune will be good for us who ride in the lower spectrum.

Heading up Island today to the dealer to look at a comfort seat. Was there on Tuesday and sat on a similar 2014 machine with one installed. Better foot placement for brake use. Have to make sure the Mrs has enough room as it sits the rider 2" further back, should be okay.

Have added the Magic Mirror kit to the needed install list.

[Rednaxs60]

Had a good ride up island yesterday and the testing of the comfort seat went well. Will be getting one.

The B.U.D.S. software kit came today. Think everything that is needed is there.

Have to check the front brake discs for out of round. Get that pulsing when coming to a stop. This is not speed dependent, does this whether braking easy or hard. The pads can also be an issue. These are 7 years old, and don't last forever, even with low Kms on the Spyder. Will be looking at the calipers as well because these have to float. If the calipers have not been serviced it is possible that the caliper is not moving as it should. Have found that here on Vancouver Island, a caliper service every two years is a good maintenance interval, it is with my '85 Goldwing.

[Rednaxs60]

Have been reading the owner's manual to find out about the fuse blocks, specifically if there is an accessory connection. My 1500 had this, 5 amp circuit that you connect to. Would like this for a trigger wire for the accessory fuse block I intend to install. I will find a suitable wire.

Looked at maintenance intervals. The HCM filter every 30K Kms, going to be a while for this, only at just over 10K Kms. Put some 1K Kms on the Spyder in the past two weeks, like riding it, so does the Mrs. HCM filter on order and will be changed when I do the oil/oil filter.

Recommendation is to replace brake fluid every two years. I mentioned in my previous post that the B.U.D.S. diagnostic software arrived yesterday, will be using it soon. Have to order Speedbleeders to do this, being a one man DIY. Good time to have a look at the brake calipers and maybe a servicing.

Coolant is to be changed every 5 years, been 7.

Do the brakes, coolant, HCM filter and oil/oil filter change for the first baseline work/maintenance period. HCM filter on order, maybe end April. Thinking that changing the HCM filter is a spring maintenance issue, Bertremington instigated this.:2thumbs:

Still waiting on the 2013 OEM service manual - in transit, and will order the 2014 supplement ,from the dealer - haven't been able to find a used one.

[BertRemington]

Ernest -- roger all. Let us know what you find in caliper service kits. I think old pistons seals might be part of the long pedal travel (or I could be spoiled by motorcycles and track cars). The front Brembos look straight-forward but the rear looks to be a real challenge. I have an extra rear (damaged piston retraction threads) to practice on but I don't see where to start.

BTW I too like the FZ-1s. I've used them several times, latest on the MG. And ditto on using OEM connectors -- allows me to add/remove farkles without wiring modifications. Can-Am seems to use ordinary AMP weathertight connectors in most circuits of interest.

The switch panel is kinda sucky so will be ergonomic-engineering it for better glove access and status lighting shortly.

[Rednaxs60]

The reason I want to use a separate accessory fuse block is that I read that the Spyder has a CanBus. The FZ-1 with the integral relay is a bonus - keeps the install very clean and neat. OEM style (Hitachi) connectors are the way to go. Can get these in single to multiple pin connectors. Will look into the AMP connectors, but I do have a good inventory of connectors on hand. I also use the expandable wiring sleeve to run wires in, again makes for a clean and neat install.

The only wiring that will have to be cut into is for the trailer connection. Researched this and looked at the various trailer wiring harness that are being sold. Pretty straight forward with a 5 to 4 pin adaptor. The issue with the aftermarket plug and play connector is that the new connector has all the wire from the OEM connector in the pigtail, whereas I will only splice into the lighting wires needed. Contacted the dealer regarding a trailer module for the Spyder. The parts fellow could only find the combined unit, trailer hitch and harness. Won't be using the BRP kit as it wants approximately $900.00 CDN for this.

The Brembo calipers are going to be a new adventure. The calipers on the Goldwing are quite simple and inexpensive to service. Most times it's a good clean and lube of the external parts. Hoping the Brembo calipers are similar. Won't hurt to have a set of pads on hand. Debating on checking the brake disc run out with a dial indicator. My '85 Goldwing front/rear rotors were just shy of $1K CDN when I replaced these 5 years ago. The front rotors that I have found on line for my Spyder - EBC rotors, are approximately $250.00 CDN for the pair. If the rotors are out of tolerance, need to replace pads as well.

Will have the Spyder with a new maintenance baseline by end year.

I'm finding that the parts desk at the dealer is not as well versed in looking up parts for the Spyder as I would like, not a lot of choice here on the Vancouver Island. Don't know if it's because most people are taking their Can-Am into the dealer when an issue comes up and the service department does the looking or what. Will look for a parts manual, think I saw one on line.

[BertRemington]

When you buy the CD version of the service manual (offered by several vendors on eBay and Amazon) it usually includes the part manual.

Can-Am's site: https://can-am-shop.brp.com/on-road/us/en/electronic-parts-catalog-intro.html

Many members recommend this site: https://www.canampartshouse.com/

By AMP I mean the Superseal connectors like this: https://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Motorcycle-Electrical-Connector-Assortment/dp/B07KP369MF/

I'm a fan of adhesive heat shrink: https://www.amazon.com/Pointool-Electrical-Waterproof-Automotive-Assortment/dp/B07TX7KG16/

And PET expandable braided sleeving: https://www.amazon.com/100ft-Expandable-Braided-Sleeving-braided/dp/B074GMNW7T/

[Rednaxs60]

Thank you. Exactly what I was looking for.

[Rednaxs60]

Taking a break from kitchen reno - replacing the drywall that was damaged during old backsplash removal and Spyder maintenance.

One of my C-19 keep me busy projects last year was a complete paint job of my since sold GL1500 Goldwing. Part of the project was to install 3M Scotchguard paint protection film (PPF) on the parts/pieces that would be in a high traffic area such as boot placement, road crud and such. Never got around to doing this.

My Spyder has the white pearl finish - same as my since sold GL1500 Goldwing, and I notice that everything shows such as boot marks, seat rubbing, and road crud. Thinking that high traffic areas could benefit from an application of PPF, started my first Spyder project this morning doing the right side panel that the seat fits over, see attached. The seat rubs against the finish and over time will wear away the protective clear coat. This is the first time ever that I have used a PPF product. I know where to look, but others don't. Had my neighbour come over to view, gave him the area and asked if he could identify the panel I did. He chose the wrong panel. Good to know that I did a not too bad job. Will do the left side panel this afternoon.

Had to use a heat gun, water/Johnson baby shampoo mixture, the squeegee from the PPF package and a good dose of patience. The PPF is 12" by 10' so lots to use, but the 18" wide PPF would be better. This PPF is removable and if needs be, can be replaced at a later date.

Intend to do the front cowling and various other bits to protect the finish. Would like to protect and keep the paint job nice, painting a white pearl colour is a major project - BTDT. Should get better at applying PPF as I progress.

[Peter Aawen]

Looks very well done, Rednax. :thumbup: As you suspected might occur, my Pearl White 2013 RT is beginning to show signs of wear exactly where the seat (& my knees :rolleyes: ) rub against the panel the front of the seat closes on to; so once I've fixed the wear, I could really use some 'extra protection' there.... just haven't found the right product yet. Everything I've tried so far looks bloody obvious, and a number of people have suggested I try 3M, but no-one seems to know exactly WHICH 3M Product to use!! :p

So, is there any chance you could share more in the way of product detail on that 3M PPF?? :dontknow: I'm pretty sure I'll hafta find a different supplier than who-ever you used, and the more specific info I can provide, the more likely I am to get a product that can look as good as yours! :ohyea: However, what with my damaged hands & fingers, I might hafta arrange a time for you to come visit and fit it tho! :cheers:

[Rednaxs60]

Thanks - I like Fosters. Will post pic of product. Took the advice of my paint guy and it was what was on the shelf.

Tried the left side panel, it was a no go. No matter what I tried/did, just could not make it work. Scrapped that piece and will have another go at it. It will get done. Going to measure up the other areas and buy sizes that will make install easier. Definitely would not like to pay someone to do what I want. May consider it for the more difficult and larger parts such as the front trunk lid. Installing this PPF will try your patience.

[Rednaxs60]

Took a pic of the PPF package - attached. Going to be a long term project, very finicky stuff to work with, not to mention the panel curves and such.

Picked up the transmission filter and 2014 Roadster Shop Manual supplement today - waiting on the 2013 shop manual, it's in transit. Committed to a heated comfort seat. Going to call the N-Line trailer dealer tomorrow and get the trailer hitch on the go. Going to make some lifts to put under the wheels so I can get the Spyder off the floor for the oil/filter change.

Plan is coming together.

[Rednaxs60]

2013 Service manual arrived Friday. Everything is coming together.

Time for first oil change since purchase 4 weeks ago. Had to wait for the tranny filter. Took the plastic off, shades of a Goldwing, and lifted it with my floor jack. Have to decide tomorrow what blocking is required under the wheels. Estimate this oil change will be approximately $210.00 CDN, major expense is the tranny filter at approximately $150.00 CDN. Sonya came into the garage and commented that I should not betaking the Spyder apart. Mentioned that this was just for the oil change. Wait until she sees the front off to change the coolant. Bringing the Spyder to a baseline that I know.

[Rednaxs60]

Spent the day doing the oil/filter and tranny filter change and in between, putting flooring into the kitchen for the kitchen reno.

To get the Spyder to an acceptable height, used the Big Blue Lift that I bought a few years back, and almost sold last year. Used the brackets designed for the Goldwing, oriented these brackets the same distance apart as the small floor jack. Got the balance right and got the Spyder up to have it another 6 inches off the ground. Once I get the Spyder RT mount for the Big Blue Lift will take it higher when doing maintenance.

Watched some videos on line and I read the OEM service supplement. Draining the left side was a long issue, only loosened the drain plug. Took the right side magnetic plug out and after draining, new crush/sealing washer. Moved on to the tranny filter, thought there might not be a lot of oil when removed - wrong. Made a mess on the garage floor, and the lower panels. Took the rest of the panels off, washed, and put back on. Note to self, next tranny filter change, remove all the panels and use a small catch basin. Not a bad experience, but need a two day rotten weather window to do this - not in a hurray anymore.

The OEM oil filter is a steel mesh filter. The filter I used was the HF566 - paper version. Thought it might be a K&N filter, but it is definitely a BRP product.

Next work/maintenance issue will be bleeding/flushing the brake system and checking the front brake rotors for warpage.

Will have it back together tomorrow for a ride to the local coffee shop.

[volksbugusa]

hi and good luck..on your big blue..you will need the adapter to safely lift and secure your new ride...

[Rednaxs60]

Good ride up island today, had to get the Spyder out of the garage. My 1200 Goldwing is feeling a bit neglected. Going to be doing some maintenance on it soon, new Hagon rear shocks and checking the shim adjustment of the hydraulic lifters.

I had a look at the sway bar that was installed on the Spyder. It is from BajaRon and the end links as well.

Checked for a drive belt tensioner, not installed. Was at the Island dealer this morning and queried this. I was told that this is normal for an early 2014 RT to come from the factory without one installed - cost/benefit ratio. It was mentioned that there can be a slight vibration in the 100 to 130 KPH range, but most of its customers aren't fussed about it. The shop does a drive belt tension adjustment to lessen this vibration, but a belt tensioner is the best way to go. On the list for a future maintenance period.

Thought about the oil change on the ride up island. My 2014 RT LE had 9100 Kms on the clock when I bought it. Probably only had one oil change, and the oil that I drained has been in the engine probably for several years. This is not doing the engine any good regardless of what the OEM maintenance recommendation is. Oil should be changed at least once a year regardless of Kms/miles. Oil left sitting in bearings gets acidic and needs to be changed. Is a low mileage engine a good selling/buying point, definitely; however, recommend adjusting the maintenance schedule to suit the Spyder usage.

Have decided that the HCM filter will get changed every two years instead of the OEM recommended 48K Kms.

Will continue to use the HF556 filter with each oil/filter change. The OEM oil filter is $30.00 CDN, and I was told it is not reusable. I have been using the HF (High Flow) oil filters in my Goldwings for the past 6 years and have had no issues to date.

The oil I used in the Spyder engine is the same oil I have used in my Goldwings for the past 5 years.

Have thought about the similarities between my Goldwings - 1800 (sold)/1500 (sold)/1200, and the Spyder. Thinking another thread in a couple of more months regarding this issue will be appropriate.

Enough reminiscing, time to think about the next Spyder work/maintenance, and the work/maintenance on the 1200.

[Rednaxs60]

Have been working on my '85 Goldwing Limited Edition of late. New Hagon shocks coming this week, and doing a shim check for the hydraulic lifters - engine is not cooperating, but since I am higher on the food chain it will capitulate.

Ordered a belt tensioner, front rotors and brake pads (EBC brand), and a trailer wiring harness. Was going to fabricate my own trailer wiring harness, but decided that I can use my time and energy better with other aspects of baselining the Spyder.

Have been considering Bert Remington's gauge change, installation of an oil pressure gauge and voltmeter. Will do a test and disconnect the fuel and engine temp gauges to make sure it defaults to the digital indication on the dash. Thinking I'll visit the local marine chandlery to look at gauges.

Have noticed that the handling of the Spyder is quite good, but the shock rebound is not as good as I would expect. The OEM shocks feel soft and shock rebound, no adjustment, is less than adequate - just my opinion. I can also affect the steering of the Spyder by shifting my weight to one side, see the suspension compress, and the Spyder will move in the opposite direction without moving the steering. Have experienced this with some of the cars I have owned. I understand the complexity of the issue especially with the weight of the Spyder RT LE, BRP trying to keep the ride of the RT LE like a "Cadillac" and the varying riding styles. Going to adjust the tire pressure to the maximum for the tire when cold to minimize tire roll. Front/rear shock replacement is on the agenda.

Doing a little at a time so that I can experience the difference a change makes.

[Rednaxs60]

Update.

Have received the trailer wiring harness. To be installed. Went with a plug and play harness.

Heated comfort seat arrived and seat installed. Like the added space and it is more comfortable than the stock seat from the factory. Looked into how it operates. Controlled by the heated grip switches. Heated grip on low - seat on low, same for the high setting.

Loaded the B.U.D.S. software onto my laptop. Took a few tries to get the license number accepted.

Want to replace the fuel filter, a WIX33095. Read up on the change out in the manual. Recommends using B.U.D.S. to depressurize the fuel system. Hook up B.U.D.S. to the Spyder, start engine, use B.U.D.S. to shut off the fuel pump, let the engine stall. Fuel system pressure should be gone, change filter, back in business. Thinking that I won't have to turn the fuel pump on in B.U.D.S. after the change, fuel pump should be on - will check the setting in B.U.D.S..

Had read about changing out the fuel and engine temp gauges for voltmeter and oil pressure gauges. BertRemington has done this: https://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?138127-Just-bought-2014-Spyder-RT-S-SE6-77K-miles-with-RT-622-trailer&p=1562238&viewfull=1#post1562238 Have this on the agenda for down the road. When you disconnect the fuel and engine temp gauges, the readouts default to the LED dash - fuel on the right side, engine temp on the left side, opposite of the gauge placement.
Checked this this afternoon, and wanted to see what happens when I adjust the air pressure in the rear chock. This pressure indication is displayed on the left side of the LED dash. When you adjust the air pressure in the rear shock the air pressure LED readout is displayed, the engine temp readout is not displayed. When you are finished with the air pressure adjustment, the dash display reverts to the engine temp.

[pidjones]

You have been very busy! Our new RT hasn't been out of the garage since last week - mainly weather. But, I did get the RD400c out today and did 50 miles on it. I have the Garmin 396 mounted on the Spyder and a Utopia seat receptacle mounted in the seat pan waiting for the rest of it to be made. I bought an Amazon trailer hitch and have a Uni-go adapter ordered for it. Will use a Big Bike Parts plug-n-play wiring kit unless I can get Lewis at Electrical Connection to whip me up one.

[Rednaxs60]

Trying to keep busy. Waiting for the shocks for my 1200, so I need to switch my attention to the Spyder.

Thinking next week would be good to do a coolant change. Have to take off the front trunk and such, should be a good experience. One thing at a time and I'll learn more. Drive belt tensioner should be here soon, eBay sent an email to update shipping info.

The company I bought the trailer wiring harness from is Trailer Etc. They have a plug and play for the newer Spyders. Cost is $99.00 USD plus shipping. Company is in Quebec, but its prices are in USD. Guess the company does more business in the US then Canada. Interesting part is that the company charged me provincial tax, but on the US price. Came out to about $144.00 CDN, not too bad, but probably a better solution than doing my own wiring.

Here's the company web site page for the harness, 2018 and later: https://traileretc.com/product/2018-up-can-am-spyder-rt-rts-rt-limited-trailer-wiring-harness/

[BertRemington]

RN60 -- you do need to lift the front of the RT and oil-change quantity of body panels to change the coolant but you don't need to remove the frunk. I backed my RT up a pair of car ramps which leaves more room to work but your BBL is probably the better choice. Apparently everyone drains from the right-side radiator. The previous owner (actually I believe it was dealer-serviced) removed the hose from the ABS manifold rather than the radiator. ABS is tough but I was still concerned by the amount of force required to loosen the hose on the manifold. Before you start make sure you have the proper clamp. The PO/dealer used worm gear but I used constant torque. Refilling the expansion tank is ... not easy. I rigged up a funnel with a hose and poured slowly. An LED flashlight makes it easier to view the fill level.

WRT fuel filter, the pressure will probably bleed off overnight without BUDS assistance. You will get more fuel spill from the filter itself than residual pressure. At 8 years you might have to replace some hoses. Pressure is larger than return so two sizes needed.

WRT brake pads, fronts are easy. Make sure you remove the small spring clip before unscrewing the retainer bolt -- easy to miss. For the rear you really should use the BajaRon tool to retract the piston. I think the PO/dealer damaged the parking brake threads so piston wouldn't retract and I had to buy another caliper (lucked into an inexpensive used one) because rear pads were almost gone while fronts were pretty good implying failed attempted replacement.

WRT analog meters, the voltmeter is pretty boring here in SoCal but might be more interesting in your neighborhood. The oil pressure for my 77K (now 80K) RT-S is entertaining from 58psi relief pressure when cold to about 12psi idle on a hot day. I mostly shift at 3500rpm and above where oil pressure is about 50psi although I'm seeing it slip to about 48psi at 3K miles on BRP's 5W40 semi-synthetic -- maybe the viscosity breakdown BajaRon and others have described? I'll be changing to Lamonster 5W40 synthetic next week and then will enter a 5K oil/filter/HCM change cycle. I'm not much worried about the Rotax engine (it's really smooth and well-behaved) but the clutch is a wear part I'd like to leave for the next owner. BTW I was suspicious of the "dry sump" gearbox oil level so cut the top off a 1.9L orange juice bottle and put it under the drain. Yep filled it almost to the top. Your garage floor must have been messy and maybe Sonya had to cover her ears?

The RT-S us fulfilling the function I purchased it for: safely and comfortably commuting to a friend's workshop about an hour away. He's running an SCTA roadster and dynos motors to pay for his hobby (addiction). I've rewired the roadster and the tow trailer. Now doing the dyno room instrumentation (fun) and the tow truck (ugh -- Bonneville Salt Flats are nasty to truck undersides). Then I have to assemble my hot rod Royal Enfield Classic 500 in my workshop which is also an hour away. So I grok your project backlog.

[Rednaxs60]

Bert - Thanks for the info. Will be reading your post again to better understand everything. For the rear caliper piston, will be taking the caliper off and measuring the distance between the pin holes for turning the piston. Might be able to find a suitable tool at our Princess Auto - HF equivalent. If not, time being of the essence once I start the job - nothing gets into and through Canada Post quickly, needle nose pliers should do the trick, then order the proper tool for the next time.

Installed the wiring for the heated comfort seat. The instructions indicate that the install time from start to finish, remove old - install new, with wiring hookup, is approximately 1 1/2 hours. This is if you know where everything is. Took my time, figured it out. Works well.

Inspected the air filter, in good shape, put back in. Had a good look at where I will be installing the belt tensioner. Looks straight forward. Watched a video on replacing the rear brake pads, understand why I read that you have to turn the caliper piston in - clockwise direction.

Had an issue while riding today. It has happened before, almost like the engine was loosing power. Corrected itself and I kept going. No error codes and such were displayed. Happened again today, twice. Second time I saw an "E" in the gearshift indicator when I shifted into 5th. The "E" went away, the "5" was indicated and I carried on. The road I was riding on reminded me of a snowmobile motocross track, into and out of a corner, shift, speed up, slow down, good bumps in between corners, maxed the suspension travel - bottomed a few times, more than I wanted to regardless of how I set the rear shock (soft suspension) - not an enjoyable ride. Think I might stick to my Goldwing on this road, ride is better.

Had time to think about the "E" that was indicated and surmised that it was the system telling me I had not got the shift correct.

Did a search of this forum and found a couple of threads specific to this issue. Apparently the gearbox position sensor could be the culprit. Will check it to make sure it is secured well, and the wiring is properly connected. Checked the replacement procedure in the 2014 Supplement, changing this part will not be an issue; however, I will be sitting down when I contact the dealer for a price. Have two numbers, first one I found is 420266167 that looks like it has been superseded by 420266168.

[Rednaxs60]

Update on post #39. Took the left side panels off and inspected the gearbox position sensor. The GBPS and wiring connection is secure. It was mentioned in another thread that this is a hall sensor, not a potentiometer. This makes sense to me in that there is no adjustment of the GBPS. Have a few hall sensors on my '85 Goldwing as well. Looked on line to prepare myself for the call to the local dealer. Going to be some $200.00 CDN I think. I have the B.U.D.S. software and as such, wondering if I hook into the Spyder, will I be able to determine if the GBPS sensor is faulty? More to follow.

[Rednaxs60]

Another maintenance item I have been reading about. The front drive sprocket. Read lots of threads and posts about this, and the red dust that I expect is from rust accumulation. Checked the P/N in the parts fiche for my Spyder and it's 705502134. Will be asking the dealer for a price and if P/N 705503239 has superseded the P/N in the fiche.

If the red dust is from accumulated rust, I would think that removal and lube of the splines would be a good maintenance item every two years or so. I'm very aware of splined drive systems having been maintaining the drive line on my Goldwing(s). Honda calls for a molybdenum paste that has at least 60% (I think this percentage is correct - it's substantial to say the least) moly in the mix. I use a Loctite product LB 8012 that is quite good.

[Rednaxs60]

Took the Spyder out for a good trial run yesterday. We have a loop that we ride, Victoria, Port Renfrew, Lake Cowichan, Duncan, home to Victoria. The road out to Port Renfrew is a nice twisty, but bumpy ride - good suspension is a must otherwise, you know just how much travel the suspension has. This road is under construction, lots of dips and dives in the most inconvenient spots, and is a mix of pavement and tar/gravel. Port Renfrew to Lake Cowichan is twisty as well, a tar/gravel road top, with a good amount of dips that test your suspension as well. The ride was good, but I did use all the travel the suspension had, and bottomed several times no matter what air pressure setting I used in the rear shock - spring rate not sufficient for the task. The ride on these two legs of the ride reminded me of a snowmobile motocross course - in/out of turns, speed up - shed the right amount of speed into the next corner, left turn/right turn, hang out the side, and on turns that are not banked in your favour. On roads that have corners that are not banked properly, the Spyder is not the vehicle of choice. I was glad to get back onto the civilized paved roads. Not to say this is not a road to ride, but will now know that when Sonya and I ride the Spyder on this trip, speed is not your friend.

Brought to mind, again, the need to replace the OEM suspension. More reading being done, and refreshing the memory on compression/rebound settings and why these are important. Video viewing of the various aftermarket shocks out there. FOX shocks has some good videos explaining rebound and such.

When I had my demo day before I bought my Spyder, the demo was a 2020 RT LE. It did not have a sway bar upgrade, and did lean more towards the outside of turns. One of the videos on rebound by FOX shocks indicated that rebound can be set for varying conditions and that roll in a corner is one of these. The faster the spring returns back to original length in the corner, the less roll there will be. I mention this because when my Spyder enters a corner, say on a cloverleaf, the front end does squat and lean, maybe not a lot of lean, and in doing so with the OEM shocks, does not actually rebound until it comes out of the corner. What would be nice is for the shock to rebound fully, or partially while in the corner. Couple this with how fast/slow the shock compresses would be beneficial. A different spring rate is also helpful.

After yesterdays ride, a new rear shock with a stiffer spring rate may also be beneficial. A spring rate to better accommodate Spyder weight and approximately an additional 500 pounds of rider/pillion/luggage weight may be in the offing.

One more consideration in a suspension upgrade is it is not inexpensive, mentioned this in an earlier post I think. Looking at Elka stage 2, possibly Stage 3 shocks, front/rear is a $2000.00 CDN before tax proposition. I understand why a suspension upgrade is not on the lists of the majority of people. The good news is that we are not touring this year, chews up a good chunk of change, so I might as well support the economy and do some mechanical upgrades on the Spyder, my '85 1200 Goldwing Limited Edition is almost maxed out.

Lots of issues to consider.

[Rednaxs60]

After perusing this forum threads on the front drive pulley, have found the info I was looking for. Torque on the pulley bolt has been increased to 111 ftlbs. Will be using a new bolt, inexpensive peace of mind. Pull the pulley and use the Loctite LB 8012 paste, and put old pulley back on. As I mentioned will put this into the maintenance schedule for every two years, at least a remove and inspect. Just over 12K Kms, should still be in good nick.

Called the local dealer up island. Asked for a price on the various items I may need to order. The pulley(s), painted or unpainted, are $145.00 CDN before taxes. The GBPS is $189.00 CND before taxes. Bolt P/N according to parts fiche is 250000250.

[Rednaxs60]

Received the brake parts yesterday and today. New EBC front rotors and EBC Double-H sintered pads for front/rear. Checked the rear brake pads for wear, approximately 70% left, not replaced. Did the front rotors and pads before dinner. So far these are the easiest calipers that I have worked on. Test ride this evening, no more shudder from the front wheels - happy rider. Intend to keep the old rotors, may have them turned to ensure not warped, then keep as spares. Torqued the wheels to 100 ft/lbs, torque again in another 70 Kms. - treat the same as a car.

This Spyder is making me reminisce about a 1992 Mazda MPV that I had. Went through 3 sets of front pads for every rear set. Sent a letter to Mazda Canada querying why the brake hydraulic system was not calibrated to use more rear brake. Mazda did reply and I did appreciate this, but the answer was very generic. Lived with this until I sold the van to my father when it had 180K Kms on it. He took it to 450K Kms before he sidelined it for a newer vehicle.

Contemplating the next maintenance issue, probably coolant change. It has been mentioned that the front doesn't have to come off, but I'll do it this once. Will identify where the new accessory fuse block is going to go.

Have ordered an Oetiker style clamp kit with the clamping tool. It has been shipped.

Ordered and received a new fuel filter. It will be installed soon.

Ordered a new front drive sprocket bolt and some oval rubber washer inserts. Seems the plastic rivets and these rubber grommets tend to do a walkabout never to be seen again. Good to have a couple of spares on hand.

On an operation note, was talking to Sonya's brother Dave regarding his new to him 2018 F3 Limited Spyder. He went on the same road I travelled this past weekend and had an interesting time as well. Hit one dip and popped the rear trunk lid. He's not going to ride on this particular road anytime soon.

We discussed the initial shift into first or reverse. It reminds me of my 1200 Goldwing, no matter what I did the first shift of the day was a good clunk. He showed me how once you shifted and did the clunk, you could shift into reverse or first without the clunk. This is only if you don't go into neutral. He found this out by reading the owners manual, who would have thought something as informative as this would be in the owner's manual. Besides, men don't need to read the instructions. When I bought my Spyder, it came with the CD for the Spyder. The PO mentioned he had never watched it, but his wife mentioned that she had. I tried this shifting issue on my Spyder and it works, will keep this in mind.

Nice to have a person close that has a Spyder, but also close as in Sonya's brother. We discuss various issues as we find them.

[Rednaxs60]

A little more done. Received the BRP belt tensioner yesterday. It is the OEM version, not the one from Lamonster with the upgraded roller. This one will do for the foreseeable future, would think a good 20K Kms or more. Will get the upgraded roller as a maintenance item down the road.

Installed the belt tensioner this morning. Took a couple of hours, but with the plastic to be removed, and not having done this before, took my time. Not a lot of adjustment room where it attaches. Went for a 100 Km ride for coffee to trial the install. Think it is working as advertised. had a look at the tensioner alignment when out for coffee, can see from the rear, and it looked pretty good. Paid attention in the 90 to 115 KPH range. Before the install there was an on/off vibration at this speed range, didn't notice this today. Will continue to monitor.

The Oetiker style clamp kit came in today. Can do the fuel filter now.

Thinking I'll do a manual flush of the front and rear brakes. This will clean out the system. I'll do the B.U.D.S. down the road a bit.

Like to do a little at a time, then ride. Don't want the Spyder off the road for any appreciable time.

Going to order a batch of 8.3 mm plastic rivets from amazon. Less expensive than at the dealer, and these rivets tend to go for a walkabout every now and then. I have noticed two missing to date where you would not see if you did not do the work. Replaced one today. The PO did not do any work on this Spyder, and only the initial service was done, so the missing plastic rivets were never installed, or the shop misplaced and never put new ones in. The second one I know of will be replaced, and I will have a stash on hand should I find others missing.

[Rednaxs60]

More Kms on the drive belt tensioner. Must mention that it appears to be working well.

Installed the fuel filter yesterday. Have a few hundred Kms on it since install and all is well. The Oetiker style clamps work very well. First time I have used this type of clamp.

Got some plastic tube to fit the Speedbleeders. Will do a manual flush of the brakes this week. A litre (approximately 32 ounces) of Dot 4 from the local NAPA store is $13.00 CDN plus tax. Will get the requisite amount to do the complete flush.

Coolant flush needed. Thinking I might do the B.U.D.S. brake flush while doing the coolant flush because I intend to take the front trunk off this one time, hopefully not too often, and will have better access to the VCM ABS module for bleeding using the B.U.D.S. diagnostic program.

[Rednaxs60]

Been perusing the forum for info on doing a brake fluid flush on my 2014 Spyder RT LE, mostly to determine how to manually flush the VCM ABS unit.

Have done a lot of brake fluid flushes on my Goldwings over the years and the Spyder requirement should be no different. The 1800 Goldwing has a very specific brake fluid flush procedure because of the number of bleed screws on each caliper. I believe the rear caliper on an 1800 has 3 bleed screws.

I am generally negligent when it comes to my car, but not my motorcycles. I guess small is easier to visualize. Had a couple of older '85 1200 GWs and when doing hydraulic clutch flush, uses same DOT 4 brake fluid, would rebuild the clutch slave cylinder. It was always full of nasty crud that needed to be cleaned out. The brake calipers had crud as well but not to the same extent, should have but did not. The clutch and front brake MCs needed/need cleaning every couple of years as well. May give my 2011 KIA Soul a go this summer.

My 2014 Spyder RT LE only had 9000 Kms on it in 7 years. This is good on several fronts, engine should be good for a long time, and mechanical parts should as well. The downside is there are parts/components that stand the test of time better if continuously used, and the oil should be changed at least once a year regardless of the maintenance schedule - if you are buying a good deal, low mileage, older Spyder, ask this question. Bearings do not like to sit in old engine oil for prolonged periods of time.

Regarding this post, I expect the brake fluid has never been changed. Since this is the most probable case, I expect the colour of the brake fluid being removed to be a Spyder "Cognac" colour, or darker. I also expect to use more brake fluid to flush the system than if the system had been flushed every two years.

The brake fluid reservoir probably has a crud accumulation as well. Might be part of a maintenance period to remove, inspect and clean if necessary. As long as the connecting hoses are kept full of brake fluid, should not have an impact on the brake system.

Thought I'd put my thoughts into the thread. Keeping this as a sort of journal.

Attached is a picture of a 1200 hydraulic clutch slave cylinder. This is why you flush the brake fluid.

[Rednaxs60]

Spyder is getting a lot of use. We ride it most everywhere, weather dependent. Sonya instigates a lot of the rides, she is really liking the ride. Some 4500 Kms since 25 March, doesn't take long. The riding is on the same roads so it's a challenge to change up the routing to make it more interesting.

Have ordered Magic Mirror magnet system. Haven't found very many maintenance items that don't require the removal of the side mirrors.

Will be ordering new shocks on Wednesday, Elka Stage 2 shocks. Have enough time and Kms on the Spyder to give me a good idea of what I expect from the ride.

New battery on Tuesday. Knowing that these machines are very dependent on a good supply of power, and that any electronic issues can be caused by a weak item in the charging system, it's a good time to change out the battery - only 7 years old. Even if it has been well maintained, a less than adequate battery can play havoc with the electrics/electronics. Had an "E" when I pulled away from the gas pump yesterday. Switched to a "1" immediately, but it was disconcerting. Had the rest of the ride home to contemplate and started to focus on the battery. The reason for this focus is that the 2018 F3 that I replaced the battery on for my riding friend had gone dead after 3 years, but after a boost, the battery still required a significant charge and was robbing the system of power, hence the speed limiting and VSS warning light. Considering a battery only has three purposes: to start the engine, provide a voltage spike sink for the electrical system, and to supplement the electrical system when or if the charging system cannot keep up with the demand, a weak battery becomes a "user" not a "supporter". 7 years is a good go for any battery.

Slowly getting items crossed off the maintenance list.

Cheers

[Rednaxs60]

Update on battery issue.

Took the Spyder over to a long time friends place so he could see it. He was pleasantly surprised with the body styling, and the mechanical and electrical attributes. Mentioned the Spyder being a power pig, and that I would be replacing the battery after 7 years even though the load test appears to be good because I'm starting to see little electric gremlins showing up. He retired from our Navy in the '80s and became an HD mechanic, and mentioned that he had one HD that was having electric issues. Tried everything he knew and could find including load testing the battery, all good. He mentioned this to his Snap-On rep, and the rep got his load tester and found one of the cells was on its way out. New battery and all issues went away. Note to self - load testing is good, but a load tester with a cell test - internal resistance capability is better. Going to keep an eye out for one of these on sale seeing as I have two Spyders to watch over, mine and Sonya's brother.

Cheers

[Rednaxs60]

OEM Shock Replacement

Have mentioned this several times, and have decided on the M2 shocks all round. Called the company and had a good talk with Marcus on the industry, what he is trying to accomplish with his company and what I can expect from his company. Expect that the shocks will be a good upgrade. An important part when buying anything long distance is the "feel" you get when discussing the requirement. Initial "feeling" is good.

Delivery time is expected to be 4 to 6 weeks, have to be mindful of the state of the economy. I viewed his videos on the M2 shocks. The install on an F3 was a trip down memory lane. Setting the rebound by doing the "bounce" test reminded me of my days working at my Father's garage in the '60s/'70s. We did the "bounce" test to prove to customers the shocks were shot on their vehicle. Sent in the online questionnaire. Will be finalizing the details this week.

Will be taking height measurements front/rear and perusing the service manual(s).

[Rednaxs60]

Update on baselining. Ordered Magic Mirrors from Lamonster - arrived yesterday. Installed new battery, old one is still good, but new battery is part of my baseline maintenance. Have most everything I need to get going with the brake/coolant flush. Will be putting together a shopping list for the electrical additions I want to add - the FZ1 fuseblock and such.

Have been dividing my time between the kitchen reno and baseline of the Spyder, but had a nice although challenging paint touch up of Sonya's brother's 2018 F3 Limited.

The left rear saddlebag door had a couple of dings, 1/8" by 1/2" through to the base plastic on the rear top section. His wife was going to touch these up with nail polish. I volunteered to paint the affected spots for him having finished last year a complete repaint of my ex-1500 Pearl Glacier White - over 100 pieces when fully disassembled and my '85 1200 Limited Edition two tone with pinstripe.

Figured this was going to be an easy fix, not. Would have been easier doing the complete door. The other issue is there is a paint code, but there is no formulation for it. Went through four iterations with my paint guy for the base colour. The 2018 F3 Limited is a pearl white; however, it has a beige/cream undertone, unlike my ex-1500 Pearl Glacier White that is a white. The initial pearl formulation was good, but would go a shade, shade and a half lighter on the final base colour formulation for future fixes.

My paint guy was very good. Only paid for one base colour and the changes were free. 1/2 pint of paint goes a long way using spray guns.

I've attached a few pictures to support.

[Rednaxs60]

Onwards to baseline. Have installed the Magic Mirrors. Very nice and work as advertised. No vibration when on the road. Good upgrade.

Looking into Centramatic wheel balancers. Like the technology. Have used CounterAct Beads, Ride-On tire balancing and sealant - prefer Ride-On over beads. The information on the Centramatic wheel balancing system is sound, reminds me of using the bead technology, and easier to reuse.

Helped Sonya's brother install the drive belt tensioner on his 2018 F3 Limited. He's liking the results.

Looking into drive belt tension and what is required to do this maintenance item. Want to remove the front drive belt pulley, clean adn ube the splines. There are phone apps and inexpensive tool(s) such as the Krikit. The recommended Krikit model number is 91132.

[Mikey]

Wow you are like the Ever Ready Bunny, when do you find the time to RIDE??? Wish you were my friend I would let you service my ride!! Good luck with your RT, and take a few hours and ride the thing!:cheers:

[pidjones]

Wow you are like the Ever Ready Bunny, when do you find the time to RIDE??? Wish you were my friend I would let you service my ride!! Good luck with your RT, and take a few hours and ride the thing!:cheers:

Check out some GL sites to see how he has maintained (well, beyond that) his GoldWings!

[Rednaxs60]

Wow you are like the Ever Ready Bunny, when do you find the time to RIDE??? Wish you were my friend I would let you service my ride!! Good luck with your RT, and take a few hours and ride the thing!:cheers:

Lots of riding time. Owned the Spyder for just 2 months and have some 5000 Kms on it since bought. I use it instead of the car to visit friends and have coffee, pick up odds and sods. The Mrs and I do coffee runs up island on a regular basis, same roads but have the wind in my face. Sonya enjoys the ride and feels safer on the Spyder, and instigates a lot of the rides. I do most of my work when the weather is not cooperating. Have to balance time between the Spyder and my '85 Goldwing that I am still working on.

Cheers

[Rednaxs60]

Check out some GL sites to see how he has maintained (well, beyond that) his GoldWings!

Thank you for the compliment. You mentioned you have a Krikit for belt tension testing. What is the model number if I may ask?

[pidjones]

Thank you for the compliment. You mentioned you have a Krikit for belt tension testing. What is the model number if I may ask?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CRDLZM?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details 91132, but now I find that the free Gates Carbon Drive app does the same thing using the resonant frequency of the belt monitored with your cell phone microphone. RT should be abut 32 Hz on the run with no tensioner. My 2021 has it on the top run, so the bottom run works great. Has to be very quiet for it to work.

[Rednaxs60]

Short update. Running out of excuses to not be doing the maintenance. Latest is the Big Blue Lift Can-Am mount came in. Will be installing it on the lift. M2 shocks are being manufactured. Have installed the Hagon shocks with the remote preload adjuster (RAP) system on my 1200 so it is back on the road and can't be used as an excuse to not be working on the Spyder. The only other consideration is that the weather here is riding weather, bit warm but enjoyable, and to have the Spyder off the road for maintenance would be unconscionable. Think I'll wait for the shocks to arrive then do a week long maintenance period.

[pidjones]

Good weather = ride! There will always be poor wrenching weather.

[Rednaxs60]

My thoughts exactly.

[Rednaxs60]

Today was not a riding day, could have been, but damp, a bit of drizzle - good working weather/day.

Took the front off. Anyone owning one of these 2014 to 2019 RT LE should do this at least once. Made the coolant flush easier. Coolant flush done. Had the engine running to operating temp twice, will check coolant level in the morning.

The service manuals do not mention everything regarding the removal of the front trunk. Had to disconnect the air intake.

Put the Spyder on the Big Blue (BB) Lift, blocked the bike front/back - side to side. Installed Speedbleeders, have used before and these are the cat's pajamas. Had to lower the BB to get at the brake pedal for the manual flush/bleed. The Speedbleeder for the VCM needs to be tight, took a bit of wrenching to get it to stop leaking past. Took a picture of the old brake fluid - it was time to change.

Tomorrow will hook up the B.U.D.S. for the first time, and do the brakes according to B.U.D.S.. Don't quite understand the procedure for the VCM module, but will be looking online for some guidance.

Intend to take off the front drive belt pulley - clean, lubricate, put back together. Have a new bolt if needed. Have front Centramatic balancers coming, as are M2 shocks - front/rear. Have been thinking about what electronics and accessory outlets I want to install and where these should go.

I've attached a picture of my Spyder with the front removed, and the old brake fluid - supposed to be clear.

[Mikey]

They sure look sad all striped down like that!!

[Rednaxs60]

Almost looks like something out of Star Wars, or a Johnny 5 from Short Circuit the movie.

Have mentioned before that a low mileage, older Spyder, motorcycle or whatever needs to be gone over just as if it has been used a lot. A higher mileage one may sometimes be the better bet because the servicing has been done more regularly. Having an engine with 4-5 year old oil is never good and the picture of the brake fluid I posted should never happen - won't discuss my cars. Coolant is another issue, the additives that are put in the coolant to protect your engine do diminish over time. At least every five years, sooner if you ride a lot.

Next brake bleed in two years.

[Rednaxs60]

Finished up the work/maintenance for now. Bled the VCM manually. Connected the computer and used B.U.D.S. to finish the break bleed, worked well. Centramatic wheel balancers came in today, installed, will road test tomorrow. Putting the panels and front back on had two bolts left over. I'm certain I'll eventually find where these are from.

Running maintenance commentary. The M2 shocks should be here in a couple of weeks. Will be contacting N-Line trailers for status on trailer hitch. Going to order the LidLox helmet locks for the Spyder. Thinking I'm just about maxed out for work/maintenance - another 3K Kms and into an oil change. Now for the electrical/electronics side of the house.

Think I'll ride for a bit.

[Little Blue]

:coffee: Just wanted to say, 'a great write up'.

Any tips for removing the Frunk?
I have been thinking about removing my Spyder Frunk.

I have been reading your posts and you have great
DIY skills and experience.

As others have said, 'Take care and enjoy some ryde time'.

To the better day's ahead. ......:thumbup:

[Rednaxs60]

:coffee: Just wanted to say, 'a great write up'.

Any tips for removing the Frunk?
I have been thinking about removing my Spyder Frunk.

I have been reading your posts and you have great
DIY skills and experience.

As others have said, 'Take care and enjoy some ryde time'.

To the better day's ahead. ......:thumbup:

Thanks. A dealer shop may be faster at doing the work and emptying my pocket book so I choose to do it myself.

Removing the "frunk" wasn't as bad as I thought, and it is quite light for such a large item. Upper side panels, headlight plastic and the requisite plastic, mirrors and such. I installed the Magic Mirror magnet system, good value and investment. Two bolts underneath and 4 up top. Four connectors and the BUDS connection. Hook release catch cable and "frunk" lid switch. The one item I did not see mentioned was to disconnect the air intake - back upper left side of the "frunk". This air intake is not difficult to disconnect, but takes a bit of fiddling to connect back up. Difficult to remove any panels that make up the "frunk" until it is off.

Support the front of the "frunk", block it. Once you have the bolts out, you have to lift the "frunk" off the chassis. There are two metal hinges so to speak.

Here's a couple of videos to view: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw5atKHlmp4 One from down under, slightly different but good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl6QAFUJl34 Good detail on the underside bolts. Did not have to touch the headlight adjusting cable.

Take your time and all will be well - we are higher on the food chain, resistance is futile. Going to view the first video again to see if I can identify where the two left over bolts go.

Not a lot to it. Will probably be removing it to install a new accessory fuse block. Have settled on the Fuzeblock.

Hope this helps.

[Rednaxs60]

As I was putting the "frunk" and the underside panel I took off to drain the coolant back on, noticed the sway bar was loose. Do not believe the sway bar should be loose. Will be doing some research into this and if necessary, "frunk" comes off once more. May find where the two errant bolts go. Would be good to do at the same time as new shock install.

[Rednaxs60]

Quick update. Sway bar mystery challenge accepted and rectified. Had sway bar issues in my head, need new nylon bushings, not the Bajaron sway bar, links need to be replaced. Went to Sonya's brother's place and checked the sway bar attachment on his 2018 F3 Limited. His was very secure. Brought my Spyder home, up on the Big Blue lift, and crawled under to inspect. The links were very secure, but the nylon sway bar bushings were loose. These bushings need to be tightened such that the lower part you can see gets a slight bulge in the nylon. Once this is done, the sway bar cannot be moved by hand. Made sure the sway bar was centred, and did a road test. Significant difference on corners, cloverleaf on ramp(s) and twisties. Expect the new shocks will enhance the ride that much more. Would still get a new set of shocks because the rear shock does not feel up to the task. Hear the ACS air compressor start/stop more than I would expect.

Did some web research to get an understanding of what the difference between an upright shock and moving the mounted angle. The following is from The Toolbox web site - How to Install and Adjust Coilovers:

"a spring rated at 200lbs will offer 200lbs per inch if it is mounted completely vertically. Which means the effective spring rate will decrease as the mounted angle increases. To compensate for the loss, use the chart below and take the mounted angle divided by the correction factor.

Type: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Mounted Angle in Degrees: 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Correction Factor: .96 .93 .88 .82 .75 .65 .59 .50

Example:

If the desired spring rate is 300lbs per inch
Take the mounted angle, in this case 20 degrees, and divide it by the correction factor of .88
300 ÷ .88 = 340.9
The desired rate becomes 340.9lbs. For this example, moving to a 350 rate spring would be preferable"

The new front shocks will have a 250 lb spring, the rear will be a 550 lb spring. Will be asking the company for more information on the spring specs. The front shock angle looks to me to be about 30 degrees or so off the vertical (will check), so a 250 lb spring at the 30 degree angle would be approximately a 190 lb spring (rounded up).

These calculations are approximate, but do provide a glimpse into what shock companies are up against as are us the end user. Will be looking for more information on the OEM installed shock springs.

Have come to an understanding about the ACS system. Similar to my ex-1500 Goldwing. Standard shock to set ride height - preload adjustment needed and ride quality, air bladder (Spyder) - air shock 1500. The air bladder/shock is to compensate for additional loading - return the ride height back to the primary riding profile ride height. Have yet to understand the ACS remote setting switch, but will do more reading/looking into this.

Wilber shocks has designed a two shock system that emulates what is on the Spyder and 1500 Goldwing. It has a standard shock to adjust the ride height and bike sag, and a non-air shock that maintains the primary riding profile ride height/sag. This is Wilber web site regarding this system. It is the Wilbers LDC Nivomat Shocks system: https://wilbersusa.com/wilbers-ldc-self-leveling-motorcycle-suspension/ Not inexpensive, but definitely a good alternative if the company can provide this system for your ride. This is avideo of the system in action on an HD. This video shows how the shock automatically pumps itself back up to adjust for the weight of the passenger. The captions are in German, but you can clearly see how it works: https://youtu.be/leetsmF46wA

Lots of options out there depending on the application

[Rednaxs60]

Been riding for a few days with the sway bar secured properly and the Centramatic wheel balancers on the front. Having the sway bar secured well has made a significant difference.

The Centramatic wheel balancers, jury is still deliberating. Have 4 lead wheel weights on the left front wheel, and 6 on the right wheel. Been looking into these on the other Spyder forum, and one person mentioned that the Centramatic wheel balancers should be used in conjunction with a good static wheel balance mainly because limited size of the Centramatic ring.

I have used the CounterAct beads since 2015 in all my Goldwing tires, and the rear car tire that I had installed on my ex-1800 and ex-1500. These work very well. Tried the Ride-On tire sealant and balancing liquid too, worked a treat. May look into having the front tires get a new balance, or remove the lead weights and use CounterAct beads.

Read some posts about tire cupping. Motorcycles get this a lot for a variety of reasons. Air pressure, suspension, and tire quality are generally the top three reasons for this. Regarding tire quality and cost of the tire, I have found that a $200.00 motorcycle tire will cup the same as a $100.00 tire. Air pressure, I think the motorcycling world is pretty anal about this and shouldn't be an issue.

The main issue is suspension. You take your car to a tire shop and there is bound to be posters on the wall(s) explaining the different tire wear profiles and why each has happened. Tire shops will also mention that if you don't correct the root issue for the tire wear pattern, you'll be back.

On to motorcycles, this information may be available, but not very forthcoming. IMHO tire wear and longevity is primarily the result of a good solid suspension. Tire quality does play into longevity, a $100.00 tire can be rated for 80K Kms, a more pricy tire can be rated at 120K Kms. To make sure you get these numbers, suspension must be solid and alignment spot on.

A good alignment that is a result of a tight suspension is great. Lets not forget the importance of the shock in this equation. The shock angle from the vertical is quite significant on the Can-Am rides. The spring size in lbs is very important. All things being equal, it is this shock that keeps the wheel firmly planted on the road, specifically the shock spring. Once you have the correct shock spring size installed, then the rebound/compression aspect of the shock comes into play.

I replaced the shocks on my 2011 KIA Soul at approximately 120K Kms. I was informed that this is about the life expectancy of these shocks regardless of how the shock looks. The ride after the new shocks were put on was significantly different, much better.

Researching tire recommendations for my Spyder. Lots of recommendations and options. Being in Canada, the choice is more limited , but there are options.

Coming up to 5K Kms since buying the Spyder. Almost time for an oil/filter change.

I have been told that I tend to over-maintain my vehicles, but I'm very seldom let down.

Enough of my rambling. Cheers

[pidjones]

From what I've read about how bad Kendas are to be out-of-balance, beads might not be enough. (I used Dynas on 1800 with great satisfaction.)

[Rednaxs60]

Read a lot of horror stories and not very good reviews on the Kenda tires. Tell us how you really feel. Perspective is everything.

Don't need tires at this point, but may before next years cross Canada tour. The original tires are still on the Spyder, no sidewall cracking or such. Will use these for this riding season, then determine what to do next. A fellow on the canamspydersforum has installed a set of Kumho Solus KH 16 175/55 R 15 for the front and Kumho ECSTA AST 225/50 R 15 rear. The main consideration on what tires I will use is availability. Options north of the border are more limited. Have found a company, blackcircles.ca, out of Montreal, that have the front tires - $92.00 CDN, but not the rear.

Interested in the tire pressure(s). Car tires generally operate at higher pressures than the Spyder tires, in the 30 to 40 psi range. Underinflated tires tend to not do well over time, underinflation is a key factor in car tire failure. Will be browsing the forum(s) for info on tire pressures used in alternate car tires.

[Rednaxs60]

More thoughts on personalizing the Spyder. Have to provide the Mrs with a heated gear connection for the cooler weather.

Have used flush mount SAE connectors. I will use the one for the pillion rider for the battery tender as well. Nice neat install. Have to run wires up to the battery area. Can get 4 of these from Amazon for $29.00 CDN. Here's an Amazon page: https://www.amazon.ca/Connector-Electop-Weatherproof-Universal-Flush-Mountable/dp/B07WCMX24L/ref=sr_1_26?dchild=1&keywords=waterproof+sae+connectors&qid=1623594207&sr=8-26

I have used expandable braided sleeving for wire runs instead of wrapping with tape on my '85 GW. Here's an Amazom web page for the sleeving: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B075VR7ZQS/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=e0ec833ba01bb8a05c4650e39237782b&hsa_cr_id=7778002550301&pd_rd_plhdr=t&pd_rd_r=096bf913-66f8-40b5-ab9a-49ab02f2f6c0&pd_rd_w=EIhIl&pd_rd_wg=wQ69q&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_1_img&th=1

When I use tape, I like to use a cloth tape such as TESA tape: https://www.amazon.ca/Tesa-Adhesive-Wiring-Original-Isoband/dp/B00XPBB6L8/ref=sr_1_15?dchild=1&keywords=automotive+cloth+tape&qid=1623594896&sr=8-15

Thinking about what to do in the front for electronics and my heated gear.

[pidjones]

Tire pressure is also dependent on wheel load. I expect the wheel loads to be much lower on a Spyder than on a car. And on the SUVs that have been so prone to destroy tires even more load than a car. Being able to monitor tire temperatures as well as pressures would help. I observed the rear (CT) on my 1800 running 20 F higher than the front on long, straight roads. On mountain twisties they were within 5 F. The rear carrying more load, but the front seeing more work when turning. Neither exceeded 120 F when crossing the long desert areas of New Mexico on US70 with 90 F daytime temperatures. I ran 39 psi front and 28 psi rear (cold) - the rear a bit lower than car pressures. Two up ~400 lbs total plus gear, luggage, a Uni-go over-packed (NEXT time I have her pack the night before, then take out 50% and leave it in the garage). Tire wear for the 4300 miles was normal.

[Rednaxs60]

Spyder is getting a rest from maintenance - main ride for the next couple of weeks. The 1200 is being sidelined mainly because of space as I have some work to do on the V-Strom to get it ready for market - another story for another beer.

Ordered and received a full cover for the Spyder from Gears Canada, trial fit and all is good.

Had two valet keys cut for the Spyder. $8.40 CDN taxes in each - now for the hiding spot.

Alignment is off a bit. Have noticed this from the beginning, My right elbow is more forward than the left. The dealer on the island does not have a laser alignment, so I called the mainland. Talked to the only Spyder dealer (I think) over there. It's a 2 1/2 hour procedure and they want to charge shop rates that are north of $150.00 CDN for a laser alignment, not to mention the ferry ride there and back. Would be a day affair. I don't think so for that cost. Plan B will have to do and that is my reading, prepping and doing.

More research done on understanding the Spyder suspension setup. Lots of good info on the web, but have to sift through quite a bit to put together an understanding. Ride quality and performance, two key issues to concern myself about.

Ride quality is all about shocks, and how these isolate me from road irregularities, and provide that plush, soft ride experience I want. Tires play an important role in this as well. Watched a video about shocks/springs versus coilovers. The fellow discussed a scenario where a fellow came into the shop and wanted an inexpensive set of whichever and wanted a nice road experience. His take was that an inexpensive set of shocks would be great for a track day where ride quality is not paramount, and you just want to have fun. On the flip side, an inexpensive shock may or may not give you the ride you want on the street. His recommendation was to get a more premium shock for street use, better ride quality. Sort of makes sense, but budget and availability always come into play.

Performance is another story. Shocks play a part in this in that the shocks maintain the ride height throughout the riding experience. Shocks help to minimize roll - cross winds on the straights and sweeping corners/curves when there isn't a lot of vehicle movement. We seldom complain about the performance when going in a straight line unless there isn't enough power available to us. Where we do comment is in the corners, twisties and cloverleafs, and such.

Enter the excessive roll - cross winds and such, and twisting of the vehicle. The size of the shock and spring to effectively counteract the roll and twist effect would be substantial. The impact on the ride quality would not go unnoticed, and would be severely impacted. Enter the sway bar. The sway bar is a torsion bar installed in such a way that it counteracts the roll and twisting - torsion of the vehicle. Cars/trucks have a much better selection of sway bars to choose from, but the market is much larger as well. Most of the information regarding sway bars is based on the automotive industry.

The shock plays a secondary roll in minimizing roll and vehicle twisting, a backseat to the sway bar so to speak. When the vehicle rolls or corners, one shock is in extension - probably unloaded, the other in compression. The energy in the shock spring compressed should be wanting to return the shock spring to its unloaded state, assisting the sway bar in maintaining a neutral, flat and level ride.

Tires affect the performance and ride quality. The more tread and sidewall plies, the firmer the tire and the firmer the ride. The fewer the tread and sidewall plies the softer the tire, the more plush and soft the ride. For performance, a tire with fewer tread and sidewall plies would give good performance on the straight and sweeping type curves, but not in a roll and vehicle twisting scenario.

The issue of what tires to use on the Spyder is ongoing, but one issue to consider and I am doing so is how many sidewall plies there are in a tire. The more sidewall plies should result in a tire that will roll less as the vehicle enters corners, encounters cross winds and such. May not be able to do anything about this when buying tires, but it is something to consider for the tire replacement on my Spyder when the time comes.

Where am I going with my understanding of the Spyder suspension setup? Read a lot of threads and posts on what suspension upgrade to do. If you are satisfied with the ride quality, and you have a performance issue in the corners, twisties and such, install a beefier sway bar. If you are satisfied with the performance, and the ride quality is less than stellar, shocks are the order of the day. If both aspects are not acceptable, pick the issue that is most important to you and make the change. You can do the other at a later date.

There is not a tire available to us that can make up for a less than adequate suspension setup. Tires should be number three on a list of needed upgrades.

The above information is my understanding and opinion based on what I know, have known and have researched. Like to keep my thoughts in order and this is a good place to do such. Time for me to get on with some work in the garage.

Cheers

[Rednaxs60]

Short update on the Spyder maintenance front. Shocks have been shipped and should be here Thursday/Friday. Looking forward to the install.

Have been contemplating the alignment issue. It's not so much alignment as it is the handlebar position being off. Not a lot of adjustment on the front end. Should be able to move the handlebars similar to a snowmobile, using the tie rod bars. The only other option is an expensive trip to a lower mainland shop at shop rates, not going to happen.

Waiting on the trailer hitch, have to install trailer wiring, and look into the additional electrics/electronics needs.

[Rednaxs60]

Shocks have not arrived on this side of the border, expect the M2 shocks to be here Tuesday/Wednesday - holiday in the US. Out for a ride with Sonya this afternoon, good ride but looking forward to riding with the new shocks. Have been compiling a binder regarding Spyder suspension, lots of good threads on this forum to read. The Spyder needs an alignment as well.

Looked at the tires. The tires are the original factory install from 2014. Still have good tread, no sidewall cracking and will be good for this riding season. Intend to have new tires on for next year's touring season - planning a trip to Newfoundland and back next summer - Spyder is going to get a good workout. Looked at some Canadian distributors.

Tire.ca has Federal 595 EVO 165/55 R15 for $158.00 CDN each.

Blackcircles.ca has Continental Procontact 155/60 R15 at $105.00 CDN each, and Kumho Solus KH16 at $85.00 CDN each. There is the Continental Wintercontact TS800 for $109.00 CDN

Going to compare these tire costs to the OEM tires from the dealer. Looking at all options. Will use CounterAct beads for balancing.

[Rednaxs60]

Have been looking at the front suspension of my Spyder. There is no preload adjustment so not a lot of information available to digest. These shocks would fall into the category of replace and not worry about front end height. Will be looking for a hard point that I can use to setup the front suspension with the new M2 shocks.

I noticed when I was inspecting the front shocks and the ride height that there is not a lot of travel available, approximately 1 1/2 inch to 2 inches with no one on the Spyder. Hopefully the new M2 shocks give have a longer travel.

The rear shock is different in that you have to take into account the air controlled suspension (ACS) components. The new shock will have a 500 lb/in spring so will be doing a sag adjustment. Hopefully the sag will be able to be in the 25% range. From other threads on this forum, a stiffer spring to accommodate myself may be required, say an 800 lb/in spring, but this is for consideration down the road. Setting the rear sag will impact on the front sag measurement so it will be a back and forth issue.

Looked into the fuel octane requirement for specific cylinder pressures and compression ratios. My '85 Honda Goldwing GL1200 Limited Edition fuel injected model, has a cylinder pressure of 165 PSI on all four cylinders. Honda specifies a cylinder pressure of up to 180 PSI. This is approximately a 12:1 cylinder compression ratio similar to the 1330 engine. Honda specifies 89 octane fuel for the 1200 engines, and includes the 1500 and 1800 engines as well. A higher octane number is required to prevent pre-ignition of the fuel in the engine cylinders. If the engine is a low compression engine say between 8:1 and 10:1 compression ratio, using a fuel with a higher octane rating is not advantageous because complete fuel combustion may not occur, unburnt fuel is probably being exhausted, and fuel economy can be less. I have used premium fuel in my 1200, but this was during a hot spell, riding two up, and in the mountains - could hear the engine ping from pre-ignition. Having mentioned the above, going to start weaning the Spyder off its rich diet of premium fuel. It's not a lot of money per tank full, but it is the principle of the issue.

Cheers

[Rednaxs60]

More research into the alignment procedure for my Spyder. Have read the procedure in the OEM service manual. There are some procedural issues/items I would not be doing, but the majority of the alignment procedure can be done in the garage.

First would be to buy a small magnetic laser level for the brake rotor. Found an inexpensive one on Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Johnson-Level-40-0915-Magnetic-Torpedo/dp/B001H1ERQ4/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=magnetic+laser+level&qid=1625593374&sr=8-10 Should do the trick. A 1" to 1 1/2" angle aluminum bar for the straight edge needed at the centre of the frame. Need to determine a rear distance point that is equivalent to the straight edge extension out the front. The manual shows the front shocks installed so that is not an issue. Securing the handle bars should not be an issue.

Front trunk has to come off, may find where the two bolts that I have left over from the first time I removed the front trunk.

This is timely in that I expect the new shocks this week.

[Rednaxs60]

Had a good day with the Spyder. Sonya and I went for a 400 Km round trip ride up island to a place called Goats on the Roof. A bit of a tourist trap, but it is widely known at home and abroad: https://oldcountrymarket.com/ Good marketing strategy.

Good weather, clear skies, warm - but not too overbearing. Spyder operated well.

Tried some 87 octane for the trip. Never noticed a difference in engine performance. Now to caveat the experience. Not going to get into a yea/nay contest regarding this issue because it is how I understand the issue. Have been involved with different fuels over the years, as Engineer of HMCS IROQUOIS had to deal with JP-4 for the helicopters, NATO F-76 - commonly called NAVAL Distillate, diesel/gas for small boats - everything is small comparatively, and the likes. Spent 9 months in the Adriatic Sea back in '93/'94 during the break up of the former Yugoslavia. Had fuel issues so requested a fuel test kit from Halifax. Had an engineer who never went to sea inform me that all I had to do was request the fuel to the required spec, and the fuel suppliers where I was would give me what I asked for. Good answer, but the suppliers could have been giving me furnace oil for all I knew.

Back to the Spyder. Very aware of the recommendation to use a 91 or better octane rated fuel. The amount of energy in a gallon of 87 octane fuel is the same as a gallon of 91 octane fuel - won't quibble over a few points here and there. The difference is how the fuel burns in the engine cylinder. A low octane fuel should fully combust in a low compression engine, say 10:1 (approximately 145 PSI) compression. A higher octane fuel say 91, requires a higher compression, say 12:1 (approximately 174 PSI) compression or greater to fully combust. A 91 octane fuel requires the additional heat from the higher cylinder compression to fully combust. If you go to a 94 octane fuel, you require additional cylinder compression as well to fully combust the fuel.

Aside from a manufacturer's recommendation to use a specific octane rated fuel, there is the operation of the engine to consider. In periods of extreme heat and stress on your engine you may encounter pre-ignition of a low octane fuel. This is called detonation knock/pre-ignition (could be called other names but this one will suffice). When this happened in older engines, the cure is to use a higher octane fuel that would not ignite as quickly and use this fuel until you were back into normal riding/driving conditions - then switch back to the recommended fuel. Had this happen with my '85 Honda Goldwing GL1200 riding through the northern California mountains in the summer, extremely hot and riding two-up. Heard the engine start to "ping", switched to 91 octane fuel, and carried on. Pre-ignition of fuel is not an engine's friend.

There have been comments about using a higher octane rated fuel in an engine that is rated for a lower fuel rating. The issue here is that to fully combust a higher octane fuel requires a higher compression so that the appropriate amount of heat is in the engine cylinder to fully combust the fuel. Not having this may result in the fuel not burning fully, you will be putting unburnt gases out the exhaust - bad person, and fuel economy can suffer. Moral of this paragraph is that using a fuel with a lower octane rating won't be an issue, depends on your personal view, fuel should fully combust, but going up in fuel rating the fuel may not fully combust.

Modern fuel injected engines have knock sensors that are calibrated to accept engine noises within a certain range, but if the engine sounds are out side this range, a couple of things could happen. The Spyder has a knock sensor. The engine management system can adjust the engine timing to compensate, or go to a "limp" home mode so that you are not totally stranded. If the engine management system goes into the "limp" home mode, should take your vehicle in for dealer servicing. Since this post is about motorcycles, my '85 Honda Goldwing GL1200 does not have a knock sensor, so the safeguard that new motorcycle engines have is not available to me.

Did some additional research regarding the compression ratios of my Goldwing(s). For the GL1200, the OEM service manual mentions that a compression test should result in compression pressure of 155 to 215 PSI for an engine rated at 9:1 compression ratio. Honda recommends 87 octane fuel for this engine. Honda has continued this recommendation to this day in most of its vehicles regardless of compression ratio.

BRP uses this engine in a variety of vehicles. Some of these other vehicles have higher horsepower and it can be expected to use a higher octane fuel. BRP may also be doing the "cut and paste", one size fits all. Better to protect the corporate butt, then to use the same engine with a different fuel specification. All too easy to make a mistake and recommend a lesser fuel octane rating for a higher power version of the same engine. To err on the side of caution and recommend the same fuel for the engine regardless of the application is good policy.

For the next while will be using 87 octane fuel and monitor the engine performance during this process.

[rjinaz86323]

I just finished a 3600 miles trip with some days pushing 100 degrees. I used 87 octane and could not tell any difference. Spyder ran fine and got 34.4 mpg on the trip.

[Rednaxs60]

I just finished a 3600 miles trip with some days pushing 100 degrees. I used 87 octane and could not tell any difference. Spyder ran fine and got 34.4 mpg on the trip.

Thanks for the info. Have been browsing the web to get more information on fuel octane ratings for detuned engines, not too definitive, but will keep looking. Did find a forum thread - should have bookmarked it, regarding the US fuel regulations in that apparently all vehicles are supposed to be able to use 87 octane fuel. This did not imply that a higher grade of fuel could not be recommended.

The M2 shocks are finally on the way. Now that the various industries are starting up in full force, imagine that Marcus at M2 Shocks is busier than a bat's ass - don't know where I learned this one. Since the shocks will be here soon, paying attention to how the Spyder operates on the straight, sweeping curves, and hard corners so that I can give a good review/comparison between OEM and the M2 shocks.

I have noticed that in a tight corner such as on a cloverleaf, the OEM shock is forced hard over and there is little if any rebound in the corner. The shock rebound once I exit the corner is either abrupt - exiting the corner and going in a straight line quickly, or the rebound is more gentle when I allow the Spyder to drift a bit going into the new lane. Hoping the new shock(s) will mitigate this feeling.

More to follow.

[Rednaxs60]

Have been researching tire availability for my 2014 RT LE - post #76. Phoned the local Spyder dealer, just over an hour up island regarding price and install. Cost of Kenda tires is approximately $130.00 CDN plus tax. For the dealer to install it's shop time and rate at $120.00 CDN/HR - needs at least an hour I was told. Would have thought that the dealer would have a set rate to install tires they sell. Will be going to a few local tire shops to determine if I can get the tires I have found available in Canada and what the install cost would be.

Looking at front tires (all in CDN):

Kumho Solus KH16 - 155/60 R15 - ~$89.00 ea plus tax
Continental Procontact - 155/60 R15 - ~$108.00 plus tax
Federal 595 EVO - 165/55 R15 - ~$158.00 plus tax

The 155/60 R15 are almost identical to the 165/60 R15. The tire width is slightly smaller by 0.4 inches, not much change in tire revolutions. The estimated speed change is in the positive, going from an increase of 0.2 MPH at a reading of 20MPH - so 20.2 MPH to 0.8 MPH change at a reading of 90 MPH - 90.8 MPH.

Contacted Counteract Beads in Guelph, Ontario for the recommended bead weight on install. 2 ounces per front tire, and three ounces for rear. Probably put a 1/4 ounce more in each.

Contacted a car tire dealer that is closer. This dealer has the Kumho Solar KH16 tire in stock because these are used on the smart cars. Found one forum thread regarding this tire and the person was pleased with the tires performance. They may be able to install, but would have to take in. $302.00 CDN installed - forgot to ask if taxes in. Mentioned I would use Counteract Beads and she was familiar with these as well, I would have to supply - have on hand. May do this sooner than later - the tires that are on my Spyder are original from 2014. Tires show no cracking on the sidewalls, but tire compounds harden over time regardless of what the tire looks like. The lady I was talking to mentioned that the rear tire may be a different issue. This company also provides a lot of two wheel motorcyclists with car tires for their motorcycles.

[Rednaxs60]

Short update. M2 shocks on the way - Marcus was up to his eyeballs in work, being delivered to Blaine WA on Tuesday, should have for the weekend. Going to put a set of Kumho Solus KH16 tires on the Spyder. This will be done on Wednesday. Reason for the Kumho tire (used on the Smart Cars) is availability, in stock - price is good as well, $302.00 CDN installed, balanced if I wanted, out the door, taxes in. Going to specify 20 lbs inflation. Will be using CounterAct beads to balance, 2 ounces per, going to use 2 1/4 ounces - similar to Dyna beads. Have a set of Centramatic balance rings as well. Will be able to road test the tires before shock install. Be good to see what the difference is before the new shocks are installed. Change out shocks by the Monday following receipt. Set up the Spyder suspension, then tackle the alignment.

Have some additional reading to do regarding the rear shock. Had Marcus at M2 send a 700 lb/in rear spring as well. Have read a thread regarding rear shock upgrade and it was mentioned that an 800 lb/in spring wasn't overkill. If I do decide to change the rear spring before new rear shock install, will consider replacing OEM shock spring with the 500 lb/in spring coming with the M2 rear shock.

[Mikey]

:roflblack:WOW! I just read threw this post, I need a decaf and a nap!! You are just the Eveready Bunny, god love you. You must have that thing ready for the Indy 500. When do you find time to ride it? Good job and if you need something to do and want to refurbish a 2012, I've got just the sled for you!!!:cheers: Happy trails!!! WoW!!!

[Rednaxs60]

:roflblack:WOW! I just read threw this post, I need a decaf and a nap!! You are just the Eveready Bunny, god love you. You must have that thing ready for the Indy 500. When do you find time to ride it? Good job and if you need something to do and want to refurbish a 2012, I've got just the sled for you!!!:cheers: Happy trails!!! WoW!!!

Thanks. We use it for most of our outings when the weather is good as it is, and I use it instead of the car. My '85 Goldwing is feeling neglected. Only take it off the road when I have everything I need and understand what I am going to do. Makes the work go faster. Doing as much at the beginning of ownership, instead of at the back end closer to when I may sell so I can enjoy what is/has been done before someone else. Only 7000 Kms in 4 months, slowing down.

Short update on the shock issue. Read over the threads/work on front/rear shocks done by spacetiger in 2013. Relevant information, detailed and well presented. Bottom line is that a stiffer spring rate is required front/rear to accommodate the overall riding profile. This work was done on a 2012 RT and I expect my 2014 RT LE to be heavier because of the engine and possibly other changes since then. Recommendation after reading through spacetiger's thread again, new springs front up to 500 lb/in, and rear 700/800 lb/in minimum. Have a 700 lb/in spring coming with my M2 Shocks, will install before new shock goes in. Will wait and ride the Spyder to determine if fron t spring rate at 250 lb/in needs to be upgraded.

h0grider thread in 2019 on "RT Limited OEM Rear Shock - Making it adjustable" was a good read as well. Innovative way of upgrading the rear shock to improve ride quality and performance.

Lots of info out there.

Cheers

[Rednaxs60]

Maintenance update. Handlebar Lidlocs came in today. 5 minute install and done. Trialed, will work nicely.

Front tires off. Called tire shop. The Kumho Solus KH16 are non-directional, good to know. Did ask about a 165/55 R15 tire, Federal 595 EVO, not avialable, but the Kenda Kanines are in the warehouse in Vancouver, BC. Pricing for the Kenda Kanine is $90.00 CDN more so going with the Kumho tires.

The M2 shocks have arrived in Blaine WA, should have notice these are in Victoria tomorrow or Thursday. This will give me a day or two to trial the Kumho tires before changing out the front shocks. Like to do one change at a time, assess the change, do next.

[bigbadbrucie]

..... The M2 shocks have arrived in Blaine WA, should have notice these are in Victoria tomorrow or Thursday.....

I hope that you are correct on when should arrive in Victoria. Since Covid began, a shipment from the U.S. sat in Canadian Customs for 30 long days before it was released. It was a sheepskin for my RT.

[Rednaxs60]

I hope that you are correct on when should arrive in Victoria. Since Covid began, a shipment from the U.S. sat in Canadian Customs for 30 long days before it was released. It was a sheepskin for my RT.

I use a cross border broker that is a Mom and Pop shop with head office in Victoria at the Victoria airport. Comes into its warehouse in Blaine WA, trucked to Victoria location generally the next day. Email sent to pickup, take payment docs to broker, get paperwork from them, go to customs at the airport, pay whatever is deemed for the item, sometimes it's have a nice day, back to broker, pay for the transport - $18.00 for the first 5 lbs, pick up package. Works well. I do a comparison anytime I order from the US - almost always free shipping in the US. Sometimes better than other means, won't use UPS if I can help it - I find DHL from Europe better and faster.

[bigbadbrucie]

Thanks for that....I did not realize that the brokers were able to jelp during the border shutdown. That’s great. I use a small mom and pop mail drop right at the border, but they were shut down because of covid.

Again, free shipping and I just hop across and pick up and then walk through customs.

[Rednaxs60]

The company is called Seawings Express. I don't go near the border. Only a 10 minute drive from the house to the airport where the company is located. Only downside is it is one way, from the US to Canada. Be nice if it were the other way round as well. Very nice people to deal with.

[Rednaxs60]

New front tires today - Kumho Solus KH16. Nice tread profile. Had the tire shop use standard lead weights. 1 1/2 ounce for one and 1 ounce for the other. Installed wheels without the Centramatic wheel balancers and did road test. Had a bit too much vibration for my liking. Came back to the garage, wheels off - Centramatic wheel balancers installed, wheels on and road test over the same route. Much better, but still not 100%. Will leave for a week and if not satisfied will go back to tire shop and have the CounterAct beads installed - 2 ounces per tire. Owner was good about this issue and stated that if I wasn't satisfied, bring back and the beads can be put in.

Checked the tracking as well. Put the left wheel on the centre line and let go of the bars. Tracked in a straight line, but did eventually fall of the centre line. The Spyder did not dart to one side or the other. Begs the question - do I want to straighten the bars? Will chew on this for a bit. Shocks should be here tomorrow, do shocks then think about alignment.

Have a mechanical noise coming from under the front seat, in the vicinity of the air compressor. Almost like it is continuously on. Can hear the system when it expels air. Will investigate, peruse the two forums for information. Possibility of an air leak. Have seen a couple of threads regarding this, but didn't pay a lot of attention to these. Will do more checking of install when I do rear shock.

[Mikey]

Depending on what you are getting for a rear shock you may not need that rear air bag at all! It all depends on how he set the shock up, and what you have for a spring on it!

[Rednaxs60]

Depending on what you are getting for a rear shock you may not need that rear air bag at all! It all depends on how he set the shock up, and what you have for a spring on it!

Agree. The M2 rear shock will have the 500 lb/in spring installed. I asked for an 800 lb/in spring to be included in the package, but we settled on a 700 lb/in spring. My perusing/research of the threads indicates probably better going with the 700 lb/in spring from the get go. h0grider and spacetiger threads have convinced me of this. h0grider uses a 600 lb/in spring and finds it to be very good, and minimizes air spring use. spacetiger settled on an 800 lb/in spring - older bike, probably less weight but same principle. Understand the need to take into account the ride settings for the ACS. Front shocks have 250 lb/in springs installed, may need to tweak this as well. See how everything comes out in the wash so to speak.

Did a course in shock and vibration in 1985 from our Navy's Naval Engineering Test Establishment. The fellow who facilitated this course, name eludes me - called him Dr X, equated everything to how the ship "bounces" around the ocean, and the possibility of explosive events. Don't remember the math, minutiae around this issue, but do know/remember the importance of it. A lot of the vibration isolation was not just to protect the equipment, but to minimize the noise signature.

Back to the comment, going to monitor the system, and tweak as required. Keeps the retired mind active and engaged.

Cheers

[Rednaxs60]

Picked up the M2 shocks this afternoon. Marcus called today to make sure I got them - good follow up. Have installed the front shocks, had to remove the front trunk, not enough room to get at the upper bolt on the one side.

Have put some 7000 Kms on since I bought the Spyder 4 months ago. Time for an oil change, doing at the same time.

Have the rear shock ready to go in. Installed the 700 lb/in spring, considerably more robust than the 500 lb/in spring. Have looked at the install, not a lot of room in there. Will be able to use a crows foot 15 mm wrench on one side of the top bolt, The left side is a straight in to the bolt. Getting it off may be the easy part. Have drained the air from the air shock, easy enough. The rebound adjustment is at the top and with the limited room won't be adjusting it too often. Adjusting the preload will be challenging enough. Going to take a page from h0grider, settled on 0.625" preload with a 600 lb/in spring, mine is a 700 lb/in spring - hopefully I will be close to what he came up with - be a good comparison.

More to follow. This is one of the last few items I need to address. Remaining list: new rear tire - need a torque wrench that will go into the 160 ft-lb range - mine has a max of 150 ft-lbs, trailer hitch, trailer hitch wiring, should be just about it.

[Rednaxs60]

Finished up this short work period today and have done a road test. The story:

Finished up the shock install, and oil/filter change.

Left the engine to drain overnight. Took out the engine drain plug to check the o-rings and was not expecting more oil in the engine sump - wrong, still oil in the sump. Note to self and others - to get as much oil out of the engine need to remove the engine side drain plug. The lower o-ring on the drain plug was torn so needed new one. Replaced the crush/sealing washer, and both o-rings. Will be putting the used oil into containers tomorrow. Will be interesting to see how much oil came out. Used Lucas full synthetic 10W40.

Took the rear shock off, lower bolt was easy, upper bolt required some finesse. Had a 15 mm crow foot wrench on the nut that is located in behind the air compressor. Had Sonya assist, and left the nut up against the shock mount for later install. Wouldn't want to take the nut out and try to put it back in later. Didn't hurt to leave it there for the duration.

The rear M2 shock is longer than the OEM by about 1.125 inches. Makes a difference sometimes. I also installed the 700 lb/in spring. The 525 lb/in rear spring is 6" unloaded length, the 700 lb/in rear spring is 6 7/8 inch unloaded length.

Free travel - Spyder in air no preload 9.5 inches. Percentages: 25% = 2.375"/30% = 2.85"/35% = 3.325 Right now I'm using approximately 2.25" or approximately 24% of rear suspension travel. I can theoretically use up to 3.325" when two up riding. Will have someone take a measurement of the two of us on the Spyder. Be interesting to see what it is.

After rear shock install, did some measurements for centre of rear wheel axle to the left saddlebag. Full travel no preload 9.5 inches. Spyder on ground no rider no preload 8 inches. Spyder + rider + 24 lb no preload 7.25 inches. Used just over 25% of shock travel for ride height. Rear shock was set at 20 clicks for rebound damping, has about 40 clicks - lots of adjustment. Minimal preload used, almost none.

Adjusted the front shocks for preload and rebound damping. These shocks have some 60 clicks for adjustment. Set on 31 clicks both sides and the shock compresses and returns to set height with no overshoot. Set the front height with preload adjuster(s). Have the spring compressed to 18.5 cm. Thinking of reducing this to 18.25 cm then road test - scraping is not your friend.

Spyder back together and time for road test. Set the ACS at lowest/softest setting. Was aware of some people having ACS trouble codes after a shock or suspension tuning/upgrade. Was conscious of this for the entire test ride. No trouble codes.

Noticed right off that the ride was a lot firmer. The rear of the Spyder did not settle when starting off necessitating the air compressor to compensate, or when shifting at a higher RPM. The front end did not dive as it did with the OEM shocks. The front end would dive even on a gradual sweeper, and it could be seen. With the new M2 front shocks, I had to watch closely to see if the front suspension was compressing, but was hard pressed to see the A-frames compressing. There was front suspension movement as I could feel the centrifugal force in a corner/turn, but it has now been minimized significantly. Thought I might need to upgrade the front shock springs to a stiffer spring rate, but maybe not.

Took the same route that I did when I had the new tires installed. Lots of twisties, roundabouts, and turning at corners. Significant improvement in the ride and handling. The handlebars "feel" more centred. Did the same alignment test on the same section of the ride. 70 KPH, let hands off the bars and the Spyder tracked quite straight. Did fall off after a bit, but the road will do this, did not feel like it was a Spyder issue.

Returned home and scraped the front, first time it has done this. Might have to increase the front preload to raise the front end a bit more.

Mentioned I had set the ACS on the lowest setting. The air system had been purged of all air before rear shock removal/install. On return home, checked the air system pressure and there was none. I think the system is trying to work, but the new rear shock is longer and the spring sufficiently stiffer that there is no need for the air system to adjust to compensate for ride height. The 700 lb/in spring is more than sufficient to carry the weight of the Spyder and myself - didn't take the extra 24 lbs I used for shock travel heights. If this works out well two up, will be considering disabling the ACS system. Better to have the main shock do the work and be sized properly. Will check the amount of air in the air system after the first two up ride. I'm thinking it may be negligible.

The rebound damping on the shocks was spot on, but being such, the ride can be too firm. Have adjusted the front shocks so that there is a small overshoot on rebound, but shock settles with one small overshoot. Softened up the rear as well. More trials to do.

Picked the shocks up yesterday afternoon and started on the install. Marcus called to follow up. We had a short discussion and I mentioned I would get back to him. Called him a short while later to get a quick insight into the rebound damping settings. Marcus phoned again today asking about my progress. Mentioned I was working on the rear shock and would get back to him. He asked for pictures, have take a few - will post when I get a moment. Going to provide him with my thoughts on the M2 shock performance. I got the impression he has not done an M2 shock install on an RT LE.

I had to take a round file to the front shock mounting bushings to have the OEM bolt fit - small inconvenience, but one that should be noted.

Instructions that came with the shocks are quite good.

Have pics and will post when I get them annotated and such.

Cheers

[Peter Aawen]

.....Mentioned I had set the ACS on the lowest setting. The air system had been purged of all air before rear shock removal/install. On return home, checked the air system pressure and there was none. I think the system is trying to work, but the new rear shock is longer and the spring sufficiently stiffer that there is no need for the air system to adjust to compensate for ride height. The 700 lb/in spring is more than sufficient to carry the weight of the Spyder and myself - didn't take the extra 24 lbs I used for shock travel heights. If this works out well two up, will be considering disabling the ACS system. Better to have the main shock do the work and be sized properly. Will check the amount of air in the air system after the first two up ride. I'm thinking it may be negligible.....

The ACS is probably not trying to work yet... You might find that the ACS won't actually work at all &/or add/bleed any air until you put some air into the air bag via the schraeder valve - once the bag has been emptied/bled down to zero pressure, those of us with a manual switch still on the dash generally get a 'Manual' warning & the ACS won't work/we'll get no pressure change at all until there has been some air added manually; it usually only needs about 10 psi or so. :thumbup:

That said, you really should keep something like 5-10 psi in the bag at all times anyway, even if the ACS & air bag never actually comes into play any more. Leaving the bag empty is highly likely to cause it to stretch & kink enough as the suspension articulates that it'll be destroyed over time; while running just enough air in there to keep it inflated means that the bag will retain its integrity instead of doing the stretching & kinking thing. :ohyea:

But aside from that, it really sounds like you've got it close to sorted! Bewdy! :2thumbs:

[Mikey]

:agree: That's what the guy's at Lamonster told me also with the Elka's, that if I used there shock in the rear to just leave 10-15 lbs in the bag to keep from pinching!

[Rednaxs60]

Thanks for the comments. I had a thought that there should be some air in the ACS system, and I'm going to read the service manual, and put some air in the system. I would think there is a minimum air pressure maintained by the system.

I will be checking the ride height with the wooden blocks as recommended in the service manual. Get some additional numbers.

Have to look at the numbers I have and determine exactly what I have done.

I was thinking of the difference in the ride and performance of the Spyder now. One issue I had with the OEM shocks was that when going into a corner and not hitting it just right, that when the weight transfer went to the outside of the corner, and stayed there until exiting the corner - the Spyder would tend to initially go straight instead of turn. This would necessitate my having to lean into the corner to counteract this and use more steering than I thought necessary - a bit of a safety concern. Not an isolated incident, but one that always irked me. This happened at varying times, speed was not always a factor - had this happen doing the speed limit, riding solo or two up.

What I think was happening is that the front shocks would start to resist the Spyder weight transfer going into the corner/curve - as a shock should, then the turning motion/force would overcome the shock resistance and the weight of the Spyder and load would abruptly go to the outside of the turn - shock fully compressed and not rebounding. This abrupt change in the Spyder orientation would have the Spyder want to go in the direction of the weight change and that is straight ahead, not around the corner/curve as required, ergo weight counterbalance and more steering required quickly. Sounds good to me.

This and info in my other post was key to my decision to pursue a shock upgrade. The BajaRon sway bar is a good upgrade. Installed new tires, working well, but not something I would put in the performance category, in the ride quality category, yes. The shocks and sway bar are definitely a ride quality and performance enhancer.

I have done this upgrade at up front, and now will be able to enjoy the Spyder that much more for however long I own it. Better to do this now than later, just before I sell it.

For what it's worth, and JMHO, if you're sitting on the fence regarding a shock upgrade, or have to ask if it's worth it - you're already half way there to a decision. Personally, go for it, you won't be disappointed.

[Mikey]

:agree:

[Rednaxs60]

Update on new shock install. Two up ride today, mostly city and rural streets with some highway riding. Mentioned to Sonya that her priority today was to pay attention to the ride quality and cornering. Good news, Sonya mentioned that the lean of the Spyder when taking curves/corners, and turning onto another road from a stop was significantly reduced. The overall ride quality was good as well. Got a bit choppy on one of the side roads, but she admitted that the road was not the best. Overall impression was that the new shocks did a much better job than the OEM shocks I took off.

Have to adjust the front shocks for correct preload and ride height - scraped front end again. Ground clearance front and under engine is to be 110 mm or 4.3". I will be using a structure point for the front clearance, specifically where the OEM service manual recommends putting the jack stands when doing an alignment. Will check the front of the front trunk, but this is plastic and not as definitive as part of the chassis. Did some adjustments after arriving home - ride height significantly increased. Started Spyder and the , increased the front shock preload to 3 cm on each shock, new noise from front of Spyder, thinking it's the DPS unit and ride height too high. Reduced ride height and noise went away. No error codes indicated.

Measured the ride height with Sonya and I on the Spyder. Using the same point of reference, the loaded sag was 6.5". This is in line with what I was hoping for. Unloaded non-preload rear travel extension was 9.5". This sag represents approximately 32% of travel. Need to do more research into what these numbers indicate, but thinking all is well. Maybe a small increase in rear preload.

Refresh on the numbers:

9.5" - Spyder rear off floor, no shock preload
8.0" - Spyder on floor, no additional load(s), no shock preload
7.25" - Spyder, rider, and 24Lb small load, no shock preload
6.5" - Spyder, rider, pillion, no shock preload.

Can also consider a rear shock spring rate of 600 lb/in. This would change the loading numbers, but would probably require the use of the ACS system to provide minimal air support for solo riding and slightly more for two up riding and towing a trailer. There is always a sweet spot regarding spring rates. May change the 700 lb/in rear spring for the originally installed 525 lb/in spring and determine the difference in ride quality and performance and what the sag numbers are. This will be a good down the road project.

Put some 15 psi in the air shock before ride. Checked air pressure on return home - 0 psi. Will look at the system in the OEM service manual. Best case is all is well and system is working as it should considering the new shock install. If system is functioning properly, may have to consider turning the ACS system off and isolating it enough to maintain approximately 10 to 15 psi air pressure in the air shock to prevent damage to it. Will do some number crunching tomorrow with approximately 15 PSI in the air shock.

Still considering a front shock spring change to 300/350 lb/in depending on final front shock preload. Will know more after tomorrow and final ride height adjustment - front/rear. Looks like the front preload will be approximately 2 cm.

Front spring is 8" in length and 250 lb/in. Lots of room for a longer spring at a higher spring rate. Will be discussing with Marcus at M2 shocks. Have found an 8" - 300/350 lb/in 1.88 ID spring that would be acceptable. I'm of the opinion that M2 is using data derived from an F3 Spyder. These rides are similar, but centre of gravity being higher for the RT, and a slight weight difference coupled with this changes the RT dynamics. My primary objective with a greater spring rate is to minimize preload, the fact that a greater spring rate would be beneficial cornering, on curves and turning onto a road from a stop is all good. I will also be towing a trailer.

Cheers

[Rednaxs60]

Update on suspension setup with new M2 shocks. Set the ground clearance height at 4.25" using the frame as a reference point. I used a point 2" in front of the imaginary line between the two front wheels similar to an alignment. This put the front trunk height at 5 7/8", no more scraping of the front trunk. Can drop this to a 4" ground clearance height and still meet the OEM ground clearance requirement. Softened the rebound damping as well. Road test indicated that the Spyder leaned over more than when the damping was spot on, no overshoot. Have adjusted the rebound damping back to the initial setting and will road test tomorrow to determine if the lean angle feel has been reduced.

After this road test going to reduce the ground clearance to 4", measure front trunk clearance and road test. Shock preload will reduce from the 2.2 cm preload that is now being used. Don't expect a lot of ride quality and performance difference, but it will be a road test point.

Did an initial report on the install and ride quality/performance for Marcus at M2 shocks. He read the report and phoned - good customer service. I asked if he provided shocks for both the F3 and RT Spyders and he does, but he has not done an install in his shop with the RT model. This is something he is working on.

We had a good discussion about the M2 shocks as received and what I hope to accomplish as I go forward. I mentioned that the preload is at 2.2 cm. He mentioned that he would prefer to have the preload at a max of 10 mm, but this will entail a shock spring rate change. I had already thought about this and a 300/350 spring rate should do the trick. I would expect a preload of approximately 1.5 with a 300 pound spring rate, and a 1.0 cm preload with the 350 pound spring rate, these are estimates. Want to minimize preload and further reduce the feel of the Spyder in corners/curves, especially when riding two-up. Will make up my mind on the one to use, thinking the 300 pound spring rate will be sufficient and not be overpowering, into fine tuning at this point.

Took the OEM shock apart, have thoughts on what I might do with it similar to h0grider did with his. Keep for a time in the future when may need to have the M2 shock(s) serviced. Took a measurement of the shock shaft travel, only 2 inches available. Standard thought on travel is to use 30/35 percent of travel in setting up ride height. These percentages would only leave approximately 1 3/8" for suspension travel. Would need to use a spring rate similar to what h0grider used - 600 pound. Not a lot of wiggle room.

Attached two pics of the OEM shock. The other attachments are of the M2 shock install.

[Rednaxs60]

Another suspension update. Adjusted the rebound damping on the front shocks last night. Road test this morning and like the ride. Less corner/curve lean. Will be making sure that the rebound adjusters are the same. Have to go all the way back one way, then return to where I started.

Thinking I’ll leave the ground clearance setup as is. The only issue is the preload adjustment. Discussed this with Marcus of M2 Shocks, and his preference is a maximum of ~1.0 cm just to take out the stiction of the shock internals. Thought about this last night and again during this morning’s ride.

The preload on the front shocks is 2.2 cm, almost 1 inch. This is used to support the weight of the Spyder and load to a specified or desired ground clearance height. These shocks have straight rate springs so ~250 lb/in force has been used to set the ground clearance. I have lost this 2.2 cm of shock spring length to do dynamic work when riding. Reducing this to a 1 cm preload, buys me 1.2 cm of spring length to do dynamic work, and I would think the ride quality and performance would be enhanced.

Everything I’ve read on preload is that you want to get the desired ride height/ground clearance with the minimum preload applied. The trick is to get the spring rate as close to perfect as is practical, with a maximum preload of 1 cm. Will be talking to M2 shocks regarding different front shock springs.

Another benefit of proper shock spring rates is that the weight of the Spyder and subsequent loads are being supported by the shock springs not the Spyder frame components, lessening weight on the front tires. I mention this because I have noticed that it’s easier to turn the front wheels at rest with the new shocks then it was with the old.

I mentioned in a previous post that the ACS system was not working. I surmised it was the ACS system calibration after having read the OEM service manual.

Put together the parts/pieces that I required to do this calibration and enlisted additional help. Hooked the B.U.D.S. software to the Spyder, went through the calibration procedure, and the ACS system is now functioning correctly. Solo rider, in gear with parking brake off, there is approximately 8 PSI in the air shock. Cycled the ACS system, and the rear of the Spyder rose and lowered as the ACS settings were changed.

Cheers

[Rednaxs60]

More info for my thread journal. Road test with the front shock rebound adjustment the same and the ACS system working, and riding the same route that I use to test my setup, the Spyder lean/roll was more pronounced then when the ACS system was not functioning. I attribute this to the ACS system maintaining a specific ride height in corners/curves and as such, there is more weight being transferred to the front of the Spyder. Have to adjust the rebound damping to compensate then another road test. getting close to where I want the suspension setup to be.

Have been reading threads about tires and what tires work well. I installed Kumho Solus KH16 tires on the front of my Spyder, cost is comparable to the OEM Kenda tire, construction is the same. I did this because of availability. Tread is 2 steel and 1 polyester - 3 ply construction and a radial. The side wall is the same 1 ply polyester belt construction. The rear Kenda tire is the same construction. Checked out the Quatrac 5 specs, has the same 3 ply tread construction, but maybe a better tread compound, giving it a longer lifespan and mileage, and helping with the ride quality. The new Kenda Kanine has the same construction characteristics as the Quatrac 5 tire - 3ply tread and 1 ply sidewall, radial construction.

Expect the ride quality of all new tires will be good, inexpensive or not, but the more expensive - premium tire ride quality will outlast the inexpensive tire.

The roll characteristic(s) of a new tire in a corner/curve will be supple and subtle because of the newness of the tire compound. As the tire ages, the rubber compound becomes more brittle/harder and the roll characteristic(s) change, probably making the corner/curve feel more harsh/abrupt.

The Kenda tires that I just changed were the original tires from 2014 with good tread life remaining. My Spyder had 9100 Kms on the clock when I bought it, so only one oil change had been done in 7 years - not good as well. Back to tires, age of the tire is just as damaging to ride quality/performance as is mileage. If the tire does not have that supple/subtle roll characteristic, the ride quality and corner/curve performance will be affected.

Having mentioned the above, the suspension system and it is a system, has to be viewed as a whole, not just a single component. It's mentioned often that the OEM suspension components are less than adequate, agree with this.

If you can afford to, make the required changes up front in the same year. If not, come up with a plan that includes replacing the suspension components, front/rear, with better quality components, and the order in which the change will be done. There appears to be one alternative for the sway bar issue. Lots of choice for replacement front/rear shocks depending on your budget and what you want to accomplish. Tires are similar, lots of choice and recommendations, caveat for tires is that if you purchase an inexpensive tire, expect to replace it sooner than if you had purchased a more premium tire such that you maintain that premium ride quality and performance you have come to expect from your tire of choice.

Identification of the issue is important. My Spyder front suspension would be fully compressed in a corner/curve such as a cloverleaf on/off ramp necessitating a speed reduction sometimes less than posted. Tires are not the issue, neither was the upgraded BajaRon sway bar that was installed when the original owner bought the Spyder. Only item left were the shocks.

Having gone through the process of upgrading the suspension system on my Spyder, my preference in what to and what order is new shocks with properly sized springs, then sway bar, then tires. The order in which to do these upgrades may differ from what I have previously posted, but the new order comes from having done all three, and actually seeing and feeling the difference.

My thoughts on the various aspects, and JMHO. No raining on anyone's parade intended.

Cheers

[Rednaxs60]

Going to start prepping the Spyder for our cross Canada trip this summer, Provincial requirements dependent. Won't be dropping down into the US unless something changes significantly.

Received new 300 lb-in shock springs for the front and have a 600 lb-in coming for the rear shock. Going to start on the shock spring change next week.

Will be ordering the dash mount from Value Accessories, and a couple of the single ball mounts for my 1200. Have a Quad Lock wireless charging mount to install. Will be using the phone as a GPS. Use the HERE WeGo app. Allows me to download province/state maps and use offline.

Will be installing a new accessory fuse block for my additions, keeping these separate. Have to find a trigger/switched wire for the activating relay. Thinking of using the Fuzeblock FZ1 because of its compact and integral design. Dimensions: L 3.25" x W 2.5" x H 1.25". Have used this on a couple of other occasions.

The FZ1 fuse block has an integrated power and ground bus, and the switching relay. This unit allows you to have switched or unswitched circuits depending on your requirement.

I've got a few days to make up my mind on this. There are less expensive ways to do this and each one has a compromise.

Cheers

[BertRemington]

I've used the FZ-1 in several motorcycle applications and it works great. I appreciate the ability to move a fuse from switched to unswitched when you change your circuit design. Two items of note:

1. With it's open design, you want to locate the FZ-1 where it won't be exposed to standing water.

2. The +12 and Gnd terminals (separated by the switched signal terminal) are fairly close together so if you are using #14 or larger wire make sure the wire insulation is fully seated against the terminal so no strands are exposed.

If you want a water-tight solution which can also accept relays (resistor-quenched of course) I suggest this one https://www.amazon.com/Concours-Spec.../dp/B01FWILO0Y

[Rednaxs60]

Looking on line at trailer wiring harness install. Lots of good info. Looked at one of my favourite sites for a video on this "It's Yours. OWN IT" and there was one. Liked the wiring install, used a 4 pole round connector that tucks up nicely underneath, nothing hangin out. Will visit the local dealer here, or order from Amazon.

Just thought about the GPS. My Spyder came with a GARMIN GPS. Have to dig it out and see what it's all about. There should be a GPS connection on the bike.

[BertRemington]

I thought Canada trailers had turn bulbs separate from brake/tail bulbs. Which would require a 5-pin connector.

Or are you using this connector for onboard farkles? In which case why go so ugly?

[Rednaxs60]

I thought Canada trailers had turn bulbs separate from brake/tail bulbs. Which would require a 5-pin connector.

Or are you using this connector for onboard farkles? In which case why go so ugly?

No worries. The N-Line Trailer has a four pin connector. The round connector is appealing because it will be hidden under the right side saddlebag indicated in the attached picture - no farkles showing. I will make the trailer connection such that I can revert back to a standard flat 4 pin connector if needs be.

I have a 2 pin connector for the battery tender, attached picture. If I could find a 4 pin might go with it instead. The 2 pin flush mount connectors come in 4 packs for $30.00 CDN on Amazon.

[BertRemington]

How about this connector https://www.amazon.com/Deutsch-14-16AWG-Flange-Connector-Contacts/dp/B01LX7AMAZ They also offer a version with standard Deutsch pins but the crimp pins are easier to assemble. BRP uses this style connector on the USA-configuration RT-622 trailer.
194541

[BertRemington]

https://www.amazon.com/Show-Chrome-Accessories-13-311-Electronic/dp/B01M4K65UO

The Good: two Always-On and three Key-On fused circuits and four relay-controlled circuits powered by external 30amp fuse

The Bad: the fused circuit maximums are fixed; the cheap Song Chuan relay coils are not resistor-quenched

Actually The Bad isn't too bad for the price and flexibility.

[Rednaxs60]

Bert - read a post by yourself about a connector for the battery tender. Waterproof and fits in say a 1" hole. Does this ring a bell?

[BertRemington]

https://www.amazon.com/OptiMATE-Cable-Weatherproof-socket-panel/dp/B01N57XLNS

[Rednaxs60]

Thanks.

[Rednaxs60]

Started the maintenance/prepping the Spyder for our trip cross Canada this summer.

Looking for a spot to mount the new accessory fuse block and relay.

Replaced the 250 lb-in front shock springs to 300 lb-in. More to follow on this change. Lots of weight up high on the RTL.

Took the plastic off and installed an SAE connector in the rear arm rest area. This is the web site: https://www.amazon.ca/OptiMATE-Cable-Weatherproof-socket-panel/dp/B01N57XLNS/ref=sr_1_7?crid=WSPVZVBPZDEK&keywords=Tecmate+OptiMATE+Cable+O-40%2C+Weatherproof+SAE+socket%2C+panel+mount&qid=1647566319&sprefix=tecmate+optimate+cable+o-40%2C+weatherproof+sae+socket%2C+panel+mount%2Caps %2C244&sr=8-7

Have a plug and play trailer wiring harness. Have it plugged in and tested. Everything is good except that after 2-3 flashes the signals start to hyperflash. This tells me the load in the system is not sufficient. There are signal light relays that mitigate this. Have to find the signal flasher.

Ordered a trailer connector, Curt Manufacturing 58671 I-6/I-7, 4 Pole Die Cast Connector Car and Trailer Ends. Should be here Sunday.

Will be installing a new rear tire. The one on the Spyder is original from the factory - 8 years old. It has a lot of tread left, but with the trip this summer prefer to have fresh rubber on the back. Taking the rear wheel off and having the new tire installed next Wednesday. Yes, it's a Kenda Kanine.

Installed the dash mount for GPS, cell phone and front USB connections.

More to follow.

[Rednaxs60]

Had a revalation at 3:00 AM regarding the hyperflash I noticed yesterday after installing the trailer plug and play harness. This is a load issue. Had the side mirrors off. Installed these this morning, load in the system good - no more hyperflash. Thinking more issues solved in the wee hours of the morning than at other times.

[UtahPete]

More thoughts on personalizing the Spyder. Have to provide the Mrs with a heated gear connection for the cooler weather.

Have used flush mount SAE connectors. I will use the one for the pillion rider for the battery tender as well. Nice neat install. Have to run wires up to the battery area. Can get 4 of these from Amazon for $29.00 CDN. Here's an Amazon page: https://www.amazon.ca/Connector-Electop-Weatherproof-Universal-Flush-Mountable/dp/B07WCMX24L/ref=sr_1_26?dchild=1&keywords=waterproof+sae+connectors&qid=1623594207&sr=8-26

When I use tape, I like to use a cloth tape such as TESA tape: https://www.amazon.ca/Tesa-Adhesive-Wiring-Original-Isoband/dp/B00XPBB6L8/ref=sr_1_15?dchild=1&keywords=automotive+cloth+tape&qid=1623594896&sr=8-15 Thinking about what to do in the front for electronics and my heated gear.

I'm enjoying reading your threads, and I'm learning a lot about the 'Zen of Spyder Maintenance'

Quick question about your use of the same SAE connector on the Spyder as both a power side for heated gear and a load side for the battery maintainer. I've not found that gambit to work in practice because of the polarity reversal. Feel free to correct me on this; I may learn something.

[Rednaxs60]

I'm enjoying reading your threads, and I'm learning a lot about the 'Zen of Spyder Maintenance'

Quick question about your use of the same SAE connector on the Spyder as both a power side for heated gear and a load side for the battery maintainer. I've not found that gambit to work in practice because of the polarity reversal. Feel free to correct me on this; I may learn something.

Thanks for the complement. Regarding connectors. Hook the SAE connector up to use the battery tender. You will need a second pigtail connector for heated clothing, connect the wires to suit. The SAE connector I used thanks to a recommendation on this forum, fits in the round plug under the left passenger hand grip.

The added fuse block is mounted behind the left lower panel, and using small standoffs, is mounted in front of the ECU. No issues with install during a 17,000 Km trip cross Canada and back. The fuse block is not switched at this time, but may be in the future.

Bought a lithium-ion LifePo4 battery for my 1200 Gold Wing. The 2014 Spyder RTL uses the same AGM battery as the GW, this lithium-ion battery should work well in the Spyder. It's extremely light, better CCA, smaller in size. Needs a lithium-ion battery tender. Discussed the cold operation as I have read that these batteries do not do well in the cold. The company located in Northern Alberta use them in snowmobiles, ATV and the likes with no issue(s).