where do you jack the Spyder Up ?

[sledge]

I have been a Mechanic all my life , and jacked up everything from a VW Bug to an 80,000 lb. gross Kenworth & Trailer ... But... nothing like my Spyder . I planned to put new tires on mine today , but ... I have already ran into a couple of problems...LOL... first , it has a Trailer Hitch on it , and the bold heads , ( Star Drivers ) so close to the rear brake disk that I have MADE a tool just to get that off... but.. I have been under this , and no good place do I see to Jack this up . BUT I sure are getting the Idea Why a Spyder Shop Charges so much to do just a Simple Job.... because , I have not seen a Simple Job on here yet....LOL..LOL ... anyone have any idea's on this ??

[K80Shooter]

The frame runs down the center of the bike. Use a floor jack placed toward the front or rear of it as needed and jack it up.

[Bensonoid]

If you look at my photo albums I've got a few pictures of where I jack mine.

[sledge]

Thanks , I was laying on the ground , and saw the Shock Mount , and the Exhaust was in front of that , but , I will hunt the Frame... thank you again .

[fatboy]

no need to remove star head bolts just remove the long bolt going thru the center of axle then pull hitch straight back off swing arm

[canamjhb]

And..... Your trailer hitch comes off with just ONE bolt that runs through the rear axle. No need for any "special" tool. Just take the cotter pin out, take the nut off, slide the bolt out of the axle, & pull the hitch assembly off from the rear. You may have to wiggle it back and forth a little while pulling it off. It takes all of about 2 minutes to remove your hitch..... Jim

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Thanks , I was laying on the ground , and saw the Shock Mount , and the Exhaust was in front of that , but , I will hunt the Frame... thank you again .

You see the bare frame at .... cheapcycleparts.com ..... find your Spyder ( yr & model ) .... then find the correct 'Fiche that shows the frame ..... Mike :thumbup:

[fatboy]

really canam is that not what i just posted right before you 8 minutes before

[Peteoz]

really canam is that not what i just posted right before you 8 minutes before

Fatboy, that is a very harsh call. There were only 8 minutes between your posts. It is very likely that CanAm was creating his post before yours was even up. :dontknow: ……besides, it never hurts to have more than one description of how to tackle a task as it may answer a question that wasn’t covered in the first reply :thumbup:

Pete

[Peteoz]

Sledge, lie on the floor just behind the front wheels and look under the Spyder. Running down the centre of the underbelly you will see a flat bar about 3” wide and 2’ long running from front to back…. that’s the frame bar people are taking about ;) …. you really can’t miss it. Place your jack toward the front of the bar for working on the front, and toward the back of the bar for working on the rear.

Pete

[Mazo EMS2]

You might be better off to jack each corner up as you go, and use jack stands as you go. Jacking up the whole bike can be a little sketchy if you're gonna be cranking on tight stuff like lug nuts. I would put the front on stands and then use the jack for the rear wheel, and a third stand of you have one. Then you know it won't wobble off and fall on you.

[sledge]

thank you so much for the address and the help. this is such a great site. thank you again.

[Peteoz]

You might be better off to jack each corner up as you go, and use jack stands as you go. Jacking up the whole bike can be a little sketchy if you're gonna be cranking on tight stuff like lug nuts. I would put the front on stands and then use the jack for the rear wheel, and a third stand of you have one. Then you know it won't wobble off and fall on you.

Yes…..absolutely, Mazo:2thumbs:. I always break lug nuts, axle nuts etc loose before I jack the Spyder up. It is definitely a concern with tipping if you don’t use jack stands as early in the lifting process as possible :thumbup:

Pete

[sledge]

thank you for the Photo's Bensonoid .. I'm an Old Guy , and I get a lot more from a Picture than a page full of words and writing . I guess its an Old Age Thing... but anyway. thank you so much.

[Briorick]

thank you for the Photo's Bensonoid .. I'm an Old Guy , and I get a lot more from a Picture than a page full of words and writing . I guess its an Old Age Thing... but anyway. thank you so much.

:agree: AND...as is said,
1 picture is worth a thousand words. :thumbup:

[Little Blue]

:coffee:....What ever you do, be careful and make your day successful.
Remember to use jack stands or proper blocking.

All good tips on jacking your Spyder......:thumbup:

[Peteoz]

:agree: AND...as is said,
1 picture is worth a thousand words. :thumbup:

Yes indeed Briorick, but the pain and suffering of getting down on the old, worn out knees to get underneath to take a photo, along with the danger to those within 20 metres of me while I lever myself up, unfortunately outweighs my desire to make the task easier by posting a photo ;):roflblack:

Pete

[sledge]

well..... thanks everyone , i got the rear wheel off.. took it to a tire shop , and had the tires changed . come back home and put the wheel back on , the only thing I still have to do tomorrow is put the brakes back on the rear wheel . .. THEN , in a few days after this Old Man gets some rest , it will be the 2 front wheels , But . I think they will be nothing compaired to the Rear Wheel. .. at least I Think so... thanks again everyone.

[Knizar]

well..... thanks everyone , i got the rear wheel off.. took it to a tire shop , and had the tires changed . come back home and put the wheel back on , the only thing I still have to do tomorrow is put the brakes back on the rear wheel . .. THEN , in a few days after this Old Man gets some rest , it will be the 2 front wheels , But . I think they will be nothing compaired to the Rear Wheel. .. at least I Think so... thanks again everyone.

:congrats: For heavens sake "Don't Croak", your over half way done! Your tiring me out just reading this post!
.....:thumbup:...Bill

[Mazo EMS2]

well..... thanks everyone , i got the rear wheel off.. took it to a tire shop , and had the tires changed . come back home and put the wheel back on , the only thing I still have to do tomorrow is put the brakes back on the rear wheel . .. THEN , in a few days after this Old Man gets some rest , it will be the 2 front wheels , But . I think they will be nothing compaired to the Rear Wheel. .. at least I Think so... thanks again everyone.

Just remember to push and turn on that brake piston when it comes time to compress it into the caliper.

[gbatown]

If you google "can am spyder rt - how to replace all brake pads in 7 minutes" is pretty good. If using a motorcycle lift, Pierre, at Spyder Accessories, has a good video showing how to lift a rt while promoting/using Pitbull Motorcycle lifts.

[Mikey]

well..... thanks everyone , i got the rear wheel off.. took it to a tire shop , and had the tires changed . come back home and put the wheel back on , the only thing I still have to do tomorrow is put the brakes back on the rear wheel . .. THEN , in a few days after this Old Man gets some rest , it will be the 2 front wheels , But . I think they will be nothing compaired to the Rear Wheel. .. at least I Think so... thanks again everyone.

Be careful lifting that front and use jack stands or two jacks if you are taking both tires off at the same time, if you jack the front up from the frame and don't put jack stands under both sides it will tip when you take the wheel off because it will not be balanced. Good luck!!

[Tonylmiller]

Be careful lifting that front and use jack stands or two jacks if you are taking both tires off at the same time, if you jack the front up from the frame and don't put jack stands under both sides it will tip when you take the wheel off because it will not be balanced. Good luck!!

I have not looked under there yet, but I am going to check my front spring adjustment. Where to put jack stands if jacking from the center? Pictures are encouraged.

Great forum, thanks in advance.

[Bensonoid]

I have not looked under there yet, but I am going to check my front spring adjustment. Where to put jack stands if jacking from the center? Pictures are encouraged.

Great forum, thanks in advance.
Use some wood blocking under the rear shock.

[sledge]

Use some wood blocking under the rear shock.

Thanks for the Pictures .. I saved them , for the next time maybe

[Little Blue]

Use some wood blocking under the rear shock.

That's the way I do it. Nice pictures of what is needed for blocking. ....:thumbup:

See pictures in post #24.

[Tonylmiller]

Use some wood blocking under the rear shock.

Perfect. Thanks.

[Peteoz]

Use some wood blocking under the rear shock.

Bensonoid, this is in no way, shape or form, a critique, as I simply don’t know the answer. BRP say in their shop manuals not to place your lift under the rear shock, only the under frame. Does this not count as placing your lift under the rear shock?

Pete

[Mikey]

I would not use that shock bolt ether!! I would put my jack to the end of the frame but leave enough room for a jack stand at the end, or trust my jack and use that back there, but not use the shock bolt.

[Bensonoid]

There's little to no weight on the shock bolt. The wood block is under the tabs that the shock bolt goes thru.

[Tonylmiller]

Seems strange to me, but I do not see any mention in the user manual of how to lift the Spyder. It says to lift it but not how or where, that I can find.

[sledge]

I think as a Mechanic , because I did only that for more than half of my working life. the more I got into removing this Rear Wheel the more I could see what I Should have done . this might not be what Can-Am would ever say to do . But I have owned 5 Honda Goldwings in a row in last 15 years or so . not many things are bigger , or more bulky , or more heavy , than a Goldwing .. I put all the tires on mysely , I bought a Motor Cycle Jack... never trusted that thing at all . sooo,, I dug 4 holes in the ground , and put 4 4X4 posts in the holes with concrete , 2 about 2 foot high and the other 2 about 6 feet high , with an Eye Bolt near the top of each .and I would hook a Come-a-long at the top of the tall one's and hook the other end to the Crash Bars of which ever end I wanted to pick up ..and ties down the other end with ratchet straps to make sure it couldnt fall over. .. and I could pick the bike up as high as I wanted and the bike could never fall over , or fall at all. . . . as for my Spyder the other day it was a real handfull trying to get it high enough to get the rear wheel under the rear fender and out . in the end... i hooked a wide ratchet strap through the rear rider hand holds. and across a Rafter in my Garage ... picked it right up . at my age , and with 70,000 mile car tires I just put on it , I most likely will never do this again anyway ... but if I do , I will do it just like I did my Goldwings. Thanks to everyone for all the advice . this is a great site , I hope to meet some of you folks for a ride someday. thanks again.

[Peteoz]

Seems strange to me, but I do not see any mention in the user manual of how to lift the Spyder. It says to lift it but not how or where, that I can find.

I don’t think they believe that a rider should be looking to lift the vehicle, Tony, which is why it wouldn’t be in the Operator Guide. It does however appear in the Workshop Manual.:thumbup:

Pete

[sledge]

I don’t think they believe that a rider should be looking to lift the vehicle, Tony, which is why it wouldn’t be in the Operator Guide. It does however appear in the Workshop Manual.:thumbup:

Pete


i was talking with the guy at the tire shop who changed my 2 front tires today , and we both kinda said the samething about why would anyone design and build anything so hard to do something as simple as change a tire ? Unless just to make sure the owner would bring it back to the Dealership . because IF you are the only place to get a job done then the price is an Open Book . No Competion , charge anything you want . Just a Thought . and I sure didn't know what I was doing , and you folks helped me a Lot . and Thank You All.

[EKB2to3Wheelz]

Those pictures for the jackstands were great. I’d hope that despite the posting about supporting on the shock bolt it would be ok to use a 2x4 across the mount to a jack stand. Seems to me that the shock bolt is supporting all the weight sitting on the ground then it shouldn’t be stressed as a support for a jack stand if using the frame to lift and the rear shock mount to support on a stand. I’ve got a factory shop manual, but I need to see if I can find the warning about using the rear shock for supporting the Spyder. It supports it when riding and the shock's involved there, this should be less stress.

[AeroPilot]

For just working on the brakes or rear wheel area the floor jack works for me. Like others have said, it's good to have a stand or blocking to further ensure that the bike is stable. I also religiously use a rubber pad between the jack and the metal box frame piece so that it doesn't slip off. I once had that happen on our first 2011 RT, and I vowed to never have it unbalanced again!!

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[Peteoz]

Those pictures for the jackstands were great. I’d hope that despite the posting about supporting on the shock bolt it would be ok to use a 2x4 across the mount to a jack stand. Seems to me that the shock bolt is supporting all the weight sitting on the ground then it shouldn’t be stressed as a support for a jack stand if using the frame to lift and the rear shock mount to support on a stand. I’ve got a factory shop manual, but I need to see if I can find the warning about using the rear shock for supporting the Spyder. It supports it when riding and the shock's involved there, this should be less stress.

Believe me, there is indeed a warning in the shop manual about not using the rear shock as a jacking point, EKB2. You could end up with damage if you simply put a bottle jack or similar under the centre, so BRP are covering their backsides here.
However, there are quite a few who have used a 2x4 underneath as their jack point with no adverse effects as you mention above.

Pete

[JayBros]

The reason there is a warning in the shop manual is because BRP's lowest common denominator in this case is for someone with the IQ of NitWit the Knuckle Dragger who would put the jack he is using directly under the shock itself and if he does so without using a block of wood under the ears that protrude downward from where they are welded to the swing arm and then jacks the Spyder he will bend the bolt that holds the shock. Then when NWKD then attempts to remove the shock for some reason in the future he will discover he can't remove the bent bolt.

[Gunner3773]

I use an EZcarlift to lift my Spyder.

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[Mikey]

:2thumbs: NICE!!!!!!! I love it.

[PMK]

The reason there is a warning in the shop manual is because BRP's lowest common denominator in this case is for someone with the IQ of NitWit the Knuckle Dragger who would put the jack he is using directly under the shock itself and if he does so without using a block of wood under the ears that protrude downward from where they are welded to the swing arm and then jacks the Spyder he will bend the bolt that holds the shock. Then when NWKD then attempts to remove the shock for some reason in the future he will discover he can't remove the bent bolt.

To clarify the logic.

Jacking under the shock bolt, on the shocks lower eyelet is a fraction of the stress into the bolt than when riding. Sitting static on the ground, the rear shock lower bolt, actually, all the shock bolts are in a shear loading. When the suspension compresses, even bottoming, the shear loads on the shock bolts increase many times.

The true reason for not jacking under the rear shock lower eyelet is on account of inducing side loads into the steel swingarm brackets, that anchor the rear shock lower eyelet. Under load, those brackets always have a downward load placed into them. Jacking under the eyelet and raising the Spyder can induce side loads that could bend the thin steel brackets.

Past topics and replies have indicated that a bent lower rear shock bolt is from continuous bottoming of the suspension.

If the bolt does get bent, or the swingarm brackets get bent, both can make removing the bolt difficult.

[djh3]

I also have read if your lifting the rear wheel as in a tire change you have to disconnect the linkage on I believe the left side that goes to a level sensor or something like that.

[PMK]

I also have read if your lifting the rear wheel as in a tire change you have to disconnect the linkage on I believe the left side that goes to a level sensor or something like that.

Kind of depends. If not releasing belt tension via the adjusters, then yes, folks will disconnect the ride height position sensor. Then removing the lower shock bolt, move the rear suspension downward. This relieves the belt tension, allowing the belt to be removed, and wheel slid aft and out.

It is also possible to not disconnect the ride height position sensor, but does require loosening the axle, relieving belt tension, and having the Spyder jacked high enough to drop just the wheel out.