Any Long-Term impacts of A/Mkt Suspension, Lighting, Performance Upgrades?

[BigPoppa]

Hey folks,

As I continue researching Spyders ahead of my hopeful purchase at the end of next week, a thought/question came to mind.

Has anyone found information regarding the long term impacts of the aftermarket suspension mods like beefier sway bars, higher performance shocks, etc? I realize manufacturers have to balance quality of components versus cost at scale but I also wonder if there may have been a bit of an engineering call to go with certain materials/quality of components.

I started wondering if the rest of the chassis on the Spyders is robust enough to handle the beefier (less flexible? heavier?) aftermarket components in the long run? It would be interesting to hear from those with a mechanical engineering background.

I guess kind of the same thoughts when it comes to the plethora of aftermarket lighting options. Can you put on too many LEDs before you run into issues with the stock wiring harness/battery?

Just wondering...

[BertRemington]

WRT chassis, it is robust enough to accommodate without harm any aftermarket suspension modification, including tires and wheels, you can install. While the F3 chassis is stiffer than an RT it is, as several Spyder experts noted, still a flexi-flyer, and there are no aftermarket improvements. Be that as it may, the VSS will intervene before you get near any failure limits of any part of the chassis.

WRT wiring current capacity, if you are replacing incandescent bulbs with LEDs you won't approach the current carrying capacity. If you are adding additional LEDs to an existing functional circuit BRP wire sizes are designed for 150% capacity (an example where this isn't true for non-LED circuits is the heated hand grips). If you are adding auxiliarly LEDs then an aftermarket power distribution controller is recommended.

If you are making these chassis and LED changes without the benefit of purchasing and reading a service manual beforehand, you should consider professional installation assistance.

[BigPoppa]

Awesome BertRemington…good points. Although I doubt I’ll do more than minor accessory installations I definitely plan on picking up a service manual for whichever model I get. I’ve always liked the idea of having service manuals even if I never intend on using it.

[askitee]

I have 87000 kms on my '17 RTL and have aftermarket suspension, tyres, lights, drive belt dampener, and relay for the trailer wiring connection harness. I still have the bike serviced at a dealership and the tech shows me everything, and I mean everything he removes for repair or is wearing out. I also pull panels off to perform certain tasks and use a hoist to work on the bike.

Aftermarket shocks - there is no sign of stress around the mounts at either end (top or bottom). I have Wilburs and they made the ride so much more well-behaved, especially in the rough stuff. I feel that because they work so much better than OEM, they would have to be better for the chassis and anything bolted on

Tyres - Another poster made a good point, Nanny will kick in way before anything untoward happens. I do find in some situations nanny is calibrated at the level it expects the Kendas to let go, (except for the ABS) whereas good aftermarket rubber will exceed what the OEM tyres provide. The flip side is better braking, especially wet weather. If you really bring the ABS on at 100km/hr where the rear wheel gets airborne for a good 20 meters or so, it did require a wheel alignment afterward, but not since changing dealerships.

Driving Lights - I have Baja Designs S2 Pro's. I am using a Solid State relay instead of a mechanical one. Their current draw is very very low considering the output

Low/Hi beams - I have stayed with the Halogens after finding LED's didn't make much of an impact and in some cases were worse, because of the light design. Add to this our lows are where your fogs are, and even with the OEM 55w halogens the plastic lens fogs over time further decreasing the efficiency of the headlights. I tried LED's in both Hi and Lo beams and chose name brands that had the Driver/adapter built-in - the lighting was worse in many cases. This was more to do with the light design because the same bulbs in my car performed very very well - not dazzling the oncoming traffic but improving the quality of lighting in the areas they are supposed to.

Bypass Relay for Trailer wiring - we require a 7-pin socket. The bypass relay appeases the CANBUS for connections into circuits and still uses the main battery supply provided by BRP. I modified the BRP 4-way connector removing the BRP bypass relay and fitting the 7-way. I am an all-weather 24hr rural rider and after long runs towing the trailer and running additional lighting for hours on end at night have not had any issue with battery drain or electrics misbehaving/complaining.

Drive Belt Dampener - removed the vibration that was coming from harmonics in the belt at certain speeds which was seen not only by shuddering, but mirrors, lighting etc.

This being said a good friend has a 2016 F3 with a broken chassis where the welds have failed due to not properly fusing the materials in the tail section and no hope of repair. BRP have been their usual helpful self.

Hope there is some value in what I have provided.

[BertRemington]

askitee -- this is fascinating
This being said a good friend has a 2016 F3 with a broken chassis where the welds have failed due to not properly fusing the materials in the tail section and no hope of repair.
Can you tell us more, like the circumstances when the failure occurred? Quickly or gradually? Etc etc. Thanks.

[askitee]

askitee -- this is fascinating
Can you tell us more, like the circumstances when the failure occurred? Quickly or gradually? Etc etc. Thanks.

I will be meeting up with the owner in a few weeks to get the lowdown.