Spyder Monkey
07-28-2012, 07:49 PM
I have no financial ties to Spyderpops other than a satisfied customer. I got such good service I thought I would return the favor with a honest testimonial.
Stopped by Harvey's shop in AR while on vacation a week ago and got him to do the full works on my 2008 GS. He installed the heat shield, the missing air dam, the ducting for the radiator, the bump skid, as well as all the pretty stainless mesh grill stuff. Harvey did not get the bike until about 3pm on a Friday and he had it turned around immediately the next day with all work.
Hot foot is absolutely solved. I ride in Houston traffic and there are not many places that are worse for heat and traffic. I purposely wore really light shoes (Vibram Fivefingers) to test and not one ounce of discomfort. If you suffer from hot foot, his stuff definitely works.
Engine heat is harder to quantify. Before the mods I consistently ran at 5 bars all the time once it warmed up. Now in a Texas July, it still gets to 5 bars but it seems to take a little longer to get there. And if I get it out first thing in the morning it will occasionally make it all the way to work on 4 bars. So it seems to be an improvement but hard to put numbers to.
I was severely skeptical of the bump plate increasing mileage. But HotGlue mentioned he was getting 1-2 mpg better so I went ahead and took the plunge on the skid plate. I only have 3 tanks of gas since the mod but here are the numbers.
The three tanks prior to the mod:
3.96 gal at 28.9 mpg
2.49 gal at 29.5 mpg
3.12 gal at 24.2 mpg
The three tanks post mod:
3.65 gal at 29.1mpg
5.29 gal at 32.1mpg
4.89 gal at 31.8mpg
Yes there is some variation in riding style and conditions that could confound the data but it appears to be a real effect. I'll get some more tanks commuting and try to post a more accurate analysis comparing apples to apples.
All I can figure is the smooth surface of the skid plate reduces turbulence and makes the air flow more laminar but aerodynamics is not something I understand well. There is more drag for air flowing over an uneven surface than a smooth one but I would not think that would be noticeable.
David Smoot
Stopped by Harvey's shop in AR while on vacation a week ago and got him to do the full works on my 2008 GS. He installed the heat shield, the missing air dam, the ducting for the radiator, the bump skid, as well as all the pretty stainless mesh grill stuff. Harvey did not get the bike until about 3pm on a Friday and he had it turned around immediately the next day with all work.
Hot foot is absolutely solved. I ride in Houston traffic and there are not many places that are worse for heat and traffic. I purposely wore really light shoes (Vibram Fivefingers) to test and not one ounce of discomfort. If you suffer from hot foot, his stuff definitely works.
Engine heat is harder to quantify. Before the mods I consistently ran at 5 bars all the time once it warmed up. Now in a Texas July, it still gets to 5 bars but it seems to take a little longer to get there. And if I get it out first thing in the morning it will occasionally make it all the way to work on 4 bars. So it seems to be an improvement but hard to put numbers to.
I was severely skeptical of the bump plate increasing mileage. But HotGlue mentioned he was getting 1-2 mpg better so I went ahead and took the plunge on the skid plate. I only have 3 tanks of gas since the mod but here are the numbers.
The three tanks prior to the mod:
3.96 gal at 28.9 mpg
2.49 gal at 29.5 mpg
3.12 gal at 24.2 mpg
The three tanks post mod:
3.65 gal at 29.1mpg
5.29 gal at 32.1mpg
4.89 gal at 31.8mpg
Yes there is some variation in riding style and conditions that could confound the data but it appears to be a real effect. I'll get some more tanks commuting and try to post a more accurate analysis comparing apples to apples.
All I can figure is the smooth surface of the skid plate reduces turbulence and makes the air flow more laminar but aerodynamics is not something I understand well. There is more drag for air flowing over an uneven surface than a smooth one but I would not think that would be noticeable.
David Smoot