Where do I get the front suspension ring tools for 2018 F3S?

Hi all, I have finally had some time to go over the spyder and took it for a good ride yesterday, I got all the tyre pressures correct and it made a big difference in the ride (as it should)

one thing though is that the manual say (See a Can-Am dealer for front suspension adjustment.)

I have owner motorcycles for 40 years before arthritis forced me to 3 wheels and the first thing I did was adjust the suspension on the bikes to suit me.

I am not taking this spyder to a dealer and spend a couple of hours paying him to help me do something I know how to do (even though it will be slightly different for a 3 wheel vehicle) I believe I can do this.

Now, where do I get the ring tools (none of my motorcycle suspension tools fit) to be able to change the pre-load of the front suspension?

thanks all.

Try ebay they have zillions of them to choose from. Mine were done up by a 400lb gorilla so something with the max amount of leverage might be best.

Ron at bajaron might have one that fits. You’d have to ask. Not sure if his shock adjusters match the hole pattern of the F3. That I don’t know. His hole patterns matches my snowmobile ones perfect. I keep the one he supplied me in my spyder and use my snowmobile one for at home in the garage.

Gidday. Well its a c spanner. Have a measure and look on T Me.

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Originally Posted by Isopedella

Gidday. Well its a c spanner. Have a measure and look on T Me.

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awesome, thank you all!

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Originally Posted by Cobwebs

Try ebay they have zillions of them to choose from. Mine were done up by a 400lb gorilla so something with the max amount of leverage might be best.

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lol my CB1300 is the same, I had to use the extension bar from my car jack to get them to turn

Yep take the load off them they turn much easier

Yup for sure - take the weight off the spring and apply a bit of lube helps me.
Mitre 10 - Repco - SCA anywhere like that.

A word of caution, the preload adjuster, from bottom to top is about 1". If you move it to the max, it will change the ride height which will change the camber and make it more positive and that will cause the toe to be off. At minimum, get the toe reset, and hope the positive camber don't wear the outsides of your tires.

thank you, Triniman. I finally got around to changing it this past weekend. I marked one of the "teeth" on the top ring and turned it one revolution around tighter on each side. It made a HUGE difference in the ride and cornering, it was really quite astonishing. I will leave it for now and see now it goes and then adjust as needed.

Be interesting if you were to throw a tape on it and give it a measure. The bible says :With the weight of both driver and passenger on the bike, adjust the front shocks to be 420mm (16-17/32") between the upper and lower shock mounting bolts.

I can do that

I have a 2017 F3T. I bought a pair of these spanners from Amazon.
$7.49 ea.
C Hook Spanner Wrench Collet Chuck for 68-72mm Round Nut,
Black Adjustable Hook Wrench Tool Steel Key Hand Tools for Nuts Bolts

When I first looked at the suspension I thought it would take 2 c spanners but it just takes 1.
You just put on the top Ring and turn. Then snug up the bottom ring and done

I have not yet not seen the top. Its up under there somewhere. I assumed it was just a ring up top and the adjuster was on the lower section. Live and learn I guess.

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Originally Posted by microwavable

lol my CB1300 is the same, I had to use the extension bar from my car jack to get them to turn

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OMG I love my cb1300s. But I know what you mean. Having said that I just got a set of yss for it and it like a brand new bike

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Originally Posted by microwavable

OMG I love my cb1300s. But I know what you mean. Having said that I just got a set of yss for it and it like a brand new bike

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I don't think I can even part with it.

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Originally Posted by Isopedella

Gidday. Well its a c spanner. Have a measure and look on T Me.

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thats the one, it was cheap is chips to get a good iron one and dead easy to change it

Uh..you did lift the wheel off the ground first, didn't you? I've never had trouble setting preload.

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Originally Posted by TerryTheSpyderRyder

Uh..you did lift the wheel off the ground first, didn't you? I've never had trouble setting preload.

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nope, no wheel lifting necessary

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Originally Posted by Isopedella

Be interesting if you were to throw a tape on it and give it a measure. The bible says :With the weight of both driver and passenger on the bike, adjust the front shocks to be 420mm (16-17/32") between the upper and lower shock mounting bolts.

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How do you and wife sit on the bike and adjust the shocks at the same time? A friend wants to know...

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Originally Posted by Isopedella

Be interesting if you were to throw a tape on it and give it a measure. The bible says :With the weight of both driver and passenger on the bike, adjust the front shocks to be 420mm (16-17/32") between the upper and lower shock mounting bolts.

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The idea of spring pre-load is to recover lost ride height. However you had your Spyder loaded when the alignment was done. You want to bring it back to that same height when loaded for a ride. You can easily lose well over 1" of ride height when just 1 person sits on the Spyder. More if you load the front trunk, etc. So, measure the nose of your Spyder empty, assuming that's how it was when you aligned it. Then measure again with it loaded. That will tell you how much you are losing and give you an idea of how much lift you need to get back to the original ride height.

It's not rocket science. Nor is it critical to be right on. Your suspension will settle out randomly at + or - 1/4" or so every time you stop.