I am wondering about the best way to lift a 2021 RTL to work on sway bar? Suggestions? Thanks in advance!
I am wondering about the best way to lift a 2021 RTL to work on sway bar? Suggestions? Thanks in advance!
i'm going to use a friends construction trailer and just ride up the ramps/chock the rear & front tires and have at it.
i measured and will get 40 inches of height.
i seriously thought about buying the harbor freight lift( https://www.harborfreight.com/high-p...ift-99887.html) but for something i'm going to use once, nan that's just a big waste of money.
i have nice ramps for doing oil changes
I used a floor jack and jack stands.
i us ramps under front wheels to get everything loose then slide the forks on my forklift under the front tire on one side lift up slide old out new in sit her back on the ramp
Helium Balloons!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hYC-ukmlU0
I believe the ramps are the best way to do it, Slice. The ‘20+ RT models are certainly less stable on the lift than my ‘16 F3 was (absolutely no idea why), but I was in a constant state of trepidation moving the lift to the next available stand level to raise my stands under the a-arms. It tilted alarmingly. No such issues with the ramps and a Ute tray. :2thumbs:Quote:
Originally Posted by SLICE
Pete
Any issue with your RT wanting to tilt itself off the floor Jack, K80? I have tried both a simple floor jack and a motorcycle lift, and the RT appears to have a mind of its own :dontknow:Quote:
Originally Posted by K80Shooter
Pete
Yes, you have to be very careful while doing it this way. It will try to tilt one way or the other with you. Slow and easy and a little at a time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peteoz
you only need to get one side up
I was fortunate enough that my tractor bucket was plenty high enough to get the job done. You could also use the back of a trailer, pickup truck, etc. for the ramps.
I've done a couple with jacks and stands and blocks, but so far the easiest was when I helped a buddy change his. We used a pair of loading ramps connected to his truck bed tailgate. Drove the front two wheels partially up the ramps til we had enough room. Set the brake, chock the wheels and have at it.
Ahhhhhh. Very valid point, fatboy…thanks…lift both sides a little for ease of access to undo the bolts, then lift one side to drop the old bar……should have thought of that:thumbup:Quote:
Originally Posted by fatboy
Pete
I used ramps to do all the work. I used a HB Daytona floor jack to lift the Spyder just long enough to take the old bar out and slide the new one in (takes about 2 minutes), then let it back down to the ramps. This makes things much safer. I bought the long reach, low profile Daytona just to work on the Spyder. My old jack was pretty worn out anyway. This is not nearly as hard as people make it out to be.
That's a pretty cool video!Quote:
Originally Posted by BajaRon
The 1st guy that tried this did in a standard aluminum lawn chair over LA. He took a case of beer and a BB gun, but no parachute. Jets coming into LAX reported him at 16,000 feet and a hazard to air traffic. The tower didn't believe the 1st pilot that reported him.Quote:
Originally Posted by FrogmanDave
I am currently studying for my Part 107 UAV pilot's license so flight levels are on my mind these days. All I could think about when I watched that video was how totally illegal it was :) Even though it appears to be sanctioned by Go Pro I doubt they could have obtained an exemption from the FAA. Still it is pretty cool!Quote:
Originally Posted by BajaRon
@GORP, thread hijack over.
I swapped out the stock anti-sway bar for one of BajaRon's standard bars on my 2021 Spyder RTL last Saturday. To get the needed clearance, I backed the trike's front wheels onto two ramps that provided about 10" of additional room. I left the rear wheel on the floor. I removed all the panels on the bottom and the various bolts and nuts. Then I used a floor jack on the frame to pivot the right wheel up. I carefully stayed away from the bottom of the trike while on the jack. I wiggled the old bar out, wiggled the new bar in, then lowered the floor jack to put the right wheel back on the ramp underneath it. With the trike solidly on the two ramps, I scuttled under the machine to reinstall the various nuts, bolts and links. The job took 2-3 hours at a leisurely pace, although it was a drag to be on my back for so long. I'm 74, and maybe getting too old for this sort of thing.
I should mention that I worked as a motorcycle mechanic while in engineering school back in the late 60s, so I have the tools and experience to do this stuff. I haven't had a chance to ride the trike with the new bar cuz the weather is too crappy up here in the PNW. My riding buddy has the same machine I do but in red. I'm looking forward to some A-B comparisons between his stock Spyder and mine with the new bar. I'm also thinking about after-market shocks, but I think that nearly $2000 for three is exorbitant. My riding style is relaxed with short interludes of romping through the twisties. I'm six feet tall and weight 190, and I ride one-up nearly all the time. (Wife won't get on the scooter.)
What do you have already in terms of jacks, jack stands, ramps, blocks, etc?Quote:
Originally Posted by GORP
I always stabilize my Spyder at the front using ramps, jack stands or a stack of RV leveling pads under each tire.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peteoz
Rode the 2020 RTL up on a set of ramps then out came the 3 ton floor jack and a set of 6 ton jack stands and all was good.
I now have these to work on her RTL
I have done three or four now. Get everything ready raised up a little on blocks and call my buddy that hauls his SxS on a custom flat bed. Drive up his ramps and swap bars and then back on the blocks to finish installation.
I good setup. Just wanted to know if you built the ramps or had them made?Quote:
Originally Posted by ReRose
Stay Healthy. .....:thumbup:
I'm lucky enough to own a 4 post lift as I own and work on several vintage cars. I also take my hobby serious in regards to working on things safely and convenient. If I was looking to get a spyder up in the air, I would go with a Big Blue. It has hardware made for a spyder. So it's not just about installing a sway bar today, but rear tire changes, oil changes, and just getting it up in the air so us old farts are crawling on our knees while your washing or detailing
http://bigbluemotorcyclelift.com/pro...der-rt-mt-set/
That's how I did mine too. Get it up on blocks for lots of room for swinging wrenches and just used ramps to swap bars.Quote:
Originally Posted by Snoking1127
Those knees you mention are one of the reasons I did NOT go with the big blue lift, PJ. On the ‘20+ RT, you have to remove a floorboard to get it close enough, which you can only do by getting down on your knees. Then you have to bolt the rear end of the Blue to your frame, which you can only do by getting down on your knees/back.:dontknow: Then you need a geared power drill to lift the Spyder as you will soon ruin a non geared drill.Quote:
Originally Posted by PJveetwin
I have no doubt that the big blue is the most stable lift, but it certainly doesn’t work for me. If it was designed so you didn’t have to remove the floorboard, and had a different fastening system, using maybe the floorboards, I would have one in my garage.
Pete