New Owner and a question

[Road-Kill]

Hello all! I picked up a new 2016 F3s Special SE6 a week ago after much brain twisting. I chose the Spyder because I felt the feeling of unlimited adventure when I test rode one months ago, studied and watched a gazillion YouTube videos. I had the dealer install floorboards, driver backrest and heated grips. I purchased a top case rack and placed my Givi Monokey V56 to it. Afterword's I purchased the fog lights and installed them myself but wished the dealer did that as well. Installation was NOT as easy as the online instructions suggest. I also purchased and installed a MADSTAD 18" windscreen. I can not comment on the windscreen since I cant as yet ride it....snow. I'll give my thoughts on MADSTAD when I have experience to detail. Installation of the MADSTAD took 2 hours and seems very high quality. Friends came over and everyone agreed the maneuverability of it was awesome.

Now my question. I noticed that the brake lever is VERY high. I rode the bike home from the dealer and had to pick up my foot to press the brake lever. Can I move the floor board forward a bit which will by the restrictive nature of the brake rod lower the pedal? Are there aftermarket "kits" that offer a lower pedal? Thanks for any feedback.

[cuznjohn]

your question will have to be answered by someone else, but i just want to say congrats, and many happy miles and smiles

[Chupaca]

congrats on the new ryde.. you should have some adjustment, check your manual. welcome

[BigGuy66]

... but I don't have an answer - trust me, someone on here knows what you need an answer to....
Jim

[Deanna777]

&

I do not have an answer , I am sure someone on this site will ride in( ) and have a answer for you.

Deanna

[Gsebring]

The F-3 has the u-fit system on it. Can move the the boards and brake pedal with a kit. I moved mine to the #5 position and the brake pedal remains high. I have not seen a adjustable brake rod to lower it. Somebody may want to design one for that purpose.
Happy trails!

[loisk]

Yes You Can

saw it it on here some time ago, told our dealer, now he does it for many.

At at one end of the brake linkage rod is a little hole - just drill another hole a little distance away and it lowers the brake pedal nicely - much better and safer.

As noted, it was posted here with pics. If no one chips in I shall ask my husband for a slightly more technical explanation for you.

[ARtraveler]

See post #7.

[9tda1dr]

Congratulations! You will [emoji7] love it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[LateLifeCrisis]

I can't help you with the brake problem, but just wanted to say........I AM SOOOO JEALOUS!!

And seriously - ENJOY!

[Road-Kill]

Yes You Can

saw it it on here some time ago, told our dealer, now he does it for many.

At at one end of the brake linkage rod is a little hole - just drill another hole a little distance away and it lowers the brake pedal nicely - much better and safer.

As noted, it was posted here with pics. If no one chips in I shall ask my husband for a slightly more technical explanation for you.

Thank you. Tomorrow I'll check out what you said. Maybe I'll call my dealer and see if they have a fix as well.

[monkeyboymorton]

There are 3 options, drilling the bracket the rod links to shown in this thread:

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...ht=brake+drill

or drilling the rod itself as in this thread:

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...ht=brake+drill

The ppic is no longer there but the idea is to drill a hole through the bracket at the end of rod where I've put the red dot here:

F3 Brake Rod.jpg

That effectively shortens the length which will lower the pedal.

Risks are that you will weaken the strength of the bracket and make it more prone to failure. AFAIK a few have done this but I've not seen any evidence of failures.

3rd option is to cut the rod, chop a chunk out and re-weld it up. A few have done this with no issues AFAIK (depending on quality of welding of course).

JC Thorne has done this on his and a few others I seem to remember.

[PrairieSpyder]

I'm glad others have answered your questions since I can only tell you &

[trucker1]

Hope you have gotten your answer. Just wanted to say Congrats on the new ride. Ride safe. Be Happy. Enjoy Life

[SpyderF3]

You could get a pair of these in the proper size and a piece of threaded rod cut to length

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pro...e841e_1000.jpg

[Road-Kill]

There are 3 options, drilling the bracket the rod links to shown in this thread:

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...ht=brake+drill

or drilling the rod itself as in this thread:

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...ht=brake+drill

The ppic is no longer there but the idea is to drill a hole through the bracket at the end of rod where I've put the red dot here:

F3 Brake Rod.jpg

That effectively shortens the length which will lower the pedal.

Risks are that you will weaken the strength of the bracket and make it more prone to failure. AFAIK a few have done this but I've not seen any evidence of failures.

3rd option is to cut the rod, chop a chunk out and re-weld it up. A few have done this with no issues AFAIK (depending on quality of welding of course).

JC Thorne has done this on his and a few others I seem to remember.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to look into this today as well as call my dealer. Maybe there is a quick dealer fix as well. I'm a bit nervous about messing with the brake lever because it the ONLY brake I have. I'll keep everyone informed.

[murphybrown]

My answer to the brake issue. I also "struggled" at first 'finding' the brake pedal...But after about 500 miles of cautious ryding my foot now can find brake with ease. I know others have 'adjusted' height. For me just had to teach this "old dog" a new way to find necessary brake pedal. You will LOVE your F3...sounds like you are doing a great job on farkling.

[Road-Kill]

There are 3 options, drilling the bracket the rod links to shown in this thread:

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...ht=brake+drill

or drilling the rod itself as in this thread:

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...ht=brake+drill

The ppic is no longer there but the idea is to drill a hole through the bracket at the end of rod where I've put the red dot here:

F3 Brake Rod.jpg

That effectively shortens the length which will lower the pedal.

Risks are that you will weaken the strength of the bracket and make it more prone to failure. AFAIK a few have done this but I've not seen any evidence of failures.

3rd option is to cut the rod, chop a chunk out and re-weld it up. A few have done this with no issues AFAIK (depending on quality of welding of course).

JC Thorne has done this on his and a few others I seem to remember.

I went out just now and removed the brake rod. I drilled a 5/16 hole 1/2" behind the front hole on the forward end. I had to file 1/8" off the break lever to make the fit loose and not snug, it has the same play as before. This lowered the break pad 1" making it MUCH more accessible in emergency breaking. Tools needed...5/16 drill bit, 5mm allen key, 10mm socket, 16mm wrench (for break axel bolt) and a file. Another alternative would be to dremel out the safety notch located inside the break pad and drill out a hole installing a bolt 1/2" forward of the current bolt, this moves the floor board 1/2" forward though. The other way would be to cut the break rod, remove 1/2" and have it welded back together. Hope my pictures show the handiwork, its my first time loading pictures to this website so I'm hoping it goes smooth. I think overall I would have cut the pipe and had it welded back together if I was to do it over again.....just my thoughts.

[Road-Kill]

[Slagiatt]

What type of Luggage Rack is it that you're using for your top case? Brand? URL?
Thanks!

[Road-Kill]

What type of Luggage Rack is it that you're using for your top case? Brand? URL?
Thanks!

Givi Monokey V56 Carbon Fiber (fake CF) bolted directly to a solid steel luggage rack sold by Value Accessories. I decided NOT to go with the universal Givi mounting plate because it mounted too high. I kept the V56 from a previous bike and it looks great on my F3s.
Please note that the luggage rack is HEAVY (around 30lbs) but it holds per instructions 40lbs. I think it holds 100lbs from its solid structure. Its bolts on super EASY!
http://store.valueaccessories.net/Ca...ggageRack.aspx

[papanorm]

Givi Monokey V56 Carbon Fiber (fake CF) bolted directly to a solid steel luggage rack sold by Value Accessories. I decided NOT to go with the universal Givi mounting plate because it mounted too high. I kept the V56 from a previous bike and it looks great on my F3s.
Please note that the luggage rack is HEAVY (around 30lbs) but it holds per instructions 40lbs. I think it holds 100lbs from its solid structure. Its bolts on super EASY!
http://store.valueaccessories.net/Ca...ggageRack.aspx

Congrats on the new bike! Does the rack make it difficult to remove the seat?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Road-Kill]

[QUOTE=papanorm;1221459]Congrats on the new bike! Does the rack make it difficult to remove the seat?


It does not. Not even slightly.

[monkeyboymorton]

Thanks for sharing your handywork on the pedal, pictures really help see the difference. I think that's the first one I've seen where someone has drilled the pedal bracket. Looks to have done the job just as well.

This does seem to become more of an issue wth the floorboards as they take your foot further from the pedal. Not so much of an issue if you're still using the pegs.

[Slagiatt]

Givi Monokey V56 Carbon Fiber (fake CF) bolted directly to a solid steel luggage rack sold by Value Accessories. I decided NOT to go with the universal Givi mounting plate because it mounted too high. I kept the V56 from a previous bike and it looks great on my F3s.
Please note that the luggage rack is HEAVY (around 30lbs) but it holds per instructions 40lbs. I think it holds 100lbs from its solid structure. Its bolts on super EASY!
http://store.valueaccessories.net/Ca...ggageRack.aspx

Really appreciate the feedback and the link!

Richard