Fun weekend, but lots done

[Wahrsuul]

Well, had a fun weekend, first time tearing into the RTS. The PO traded it in just in time for the 28k service. According to the title, he traded it in to a car dealership that also owned a harley dealership (Same name on both) before iMotorsports got hold of it. Somewhere along the line, about 1700 miles and new gauges got put in. So, it needed an HCM at the least. Got one from Ron along with an oil change kit.

Getting everything apart was fun. Still not sure all the screws went back in the original places, but everything is on and nothing rattles or seems loose. Fuel filter was a bit of a pain to get loose, but managed to get that out as well. Oil and filter were no real issues, just comparing sizes of o-rings to make sure I got them all in the right places. HCM was no issue once we got to it. A little messy, but I had the manual to get the torque and patter correct, and after the oil change there are no leaks.

All that took about 5 hours, but that includes driving to the shop to get the fuel filter, and stopping for lunch.

Then we decided to tackle the inner side bag. One of the hinges was broken on mine when I got it, and iMotorsports sent me a replacement - at my request so I could do it myself. Had I known in advance.... had to remove most of the side and rear to get the thing off. I'd like to know what engineering genius thought that hollow plastic inserts were sufficient to hold the nuts on the main support. I thought we were rounding out the bolt heads at first, but we got the mirror and flashlight out and could see that the insert was just wallowing out and allowing the nut to turn. Since there's very little room on one side and NONE on the other to get anything in there to hold the nut, we had to resort to drilling the heads off the bolts. This did wonders for all the plastic as you can imagine. So, how do we fix this? Big wing nuts was the answer. I measured the size of the rectangular space under the main support. We went looking for nuts, bolts and washers. I happened on some big wing nuts, and after measuring thought they might work. They barely fit diagonally across the space, and we had to use the bolts to pull them all the way in, but then they stayed by themselves. After that everything went back together and feels just as strong as before.

On the down side, after we got the rear back together, we notices that one of the LEDs on that side had stopped working. By this time, I had to get home so I took my brother's car and left the tryke in pieces.

Next day, we get the rear apart again and find the faulty connection, We tie-wrap everything down, make sure everything works and put the 3-d puzzle back together. We were supposed to work on his truck, but at that point he didn't feel like it and wanted to ride instead. So, we pulled out his 'Wing, and heading out for a loop around the lake - about 100 miles.

Also while I was in there, I removed the XM and SM10H the PO had put in. After researching the Sena unit, it didn't do anything I wanted so no reason to keep it. I've had XM before and while it's nice, I knew I wasn't going to be using the Spyder for long trips so I wasn't going to pay for the service. So now I have an XM setup and SM10H with all the wires/connections for it. Anybody need one?

Still need to do a coolant change, just needs to know what kind to use and where to get it.

[BoilerAnimal]

Sounds like you got rather intimate with your Spyder! 3D puzzle is one of the best descriptions I've heard used to describe a Spyder!

[JKMSPYDER]

I believe any name brand coolant that says for all engines will work. I always get the 50/50 mix.

[SpyderAnn01]

Replacing that hinge is a lot more work than you would expect, I had one break on my 14 and we had the dealer order the replacement, it was covered under warranty, but we said we would do the install since we didn’t have time to leave it for them. Would have been so much easier having them do it!

[4 MARIE]

Doc Humphreys at Roadster Renovations sells hinge reinforcement/ repair kit that will ensure
you never have to do those pesky weak hinges again

[Revalden]

Doc Humphreys at Roadster Renovations sells hinge reinforcement/ repair kit that will ensure
you never have to do those pesky weak hinges again

When the side bags are open, you're not supposed to sit on them!

[Wahrsuul]

When the side bags are open, you're not supposed to sit on them!

NOW you tell me.

[Mikey]

This year I started my season, by changing the seat cable in my RTL!! Peeling all the covers off the front, every thing, windshield, ect, then taking the cable out was the easy thing, putting it back was a trick! If I had had a clue on how to remove the key switch it would have been a piece of cake, but instead I used mirrors and plyers and my fat finger to hook that bugger back up! Lot's of pottie mouth words but I got it, but pledged I would not do it that way again!!! They don't make these bikes easy to work on, but with a few deep breaths and a few stress walks you can get it!

[Wahrsuul]

Yeah, fortunately I'm kinda used to it. I've owned 2 Concours 10s, an ST100 and 2 ST1300s and I help my brother with his 1800 'Wing. You get used to having to remove an acre of plastic to do the simplest of things.

[safecracker]

Great write up. Changed rear brake pads 2 days ago and decided to chdck wheel bearings. Checked out they where fine. They are originals. Decided to check front brakes, they are only half worn out. I am on my sixth set of rear brake pads and still on original front brake pads. Going strong at 69,000 miles. Bruce