Update on baselining. Ordered Magic Mirrors from Lamonster - arrived yesterday. Installed new battery, old one is still good, but new battery is part of my baseline maintenance. Have most everything I need to get going with the brake/coolant flush. Will be putting together a shopping list for the electrical additions I want to add - the FZ1 fuseblock and such.
Have been dividing my time between the kitchen reno and baseline of the Spyder, but had a nice although challenging paint touch up of Sonya's brother's 2018 F3 Limited.
The left rear saddlebag door had a couple of dings, 1/8" by 1/2" through to the base plastic on the rear top section. His wife was going to touch these up with nail polish. I volunteered to paint the affected spots for him having finished last year a complete repaint of my ex-1500 Pearl Glacier White - over 100 pieces when fully disassembled and my '85 1200 Limited Edition two tone with pinstripe.
Figured this was going to be an easy fix, not. Would have been easier doing the complete door. The other issue is there is a paint code, but there is no formulation for it. Went through four iterations with my paint guy for the base colour. The 2018 F3 Limited is a pearl white; however, it has a beige/cream undertone, unlike my ex-1500 Pearl Glacier White that is a white. The initial pearl formulation was good, but would go a shade, shade and a half lighter on the final base colour formulation for future fixes.
My paint guy was very good. Only paid for one base colour and the changes were free. 1/2 pint of paint goes a long way using spray guns.
I've attached a few pictures to support.
"When Writing the Story of Your Life, Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold the Pen"
"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
Onwards to baseline. Have installed the Magic Mirrors. Very nice and work as advertised. No vibration when on the road. Good upgrade.
Looking into Centramatic wheel balancers. Like the technology. Have used CounterAct Beads, Ride-On tire balancing and sealant - prefer Ride-On over beads. The information on the Centramatic wheel balancing system is sound, reminds me of using the bead technology, and easier to reuse.
Helped Sonya's brother install the drive belt tensioner on his 2018 F3 Limited. He's liking the results.
Looking into drive belt tension and what is required to do this maintenance item. Want to remove the front drive belt pulley, clean adn ube the splines. There are phone apps and inexpensive tool(s) such as the Krikit. The recommended Krikit model number is 91132.
"When Writing the Story of Your Life, Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold the Pen"
"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
Wow you are like the Ever Ready Bunny, when do you find the time to RIDE??? Wish you were my friend I would let you service my ride!! Good luck with your RT, and take a few hours and ride the thing!
Wow you are like the Ever Ready Bunny, when do you find the time to RIDE??? Wish you were my friend I would let you service my ride!! Good luck with your RT, and take a few hours and ride the thing!
Check out some GL sites to see how he has maintained (well, beyond that) his GoldWings!
"Love 'em all.... Let GOD sort 'em out!"
2021 RTL Dark Chalk Metallic with comfort seat
1978 GL1000 w/'75 engine show bike
1976 RD400c
Wow you are like the Ever Ready Bunny, when do you find the time to RIDE??? Wish you were my friend I would let you service my ride!! Good luck with your RT, and take a few hours and ride the thing!
Lots of riding time. Owned the Spyder for just 2 months and have some 5000 Kms on it since bought. I use it instead of the car to visit friends and have coffee, pick up odds and sods. The Mrs and I do coffee runs up island on a regular basis, same roads but have the wind in my face. Sonya enjoys the ride and feels safer on the Spyder, and instigates a lot of the rides. I do most of my work when the weather is not cooperating. Have to balance time between the Spyder and my '85 Goldwing that I am still working on.
Cheers
"When Writing the Story of Your Life, Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold the Pen"
"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
Check out some GL sites to see how he has maintained (well, beyond that) his GoldWings!
Thank you for the compliment. You mentioned you have a Krikit for belt tension testing. What is the model number if I may ask?
"When Writing the Story of Your Life, Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold the Pen"
"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
Thank you for the compliment. You mentioned you have a Krikit for belt tension testing. What is the model number if I may ask?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CRDLZM...roduct_details 91132, but now I find that the free Gates Carbon Drive app does the same thing using the resonant frequency of the belt monitored with your cell phone microphone. RT should be abut 32 Hz on the run with no tensioner. My 2021 has it on the top run, so the bottom run works great. Has to be very quiet for it to work.
"Love 'em all.... Let GOD sort 'em out!"
2021 RTL Dark Chalk Metallic with comfort seat
1978 GL1000 w/'75 engine show bike
1976 RD400c
Short update. Running out of excuses to not be doing the maintenance. Latest is the Big Blue Lift Can-Am mount came in. Will be installing it on the lift. M2 shocks are being manufactured. Have installed the Hagon shocks with the remote preload adjuster (RAP) system on my 1200 so it is back on the road and can't be used as an excuse to not be working on the Spyder. The only other consideration is that the weather here is riding weather, bit warm but enjoyable, and to have the Spyder off the road for maintenance would be unconscionable. Think I'll wait for the shocks to arrive then do a week long maintenance period.
"When Writing the Story of Your Life, Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold the Pen"
"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
"When Writing the Story of Your Life, Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold the Pen"
"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
Today was not a riding day, could have been, but damp, a bit of drizzle - good working weather/day.
Took the front off. Anyone owning one of these 2014 to 2019 RT LE should do this at least once. Made the coolant flush easier. Coolant flush done. Had the engine running to operating temp twice, will check coolant level in the morning.
The service manuals do not mention everything regarding the removal of the front trunk. Had to disconnect the air intake.
Put the Spyder on the Big Blue (BB) Lift, blocked the bike front/back - side to side. Installed Speedbleeders, have used before and these are the cat's pajamas. Had to lower the BB to get at the brake pedal for the manual flush/bleed. The Speedbleeder for the VCM needs to be tight, took a bit of wrenching to get it to stop leaking past. Took a picture of the old brake fluid - it was time to change.
Tomorrow will hook up the B.U.D.S. for the first time, and do the brakes according to B.U.D.S.. Don't quite understand the procedure for the VCM module, but will be looking online for some guidance.
Intend to take off the front drive belt pulley - clean, lubricate, put back together. Have a new bolt if needed. Have front Centramatic balancers coming, as are M2 shocks - front/rear. Have been thinking about what electronics and accessory outlets I want to install and where these should go.
I've attached a picture of my Spyder with the front removed, and the old brake fluid - supposed to be clear.
"When Writing the Story of Your Life, Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold the Pen"
"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
Almost looks like something out of Star Wars, or a Johnny 5 from Short Circuit the movie.
Have mentioned before that a low mileage, older Spyder, motorcycle or whatever needs to be gone over just as if it has been used a lot. A higher mileage one may sometimes be the better bet because the servicing has been done more regularly. Having an engine with 4-5 year old oil is never good and the picture of the brake fluid I posted should never happen - won't discuss my cars. Coolant is another issue, the additives that are put in the coolant to protect your engine do diminish over time. At least every five years, sooner if you ride a lot.
Next brake bleed in two years.
"When Writing the Story of Your Life, Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold the Pen"
"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
Finished up the work/maintenance for now. Bled the VCM manually. Connected the computer and used B.U.D.S. to finish the break bleed, worked well. Centramatic wheel balancers came in today, installed, will road test tomorrow. Putting the panels and front back on had two bolts left over. I'm certain I'll eventually find where these are from.
Running maintenance commentary. The M2 shocks should be here in a couple of weeks. Will be contacting N-Line trailers for status on trailer hitch. Going to order the LidLox helmet locks for the Spyder. Thinking I'm just about maxed out for work/maintenance - another 3K Kms and into an oil change. Now for the electrical/electronics side of the house.
Think I'll ride for a bit.
"When Writing the Story of Your Life, Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold the Pen"
"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
Any tips for removing the Frunk?
I have been thinking about removing my Spyder Frunk.
I have been reading your posts and you have great
DIY skills and experience.
As others have said, 'Take care and enjoy some ryde time'.
To the better day's ahead. ......
Thanks. A dealer shop may be faster at doing the work and emptying my pocket book so I choose to do it myself.
Removing the "frunk" wasn't as bad as I thought, and it is quite light for such a large item. Upper side panels, headlight plastic and the requisite plastic, mirrors and such. I installed the Magic Mirror magnet system, good value and investment. Two bolts underneath and 4 up top. Four connectors and the BUDS connection. Hook release catch cable and "frunk" lid switch. The one item I did not see mentioned was to disconnect the air intake - back upper left side of the "frunk". This air intake is not difficult to disconnect, but takes a bit of fiddling to connect back up. Difficult to remove any panels that make up the "frunk" until it is off.
Support the front of the "frunk", block it. Once you have the bolts out, you have to lift the "frunk" off the chassis. There are two metal hinges so to speak.
Take your time and all will be well - we are higher on the food chain, resistance is futile. Going to view the first video again to see if I can identify where the two left over bolts go.
Not a lot to it. Will probably be removing it to install a new accessory fuse block. Have settled on the Fuzeblock.
Hope this helps.
"When Writing the Story of Your Life, Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold the Pen"
"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
As I was putting the "frunk" and the underside panel I took off to drain the coolant back on, noticed the sway bar was loose. Do not believe the sway bar should be loose. Will be doing some research into this and if necessary, "frunk" comes off once more. May find where the two errant bolts go. Would be good to do at the same time as new shock install.
"When Writing the Story of Your Life, Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold the Pen"
"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
Quick update. Sway bar mystery challenge accepted and rectified. Had sway bar issues in my head, need new nylon bushings, not the Bajaron sway bar, links need to be replaced. Went to Sonya's brother's place and checked the sway bar attachment on his 2018 F3 Limited. His was very secure. Brought my Spyder home, up on the Big Blue lift, and crawled under to inspect. The links were very secure, but the nylon sway bar bushings were loose. These bushings need to be tightened such that the lower part you can see gets a slight bulge in the nylon. Once this is done, the sway bar cannot be moved by hand. Made sure the sway bar was centred, and did a road test. Significant difference on corners, cloverleaf on ramp(s) and twisties. Expect the new shocks will enhance the ride that much more. Would still get a new set of shocks because the rear shock does not feel up to the task. Hear the ACS air compressor start/stop more than I would expect.
Did some web research to get an understanding of what the difference between an upright shock and moving the mounted angle. The following is from The Toolbox web site - How to Install and Adjust Coilovers:
"a spring rated at 200lbs will offer 200lbs per inch if it is mounted completely vertically. Which means the effective spring rate will decrease as the mounted angle increases. To compensate for the loss, use the chart below and take the mounted angle divided by the correction factor.
If the desired spring rate is 300lbs per inch
Take the mounted angle, in this case 20 degrees, and divide it by the correction factor of .88
300 ÷ .88 = 340.9
The desired rate becomes 340.9lbs. For this example, moving to a 350 rate spring would be preferable"
The new front shocks will have a 250 lb spring, the rear will be a 550 lb spring. Will be asking the company for more information on the spring specs. The front shock angle looks to me to be about 30 degrees or so off the vertical (will check), so a 250 lb spring at the 30 degree angle would be approximately a 190 lb spring (rounded up).
These calculations are approximate, but do provide a glimpse into what shock companies are up against as are us the end user. Will be looking for more information on the OEM installed shock springs.
Have come to an understanding about the ACS system. Similar to my ex-1500 Goldwing. Standard shock to set ride height - preload adjustment needed and ride quality, air bladder (Spyder) - air shock 1500. The air bladder/shock is to compensate for additional loading - return the ride height back to the primary riding profile ride height. Have yet to understand the ACS remote setting switch, but will do more reading/looking into this.
Wilber shocks has designed a two shock system that emulates what is on the Spyder and 1500 Goldwing. It has a standard shock to adjust the ride height and bike sag, and a non-air shock that maintains the primary riding profile ride height/sag. This is Wilber web site regarding this system. It is the Wilbers LDC Nivomat Shocks system: https://wilbersusa.com/wilbers-ldc-s...le-suspension/ Not inexpensive, but definitely a good alternative if the company can provide this system for your ride. This is avideo of the system in action on an HD. This video shows how the shock automatically pumps itself back up to adjust for the weight of the passenger. The captions are in German, but you can clearly see how it works: https://youtu.be/leetsmF46wA
Lots of options out there depending on the application
"When Writing the Story of Your Life, Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold the Pen"
"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
Been riding for a few days with the sway bar secured properly and the Centramatic wheel balancers on the front. Having the sway bar secured well has made a significant difference.
The Centramatic wheel balancers, jury is still deliberating. Have 4 lead wheel weights on the left front wheel, and 6 on the right wheel. Been looking into these on the other Spyder forum, and one person mentioned that the Centramatic wheel balancers should be used in conjunction with a good static wheel balance mainly because limited size of the Centramatic ring.
I have used the CounterAct beads since 2015 in all my Goldwing tires, and the rear car tire that I had installed on my ex-1800 and ex-1500. These work very well. Tried the Ride-On tire sealant and balancing liquid too, worked a treat. May look into having the front tires get a new balance, or remove the lead weights and use CounterAct beads.
Read some posts about tire cupping. Motorcycles get this a lot for a variety of reasons. Air pressure, suspension, and tire quality are generally the top three reasons for this. Regarding tire quality and cost of the tire, I have found that a $200.00 motorcycle tire will cup the same as a $100.00 tire. Air pressure, I think the motorcycling world is pretty anal about this and shouldn't be an issue.
The main issue is suspension. You take your car to a tire shop and there is bound to be posters on the wall(s) explaining the different tire wear profiles and why each has happened. Tire shops will also mention that if you don't correct the root issue for the tire wear pattern, you'll be back.
On to motorcycles, this information may be available, but not very forthcoming. IMHO tire wear and longevity is primarily the result of a good solid suspension. Tire quality does play into longevity, a $100.00 tire can be rated for 80K Kms, a more pricy tire can be rated at 120K Kms. To make sure you get these numbers, suspension must be solid and alignment spot on.
A good alignment that is a result of a tight suspension is great. Lets not forget the importance of the shock in this equation. The shock angle from the vertical is quite significant on the Can-Am rides. The spring size in lbs is very important. All things being equal, it is this shock that keeps the wheel firmly planted on the road, specifically the shock spring. Once you have the correct shock spring size installed, then the rebound/compression aspect of the shock comes into play.
I replaced the shocks on my 2011 KIA Soul at approximately 120K Kms. I was informed that this is about the life expectancy of these shocks regardless of how the shock looks. The ride after the new shocks were put on was significantly different, much better.
Researching tire recommendations for my Spyder. Lots of recommendations and options. Being in Canada, the choice is more limited , but there are options.
Coming up to 5K Kms since buying the Spyder. Almost time for an oil/filter change.
I have been told that I tend to over-maintain my vehicles, but I'm very seldom let down.
Enough of my rambling. Cheers
"When Writing the Story of Your Life, Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold the Pen"
"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
Read a lot of horror stories and not very good reviews on the Kenda tires. Tell us how you really feel. Perspective is everything.
Don't need tires at this point, but may before next years cross Canada tour. The original tires are still on the Spyder, no sidewall cracking or such. Will use these for this riding season, then determine what to do next. A fellow on the canamspydersforum has installed a set of Kumho Solus KH 16 175/55 R 15 for the front and Kumho ECSTA AST 225/50 R 15 rear. The main consideration on what tires I will use is availability. Options north of the border are more limited. Have found a company, blackcircles.ca, out of Montreal, that have the front tires - $92.00 CDN, but not the rear.
Interested in the tire pressure(s). Car tires generally operate at higher pressures than the Spyder tires, in the 30 to 40 psi range. Underinflated tires tend to not do well over time, underinflation is a key factor in car tire failure. Will be browsing the forum(s) for info on tire pressures used in alternate car tires.
"When Writing the Story of Your Life, Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold the Pen"
"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
More thoughts on personalizing the Spyder. Have to provide the Mrs with a heated gear connection for the cooler weather.
Have used flush mount SAE connectors. I will use the one for the pillion rider for the battery tender as well. Nice neat install. Have to run wires up to the battery area. Can get 4 of these from Amazon for $29.00 CDN. Here's an Amazon page: https://www.amazon.ca/Connector-Elec...594207&sr=8-26
Thinking about what to do in the front for electronics and my heated gear.
"When Writing the Story of Your Life, Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold the Pen"
"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
Tire pressure is also dependent on wheel load. I expect the wheel loads to be much lower on a Spyder than on a car. And on the SUVs that have been so prone to destroy tires even more load than a car. Being able to monitor tire temperatures as well as pressures would help. I observed the rear (CT) on my 1800 running 20 F higher than the front on long, straight roads. On mountain twisties they were within 5 F. The rear carrying more load, but the front seeing more work when turning. Neither exceeded 120 F when crossing the long desert areas of New Mexico on US70 with 90 F daytime temperatures. I ran 39 psi front and 28 psi rear (cold) - the rear a bit lower than car pressures. Two up ~400 lbs total plus gear, luggage, a Uni-go over-packed (NEXT time I have her pack the night before, then take out 50% and leave it in the garage). Tire wear for the 4300 miles was normal.
"Love 'em all.... Let GOD sort 'em out!"
2021 RTL Dark Chalk Metallic with comfort seat
1978 GL1000 w/'75 engine show bike
1976 RD400c
Spyder is getting a rest from maintenance - main ride for the next couple of weeks. The 1200 is being sidelined mainly because of space as I have some work to do on the V-Strom to get it ready for market - another story for another beer.
Ordered and received a full cover for the Spyder from Gears Canada, trial fit and all is good.
Had two valet keys cut for the Spyder. $8.40 CDN taxes in each - now for the hiding spot.
Alignment is off a bit. Have noticed this from the beginning, My right elbow is more forward than the left. The dealer on the island does not have a laser alignment, so I called the mainland. Talked to the only Spyder dealer (I think) over there. It's a 2 1/2 hour procedure and they want to charge shop rates that are north of $150.00 CDN for a laser alignment, not to mention the ferry ride there and back. Would be a day affair. I don't think so for that cost. Plan B will have to do and that is my reading, prepping and doing.
More research done on understanding the Spyder suspension setup. Lots of good info on the web, but have to sift through quite a bit to put together an understanding. Ride quality and performance, two key issues to concern myself about.
Ride quality is all about shocks, and how these isolate me from road irregularities, and provide that plush, soft ride experience I want. Tires play an important role in this as well. Watched a video about shocks/springs versus coilovers. The fellow discussed a scenario where a fellow came into the shop and wanted an inexpensive set of whichever and wanted a nice road experience. His take was that an inexpensive set of shocks would be great for a track day where ride quality is not paramount, and you just want to have fun. On the flip side, an inexpensive shock may or may not give you the ride you want on the street. His recommendation was to get a more premium shock for street use, better ride quality. Sort of makes sense, but budget and availability always come into play.
Performance is another story. Shocks play a part in this in that the shocks maintain the ride height throughout the riding experience. Shocks help to minimize roll - cross winds on the straights and sweeping corners/curves when there isn't a lot of vehicle movement. We seldom complain about the performance when going in a straight line unless there isn't enough power available to us. Where we do comment is in the corners, twisties and cloverleafs, and such.
Enter the excessive roll - cross winds and such, and twisting of the vehicle. The size of the shock and spring to effectively counteract the roll and twist effect would be substantial. The impact on the ride quality would not go unnoticed, and would be severely impacted. Enter the sway bar. The sway bar is a torsion bar installed in such a way that it counteracts the roll and twisting - torsion of the vehicle. Cars/trucks have a much better selection of sway bars to choose from, but the market is much larger as well. Most of the information regarding sway bars is based on the automotive industry.
The shock plays a secondary roll in minimizing roll and vehicle twisting, a backseat to the sway bar so to speak. When the vehicle rolls or corners, one shock is in extension - probably unloaded, the other in compression. The energy in the shock spring compressed should be wanting to return the shock spring to its unloaded state, assisting the sway bar in maintaining a neutral, flat and level ride.
Tires affect the performance and ride quality. The more tread and sidewall plies, the firmer the tire and the firmer the ride. The fewer the tread and sidewall plies the softer the tire, the more plush and soft the ride. For performance, a tire with fewer tread and sidewall plies would give good performance on the straight and sweeping type curves, but not in a roll and vehicle twisting scenario.
The issue of what tires to use on the Spyder is ongoing, but one issue to consider and I am doing so is how many sidewall plies there are in a tire. The more sidewall plies should result in a tire that will roll less as the vehicle enters corners, encounters cross winds and such. May not be able to do anything about this when buying tires, but it is something to consider for the tire replacement on my Spyder when the time comes.
Where am I going with my understanding of the Spyder suspension setup? Read a lot of threads and posts on what suspension upgrade to do. If you are satisfied with the ride quality, and you have a performance issue in the corners, twisties and such, install a beefier sway bar. If you are satisfied with the performance, and the ride quality is less than stellar, shocks are the order of the day. If both aspects are not acceptable, pick the issue that is most important to you and make the change. You can do the other at a later date.
There is not a tire available to us that can make up for a less than adequate suspension setup. Tires should be number three on a list of needed upgrades.
The above information is my understanding and opinion based on what I know, have known and have researched. Like to keep my thoughts in order and this is a good place to do such. Time for me to get on with some work in the garage.
Cheers
"When Writing the Story of Your Life, Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold the Pen"
"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
Short update on the Spyder maintenance front. Shocks have been shipped and should be here Thursday/Friday. Looking forward to the install.
Have been contemplating the alignment issue. It's not so much alignment as it is the handlebar position being off. Not a lot of adjustment on the front end. Should be able to move the handlebars similar to a snowmobile, using the tie rod bars. The only other option is an expensive trip to a lower mainland shop at shop rates, not going to happen.
Waiting on the trailer hitch, have to install trailer wiring, and look into the additional electrics/electronics needs.
"When Writing the Story of Your Life, Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold the Pen"
"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Mikey
Just wanted to say, 'a great write up'. 
