What's with the Schrader Valve under the seat?

[MikeyTX]

'21 RT Ltd. Under the riders seat. Right side rear, is what looks to be a Schrader valve. No mention of it in the OM. Anyone know what it is for or, care to hazard a guess ? Inquiring minds .............

[CopperSpyder]

air bag for rear suspension

[MikeyTX]

Thank you. As it is not spoken of in the OM I won't mess with it. I do not want to over inflate it.

[Peter Aawen]

Thank you. As it is not spoken of in the OM I won't mess with it. I do not want to over inflate it.

You should probably check the pressure in there every now & then - they have been known to 'lose air over time' and will be damaged if you run them for too long empty! They should always have at least about 5psi in there; and unless they've upgraded the bag, shouldn't ever go over about 90-100 psi - it's a tiny bag, so it won't take much to reach those upper limits, but I know from personal experience that unless the bag is already compromised, it'll handle double that max fairly readily - but you really don't want to ryde on a Spyder with that much air in thecOE spec air bag..... not if you want to keep all your fillings & teeth, and would like your kidneys to remain functioning properly anyway! Still, all it really does is set the 'static ride height', and for most, that means something in the 30-40 psi vicinity for solo/unladen ryding; something more for 2-up/loaded ryding.

But I believe the Ltd's still have an 'auto ride height levelling system', the ACS that's often touted as being one of the major attractions of the Nanny suite (would be too, IF it worked reliably & wasn't so prone to compressor failures; air bag &/or line leaks; and height sensor control rods coming undone.... ) which means that there are fixed 'upper & lower' air pressure limits AND a pre-set 'static ride height' embedded in the controlling computers somewhere, so if you ADD more air than those pre-sets recommend; or increase the ride height above (or decrease below) the set height, the moment you start the engine, turn the park brake off, and engage a gear, the auto system will either dump or add more air until your machine & its ACS return to the pre-set parameters! The 'Nanny' won't let you get away with anything much on this one - it's HER WAY, or NO WAY!

So go ahead & check the air pressure every couple of weeks; even add or drop air pressure if you like (preferably using a 'low pressure pump' & not a hi-volume/hi-flow 'shop air' compressor!); it won't take you long to work out what pressure the Nanny wants it to remain at, or if it's working at all; and if it's not working, you can at least get it fixed, or better yet, bypass all the problematic 'auto' stuff & go full manual like many of the rest of us have!

Enjoy!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I know your are NOT supposed to use a compressor to fill the bag, however I don't have a low pressure pump .... so I just tap the air hose stem onto the Valve .... so far so good ...... Mike

[MikeyTX]

I know your are NOT supposed to use a compressor to fill the bag, however I don't have a low pressure pump .... so I just tap the air hose stem onto the Valve .... so far so good ...... Mike

I still have the hand pump w/ bleeder valve from GIYO, purchased on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/GIYO-Pressure...1817529&sr=8-4

I find it ironic that there is no mention in the owners manual as to the requisite psi. Oh well, I shall inquire of the service dept on Tue. It will allow for I to flirt with the lovely young lady that greets guests.

[Mikey]

If you have a RTL, you have a compressor on board that keeps air in that bag, if the little arm going from the leveling switch to your swing arm is hooked up! I guess there are dealers out there that are not hooking them up and people are having troubles with that! Good Luck with that system, when it works like it should, it's a million dollar ride, when the bag, or the compressor craps out on you, it sucks!! The check valve in the compressor will start to get sticky and let air out of the bag and you will not realize that your compressors working overtime, then boom, no air, and you are dead axed to the frame!! Ask me how I know this!! Good Luck!! PM me if you ever have problems with that, I can tell you how to get around it the cheap and easy way!!

[MikeyTX]

Well .............. seeing as how my ex wife is a certified blowhard Guess I ought to stay in touch with her.

[Steve W.]

I find it ironic that there is no mention in the owners manual as to the requisite psi.

Based on my experience with air ride suspension (Peterbilt semi-truck), there is no "requisite psi". Since the system is auto-leveling, it will inflate to whatever pressure is necessary to get to the set height. Put a 120-pound rider on there, it might use about 20 psi. Put me and my wife on there (over 400 pounds), it might need about 60 psi. I am strictly guessing at these pressures, they are just being presented to illustrate the point. Different weights will require different pressures to get to the same height.

.

[Gekko]

You can get the 2021 Spyder Operator Guide here: https://www.operatorsguides.brp.com/...1/621154EN.pdf
Look at pages 48 and 49. With a pdf document it was easy to search "schrader" to get to the general area.

Notice there are some differences depending on whether the model in question is base or limited.

Some snippets from the Guide: "The suspension pressure is adjustable by deflating or inflating the air spring. Use an air compressor (from a gas station) and a pressure gauge."

"NOTE: The following chart is a guideline only. You may adjust the pressure to your riding preference as long as you do not exceed the maximum allowed pressure.
NOTICE Do not exceed the maximum allowed pressure. This might damage the air suspension."

AirSpringPressureLimits.jpg

[MikeyTX]

Servicing dealer confirmed that which I thought. He advised not messing with it as my model has an air pump that is computer controlled based on seat weight. Meaning that if momma Cass sat on it, "Yo be dragg'n it !"

[Steve W.]

... momma Cass sat on it, "Yo be dragg'n it !"

It would be dragging only until:
1) the engine is running
2) the transmission is NOT in Neutral
3) the parking brake is OFF

Then, within a few seconds, the compressor will 'do its thing' and pump enough air into the bag to get to the right height.

.

[MikeyTX]

lol I figured she bust the air bag.

[Bfromla]

lol I figured she bust the air bag.

Have been few reports, from getting over inflated & or debris wearing holes in.

[Mikey]

The biggest thing with this system is STOP over thinking it!!! The system is not that touchy, the worlds not going to come to the end if you have to much air in it, you just find what works good for you and use that! The bike it self will not throw codes and go into fits, your ride maybe ****ty but you will get home. Until my compressor went south on me I found that I did not adjust it a bit once I had it set to where I liked it, riding single or two up!!! Where the rubber hit the road was the day I didn't have air in the bag because the compressor broke! Then I sat back and checked out how much it was going to cost to put it back to factory, and how much I used the feature, it didn't add up for me! So I gutted it and went to a manual fill for a $10 bill and haven't looked back! Like some people say on here, RIDE MORE, WORRY LESS!! Less is more some times! If the air bag go's, there will be a Stage 2 shock in the place of the shock and air bag in there and I will be pounds lighter with out the junk on board.