Windshield Arm Broken

[Bob Denman]

To expand just a wee bit on my preivous post...
Mike,
You've got MAD mechanical skills... You're not afraid to think out of the box, and you can build pretty near anything short of a nuclear reactor in your garage...
I just hate to see the perception of you being "de-valued", by an interpersonal approach that can be... difficult; at times.
I don't mean to bust your chops; I just want to see more of what you're capable of!

[eddieshep999]

Just an idea ?

Ref - Adding more strength to the middle support arm

I wondered if you could put 2 support metal strips with holes in each side or the arm and then drill holes in the support arm so they lined up with the metal strips placed each side
Put nuts and bolts through to hold the supports to the arms in place
(Very much like a leg brace)
It may be possible to drill the arm whilst still in place so no requirement to reset the arm to allow the function of the arm to remain the same

The strips could be made of strong aluminum which would not add much weight to the arm and not upset the operation of the arm
I don’t have mechanical skills to undertake the work and maybe someone with more knowledge will be able to comment if this method of adding more strength would work or not

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Just an idea ?

Ref - Adding more strength to the middle support arm

I wondered if you could put 2 support metal strips with holes in each side or the arm and then drill holes in the support arm so they lined up with the metal strips placed each side
Put nuts and bolts through to hold the supports to the arms in place
(Very much like a leg brace)
It may be possible to drill the arm whilst still in place so no requirement to reset the arm to allow the function of the arm to remain the same

The strips could be made of strong aluminum which would not add much weight to the arm and not upset the operation of the arm
I don’t have mechanical skills to undertake the work and maybe someone with more knowledge will be able to comment if this method of adding more strength would work or not

......Dear Eddie, I don't know how much of this thread you have read, 99.9 % is about problems + some total nonsense and .1 % solutions.....I have actually made a re-placement arm, but it's nothing like what you suggest..........I am glad to see someone else thinking out of the BOX tho........Your idea of the nuts and bolts won't work....your arm won't fit in the plastic cover without some serious enlargement of the OEM slot provided for the ARM to travel in...............and if you are starting with a broken arm ....well good luck trying to keep everything aligned while you are drilling all those holes ....................as far as doing this to a new arm to prevent it from breaking ,,,,to freehand drill it in place is total folly IMHO.......My fix is 2.5 oz. heavier than the OEM arm ...this is of absolutely no concern what-so-ever.....after-all the windshield + the hugh metal bracket that is attached to it .....must weigh 20 + lbs.....So the weight of the "ARM" is meaningless................But I do appreciate you thinking about this problem and I'm glad you joined the conversation with your idea's, that's how things get accomplished.......Mikeguyver

[ulflyer]

How about smoothing some JB Weld in the slots of the arm? That stuff is incredibly strong and might serve as preventive maintenance. Paint it and you'd never know it was on there.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

[QUOTE=ulflyer;855664]How about smoothing some JB Weld in the slots of the arm? That stuff is incredibly strong and might serve as preventive maintenance. Paint it and you'd never know it was on there. [/QUOTE.....Yes , I agree with the strength thing and in my fix I actually smear some on the ends before I put the side pieces on ( which are then welded ).....my JB weld addition takes up any space between parts ....which prevents any possibility of flex /stress / breakage ....Like I said earlier I would guarantee my part for LIFE, not just yours, But the life of the Spyder. ....What you are suggesting .....is a "try this it might work thing "......and it might.....But I'm not in the random testing arena .....I have tested the strength of mine and I am satisfied with it...............Thankyou for thinking out of the BOX...........more of this is needed...Mikeguyver

[ThreeWheels]

I just inspected my 2014 RTS that I will be picking up this Friday.
SOMETHING CHANGED IN THE WINDSHIELD SUPPORT.
I don't care who you are.................something changed.
I don't know what, but it is definitely different.
The windshield on my 2010 Spyder is real loose. I can tell whenever I go over bumps the windshield rotates, as well as bouncing a bit.
I can also rotate it by hand.
I think it's this rotation that causes the failure of the windshield arm.
The 2014 is SO much more solid.
Only time will tell.

[outlawsix]

I was told that BRP has now issued a service bulletin about it and they are being swapped out under warranty. Can anyone confirm this?

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I just inspected my 2014 RTS that I will be picking up this Friday.
SOMETHING CHANGED IN THE WINDSHIELD SUPPORT.
I don't care who you are.................something changed.
I don't know what, but it is definitely different.
The windshield on my 2010 Spyder is real loose. I can tell whenever I go over bumps the windshield rotates, as well as bouncing a bit.
I can also rotate it by hand.
I think it's this rotation that causes the failure of the windshield arm.
The 2014 is SO much more solid.
Only time will tell.

.....Since I have been in there and have taken everything apart there are a few reasons / things that could possibly have become loose.......When I received an assembly from one of our Spyderlovers ...( because the main arm broke ) ....the first thing I noticed was the upper arms on His were so bound up they almost couldn't move .....I wouldn't be surprised that this had something to do with why the ARM broke in the first place..........And according to my DEALER the change to the ARM is "superficial "...It isn't going to stop any breakage .....BRP's fix is a JOKE ....Mikeguyver

[ThreeWheels]

.....Since I have been in there and have taken everything apart there are a few reasons / things that could possibly have become loose.......When I received an assembly from one of our Spyderlovers ...( because the main arm broke ) ....the first thing I noticed was the upper arms on His were so bound up they almost couldn't move .....I wouldn't be surprised that this had something to do with why the ARM broke in the first place..........And according to my DEALER the change to the ARM is "superficial "...It isn't going to stop any breakage .....BRP's fix is a JOKE ....Mikeguyver

Geez Mike. If you want to be heard, stop being so shy and let us all know what you think ................

There was some talk about BRP changing bushings and swapping out the circlip pins for screwed fittings in the supports.
This may or may not be significant. Only time will tell.
We can look at the 2014 design together in a few weeks !

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Geez Mike. If you want to be heard, stop being so shy and let us all know what you think ..............From this statement I gather I have somehow OFFENDED YOU ....I don't understand this but what do I know ..........and if you think changing the BUSHINGS is the answer to stopping the ARMS from breaking ..............................well good luck with that Mikeguyver

There was some talk about BRP changing bushings and swapping out the circlip pins for screwed fittings in the supports.
This may or may not be significant. Only time will tell.
We can look at the 2014 design together in a few weeks !

..................see above in ​BLUE INK

[ThreeWheels]

..................see above in ​BLUE INK

OOPS. Not offended at all.
I was just busting your chops..................
It's way too easy to misunderstand someone in typeset.
You think this can be misleading...........try online dating !

Nevertheless, I stand by my previous observation. The 2014 windshield on my soon to be delivered RT has less rotational movement than my 2010 which is now on it's third windshield arm.
I am cautiously optimistic that this is an improvement in reliability.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

OOPS. Not offended at all.
I was just busting your chops..................
It's way too easy to misunderstand someone in typeset.
You think this can be misleading...........try online dating !

Nevertheless, I stand by my previous observation. The 2014 windshield on my soon to be delivered RT has less rotational movement than my 2010 which is now on it's third windshield arm.
I am cautiously optimistic that this is an improvement in reliability.

.............As I stated previously I have taken my 14 apart and seen everything up close and personal so to speak................I have also REPAIRED a broken ARM from a 10 RT and am using it in my 2014 .....and I am certain the bushings arn't going to fix the BREAKAGE problem.....The plastic bushings arn't causing the ARMS to break....................You stated you had 3 breaks !!!!.....Was the bushings the cause of any of that ???????.......Mike

[One Legged Willie]

Hi, I HAVE A 2011 RT LTD AND MY 'DOGBONE' PIECE BROKE THIS MORNING (45500 MILES)
AS I AM PLANNING A TRIP LEAVING HOUSTON ON WEDNESDAY I WAS WONDERING IF THE JBWELD AND HOSECLAMP FIX WAS FOR BROKEN ARMS OR JUST FOR CRACKED ARMS? ANY SUGGESTIONS THAT WOULD GET ME ANOTHER 2000 MILES OR SO BEFORE I GET THE REPLACEMENT ASSEMBLY WOULD BE APPRECIATED. THANKS

[jpbuch9309]

Tonight on the way home from work, the arm that raises the windshield broke in two. One piece is still connected to the mechanism inside the dash, the other is still connected to the pivot on the windshield support frame.

I glued the pieces together and also glued some additional metal to the arm so it has additional reinforcement. I have no idea how long it will hold.

Of course, it's under warranty, and my dealer will surely replace it.

Has this happened to anyone else ?

Does anyone know if there has been a redesign of this arm, or is the only design the new 2011 windshield. I'm wondering if there was more to the windsheild redesign then simply increasing gas mileage. A smaller windshield will also put less stress on this arm.

I just want to make sure I do't replace a faulty design with one exactly the same.

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...ght=windshield

[ulflyer]

Hi, I HAVE A 2011 RT LTD AND MY 'DOGBONE' PIECE BROKE THIS MORNING (45500 MILES)
AS I AM PLANNING A TRIP LEAVING HOUSTON ON WEDNESDAY I WAS WONDERING IF THE JBWELD AND HOSECLAMP FIX WAS FOR BROKEN ARMS OR JUST FOR CRACKED ARMS? ANY SUGGESTIONS THAT WOULD GET ME ANOTHER 2000 MILES OR SO BEFORE I GET THE REPLACEMENT ASSEMBLY WOULD BE APPRECIATED. THANKS

Willie, that should do it. If you've got some thin metal, wrap an inch wide piece around the break and with plenty of JB weld in the slot on each side and a clamp or two and you won't have any trouble. If you dont have any metal cut some out of a tin can. Let us know how it goes.

[ThreeWheels]

This isn't going to get resolved until, like the 2013 heat issue, the Feds get involved.
This is a safety issue.
If the windshield arm breaks while riding at highway speeds, the unexpected blast of air in the operator's face can cause a loss of control potentially causing a life threatening accident.
I recommend the next person who has a broken arm call the NHTSB and report this as a safety issue, then we can all get on board and have our voices heard.
Honestly, so many of those little annoying design issues have been addresed in the new 2014 (yes, even the turn signal switch is better) I can't imagine why something as important as this has been left unchanged.

[Bob Denman]

I repsectively disagree...
It happened that way to mine.
Other than a brief, "What the Hell just happened", there was NO loss of control!
Screaming that the sky is falling; doesn't make it so...

[cycledude]

hello spyder riders talking about windshield brackets breaking i am on my 3 unit at 459,00 a pop brp replaced the first one i paid labor the second one broke in 13 months afterwards replacement ordered a new one from performance powersports and am waiting on it to be delivered i wrote brp with the problem and ask why there hasent been recieved a answer back that it would be sent to the aproperate depart for review and still havent heard anything back over three month this is my second spyder a 2009 rs and now a 2011 rt ltd not counting the labor for the first one i have spent about 1,100 dollasr on just windshield brackets was considering buying a new 2014 but just dont have enough confidence in brp to make myself pay that kind of money and end up the same way i have always rode honda before with great reliability bought i new vtx 1800 have ridden it 157,000 put an alternator at 91,000 and 10 sets of tires never a problem still runs great today enough said dont want to complain i really love my spyder but am considering on something else this spring what can i say i love to ride everybody that has this problem with bracket needs to complain to brp let them know there is a big problem with these brackets thanks have a great day.

[outlawsix]

Since there is an open NTSB investigation going on why doesnt everyone who has had the arm break write a report? I mean this is not only about the heat issues it is about any issues with the RT RTS etc. SO now is the time to list all issues you are having with your bike! MAke sure to include the VIN or it gets tossed out.

[ThreeWheels]

I repsectively disagree...
It happened that way to mine.
Other than a brief, "What the Hell just happened", there was NO loss of control!
Screaming that the sky is falling; doesn't make it so...

The first time it happened to me it was quite surprising and forced me to make an emergency stop.
I'm open to other suggestions, unless you feel this isn't worth pursuing.

[JRWW]

I have this replacement arm from noboot and I'm very happy. I know it will never let me down.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[ThreeWheels]

We made our own arm, identical in specs to the OEM arm but 100% better in Billet Alloy and will never Crack or break.

Would you consider making more of them and selling them ?
I'd buy one for sure.

[outlawsix]

We made our own arm, identical in specs to the OEM arm but 100% better in Billet Alloy and will never Crack or break.

That is some beautiful machining! Very robust!

[SpyderAnn01]

This isn't going to get resolved until, like the 2013 heat issue, the Feds get involved.
This is a safety issue.
If the windshield arm breaks while riding at highway speeds, the unexpected blast of air in the operator's face can cause a loss of control potentially causing a life threatening accident.
I recommend the next person who has a broken arm call the NHTSB and report this as a safety issue, then we can all get on board and have our voices heard.
Honestly, so many of those little annoying design issues have been addresed in the new 2014 (yes, even the turn signal switch is better) I can't imagine why something as important as this has been left unchanged.

I repsectively disagree...
It happened that way to mine.
Other than a brief, "What the Hell just happened", there was NO loss of control!
Screaming that the sky is falling; doesn't make it so...

Bob, I agree with you. When mine broke I did have that oh crap moment and then I found a safe place to stop. Some duct tape and a bungee got me on my way.

[noboot]

Would you consider making more of them and selling them ?
I'd buy one for sure.

I do have about 6 spares and would love to sell you one, But!!!! The Administrators of this forum would consider me a Vendor and kick me out. I am a 66 year old Spyder Rider like the rest of us and I make the odd improvement to the Spyders, it is definately not a business just a passion.

So if you can convince The administrators then yes I can sell you one.... Cheers