September meeting?

[SpyderDuck]

Ok, folks, Ltownblue (you may remember me mentioning him... ride leader extraordinaire?) has planned a ride for Saturday, and anyone who cares to join us is welcome. Here is our plan-

Breakfast at Mountain House in Boone NC; leave Mountain House at around 8:45 for the ryde. So if you can't make it earlier, you can simply be at Mountain House at that time. From there, 3 Top Rd, 88, 194, and 58 to Damascus, VA, then 133 to Shady Valley and the Snake (421). We'll take 421 to Blowing Rock, where we'll have lunch/early dinner.

Blue knows where Mountain House is; I gotta Google it.

[WingmanRT]

I'll have to shoot for next month. We had already committed to the Bikers, Blues & BBQ in Salisbury. Have a great ryde!

[rafiki2cu]

Will have to pass on this one. Spyder in the shop for chrome and gps mods.

[Ltownblue]

Mountain House restaurant is right off of 321 in Boone. Great food. 3 Top Road is a great mountain road and the trip into Virginia on 194 and 58 is always beautiful. The plan is to come back through Damascus to Shady Valley and then back to Boone via the Snake. If you're not going, you're going to miss a good ride. Just sayin'....

[CWilber]

Some of us are meeting at Dunkin Donuts in Indian Trail at 8:30 tomorrow morning to take a ride. Two Spyders and some 2-wheelers. Anyone wanting to join us is welcome. Of course, if it's raining we will cancel.

Cheryl

[WingmanRT]

Some of us are meeting at Dunkin Donuts in Indian Trail at 8:30 tomorrow morning to take a ride. Two Spyders and some 2-wheelers. Anyone wanting to join us is welcome. Of course, if it's raining we will cancel.

Cheryl

I might be up for that. Any thoughts on where you are ryding?

We just got back from Bikers, Blues & BBQ in Salisbury. That was fun, albeit I could have lived without the downpour on the way home. Bunch of major wrecks on 485 had traffic backed up for miles.

[WackyDan]

Missed them both. Leah gave me her cold so I was sweating and sleeping it out today.

[WingmanRT]

Some of us are meeting at Dunkin Donuts in Indian Trail at 8:30 tomorrow morning to take a ride. Two Spyders and some 2-wheelers. Anyone wanting to join us is welcome. Of course, if it's raining we will cancel.

Cheryl

So... the 7:00am Weather.com report & radar says clear till 11:30, rain for an hour (lunch break!) and then sunny as it can be. I get my gear ready, go out to the bike and it's misting! Argh! I WANT TO RYDE!

I (want to ) believe this mist will clear up, but the question is: will it be in time to avoid the narrow 11:30 squall line sweeping through GA right now? I could wait until after noon, but that means I got up at 6:30am for no apparent reason! On a Sunday!

Damn that Larry Sprinkle!

[WingmanRT]

Some of us are meeting at Dunkin Donuts in Indian Trail at 8:30 tomorrow morning to take a ride. Two Spyders and some 2-wheelers. Anyone wanting to join us is welcome. Of course, if it's raining we will cancel.

Cheryl

Great ride. Thanks for including me!
Fred's mods...

SpyderLoversRyde_0149_01.jpg SpyderLoversRyde_0150_01.jpg SpyderLoversRyde_0151_01.jpg SpyderLoversRyde_0152_01.jpg SpyderLoversRyde_0153_01.jpg

[WingmanRT]

Great ride. Thanks for including me!

SpyderLoversRyde_0154_01.jpg SpyderLoversRyde_0155_01.JPG

[rafiki2cu]

Fred has a nice ride there. Just my luck somebody with a Corbin seat to check out and my ride is in the shop.

[WingmanRT]

Fred has a nice ride there. Just my luck somebody with a Corbin seat to check out and my ride is in the shop.

Yeah, I was drooling over his HMT brake light, Fan Can, and more importantly his Elka Suspension. My RT was bobbing, weaving, & dipping all over my lane and his was rock steady. You could have put a level on that thing.

[rafiki2cu]

Yeah, I was drooling over his HMT brake light, Fan Can, and more importantly his Elka Suspension. My RT was bobbing, weaving, & dipping all over my lane and his was rock steady. You could have put a level on that thing.

You should have never told me this. Now I'm drooling

[fredace]

WOW, I have my own fanclub!

[WingmanRT]

WOW, I have my own fanclub!

That's what you get for being so cool Fred. Or at least tricking out your Spyder!

Almost forgot... I ordered my Elka suspension yesterday. Should be in in about 3 weeks!

[rafiki2cu]

That's what you get for being so cool Fred. Or at least tricking out your Spyder!

Almost forgot... I ordered my Elka suspension yesterday. Should be in in about 3 weeks!

Wingmman RT what version of the Elkas did you order. I was on there site ths morning checking them out.

[WingmanRT]

Wingmman RT what version of the Elkas did you order. I was on there site this morning checking them out.

I called their Quebec office and spoke with John (?), and he said that with my RT Limited, and even with my size (pretty big guy), that I only needed the "1 Way" shocks. That the reservoirs (the 1+ and above) were overkill. The reservoirs were for "off road sport riders that hammered the shocks and that the reservoir was for the hydraulic fluid as it overheats". For touring style riding, all I needed was the basic 1 Way shocks.

It was refreshing to NOT try to be up-sold to the higher priced item. The 1+ start at about $950 and the numbers go up from there. The 1 Ways were about $690. They custom set the shocks based on your bike, weight (and passenger & ryding style) so that when you get them (in 3 weeks) they should be already tuned for your bike. Fred has them and he also confirms that you don't need the more expensive ones. John said that when you install them (or in my case, HAVE them installed), make sure the instructions get read, because they look like they go in upside down from the stock suspension (with the spring at the other end now). He installed some at a bike show in 10 minutes. The dealer shouldn't charge more than a half hour labor. It's a few bolts and done, according to him. I can still "twist adjust" them as needed. He said that they have sold about 150 sets of these to Can-Am ryders since April.

I love my Spyder, but I am primarily getting these because:

• At highway speeds, it gets wishy washy and wants to sway back and forth (maybe a half dozen-12 inches, but not amusing.)
• When the right edge of the roads dips down, I feel like I am tipping. (This is probably just my inner ear and old age. But it still induces a brief, but unhappy, pucker factor in me.) It's particularly bad when you are (sharply) turning one way and the the road tilts the opposite. Between G-Force and road angle, I feel like I am halfway to the gravel.

John said that they would also help with cornering and smoothing out the ride, but would definitely minimize the issues above. They come with a 1 year defect warranty. Fred says his changed his suspension about 50%, which is great, because if the difference was only 10%-20%, it would not justify the cost. 50% exceeds my expectations of how much they could improve the ride. I stood on his bike and tried to tip it back and forth and there is a huge difference.

IMO:

• More robust, tighter suspension for the RT's addl weight & higher center of gravity (safety),
• an HMT brake/running light on the rear trunk (safety),
• and a heat deflector for your brake foot (comfort)

are 3 issues BRP should have addressed in design. It is now costing me about about a $1000 to correct these on a new bike that I have just made my first payment on. Ow. Ow. Ow.

[rafiki2cu]

Wingman RT, you will have to let me know how you like them. I might order a set for my Christmas present and save the wife from trying to find something for me. Man am I one great husband or what.

[2Gunns]

I've been traveling so much with work ....I've had my Elkas for a month and they are sitting in the box : (

I need a Spyder vacation

[rafiki2cu]

WOW, I have my own fanclub!

Here is a question from the Fan Club. Your graphics are they hand painted.

[rafiki2cu]

I've been traveling so much with work ....I've had my Elkas for a month and they are sitting in the box : (

I need a Spyder vacation

WOW you do need a vacation. Elkas sitting in a box not being used now that is just wrong.

[fredace]

Yes, graphics are hand-painted. By "Dennis" at the Deals Gap store.

[WingmanRT]

Yeah, I was drooling over his HMT brake light, Fan Can, and more importantly his Elka Suspension. My RT was bobbing, weaving, & dipping all over my lane and his was rock steady. You could have put a level on that thing.

Finally got them... see this post...

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...d=1#post383781