Teddy is just too cute. I'm still working on a 'cage' for my girl
it is what it is - 2014 Black RT-S - Baja Ron Anti-Sway bar, lots of LEDs, Spyderpops Skid Plate, Twisted Sister HID Driving Lights, Tricled 2nd, 3rd & 4th brake lights, F4 Customs vented windshield, Lamonster highway pegs, Ultimate Tall Boy seat, Utopia backrest
it is what it is - 2014 Black RT-S - Baja Ron Anti-Sway bar, lots of LEDs, Spyderpops Skid Plate, Twisted Sister HID Driving Lights, Tricled 2nd, 3rd & 4th brake lights, F4 Customs vented windshield, Lamonster highway pegs, Ultimate Tall Boy seat, Utopia backrest
Teddy is just too cute. I'm still working on a 'cage' for my girl
Out of curiousity, what material are you working with to fashion your cage? I started on one last year myself, using small pvc piping as its cheap & sturdy & seemed workable, but after a few weeks of mock ups, I just wasn't satisfied & gave up on that idea. Tho, I was at the Home Improvement store a couple weeks ago & the same thought hit me when I noticed there stock of 1/2 inch copper tubing and all the fittings for it, looked more doable than the PVC, but I've still been working on his present set-up with the carrier/canopy and working on outfitting that with a see thru surround. Heck, I've got too many projects going on to add another, so the copper tubing will wait for now.
WoW, have to say, the ryde up to the dealers today with Teds Stripped Sled, sans windshield, really gave me a new respect of you RS ryders out their. Y'all that ryde without shields, or those tiny little 'sport' shields must really like abuse.
It was 43F degrees when we left for Middletown & I managed to stuff my fat *ss into my FirstGear Thermo Riding suit, looking like one of those sausages on a grill that busts thru its casing, but I managed it. Since I knew I wouldn't have any wind protection, I definately wore my full face helmet, but damn, I felt like I needed a seat belt to not be blown off. Dare I not turn my head to either side, as my neck felt as if it were going to be snapped off.
This was the first time that I could remember that I actually chose to go no faster than the posted speed limit, as I usually do around 5 mph of said posted limit, but even doing 65 I found myself holding on for dear life. Ron (BaJaRon) thank you so much for your new Anti-Sway-Bar, cause even tho I was being tossed & beaten by the wind, Teds Stripped Sled stayed flat & true with no wondering to speak of, even going by semis, truly an amazing suspension upgrade, thank you, thank you, thank you.
TBC. . .
Last edited by CyncySpyder; 02-12-2013 at 10:00 PM.
Agreed, cute pup. Only one problem, Teddy doesn't think he is a dog, he thinks he's just my master & really has never shown any interest in other dogs in his almost 5 yrs now. When I take him to the dog park, he just gets annoyed by the other dogs trying to play with him & finally just wants to either play fetch with me or leave.
And to be honest, I'm not sure other dogs know what to make of him when they see him
Last edited by CyncySpyder; 02-12-2013 at 10:09 PM.
Sorry for the poor quality pic, but if you look close, you can obviously see the green colored drop of coolant and all around both hose ends. This was before replacing both hose clamps. Cleaned the area, went for a ryde after replacing, and still had visible signs of coolant. Does this mean I might have an issue with my water pump maybe???
Sorry Dave - I may have missed the answer to your problem ref the Leaking Coolant
Have you managed to find out what the problem was and if so have you managed to fix it
Just in case others have the same problem and this will point them in the right direction
Eddie
Sorry Dave - I may have missed the answer to your problem ref the Leaking Coolant Have you managed to find out what the problem was and if so have you managed to fix it
Just in case others have the same problem and this will point them in the right direction
Eddie
Well, I even got two new worm clamps that were a little wider than the OEMs & had my buddy put them on & as far as we could tell, they stopped leakingbut........ You know there's always a but........
Upon further investigation a couple of days later, it looked as if those two had remained dry, but then the 2 clamps that run from the top and bottom of the thermostat housing appeared to be wet with green coolantI feel like we've been chasing a ghost. Even Coz took a look when he stopped by the other day, and it doesn't appear to be leaking from any other spot and we even double checked the weep hole & it was clean and dry, so I'm at a loss and pointed it out to the Service Manager yesterday when we dropped Teds Stripped Sled off at the dealership for the valve check adjustment, hopefully they can figure it out.
On the subject of the valve check, WOW is that an involved job if they do have to make adjustments. Just for kicks, I pulled it up in my Service Manual when Coz was over. I'm not a mechanic, but Coz seems to be much more in tune with such things and as I went page after page of the instructions of what has to be done if adjustments do need to be made, we both kind of understood a little better why it can be such a costly undertaking, definately not for the faint of heart.
I was quoted 2 hours labor for the inspection and if adjustments DO need to be made, up to 8 hours No one ever claimed Spyders were cheap, not to own nor to maintain
So Teddy was allowed to take the dealerships demo after we dropped off his Red Sled yesterday & I'll admit, even tho it was 'only' a 12, I was a bit excited to be on a brand new Spyder again complete with that 'New Spyder Smell'
Now mind you, our 2010 RT-S was our first motorized bike of any kind ever. Teds Red Sled being our second. Before this, it had always been your average run of the mill cars & light trucks for us, and not being a mechanically inclined person, I never got bitten by the 'Mod Bug' or as better known here 'Farkelitice' Everything prior to delving into Spyderdom had remained pretty much stock for us.
Along came the Spyder and with the assistance of this Wonderful forum, I began to quickly understand the statement, 'The purchase price of the Spyder is just the down payment on all the future mods your going to make to truly make the byke your own.'
Have to admit, I honestly didn't realize this til I began to roll out of the parking lot of the dealer and I instinctively looked at my mirror, for my $10 added LED arrows to make sure that my turn signal had cancelled. Surprise surprise, nothing there but the reflection of whats behind me and I then had to squint to see if I could see that pale green of the indicator light on the dash, which was difficult to tell in the bright sunlight. Low and behold, it was on to the other side now, so push it again, dead center and hold for a second, and finally, it was cancelled. Who woulda thunk a simple $10 mod would have been the first thing that I woulda missed.
As the ryde continued, I have to tell you, I will never be without a windshield again. The ryde compared to with and without that shield was the difference between get'n the cr*p beat out of me and dealing with it til we reached our destination, just wanting the ryde to be done and over, compared to all those great adventures travelling thousands of miles and enjoying every minute of road time. Night and day, Heaven and Hell.
I can honestly say, that was the high point of having a brand new 2012 Spyder, after my grueling 50 minute ryde without one, it had a shield, but that was it. I immediately upon start-up had the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up, upon hearing that oh so familiar sewing machine sound from the stock intake/exhaust, I just loathe that sound, compared to the lower tone that Ted Red Sled now puts out, so much nicer to hear.
Then the stock suspension was next noticed, as I had just started to get used to NOT leaning so much with the new Ron bar, I found myself needing to once again begin my side to side slide in the seat, oh so frustrating.
Then I went to glance at the Teddy-Can to make sure (as Aarron put it, he looks like a Chia Pet) Teddy was doing well behind me, but oh, no Teddy-cam on a stocker.
Went to reach for a drink, but oh, no cup holder on a stocker.
All these little and not so little mods we make to truly make our Spyders Uniquely suited to our needs and wants. Sometimes, that old saying 'You don't appreciate what you got til its gone' really just slaps you in the face
While I truly appreciate the use of their demo, I miss Teds Red Sled
This is a real shot in the dark. I beleave the rubber hoses used in the coolant system have a internal reinforcing cord in them, if there is a inrernal defect where the coolant can get to this cording it may have the opertuinity to wick out to the end. Thermal expansion and contraction may act as a pump, which would only show up upon cooling. If this is the case then hose replacement may be the only solution. Again this is a real shot in the dark.
This is a real shot in the dark. I beleave the rubber hoses used in the coolant system have a internal reinforcing cord in them, if there is a inrernal defect where the coolant can get to this cording it may have the opertuinity to wick out to the end. Thermal expansion and contraction may act as a pump, which would only show up upon cooling. If this is the case then hose replacement may be the only solution. Again this is a real shot in the dark.
Thanks Frank, what you say seems & sounds logical, I'll see what the experts have to report, hopefully today or tomorrow. Hope its as simple as needing to replace a couple hoses, but I still don't understand why all of a sudden this started as it did. Unless being ridden every day didn't give it chance to surface then sitting cold for a couple of months did. That'll teach me not to ryde
Got lucky and found theseTallon Ram Mounts in one of my catch-all bins from a couple years back. Ordered them, but they didn't come with any directions & I couldn't figure them out, so I set them aside & forgot all about them when I got wrapped up last year with my back surgery. These things fit perfectly in the spots of the analogue gauges, tho I did have to cut a small relief into the plastic behind the dash bezel. But these will make for a much sturdier mount for the Teddy-Cam monitor & the illuminated cup holder.
Those look like different sizes? Are they the same and do you have a link to where you purchased. But very nice mod
Just got a carrier for my Abby to ryde behind me on my Spyder. Cool idea you have there with the camera. What exactly is it?
Originally Posted by CyncySpyder
You know how you get used to something, say like your right arm but then all of a sudden, you can't use it anymore. Sure, you can live just fine without it, we're human, we acclimate and make adjustments, but its just NOT the same. Kind of ironic, as I'm not really talking about my arm this time at all, but more along the lines of Teds Red Sled.
Most of you know how I crafted the Teddy-Cam so I could keep an eye on the lil star while we're riding, without having to keep turning around and actually looking at him, adding to the miriads of other distracted drivers out there on the road. The system worked well for the past 2 years, but I (along with Mother Nature) killed the lcd monitor a few months back, leaving me without my constant watchful eye on The Tedster. Ryding without it, after being so use to it, just wasn't the same and my level of apprehension was a little higher, bringing down the enjoyment level just a bit. I mean, we love get'n on it in the twisties, as I'm sure Lamont and MrOrange can attest to after our ryde of The Dragon, HellBender and all the other great roads we did while enjoying Lamonts Bar-B-Q this past year and the year before even.
But without being able to see Teddy, as I said, adds a little concern to the ryde, especially after our first major incident where I thought I had killed the poor lil guy. Some may see a 'Teddy-Cam' as overdoing it, but I see it as doing what I need to do to make sure the lil guy is safe, without adding me as another distracted driver.
So, with all that said, and my buyout check in hand, I was able to find a unit that is actually designed for the outdoor elements, the first on the market, waterproof 7"lcd monitor to replace the one that died. I couldn't believe it when I found it, and they actually warranty it, unlike all other manufacturers . Most that I've seen are NOT for outdoor use, so if it gets wet, your loss. Sure you can try an aqua-box, but even then, its not warrantied, so your still taking your chances. The new one I found is even rated for High Pressure wash downs, like a car wash, tho I had to laugh when I read the claim that the unit was 'EXPLOSION PROOF!!!' Huh??? Yeah right, are we talking like M80, hand granade, dynomite or what??? Til my brother clued me in that in the industry, it means that the unit can be used in volotile conditions like gas filled rooms and the unit will not produce any sparks to 'CAUSE' an explosion. Still gave me a chuckle tho....
So now, having the new unit in hand, Teds Red Sled is now even more apart than in the pictures, as I'm having to rewire the entire bike to add the new 'Teddy-Cam' along with a rear view camera so I can also see behind when we're on road trips and pulling the camper, which is actually a little taller than the Spyder, leaving me guessing when its in tow. I've added a Moto-Lite fuse block to wire everything in and not give Teds Red Sled indigestion by all the power draws, hopefully keeping all its systems nice and happy.
Doc, as soon as I get home from work today, I'm going to take one more reading of the belt tension, and finally get your tensioner back in the mail to you. My heartfelt thanks for all your assistance these past few months and I also apologize for keeping it so long, and for everyone else waiting so long who have been wanting to try it out as well. Its been a long time getting to this point, but dare I say it, we're almost there.
Those look like different sizes? Are they the same and do you have a link to where you purchased. But very nice mod
The actual cup shaped mounts are the same size, tho in the pic I posted of the mock-up, one has a rubber gasket in place while the other didn't. They came with them, but I'm not sure if I'm going to use them yet or not, but that's why they look different, good catch. I odered these over 2 yrs ago, pretty sure from www.gpscity.com but not 100% sure, but will see if I can find them in my records. But full disclosure, the depth of these require a small relief to be cut in the black plastic of the dash, tho not visible when the dash bezel is in place. I also had to trim the 2 side finger flanges on the base screw cap, but my buddy found the 2 large metal nuts that are pictured & was able to round the edges that made for a perfect fit, so I'll be using those instead. If I can find a link I'll post it.
Originally Posted by lawawuu
Just got a carrier for my Abby to ryde behind me on my Spyder. Cool idea you have there with the camera. What exactly is it?
I wanted a simple plug n play rear view camera system, but most on the market are for inside a vehicle & not weatherproof. Ultimately, our new system is weatherproof & should be just what we need. Its a weatherproof, totally sealed 7" lcd made for marine environments & fully warrantied for outside use, claimed to be the first on the market. I believe the company is ruggedcctv or something like that. I got the monitor from them & then 2 weatherproof military grade mini-cams from Tadi Brothers in CA. I had originally gotten an entire system from them including a 7" lcd, but it died after 2 yrs of use. I'll see if I can find links and post.
Good news Bad news Good news Bad news..... But its ALL good in the long run
Just got a call from the Service Manager from Middletown Cycle about Teds Red Sled.
1st, the good news is that the valves were still in spec. so only the 2 hour inspection was needed, YAY!!!
2nd, the Bad. Looks like the oil leak pic that I posted a few weeks back, showing the wet oil drop that was visible at the top of the valve gasket isn't just the bolts needing to be retorqued. Looks like the actual gaskets need to be replaced The Good, The Service Manager said he called BRP & they will cover them under Warranty
3rd, The Bad. Then I asked about the coolant leak issue, and as I was afraid, with only having the bike one day, they couldn't tell any signs of a visible leak Tho he said from looking at my pics of the leak that I had shown him, and with having replaced the 2 clamps, he didn't have any doubt that there is in fact an issue. So.... the Good. He said he was going to order the Thermostat housing to be replaced as that would also come with all the new clamps that would be needed, and he's thinking that should take care of the issue
The only real bad of it all (& its truly NOT that bad) is that none of the gaskets or Thermostat parts are in stock, so they have to be ordered and we'll have to wait til there delivered. They sold the demo unit we are using so I've got to return it tomorrow for the new owner to pick up on Friday, so I'll switch it out with Teds Red Sled tomorrow after work. Since they'll have to get back into the engine and valve cover to replace the gaskets, no since in me rushing to get Teds Stripped Sled all back together just yet, but we're SOOOOOO CLOSE, I'm almost giddy inside
Soon my friends, we'll be back in the saddle of Teds Red Sled & back to posting more Adventures from the road, once again
I've already painted the dash bezel and front and rear speaker covers red to match Teds Red Sled and will be going over them in the OEM Viper Red color soon, so they are a perfect match. I'd like to get your opinions on also painting the drab gray color of the windshield bracket as well. I know a few have painted it flat black so it disapears into the black of the dash top, but I'm thinking of doing in it matching Viper Red? What do you all think? While I'm at it, in the center, there's an impression that looks perfect to put a pic of a head-shot of Teddy in there, would that look stupid? I mean, it IS his byke after all. Any comments or suggestions are appreciated, thanks.
Oh yes, definitely would do the Teddy picture! That would be so cool!
Name: Eric Heims
Red 2016 RTS, Diamond R Armrests, Ram X Mount, Doc Humphreys Dampener, BajaRon Swaybar, Spyderpops "Critter Splitter"
"It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt." John Philpot Curran 1790
I've already painted the dash bezel and front and rear speaker covers red to match Teds Red Sled and will be going over them in the OEM Viper Red color soon, so they are a perfect match. I'd like to get your opinions on also painting the drab gray color of the windshield bracket as well. I know a few have painted it flat black so it disapears into the black of the dash top, but I'm thinking of doing in it matching Viper Red? What do you all think? While I'm at it, in the center, there's an impression that looks perfect to put a pic of a head-shot of Teddy in there, would that look stupid? I mean, it IS his byke after all. Any comments or suggestions are appreciated, thanks.
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Originally Posted by lookerjdc
but........ You know there's always a but........
I feel like we've been chasing a ghost. Even Coz took a look when he stopped by the other day, and it doesn't appear to be leaking from any other spot and we even double checked the weep hole & it was clean and dry, so I'm at a loss and pointed it out to the Service Manager yesterday when we dropped Teds Stripped Sled off at the dealership for the valve check adjustment, hopefully they can figure it out.
No one ever claimed Spyders were cheap, not to own nor to maintain 
it was fun while it lasted.
