Dave & Teds Most Excellent Adventures 2013

[otter28169]

Glad to hear that you and Teddy are safe Dave

[CyncySpyder]

I don't see power to the cameras, the schematic looks like just the camera feeds.As long as your monitor does split screens, it looks good to me.

The power is fed to both cameras from our added fuse block running up thru the same whole in the seat that the metal bar is for the Utopia backrest, so that part was easy and not in question & why he left it off the schematic. Finding the correct mating end connections on wires is another story. No one local (at least that we've visited ie...MicroCenter, RadioShack, HHGreg, AutoZone, PepBoys) carries them in stock and I'm trying to fit everything together as close to stock as possible, without having to cut and splice, cause that usually ends up causing problems down the road, especially with all the vibrations from the Spyder. Know of any good websites for electrical/video connections?

[MarkLawson]

Dave, Chamberlain makes a garage door monitor that will tell you inside your condo if your garage door is open or closed. It has a wireless sensor that attaches to the top panel of your garage door (using Velcro), with a switch that detects if the door panel is vertical or horizontal. It then wirelessly signals the base unit, which then lights either a green or red LED to let you know if the door is open or closed. The base unit is plugged into AC power.

We have one of these and it works with both our garage doors. I have a dual remote with the base unit, which is in our bedroom, so I can activate the garage door opener if I see a red LED flashing at me. This provides some peace of mind after leaving the garage door open overnight several times. I check it while laying in bed. Have had it for 8 or 9 years, I would guess.

Here's some information on it: http://www.chamberlain.com/ccv2/page...x?modelId=8090

Seems like I bought ours at Home Depot.

[CyncySpyder]

Ok, I'll be the first to admit, to being slightly behind the times when it comes to this whole YouTube media blah blah stuff, and I just tried to educate myself a bit and came away more confused than before & with a headache to boot. The ole saying, 'Ignorance is Bliss' seems rather fitting here.

You see, I've been really racking my brains trying to come up with a way to share Teddy's rydes with all of his fans more easily. Our old Teddy-Cam system died & I've now got an almost complete system in place, this time being weatherproof. Only problem now, is I don't have a way to record his rydes and the ability to upload and share them. So I've been looking into retrofitting a home based dvr system & that's just been a struggle as I'm going against the grain, trying to convert a system made for indoor use to be suitable on a Spyder ridden in all climate conditions. Like our previous Teddy-Cam system, I'm seeing this venture working for a short while, but soon succumbing to the elements that we endure.

So with reality in mind, I went and continued my search, and low and behold I've found a company in the UK that makes entire systems specifically for recording adventures on motorcycles, WOW!!! GREAT!!! AWESOME!!! Just what I've been trying to piece meal together all this time, and they offer the entire package with everything needed, plug n play.

Only problem, I forgot our US currency is much different than there Euro or Pound I think it is and when I went to purchase, my jaw dropped and I had to quickly cancel the order. Their entire system, depending on how many cams & quality of solid state dvr runs between $600-$900 US dollars, and while I believe a system like this, made for our specific application of all weather ryding would be totally worth the cost in the long run, finances won't allow it.

So I got to thinking, how could I make this venture pay for itself & that's where I stumbled upon the YouTube Monitization Program and thought it a plausible avenue of funds to help defray the cost of such a system, and it would more easily allow Teddy to be shared with the world and bring JOY to the masses

But the more I read, the more I had to read, znd read znd read..... OMG!!! Have any of you actually read thru just their acceptance agreement??? It took me over an hour just to read thru that, and I'll be honest, I didn't really understand half of it. If anyone does this program, and understands it, could you maybe just give us a little assistance and just tell me if it would be a plausible avenue for a revenue stream and is their a 'market' for videos of watching Teddy ryding on his Red Sled and going on road trips across the country? I mean, I realize he has a decent sized fan base here on SpyderLovers & anyone that knows us has undoubtedly seen how 'we' get mobbed just about anywhere we go, but does that mean anything in the virtual YouTube world?

Any assistance with this would be greatly appreciated

[eddieshep999]

Dave

Have you considered sponsorship by Companies e.g. Dog food Suppliers etc - For a fee you could agree to have their logo on Teddies Jackets
and he could appear in their commercials - Just look at how may people stop to photograph Teddy
What would a company have to pay to get their product so visable in the market place
Maybe BRP Should adopt Teddy as a mascot * - The Spyder 5 + Teddy

Dave there maybe a Spyder Rider out there with PR experience willing to assit you

Perhaps we Spyderlovers should adopt Teddy as out Mascot - If you set up a fund we could donate a small amount via Pay Pal or simular
to at least raise the funds needed to purchase the equipment you need

Anyone who like me enjoys following you and Teddies adventures would be free to contribute if they wanted to

Good luck Dave - I just know as always something will turn up

[eddieshep999]

Dave

Ref your post -

Only problem, I forgot our US currency is much different than there Euro or Pound I think it is and when I went to purchase, my jaw dropped and I had to quickly cancel the order. Their entire system, depending on how many cams & quality of solid state dvr runs between $600-$900 US dollars, and while I believe a system like this, made for our specific application of all weather ryding would be totally worth the cost in the long run, finances won't allow it.

Did you get a quote from the company and if so do you know if VAT was included (VAT is Value Added Tax) added to goods and services when
purchased in the UK - VAT is currently set at 20% of the purchase price by the UK Government
I think if you purchase because you are overseas then you don't pay VAT but of course you may have to pay USA Import tax
I know when I purchase from USA Companies I don't have to pay any local tax and even with import taxes some items work out cheaper although
you have to wait for delivery about 10 days in our case also Some items e.g BAJARON Swaybar for the RT is only available from the USA

Maybe worth checking it out in case the cost can be brought down

[CyncySpyder]

Hey Eddie, thanks for the heads up about that VAT thing, I'm a bit clueless on the International stage when it comes to things like that. After reading your post, I went ahead and sent the company a pretty detailed e-mail requesting more info on their systems and also cost being delivered to us here in the US. We'll wait and see what their response is and report back We need a fingers crossed smily

[Gary1951]

I would contribute to a fund for Ted and Dave. I greatly enjoy your stories and would love to see videos. Thanks. Gary

Dave Have you considered sponsorship by Companies e.g. Dog food Suppliers etc - For a fee you could agree to have their logo on Teddies Jackets and he could appear in their commercials - Just look at how may people stop to photograph Teddy What would a company have to pay to get their product so visable in the market place Maybe BRP Should adopt Teddy as a mascot * - The Spyder 5 + Teddy Dave there maybe a Spyder Rider out there with PR experience willing to assit youPerhaps we Spyderlovers should adopt Teddy as out Mascot - If you set up a fund we could donate a small amount via Pay Pal or simular to at least raise the funds needed to purchase the equipment you need Anyone who like me enjoys following you and Teddies adventures would be free to contribute if they wanted to Good luck Dave - I just know as always something will turn up

[currin20fan]

I would contribute also and I bet Purina would also if you were to contact them.

Have you thought about talking to Lamont about the video cam? He uses one for all sorts of stuff. He could probably steer you in the right direction. Just a thought........

[revjvegas]

... YouTube Monitization Program and thought it a plausible avenue of funds...

Until you get upwards of thousands of subscribers and also get that in as many views per video, it pays only pennies.

To give you an idea, with about 100 subs and 10,000 total views, the sum was barely $20. After that little experiment, I turned it all off on my channel because I rather wanted people to watch my vids rather than be annoyed by the ads like I am when I watch their videos.

Also, they won't even pay you until you've earned a balance of over $100.

So, yeah, you can earn some money, but know that it will take a lot of time to build up.

But with the popularity of that little guy, it may just be worth it to give it a shot. I say go for it!

[CyncySpyder]

Here's a bit of an update on my Physical Therapy situation. Started last week with initial consultation, 4 different hand exercises to do and a Steroid patch that was electrically shot directly into the probable problem area, called Iontopherises I think, nice forearm massage and directions to do the exercises 5X a day and to use a heating pad before and after. If any irritation, stop that particular exercise and go on to the next, but don't d. ANYTHING that causes pain or irritation. Simple enough.

2 exercises are just holding my elbow bent at my side, 1 palm down & flex wrist up and down slowly, the other palm facing out and flex wrist side to side slowly 10X, no problem, doesn't really feel like I'm doing much of anything really.

Next 2 are exactly the same as above, but instead of keeping my elbow bent, I'm to hold it straight out and do the above. Ok, do this and can feel something, not really pain, more like a stretching feeling of the muscle, so I do my requested reps and go about my day, trying to use my right arm and hand as little as possible.

I wake up the next day, my arm and hand are feeling fine, but I'm really aggrevated by my index finger, as it litterally feels colder than all the rest of my fingers, like 5degrees colder and I notice that pins and needles feeling, only in my index finger. This was totally something new, great... now what have I done.

Back to PT, as I'm going twice a week. Explain whats going on to the therapist & am told not to do the 2 exercises with my arm straight out, only at my side, cause it sounds like the other 2 aggrevated the nerves and that's whats causing my index finger issues. I wasn't aware nerves could physically change body temperature, as I thought that was caused by the circulation system and blood flow, so I learned something new.

So I'm told I was trying to progress too quickly, slow it down, baby steps, just work on the first 2 exercises, ok, got it.

So I get home from work & find a notice in the mail from my new insurance company, alerting me that if I need Physical Therapy that my Insurance company BCBS doesn't cover it, but that a seperate company does, called TheraMax, but I have to go to their locations only, otherwise its not covered at all, UGH!!! WTF???

When the specialist said I needed therapy, he said his office had their own & that it was covered by my plan. When I went for my consult, I had to even pre-register and while their, asked the office mgr if they were a provider for BCBS & was told yes, everythings covered 100% up to 60 visits, so what gives with this notice.

To make this shorter, I spent the next 3 hours on the phone and internet searching for locations, only to find out in the end, that there's a BIG difference between PHYSICAL THERAPY & OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY. My insurance does cover OT but not PT. Come to find out, what I'm doing is considered OT & NOT PT, UGH!!! I was thinking OT was work related, but I was wrong. Learned something else

[otter28169]

Just keep workin at it Dave. My father had a major snowmobile accident three years ago, during which he sustain a spinal injury. He has got everything back, except down near the tips of his fingers. That seems to be a problem area with most patients. Have they explained to you the neuropathy you are feeling? Here's hopin I see you at least once this year, out on the road
Chad

[NancysToy]

Occupational therapy teaches you how to do a different job, or do your job again, the way I understand it. Teaching you how to walk again after loss of a limb, or teaching you how to read again after a head injury would come under those headings. Physical therapy addresses specific muscular or skeletal ailments and their correction. What you are receiving is physical therapy. The insurance normally does not limit who you go to, but it can pay less for a provider that is out of their system if you have a PPO. BCBS usually covers PT, but they may pawn off psychological or occupational coverage to other insurance plans, as well as drug coverage.

It sounds as though one of the following things happened.....
A. You may have misinterpreted the letter, which could have been a general notice telling you about the OT service being farmed out, rather than a denial of a specific service.
B. Someone may have miscoded the treatment you received, making the insurance think it was OT rather than PT. This happens frequently.

I'd suggest you contact both the insurance company and the physical therapist to try to get things straightened out. It is likely a simple mistake, but those are not always simple to resolve. The PT folks look up your coverage by your ID number, and it is unlikely they made a mistake in telling you it was covered. They may be able to help you work through it with your insurance. If you talk to the insurance company, ask for a supervisor, then ask why this treatment was considered to be OT, when it is obviously PT. I'm sure things can be resolved if you work at it. Been there, done that!

[otter28169]

I hate dealing with insurance companies.

[CyncySpyder]

We've brought alot of the Video components inside over the weekend so I could work on them in the comfort and warmth of the condo. My buddy stopped by last night with a part I needed for modding the dash cluster to better accept the Teddy-Cam monitor & we went out to the Spyder so I could show him how everything would go together after doing a little creative cutting of the internal plastics of the dash cluster.

So we got out there, and as soon as I opened the garage door, we were greated by a little river of green fluid that had run from under the center front portion of the spyder all the way to the right side tire

I've mentioned seeing a small puddle before, but this was way more than I had ever seen & since finishing with the major mods, we've only gone on that 1 sixty mile test ryde I posted about earlier almost 2 weeks ago now.

Since I've still been struggling with trying to work out all the Electronic mods for the Teddy-Cam system and adding in a dvr, I've left most the body panels still off, cause everytime I think I'm about done, I find I need to make another change, requiring me to remove the same panels that I just replaced. And sure enough, we try to locate the source of green fluid, and find our view blocked by the support frames on each side, so I once again dig into removing those 2 piece, only to realize, opppps, I did it again.

Ugh!!! My hand/arm/wrist/elbow issue is really getting on my freak'n nerves (ha ha, pun intended) as every time I go to use my right hand, like trying to use a screwdriver or similar hand tool, boom, my index finger gets about 10 degrees colder than any of my other fingers and there goes the pins & needles feeling. C'mon, I only undid 4 screws, that's all & here I am again, Ugh!

Anyways, I get those 2 panels off and the interior is once again wide open. At first glance, it looks as if the leak is coming from a sensor that's plugged into the bottom of of what appears to be the engine block. I don't know what any of it is really, will have to do more homework and pull up the exploded view to find out what all I'm looking at there. When I get home from Therapy today, I'll take the camera out and post some pics, cause I'm sure many of you will know exactly what it is I'm talking about here. But that little sensor leading into the block was the wettest green part we could see, tho there were evidence of green on other surrounding parts as well. My buddy had theorized those splashes could have been caused by wind turbulance from our past ryde, makes sense but I don't know for sure.

Then, upon further inspection, I got a really sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach when I noticed fresh oil on the front of what appeared to be the front cylinder head, coming from the gasket where the top and bottom portions come together. The oil was only visible from the left hand and front left hand sides of the gasket, as the front right and right sides were clean and dry. Their looked to be 4 bolts holding the 2 pieces together, and it was apparent it was coming only from the left hand side 2 bolt areas of the gasket. My buddy also theorized on this, to find the torque spec for those 4 bolts and to put the torque wrench on and see if they tighten any. If so, maybe they had somehow worked themselves loose & just needed to be retightened, I'm praying that's all it is, but that feeling in the pit of my stomach is suggesting otherwise.

Anyways, I had stopped up to our local Spyder dealer, Middletown Cycle last week to pick up a couple of the 12volt accessory outlets for the frunk connection and also to add one to the left hand passenger grab handle rear cut-out, so I could easily plug & unplug Teddy's heated carrier for winter time rydes. Word of advice about this. Even tho BRP has a plastic cut-out prefabbed in this spot, it is NOT originally meant nor designed for a 12 volt outlet, its too small. Its actually prefabbed there for the BRP CB & Communications package for the rear passenger to plug into. So, if you DID want to use this location for a 12 volt plug, you can, but you have to mod the whole a little larger using a drill or dremel type of tool, which is exactly what I did. I also have installed an auxillary fuse block under this same panel, so it was very simple to wire the new 12 volt plug right to the fuse block & making Teddys heated carrier easy to add and remove when needed or not, without having to fish wires into the 12 volt plug in the rear trunk.

Anyways, while up at Middletown, I showed the owner (Aarron) & the Service Manager pictures of what we've done so far with mods to Teds Red Sled & asked if I needed to redress everything to bring it in for the BUDS updates & also to have the valves checked, since we have a little over 34,000 miles & thats yet to be done. They were both surprised at how open the interior was without all the OEM airbox mess being in the way & said as long as I was ok with ryding it like that, that they didn't see a problem with it, bring it up anytime and we'll get you taken care of That was just discussing the valve check and Updates, but before I knew I actually had a problem with coolant and oil leaking

I'm really trying to stay positive, but I have a bad feeling this is gonna cost alot & then I'm also worried about Warranty Implications of the mods I've done. I can't see how anything I've done mod wise would effect the 2 issues I've discussed here, but you never know how a company like BRP is going to react. Most times, if a company has a way out of something, they'll take it & as witnessed here by many, even tho laws may state that a company has to PROVE that a particular mod caused the failure, I've yet to see on here where BRP proved anything like that, but still have denied Warranty claims for numerous reasons. Most times, from what I've seen, its really up to your particular dealer if they believe something caused it or not, and them going to bat for you with BRP, but you never know.

Weather is suppose to be in the 50's today & 60's tomorrow, but high chances of rain both days, then back down to freezing the rest of the week. I won't ryde Teds Red Sled undressed in the rain, that's just asking for trouble. But if I can find some dry times throughout the next day or two, we'll sneak his Red Sled up there and see how this all plays out

[NancysToy]

Check to make sure your coolant cap is turned to the second detent. If so, you need to start tracking down the leak. There are several possibilities.

[CyncySpyder]

Check to make sure your coolan cap is turned to the second detent. If so, you need to start tracking down the leak. There are several possibilities.

And yup, the cap was on correctly and tight, was actually a struggle to open up. Coolant level is down just below the middle line now.

[NancysToy]

And yup, the cap was on correctly and tight, was actually a struggle to open up. Coolant level is down just below the middle line now.

Start by looking a the lone worm-type hose clamp. Then inspect the coolant tank and thermostat housing for signs of leakage. If those are good, you are just going to have to clean, run, and search until you find it. With that amount of leakage, you should spot it quickly, but you usually have to clean things well first, since the fan blows things around.

[CyncySpyder]

Being sent home again at 9 this morning, so I'll post some pics of the aforementioned issues here shortly. If the rain lets up, I'll clean it off & take a short ryde & inspect for obvious leakage areas. When cleaning these areas, you can't really get a rag into all the crevices, so is it ok to use something like an engine degreaser or brake cleaner? I don't want to do more harm than good in my explorations, ya know

[shelbydave]

I've found coolant leaks to be a bit easier to find than oil leaks because you don't need to drive
Just let it get up to temp in the driveway.

RE:Your TeddyCam wiring:I'm not sure how handy you are with a soldering iron, but I wouldn't mess with too many connectors between cables.
Just a thought.

Agree. The rule of thumb I use is if the wiring spans two parts that may need to be separated during servicing, I use a connector. Otherwise, connections are soldered, and wrapped with heat shrink.

[eddieshep999]

Would you consider trying Posi-Taps etc first

I did ask Posi-Products Taps the following question :-

Sir

Can Posi-Products be used for Vehicle Audio systems eg. the Speakers leads etc

I have used them to supply 12v Power both + AND - to accessories and they are excellent

Thanks

Eddie Sheppard
Reading UK

Ans from Them

Of course.
Nissan specifies them for installation of mobile electronics in new cars.

Thank you,
Customer Service Dept.
Posi-Products
www.posi-products.com

[Doc - Riverside]

Make sure you bring the coolant level up to above the seam between the top and bottom half of the coolant tank. I had this happen last year end of April no less). It was leaking at the seam.

[CyncySpyder]

After further investigation last night, the coolant appears to be leaking from the 2 worm clamp positions shown in these picsuploadfromtaptalk1359457047152.jpguploadfromtaptalk1359457084109.jpguploadfromtaptalk1359457106037.jpguploadfromtaptalk1359457124545.jpguploadfromtaptalk1359457154998.jpg

[CyncySpyder]

This one has me a bit worried, as it appears oil is leaking from the left/front side of the front cylinder. The other side is clean & dry.uploadfromtaptalk1359457426929.jpg

[CyncySpyder]

Bought the OEM 12V accessory outlet from BRP to install in the Frunk & I found the connection for it no problem & yes,
I'm aware I have to install a fuse to power it, but my question is,
Did BRP NOT put a prefab cutout in the plastic of the Frunk for easy installation? I mean, its there own mod, you'd think since they made it Plug&Play they'd also have an easy access point for it. If they did, I can't see where on Teds Red Sled, can you?