100 miles today and added another turn to the adjusters. Added some weight to the Spyder this morning to load the shocks a little. Ride is firm with no bounce at all on rough pavement. The front of the spyder is raised about 5/8 inch from 4 turns on the adjusters. 1414271412174.jpg
Sorry the pic is sideways. This stuff is hard to do on the mobile. I'll get some better pictures loaded.
100 miles today and added another turn to the adjusters. Added some weight to the Spyder this morning to load the shocks a little. Ride is firm with no bounce at all on rough pavement. The front of the spyder is raised about 5/8 inch from zero turns on the adjuster. I am now at 4 turns . 1414271412174.jpg
Trying to array a pic. Sorry the pic is sideways. This stuff is hard to do 9 the mobile.
Is there any noticeable improvement with handling in corners?
The adjusters put more tension on the Springs. This will help prevent bottoming (on speed bumps etc.) , and a stiffer spring will reduce body roll a certain amount although, by design, reducing body roll to achieve "flat cornering" is the job of the Sway bar. On the other hand, more pre load from the springs will help resist body roll. With the adjusters installed and dialed up 4 turns, to add some compression the springs, I am able to carry more speed into my "test curve" (a sharp curve on the road I live on) delaying the nanny from kicking in. This road has been my test road for the 2010 spyder as well as the 2014.
Stan, By adding some preload to the front-end; are you noticing any harshness?
No Harshness at the present settings Bob. My first impressions of the '14 RTS was that it felt a little loose or "mushy" as compared to my 2010 RTS. Of course the '10 had BajaRon's sway bar as well as Fox adjustable shocks on it. The Foxs' were dialed up on the stiff side. I'll tell you though, that bike was like it was on rails. Now with the spring adjusters on the '14 I am getting that familiar firm feeling. I'm loving it. I don't think, for my comfort level, that I would want much more pre load on the shocks than I have on them right now. Personal information: I weigh in at 176 lbs before breakfast so I do not load the Spyder the same as someone who is at 220 or more. That is why I have loaded about 25 lbs in the Frunk and some more weight (tools and stuff) in the trunk and bags to try and get a better load on the shocks and adjusters as this testing is being done.
The adjusters put more tension on the Springs. This will help prevent bottoming (on speed bumps etc.) , and a stiffer spring will reduce body roll a certain amount although, by design, reducing body roll to achieve "flat cornering" is the job of the Sway bar. On the other hand, more pre load from the springs will help resist body roll. With the adjusters installed and dialed up 4 turns, to add some compression the springs, I am able to carry more speed into my "test curve" (a sharp curve on the road I live on) delaying the nanny from kicking in. This road has been my test road for the 2010 spyder as well as the 2014.
Stan
More to come
Will you be doing any 2 up testing also?? We do most of our riding 2 up..so I would appreciate any info you might collect. Thanks
Not everything... only the stuff that you know about!
My 2010 had Elkas, and the RonBar, so I know where you're coming from!
(If I may ask...)
How much do you weigh?
My wife for an overnighter... (courtesy of STV on FB)
Rewaco RF-1 GT
Inline 4 cylinder Ford Zetec with multi-port fuel inject, 140 HP 0-60mph: 5.8 seconds 5 speed sync manual with reverse, mechanical dry clutch. Front suspension: Trapezoidal fork with center spring Rear suspension: Independent with Bilstein gas shock absorbers Brake System: Grimeca calipers, linked ventilated discs, with booster 10.57 gallons
Her: Open up that trunk to what we can fit in there.
Rewaco RF-1 GT
Inline 4 cylinder Ford Zetec with multi-port fuel inject, 140 HP 0-60mph: 5.8 seconds 5 speed sync manual with reverse, mechanical dry clutch. Front suspension: Trapezoidal fork with center spring Rear suspension: Independent with Bilstein gas shock absorbers Brake System: Grimeca calipers, linked ventilated discs, with booster 10.57 gallons
Not everything... only the stuff that you know about!
My 2010 had Elkas, and the RonBar, so I know where you're coming from!
(If I may ask...)
How much do you weigh?
176 before breakfast for me. If I put my wife's weight on here you guys won't hear from me for a while.
On a side note, You ought to look at your design to see what would need to be done to have it work on the rear shock. As far as I can tell, the RT-S has never come with any preload adjustability. I would guess the ID would need to be a bit bigger, perhaps the outer diameter a bid wider. The strength of the devise is probably enough as I'm getting by with fixed length of PVC pipping. This change would open up a greater market.
Can you indicate the total amount the devise can compress the spring?
Jerry
13 ST Limited F/R suspension, Corbin, GIVI top case
16 Vespa Primavera 150: Stock
16 Piaggio BV350: Suspension, braking mods in work
14 HD XL1200T: F/R suspension and brake mods; Corbin saddle and bags
09 Aprilia SC250: F/R suspension and minor brake mods
97 Honda PC800: F/R wheels, F/R suspension, and F/R brake Mods; Corbin saddle
90 CB-1: In work, long term project
89 Honda NT650: F/R suspension; Corbin saddle
On a side note, You ought to look at your design to see what would need to be done to have it work on the rear shock. As far as I can tell, the RT-S has never come with any preload adjustability. I would guess the ID would need to be a bit bigger, perhaps the outer diameter a bid wider. The strength of the devise is probably enough as I'm getting by with fixed length of PVC pipping. This change would open up a greater market.
Can you indicate the total amount the devise can compress the spring?
Jerry
Once we get these front adjusters ironed out I will look at the rear shock. I need to get a feel for demand as nothing is cheap these days. Sales have to reach a certain volume just to break even on the R&D (and I work for FREE!).
Right now the prototype will compress the spring 1" but that can be easily changed before production. The threads are 20 per inch. 4 turns made a noticeable difference on Stan's RT. Noticeable doesn't necessarily mean ideal. But 4 turns are only 1/5th of the total throw. We still need to do some calculations to be sure we won't get coil bind. But all of that will be pretty easy. The main thing right now is design, fit and function.
Stan is wearing them out! A PERFECT Test Pilot! He seems to be quite happy with them with the exception of a few issues that I believe we already have fixed on paper. I think we are very close and with a bit of tweaking for Phase II I'm pretty sure we will be dialed in.
These are pretty heavy duty to the point of overkill. But why not. Making them thin and cheap really won't save all that much on the price, and the grief potential long term isn't worth the savings. I want my stuff to outlast the Spyder! Can't do that for everything but these adjusters are certainly on the list.
We are still deciding on how pretty to make them. They will really stand out in this mounting location so that is also important.
Will they only apply to the 2013-14 model years? I have a 2012 RT that could use some help.
There are pre-load adjusters on all the OEM 2008-2012 Spyder shocks so the adjusters I'm working on now will work only on the 2013/14 Spyder models. If you need more help with your 2012 RT a sway bar upgrade is the most effective first step. If that has been done the next step can include the Pitbull Shock Relocators, a heavier coil spring or to upgrade the shocks altogether. For a shock upgrade, Elka is the preferred choice.
Another BajaRon Adjuster update! panic stop test or,, how to save a deers life!
I took advantage of the great weather here in upper East Tenn. Friday and Saturday to put some more testing miles on the Shock Adjusters. So far about 300 total miles on the Adjusters. Total mixture of roads with 75% back roads and twisties. Yesterday evening I ran out again for a late evening ride and saved a deer's life about a mile from my house . I rounded a curve going a little to fast (after all I'm the test pilot, Right?) and got to really check out the VSS, Anti-lock brakes, and whatever else kicks in when rounding a curve too fast and having to lock it down to keep from hitting something. This thing is wicked cool when all of those safety features are working at the same time. The Deer stood there looking at me trying to figure out what the Spyder was, I was sitting there amazed at how the Spyder reacted to what had just happened. The deer then shot out of the road into the trees and I went on my way. Anyway, back to the Adjusters. I am sure, that with the preload on the springs, the Spyder did not Nose dive quite as much as it normally would during this kind of maneuver. Front end of the Spyder felt solid and predictable. I finished another 20 miles or so of back roads at a much slower pace and my heart rate was still not back to normal when I pulled back into the garage. All in all the ride was another good one and the Adjusters are doing exactly what I would want them to. By the way, I did put another turn on the adjusters for more preload during this last 100 miles. That is a total of 5 turns from the base line.
Until next time,
Stan
Bajaron shock adjuster update 10/29/14
Happy Spyderlovers
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Originally Posted by StanProff
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. I rounded a curve going a little to fast (after all I'm the test pilot, Right?) and got to really check out the VSS, Anti-lock brakes, and whatever else kicks in when rounding a curve too fast and having to lock it down to keep from hitting something. This thing is wicked cool when all of those safety features are working at the same time. The Deer stood there looking at me trying to figure out what the Spyder was, I was sitting there amazed at how the Spyder reacted to what had just happened. The deer then shot out of the road into the trees and I went on my way. Anyway, back to the Adjusters. I am sure, that with the preload on the springs, the Spyder did not Nose dive quite as much as it normally would during this kind of maneuver. Front end of the Spyder felt solid and predictable. I finished another 20 miles or so of back roads at a much slower pace and my heart rate was still not back to normal when I pulled back into the garage. All in all the ride was another good one and the Adjusters are doing exactly what I would want them to. By the way, I did put another turn on the adjusters for more preload during this last 100 miles. That is a total of 5 turns from the base line. 
