Finally Fitted my F3-s to enjoy the ride

[Capt. Bob]

Since getting my F3-s and having ridden it only 1800 miles. I was about to give up and had it up for sale because it was exacerbating a hip/butt problem I have from an old injury. Well, after a TON of experimentation and adding farkle after farkle, I think I have it about as dialed in as I will ever have it and have decided to keep my F3-S.

The list seems almost endless in what mods I had to do to make it mine. I will list in the order of importance, the farkles I put on it to make it more comfortable.

1. F4 28" clear windshield
2. BRP Backrest
3. BRP Cannonball Seat
4. Spyderpops foam grips
5. BRP floorboards and short shift lever (SM6)
6. BRP Belt Tensioner
7. Baja Ron Ronbar
8. BRP 2-Up Rear Shock
9. Baker Air Wings

The final farkle that made the trike livable for me was the addition of a almost new BRP Cannonball front/rear seat. The extra 2.5" of width and extra padding made the ride much more compatible with the recent floorboards. Am I totally comfortable on the trike, no. Is it really fun and something that will work for its intended applications, yes. I love the grunt of the 1330, the quickness of the steering and the traction control features. I have a Harley Tri Glide that is my "Barco Lounger" but wanted a more performance oriented trike that would also be comfortable. I think I have gotten about 75% to that goal. I also bought a Drop Tail trailer that can either carry my Tri Glide, the Spyder or my Road King so I think I am way set when it comes to bikes/trikes. In fact, this is the most heavily loaded I have ever been for toys but I retired a month ago so have lots of time to play with them all. Peter from Oz was somewhat instrumental in me continuing to think if there was a way that I could successfully integrate the Spyder into the fold and the Cannonball seat did the trick. I am sure that a custom Rusell Day Long would have also done the trick even better but I did not want to keep throwing huge sums of money at the problem. Anyway, I went for a 140 mile ride this afternoon with slightly cooler weather here in North Florida/South Georgia and had a great time!

[Jul0682]

What are #6-7-9? Heard about the tensioner but not sure what that does. Glad u made it yours and are able to put alot more miles on her and enjoy her even more

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[Capt. Bob]

What are #6-7-9? Heard about the tensioner but not sure what that does. Glad u made it yours and are able to put alot more miles on her and enjoy her even more

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6= BRP Belt Tensioner which eliminates about 90% of the felt vibration emanating from the long drive belt.
7= A Baja Ron Ronbar upgraded anti-sway bar with upgraded heim links that allows the Spyder to take curves with less lean.
9= Baker Air Wings that attach to the mirror stalks which either block wind or direct air to the rider.

[Jul0682]

That's awesome thanks alot for the reply and the explanation. I appreciate it alot.

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[Bob Denman]

I'm really glad to hear that you've gotten a handle on the situation!
Now: it's time to start logging some serious "Miles & Smiles"!

[Jul0682]

Seems like all very good upgrades she must be a very different ride after

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[MrBones]

I have enjoyed my F3s from day one. Like you I could use a better seat. But for all the rest it is a mystery to me why one needs sway bars, foam grips, belt tensioner,etc. to enjoy the ride as none of them bother me. But guess I be lucky as I started riding in 1945 when things were a bit different than now. I'm so old I guess that I don't feel the vibes others do. So have a good ride as I know I will.

[Firefly]

I have enjoyed my F3s from day one. Like you I could use a better seat. But for all the rest it is a mystery to me why one needs sway bars, foam grips, belt tensioner,etc. to enjoy the ride as none of them bother me. But guess I be lucky as I started riding in 1945 when things were a bit different than now. I'm so old I guess that I don't feel the vibes others do. So have a good ride as I know I will.

Probably depends on how much riding the rider plans on doing and what kind of riding.

The tensioner makes a huge difference. The F4 shield helps great for highway use. Backrest is a must if you're doing any serious riding.. like 400 mile days. I've always used the foam grip covers due to carpal tunnel problems. The stock seat is horrible for anything over a few hundred miles. The 2`up rear shock will protect the rear from bottoming out and might help keep the frame from getting fatigued. The heavier sway bar gives you better control response and less roll... important if you do any spirited riding.
I did many of these same mods within a week of getting mine as I knew I was going to put 2,500 miles on in the first two weeks of ownership. After 100,000 miles on my previous 2 spyders you kind of know what's going to be needed for serious riding.

It's a good list of mods that will make it a better ride.

[Peteoz]

Bob....Bob....Bob.....that's great news.....here's hoping the ride keeps getting better. You've probably seen this, but here's a Daylong on an F3......provides even more outer thigh support than the Cannonball seat, just in case
IMG_0416.jpg

Pete

[Peteoz]

I have enjoyed my F3s from day one. Like you I could use a better seat. But for all the rest it is a mystery to me why one needs sway bars, foam grips, belt tensioner,etc. to enjoy the ride as none of them bother me. But guess I be lucky as I started riding in 1945 when things were a bit different than now. I'm so old I guess that I don't feel the vibes others do. So have a good ride as I know I will.

Hang in there, Mr Bones......there is some talk that Bob Denman began riding in 1921, and he still seems to be adding farkles and going strong

[Capt. Bob]

I have enjoyed my F3s from day one. Like you I could use a better seat. But for all the rest it is a mystery to me why one needs sway bars, foam grips, belt tensioner,etc. to enjoy the ride as none of them bother me. But guess I be lucky as I started riding in 1945 when things were a bit different than now. I'm so old I guess that I don't feel the vibes others do. So have a good ride as I know I will.

Mr. Bones, You began riding 4 years before I was born! That is quite an accomplishment to still be riding

Of the three farkles you mentioned, I have found for myself that the foam grips made a HUGE difference in my control of my F3-s Spyder. The smaller diameter and rather hard rubber stock grips found me having to grip the handlebars more tightly than I wanted to which translated into less finesse in steering inputs. Intuitively for me, when I added the foam grips, I was able to significantly relax my grip with the handlebar pressures more evenly distributed across my hands which in turn has allowed me to make subtle steering inputs on tighter turns with less effort and again more finesse. Concomitantly, the Ronbar with stiffer heim links allows for less body lean in turns which again allows me more finesse in the tighter/faster turns.

At my spry age of 67.5, I am getting back into SCCA Solo racing (autocross) with a sports car I recently acquired. The car like the F3-s requires very little steering inputs to affect large changes in trajectory and will sport 4 Avon bias slicks for grip. Like the sports car, when riding the F3-s in a spirited manner on twisty roads, I force myself to look far into the turns rather than where I am to be as smooth as I possibly can in not upsetting the suspension more than necessary.Bob's Brunton Stalker.jpg

[meljr]

I love my f3. The seat that came on it works well for me. I also have had back surgery, but even after a 500 mile ride, no pain. I have had 2 complaints. The clutch is tough to pull back. I saw on this site about a clutch assist? That would be great. The other was the gas cap. It wouldn't close after gassing up. I even had to ask a HD guy if he could help me, but he couldn't get it to closed either. I had to use my spare key to start the bike since the key wouldn't come out.. This got me to a dealer. They put a graffite oil around the opening. So far , so good. I find this site most helpful. Thank you.

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[Minister]

I have added most all of the same farkles as CaptBob, and they all compliment the F3S. I am still using the stock seat as I find it reasonably comfortable. My longest ride was 450 miles, and I must admit I was pretty tired of the saddle by then!