Anyone actually installed Aprilia Engine Kits on 998 V-twin Spyder?

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Hi thanks for the advice and information. I have never taken it out of neutral because it's blocked up under the wheels, both front and rear. So none of the wheels have turned. I'm sorry I didn't think to mention that. I replaced the DPS with a 2013 unit that cleared the Check DPS code it had - $166.00 instead of $ 1495.00 plus shipping and tax. I put a 2009 wiring harness in it used for under $100 used as opposed to $500.00 for a used 2008 harness. Both of these were identical to the original except for the plastic cover over the DPS motor. I downloaded a shop manual and an owner's manual. I changed the oil and filter and air filter and cleaned the plugs. I also put a seat cover on it. Next month I will buy new plugs. I have just today begun reinstalling the body panels. So far, I have reinstalled the two panels underneath the trike, the two screens, and the air cleaner box. Because winter is just around the corner, and I am at my wits end tracing the issues causing the last 3 codes. The last three codes are C0040 (Cleaned and lubricated the brake switch) this seems to have cleared this code. The next codes are U0100 and C0051. So, I think that's about it.

If you are changing the plugs, also change the plug wires .... they may be fine, but have a notoriously short life .... BajaRon sells plug wires at a good price, and you won't ever have to do that again.... Also, HONDA makes a re-placement exhaust gasket that's way better than the OEM ..... Good Luck ....Mike :thumbup:

 

[wtmjr]

Thanks, I'll replace the wires as well. My plugs keep fouling, so maybe that will help. I also forgot to mention that I bought a OBDPROG 100 to clear codes. It does that well but that's all it does. So, before I replaced the wiring harness, I repaired the old one. As I worked on it, I would clear the codes and start it up to see if I had fixed it. I burned 3 Gal. of gas that way and I got down to 7 codes. Then this 2009 harness popped up cheap, so I replaced the whole harness (nearly). Did a few repairs on it. I am using the best crimp connectors I can find (nickel plated solid copper) I bought the best crimping tool I could afford, and I use shrink wrap insulators. I also bought a set of waterproof automotive connectors because the old wiring harness had wires chewed off right at the connector. And some of the turn signal connectors were chewed up. I also had to replace the fog light switch because it was rusted and useless. I had to use an aftermarket switch because I couldn't find an OEM switch. I also polished the windshield because it was fogged, pitted and so occluded you could not see through it excepted dark and light spots and colors blurred together. Now it's not as good as new but you can see through it. Oh, and yes, I have tried the brake pedal procedure before I got the OBDPROG 100, but to try clearing a VSS code. I repaired the top U-shaped fairing piece with plastic epoxy, wire on the backside, and waxed the whole bike, cleaned and painted rust spots, and treated the tires with a poly coating. I have not greased the axles, bearings, or ball joints yet. I have really been concentrating on getting it running. I didn't want to put it all back together until I had completed all repairs and maintenance. One thing I also expect to do next month is to replace the air filter. I can't see paying $26.00 for an air filter, so I plan to just replace the filter element. I use a lot of E6000 adhesive around the house. I'm sure it will seal and hold up. I'll just buy an inexpensive automotive air filter and use that paper. $12.00 for a spark plug is exorbitant as well, but I found Aprilla plugs for half that - Identical plugs! I am also looking at the Rotella T6 line of oils to cut maintenance costs as well. I remember a good while back, I discovered 53 Chevy points worked perfectly in a Triumph 650 Bonneville - $0.58 cents as opposed to $6.00 for Triumph points. I guess I have always tried to find more practical ways to get things done. Anyway, I think that covers all the things I have done to the trike. I don't want to waste anyone's time due to lack of Information. Thanks, William.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Thanks, I'll replace the wires as well. My plugs keep fouling, so maybe that will help. I also forgot to mention that I bought a OBDPROG 100 to clear codes. It does that well but that's all it does. So, before I replaced the wiring harness, I repaired the old one. As I worked on it, I would clear the codes and start it up to see if I had fixed it. I burned 3 Gal. of gas that way and I got down to 7 codes. Then this 2009 harness popped up cheap, so I replaced the whole harness (nearly). Did a few repairs on it. I am using the best crimp connectors I can find (nickel plated solid copper) I bought the best crimping tool I could afford, and I use shrink wrap insulators. I also bought a set of waterproof automotive connectors because the old wiring harness had wires chewed off right at the connector. And some of the turn signal connectors were chewed up. I also had to replace the fog light switch because it was rusted and useless. I had to use an aftermarket switch because I couldn't find an OEM switch. I also polished the windshield because it was fogged, pitted and so occluded you could not see through it excepted dark and light spots and colors blurred together. Now it's not as good as new but you can see through it. Oh, and yes, I have tried the brake pedal procedure before I got the OBDPROG 100, but to try clearing a VSS code. I repaired the top U-shaped fairing piece with plastic epoxy, wire on the backside, and waxed the whole bike, cleaned and painted rust spots, and treated the tires with a poly coating. I have not greased the axles, bearings, or ball joints yet. I have really been concentrating on getting it running. I didn't want to put it all back together until I had completed all repairs and maintenance. One thing I also expect to do next month is to replace the air filter. I can't see paying $26.00 for an air filter, so I plan to just replace the filter element. I use a lot of E6000 adhesive around the house. I'm sure it will seal and hold up. I'll just buy an inexpensive automotive air filter and use that paper. $12.00 for a spark plug is exorbitant as well, but I found Aprilla plugs for half that - Identical plugs! I am also looking at the Rotella T6 line of oils to cut maintenance costs as well. I remember a good while back, I discovered 53 Chevy points worked perfectly in a Triumph 650 Bonneville - $0.58 cents as opposed to $6.00 for Triumph points. I guess I have always tried to find more practical ways to get things done. Anyway, I think that covers all the things I have done to the trike. I don't want to waste anyone's time due to lack of Information. Thanks, William.

Iv'e been using T-6 for many, many years now and like it a lot ..... in NM I'd use the 10w/40 weight .....Mike :thumbup:

 

[wtmjr]

Thanks Mike. 15 W 40 seems to be all that I can find right now. Do you think that will work? Also, apparently these engines burn oil I've read. What do you think of using viscosity boosters like Lucas or STP Motor Honey to reduce oil consumption. For years I have added some transmission fluid to engine oil a week or so before oil changes to clean out gunk. When I changed the oil on this Spyder I didn't do that for fear of causing the clutch to slip. Is this a good idea for these trikes? If so, what type would be best? PS I also had to repair the license plate light. The screw was punched through, and the gasket was shot. And finally, is there a way to check the ECM without BUDS? My primary goal is to get this Spyder running but while I'm at it I might as well try to make it last and in the process, address some cosmetic issues. Thanks William

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I would PM BajaRon about that, He's probably the most knowledgeable on stuff involving Oil ......Mike :thumbup:

 

[wtmjr]

Thank you, Freddie, Baja Ron, Mike - Bluenight911, Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie for sharing your valuable time and knowledge with me. You are all great, I don't know yet how to Start a new post, post pictures, or contact individuals.

I am feeling a little depressed because it seems to me at this point the only way to fix this thing is to take it to a dealership - after I find a way to get it there. For me that means waiting until next April or May whenever tax refunds arrive. Bummer!

But the bright side of putting my Spyder to sleep for the winter means I will have time to get back into my tinkering. Watch and clock repair. I don't make any money doing that, I have never charged anyone for repairing their watch or clock, but it's fun and not very taxing. I just finished an Anniversary Clock and a Cuckoo Clock for a friend of my wife, and a watch for a friend of my son (grandson we are raising two precious boys 5 and 12).

My wife bought me this Spyder because she overheard me telling her ex (we always invite him and his mother over for holidays) that the only thing I really miss is riding. I have ridden bikes my whole life, all kinds, starting with a mini-bike I built when I was eleven. I sold my last bike 20 years ago (a chopped 73 Honda 750-4) but didn't replace it because I could not justify the expense. My new wife had 3 kids and shortly after (about a year later) my health nosedived.

Needless to say, I was very excited about getting a new ride after 20 years. She had no idea it would be such an ordeal and expense. Neither did I. (During the heat wave this summer, working on it put me in the hospital!) So being unable to get it on the road is very disappointing.

I think I may take today off to give myself some time to shake the glum. You know, I think I'm anxious about what I may find when I try riding it in limp home mode. More Gremlins?

Sincerely, William

 

[wtmjr]

Sorry for all the ooops. A reply didn't seem to be posting. So I repeated it until I found the page selection boxes. So, I just backspaced them all because I can't find a way to delete them... Newbie error.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Thank you for the thank you ..... click on the Forum box (near top of page) ..... click on General Discussion ..... Then click on the Red '+ Post New Thread' link above the top left of the list of threads .... This starts a new thread (all the rest of the posts in that thread are posts either from you or anyone else that responds to your THREAD) ..... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Peter Aawen]

Sorry for all the ooops . a reply didn't seem to be posting. So I repeated it until I found the page selection boxes. So, I just backspaced them all because I can't find a way to delete them. Newbie error

PLEASE don't do that, just drop any of the Moderators here a Private Message (PM) and we will fix it for you! :thumbup:

You can send us a PM by clicking on any Green Username (to the left of our posts) or by clicking on Notifications up in the Top Right of any page, then Inbox from the drop down list that will appear; typing the correct username of the person you want to contact in the Recipient Users box (if you want to send to more than one recipient, add their usernames too, but use ; to separate them - but leave no spaces after the username & before the ; please, cos just like normal punctuation, it needs to follow the very end of the previous word, and THEN you add a space before the next username/word/sentence! ); adding a Title; and filling in the Text before clicking Submit Message (down under the RH corner of the Text field). Once you've sent your PM, you need to watch for the flashing Red Notification up in the top RH corner of any page to tell you that you've got a reply!

The facility for posters to delete their own posts was removed a fair while back because it was harming the Forum's standing/reputation with all the big search engines and we were being dropped down the priority (& sometimes off!) their results pages, making it less viable for the Owner & our Sponsors to keep operating the place for little/no return on their investment! That's one of the reasons there's Moderators here now, we have other ways of removing your unwanted posts from public view, ways that don't harm the Forum's ongoing operation! Thru this & other efforts the Forum is no longer quite so threatened with closure, but gutting your posts doesn't help that either, it's almost as bad as just deleting them, so please, don't do that anymore! :lecturef_smilie:

 

[wtmjr]

Okay. I won't. But how do you (PM?) a moderator? Sorry I am not just new to this forum, or any forum for that matter, or any type of social media, Facebook etc... I used to type my sermons on a computer, and I used one to produce my radio program. Other than that, just EBay searches and movies.

 

[BajaRon]

Okay. I won't. But how do you (PM?) a moderator? Sorry I am not just new to this forum, or any forum for that matter, or any type of social media, Facebook etc... I used to type my sermons on a computer, and I used one to produce my radio program. Other than that, just EBay searches and movies.

Like Peter said. Just click on the green Peter Aawen (in this case). Or any green user name, since this is how the forum designates all of its moderators. This will take you directly to the Personal Message (PM) page and you're good to go.

All forums have quirks (if you can all it that). Because it's a tough world out there and survival sometimes depends on doing things that users, like you and I, don't necessarily understand.

Like riding a new bike. You'll get the hang of it. It's not rocket science.

 

[wtmjr]

Yes of course. I did understand your reasoning. I just didn't expect it due to lack of experience in this arena. I will no doubt create more fowpaws as time goes by. There are several questions I could ask. But one of them would be much easier if I could post pictures. There is a connection I would like some help identifying. Also I noticed several people have not done much work on their trikes themselves. I wonder if some photos of my trike with all the body panels removed would be useful to anyone.

 

[Peter Aawen]

From another thread about posting pictures:

Here's an explanation on how to post pics from the Forum Support & Testing sub-forum:

Are you trying to insert an image or add an attachment thru the 'Manage Attachment' facility?? :dontknow:

I find that if you really want everyone to be able to see your images etc regardless of the images size or the viewers screen size &/or have less sizing issues etc during loading (cos by doing it this way the system here will look after most of that sort of stuff for you instead of you needing to do all that before trying to 'Insert' the image or host it elsewhere etc! ) then you should try to use 'Manage Attachments' as follows:

1. Open a Post Reply or Advanced Post screen so you can see the text insert field;
2. scroll down past the 'text' field of a 'reply to post' or 'advanced post' screen) then select 'manage attchments';
3. hit 'Choose File', selecting where from in either the '... from a computer' or '... from a website' boxes, then chosing your image file & hit 'done' (if that's the word/label your device calls the 'submit' button ) - do that one at a time for each image/vid as often as you need to in order to select your chosen images/vids - altho I find that if you limit yourself to attaching no more than 5 (five) attachments per post, it's far more likely to work for you and more likely that all your potential viewers will be able to open your post in order to see/read it ;
4. then hit the 'Upload' button in the bottom right corner of that box & wait for the system to upload the pics/vids (yes, it might take a while - usually it'll take somewhat longer than you might think it should! :sour: );
5. Once the pics/vids are uploaded, each of their address lines will appear in a little window below the 'upload files from website' box, at which time you can select 'close this window' from the bottom middle of that 'manage attachments' page, & then preview or submit your post with all its attachments appearing as thumbnails so that when they are selected by any viewer, they should be scaled accordingly to fit their screen, no matter how small/large each image might be!

Help any?!? :dontknow:

The Forum Support & Testing sub-form is here:

https://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?8-Forum-Support-amp-Testing


And below is a link to Lamonster's vid on how to post pics at the top of that ^^ same sub-forum, but be aware the vid is getting a bit long in the tooth now & I'm not sure there haven't been a few software/platform updates along the way:

https://www.spyderlovers.com/forums...g-Pictures-from-your-hard-drive-on-this-board

 

[wtmjr]

Cool! Thank you both. Sincerely William.

 

[wtmjr]

Well, I did it! I zip tied the radiator and dangling wires and display panel. I got it up to over 60 mph (100 kmph) before I chickened out. The front end was pretty squirrelly. But it sure has some oomph. It started cutting out at 3800 rpm as expected. I have not checked the error codes yet, that's next. I wonder if it was so squirrelly because of the light weight without the body panels? They are pretty heavy, especially the upper fairing and frunk. The brakes sqealed. I'll look into that. It might just be because I cleaned them, but it stops in a straight line. The good news here is at that speed I can ride around town without a problem. Yeah! Well, I'm going to check the codes now. I have a lot of work to do replacing the body panels. Especially since it's been so long since I removed them, I don't remember in detail how it all goes back together. But I'll sort it out.

 

[Freddy]

The front end was pretty squirrelly.

That will be due to the wheels being toe-out (from the factory). A small amount 1/8" of toe-in will fix it.

 

[wtmjr]

Cool thanks Freddy. There is nowhere in The Grants/Milan area to get it Laser aligned, will a regular alignment shop work?

 

[Freddy]

You can do it yourself better than the factory. Raise each front wheel and check for side wall run out. Position wheels back on floor so that the high or low spot on the wall is at 12 or 6 o'clock. With 2 straight pieces of box steel or perfectly straight rods, place them against sides of tyres. They need to be supported with blocks to clear the 'spokes' and reach out past the front of the Spyder a couple of feet. Measure the distance between the rods at the end and again closer to the nose of the trike and adjust tie rods equally to get the distances just a fraction less at the end of the rods - OR get a regular shop to do it.

 

[wtmjr]

Okay, this is great! DIY all the way. I am just a bit confused though. I'm not sure I understand what "side wall run out" is. It sounds like bulges in the tires, but I'm pretty sure that's not what you are talking about. What is it please?

 

[wtmjr]

Alright I have grip on it. I watched a DIY alignment on YouTube. A guy aligned his Jeep. (Same thing, only different). Also no one chimed in on whether or not to post photos of my trike naked. So I'm continuing with reinstalling the body panels. I thought perhaps there was a reason for not wanting me to post naked trike photos. I don't want to step on any toes, just looking for a way to help since I have received so much help.