Are there any Lift kits available for RT's? Something to raise ride height?

[airmen2090]

Does anyone make a lift kit for a 2017 RTS?

I am not looking for one for the garage, I'm looking for something to raise ride height

 

[RayBJ]

https://youtu.be/bKd3NvZl164
There ya go.

 

[BajaRon]

Typically, you don't need (or want) to raise the ride height. What you want to do is MAINTAIN original ride height. Let's say you start out with 5" of clearance from the ground to the nose of your RT. Then you load the front trunk, etc., and get on the bike. Now you are down to 3.5 or 4" of ground clearance depending on weight. How do you recover this lost ride height (not to mention original front end alignment). Well, with adjustable front shocks, of course! But BRP engineers (you know, those guys who are never wrong!) they say you don't need adjustable front shocks.

There are basically 2 ways to achieve this. 1- Get any aftermarket shock set. They use different engineers who think you DO need adjustable front shocks. 2- Get our shock adjuster kit which converts your OEM units to adjustable shocks. You will be amazed at the difference. Not only will this modification give you more initial ground clearance. But it also reduces dive when going over bumps or into a steep driveway approach. Which effectively increases ground clearance even more. With the added benefit that your Sypder will handle better than it did before.

Of course, BRP could have done this at the factory for pennies on the dollar. But when you factor in the bean counters, you have a much better idea of why your Spyder does not have this very important feature right out of the box.

 

[2dogs]

Typically, you don't need (or want) to raise the ride height. What you want to do is MAINTAIN original ride height. There are basically 2 ways to achieve this. 1- Get any aftermarket shock set. They use different engineers who think you DO need adjustable front shocks. 2- Get our shock adjuster kit which converts your OEM units to adjustable shocks. .....

For sure! That's exactly what I did shortly after I bought my spyder. I could hardly believe how such a simple improvement made such a big difference in handling. Adding Ron's swaybar made things even better.

 

[airmen2090]

Does anyone make a lift kit for a 2017 Spyder RTS to improve ride height

 

[happyspyder2039]

Get a pair of Elka shocks.

 

[airmen2090]

How much do they increase the ride height?

 

[BajaRon]

Not sure why you started a new thread for this question. Why not stick with the 1st edition?

Maybe we should ask why you want the additional lift. What are you trying to accomplish?

 

[Peteoz]

Just as an aside, I installed heavier duty Ikon shocks on the front and adjusted the sag slightly, to give me just under an extra half inch of clearance once mounted, and added some Goodyear Duragrip 165/60 front tyres to give me a slightly higher aspect. In total, this has raised the front by just under an inch, and even with this small lift I no longer contact the ground, whether it be over potholes, driveways, speed humps etc, etc.

Pete

 

[BajaRon]

Just as an aside, I installed heavier duty Ikon shocks on the front and adjusted the sag slightly, to give me just under an extra half inch of clearance once mounted, and added some Goodyear Duragrip 165/60 front tyres to give me a slightly higher aspect. In total, this has raised the front by just under an inch, and even with this small lift I no longer contact the ground, whether it be over potholes, driveways, speed humps etc, etc.

Pete

That is what I am getting at. The combination of sag and dive created by the weak spring preload makes it seem like you need to jack the RT up quite a bit to keep from bottoming out and hitting things. But that's not true. And if you go much above stock, unloaded ride height you begin to introduce handling issues that you may not want. This, even after getting the front end realignment that you're going to need.

For almost everyone, just firming up the suspension (I don't mean stiff) and getting back to stock, empty ride height is all they ever need. This retains and enhances the nice cushy ride, improves handling, and saves the front and undercarriage of your Spyder.

 

[airmen2090]

Not sure why you started a new thread for this question. Why not stick with the 1st edition?

Maybe we should ask why you want the additional lift. What are you trying to accomplish?

More ground clearance

 

[CloverHillCrawler]

I got a little more than 1/2 of an inch when I installed Wilbers shocks on my F3.

 

[Mikey]

You are only going to be able to lift you bike so far because of the travel in your arms and shock lengths, not to mention what you're going to do to your ride quality, so be careful how far you take it. Do you do a lot of rough roads? Why are you bottoming out enough to warrant a lift kit? If it's just your garage build an apron in front of the door to transition into it!:dontknow:

 

[BajaRon]

More ground clearance

OK, I think we got that. But for what? Off road rock climbing or just normal street riding? Do you want a Monster Truck ride or just something that doesn't bottom out over speed bumps and steep driveway approaches?

 

[2dogs]

After you scrape it the first time you should know, from then on how to recognize hazards and approach and avoid them. I've scraped mine only twice. The second time was my own dam fault. Mine is a 14 RT and I've done very well for a long time. But, I guess it's like a kid touching a hot stove the second time to see if it's still hot. "Dumb T Dumb Dumb." LOL

 

[BajaRon]

After you scrape it the first time you should know, from then on how to recognize hazards and approach and avoid them. I've scraped mine only twice. The second time was my own dam fault. Mine is a 14 RT and I've done very well for a long time. But, I guess it's like a kid touching a hot stove the second time to see if it's still hot. "Dumb T Dumb Dumb." LOL

Yes, you can ride carefully, understanding when, where, and how to approach a possible damaging event. Nothing wrong with it. This is originally why the Bump Skid under protection was developed. And though installing a Bump Skid is not a bad idea, it doesn't fully address the problem and will actually reduce your ground clearance even more. Some don't want to ride with an 'Egg Shell' mentality. They want a ride that will not hit the ground over what they feel are normal, everyday road surfaces. Some feel that you should not have to worry about scraping in these circumstances.

With reasonable options that will virtually cure the problem for good and improve overall handling in the process. It's just a matter of how you want to deal with it.

 

[Peteoz]

Yes, you can ride carefully, understanding when, where, and how to approach a possible damaging event. Nothing wrong with it. This is originally why the Bump Skid under protection was developed. And though installing a Bump Skid is not a bad idea, it doesn't fully address the problem and will actually reduce your ground clearance even more. Some don't want to ride with an 'Egg Shell' mentality. They want a ride that will not hit the ground over what they feel are normal, everyday road surfaces. Some feel that you should not have to worry about scraping in these circumstances.

With reasonable options that will virtually cure the problem for good and improve overall handling in the process. It's just a matter of how you want to deal with it.

Just as another “aside”, Ron, it is interesting to note that it was the owner of Ikon shocks out here (who knows shocks, Spyders, and Aussie roads inside out. :thumbup who suggested the minimal increase in sag and the slightly higher aspect tyres to reduce bottoming. Handling is no different to previous, and while I keep a wary eye out for Spyder swallowing potholes, I can ride far more freely than previously.

Pete

 

[BajaRon]

Just as another “aside”, Ron, it is interesting to note that it was the owner of Ikon shocks out here (who knows shocks, Spyders, and Aussie roads inside out. :thumbup who suggested the minimal increase in sag and the slightly higher aspect tyres to reduce bottoming. Handling is no different to previous, and while I keep a wary eye out for Spyder swallowing potholes, I can ride far more freely than previously.

Pete

Really? You improved the shocks which reduced front end lean and dive, and your handling did not change at all?