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Clunking sound in front end

thrinsag

New member
Love my 2013 ST-SE5, but I have slightly more than 5,000 miles on my Spyder and recently I have noticed a clunking sound underneath the front end. This happens when I am at slow speeds, making a short turn, and while getting off my machine. I have no idea whether or not it happens at high speeds. My Dealer says he checked it out and determined it to be coming from a connection of the stabilizer. Further, he said there is no way to lubricate the connection and that it is tightly secured, and that it is not a safety issue and poses no future problem. I did get the recall on the steering bushings last year and apparently that is not the problem. Any info or suggestions???? I checked the frunk and there is nothing there that could make that sound.
 
I had the same problem when making a righthand turn only. It was a loose bolt on the heim link on that side.
 
Had the same issue. It was the aforementioned bolt. Somehow, it had loosened and caused the bolt hole on the arm to wallow out. The tech said it was a safety issue. Took a week to get the new arm which got put on today. Thus I'm at home and not Colorado where I had planned to be. :(


Sent from my little bit of rural America via Tapatalk 2
 
I too had the same noise and found it was a loose bolt on the Heim link on the side making the noise. The cause was that I changed to the Baja Ron sway bar and reused the fiber lock nuts. You should never reuse a fiber lock nut. Replaced all four nuts when I installed the metal Heim links. No more problem.
 
Here's the thing..!!

there are some hiem joints that were faulty. They should check and replace them..but my suggestion is get a set from BajaRon (sponsor on home page). His are made of metal and not composite plastic. There are zert fittings to lube front end and other parts that don't need it should not bump shake rattle or roll..:thumbup:
 
...And it always seems to be the TOP bolt that loosens-up! :gaah:
You can get to the offending bolt, without removing the A-arm cover; but it's a whole lot easier if you do remove it. :thumbup:
 
Front end clunk

I sure thank you all for the information. I will take your information to my dealer this coming Monday and ask him to make the corrections to my problem. I will post the results when I get the correction made. Thanks again. If for no other reason, these type issues and answers are priceless.
 
2Paw I am wondering if you got your Spyder and the needed service at the McKinney shop. I called them today and they claimed to be unaware of anything like this. I got my Spyder at Weatherford and their service don't know anything about it either. Do you have a name up there that I can contact and get the info needed for my shop to do whatever is needed to make "Ol' Stump" safe to ride again?
 
I don't want to be redundant so I won't say that it is most likely a loose bolt on a Heim Joint Link. It can also be a loose bolt on the sway bar bushing.

I WILL say that your 'Tech' is Wrong! It is a safety issue and it needs to be addressed before something lets go at an inopportune time. :yikes: It concerns me that they would say this and that they would let a Spyder go out of the shop without fixing the problem.

Let us know what the fix ends up being.
 
Clunking Sound in Front End

Thanks guys. I think some of these fold are totally unaware about their jobs. The Service Dept seems to have a very high turnover. I haven't been able to contact the Regional Serv Mgr, but I will probably just get the parts from you Bajaron and attempt the repair myself. At least I could know then if it was a great, good, sloppy, or poor job. Thus a rated risk on whether or not to ride. I will let you know how things turn out. Probably won't be for awhile though by the look of things.
 
Thanks guys. I think some of these fold are totally unaware about their jobs. The Service Dept seems to have a very high turnover. I haven't been able to contact the Regional Serv Mgr, but I will probably just get the parts from you Bajaron and attempt the repair myself. At least I could know then if it was a great, good, sloppy, or poor job. Thus a rated risk on whether or not to ride. I will let you know how things turn out. Probably won't be for awhile though by the look of things.

It is very easy to check the Heim Joint Link Bolts. You just need 2 13mm wrenches and enough clearance to get under your Spyder. If you need some informational help with that let me know. On the one hand, having a loose Heim Joint Link Bolt isn't the end of the world or panic time. But on the other hand, I would not ignore it either.

Doing it yourself can give you great piece of mind and you get a better understanding of how your Spyder works.
 
Clunking noise in front end.

After checking with 2Paw regarding the service he got on his Spyder, I called his service mgr (Danny at Louis Powersports, Greenville, TX). Danny ran my spyder through the dealer system and gave me info on Service Bulletins (SB) 2013-6 and 2013-9. The -6 is for inspection of the sway bar connectors to determine whether or not they need replacing. According to Danny, since I have this specific noise, I may need to have mine replaced. The -9 is for a myriad of problems such as replacing the fuse boxes (or covers), fixing the rear belt deflector guard, adjusting the idle to stop the sudden dying of the engine at stop lights, etc, and to enrich the fuel adjustment which will have the effect of reducing engine heat somewhat. To be fair, my serv mgr had been on vacation during these times and was unaware of the questions. After talking to my him, I am now scheduled in for these SB's tomorrow. Wish all serv mgrs were as conscientious as Danny. Thanks 2Paw!!!
 
Clunking Noise in Front End

Well heck. It seems that the Spyders needing inspection and replacement of the heim links are those identified by their VIN. Mine isn't. Sounds like General Motors, huh? Anyway, my serv mgr is going to do the inspection anyway and if he can determine a failure, then he can help me out. I'll probably wind up doing the Bajaron fix anyway. Service Bulletin 2013-9 is still a "Go!" Nothing else to report as yet. Will do so when the time comes.
 
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Outlaws

The BRP outlaws are now disputing SB2013-9 regarding my bike. Oh well, forget it. I Love my trike, but I will never own another one because of the company. Maybe buy a used one that has gone through the hurdles and repairs.
 
I don't want to be redundant so I won't say that it is most likely a loose bolt on a Heim Joint Link. It can also be a loose bolt on the sway bar bushing.

I WILL say that your 'Tech' is Wrong! It is a safety issue and it needs to be addressed before something lets go at an inopportune time. :yikes: It concerns me that they would say this and that they would let a Spyder go out of the shop without fixing the problem.

Let us know what the fix ends up being.

:agree:..The sway bar bolts where loose on my 2010 Rt from day one and clunked ...Not sure why they where loose. Tighthen all bolts for sway bar and
has not clunked again...

Freebob...:doorag:
 
The BRP outlaws are now disputing SB2013-9 regarding my bike. Oh well, forget it. I Love my trike, but I will never own another one because of the company. Maybe buy a used one that has gone through the hurdles and repairs.

Did you ever check your Heim Joint Link Bolts? 5 minutes and 2 13mm wrenches and you'll probably fix your problem. At least you'd eliminate the most likely cause. Seems like it would be 5 minutes well spent.

Early on in the 2013 production year BRP discovered they had a bad batch of Heim Joint links. They began replacing these on all production Spyders after a certain date as well as on all the show room floor models. Your vin number is obviously telling BRP that you have the correct links already.

Besides, the bad links didn't 'Clunk', they simply broke. If you have clunking it means that your links are still intact. It is not all that uncommon to find one or more of the attachment bolts lose. And that is the most common source of your clunk.
 
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