Making the 2013 Spyder RT-S "Perfect"

[stewartj239]

At this point, I have everything on my list ordered and the parts are starting to trickle in. Today I received the BajaRon spark plug wire set and the BRP adjustable wind deflectors in chrome. I think I did good on the wind deflectors as the retail price is $189.99 and I paid $161.49. I could not find them any cheaper. Also, the cat bypass kit and the PCV are on back order, so those items will be delayed. I'm hoping that it is because of the the high demand for the RT parts

 

[stewartj239]

The Akrapovic Sport Touring Silencer showed up yesterday. This definitely looks like a quality product. It also seems to be extremely light. I can't wait to get the stock silencer off so I can determine the weight difference. I will post that number once I have it.

Also, I think I got an incredible deal on it. Retail price is $899 and I only paid $499 plus $25 for shipping, so I'm into it for only $524. It was new and unopened - in the original box, packaging, etc.

 

[MikeP]

The Akrapovic Sport Touring Silencer showed up yesterday. This definitely looks like a quality product. It also seems to be extremely light. I can't wait to get the stock silencer off so I can determine the weight difference. I will post that number once I have it.

Also, I think I got an incredible deal on it. Retail price is $899 and I only paid $499 plus $25 for shipping, so I'm into it for only $524. It was new and unopened - in the original box, packaging, etc.

View attachment 80319 View attachment 80320

how'd you get it so cheap???

 

[stewartj239]

how'd you get it so cheap???

I got lucky. I had been watching a few different eBay listings when this one popped up:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Can-Am-Spyd...GUO5EVpl%2BedayrY2mgg%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

Come to find out, I was the only bidder and got it for $499.

If anyone is still looking for a good deal on the Akrapovic. Here is the listing for the one I was going to buy. At $624.99 or best offer, I think it is a good buy.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AKRAPOVIC-S...Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f2a56f123&vxp=mtr

 

[stewartj239]

The ELKA suspension showed up this week as well. I ended up going with the Stage 1+R front and rear. I want to thank Len at PitBull Powersports for taking the time to speak with me regarding what my needs were, then suggesting what shock combination would work best to address the "Nanny" issue and the wandering issue on sub-prime roads. I also appreciate the time taken to discuss my riding style along with getting the necessary information for setting up the shocks so that they are ready to go right out of the box.

 

[lwrydr]

Ceramic

I'm very interested in how the ceramic turns out. Please keep us posted.

 

[stewartj239]

I'm very interested in how the ceramic turns out. Please keep us posted.

I will. That is one of the first things I'm going to tackle. I probably won't be able to start tearing into the bike until the I'm off during the holidays, but my first priority is getting the entire exhaust system off. Before having the headers ceramic coated, I'll also need to make sure I know where I need to have the O2 bungs welded for the AutoTune. Also, from my initial talks with the shop that will do it, I think it will be less than $200 to have it done. I'll will post back when I have the details.

 

[Barlock]

Ceramic exhaust ...

... was discussed here in great details. You may want to read this thread first before you start doing it:

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?59307-ceramic-coating&highlight=ceramic+exhaust

 

[stewartj239]

... was discussed here in great details. You may want to read this thread first before you start doing it:

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?59307-ceramic-coating&highlight=ceramic+exhaust

Thanks for the link. Just like the typical post on this forum, there is no agreement or general consensus on the issue. I did do my own research about ceramic coating and it clearly has advantages. Now whether those advantages will be realized on the Spyder is a different story, but while I have everything torn apart, I plan to do it and hope for the best. I am not doing the spray or the wrap. I'm having them professionally coated inside and out. Besides, I am not having any heat issues, so even if it does not reduce heat, then I'll never know. I'm doing it solely for peace of mind. For the cost of the bike, I'm not worried about flushing $200 down the toilet if there are no noticeable results.

 

[stewartj239]

The ISCI front brake came in this week. After inspecting the components, I can say that this is a very high quality and what should be, durable product. I want to thank ISCI because I ordered this just before they announced their holiday discount. I contacted them to see if I could be grandfathered in and they promptly refunded me the 15%. I thought that was pretty awesome. I was having trouble deciding to make this purchase due to the $1395 price tag, but now seeing the quality of the product in person and adding the discount to it, I have no regrets and am looking forward to getting it installed.

 

[stewartj239]

The Spyder1Attitude cat bypass came in this week as well. It does have a high heat paint applied to it, but I am going to have it ceramic coated along with the header pipes. Getting rid of the cat will not only reduce the heat, but allow the engine to breath the way it should. Between this, the Akrapovic exhaust and the PCV with AutoTune, I imagine I will have a significant torque and HP increase.

 

[stewartj239]

The last of the items have now showed up. The PCV was actually on backorder and they held off shipping me the AutoTune until it came in. I think I did real good as far as pricing goes. Retail on the PCV is $499 and I paid $364. Retail on the AutoTune is $400 and I paid $305. I hope to have time over the holidays to get the headers ripped off, have the O2 bungs welded in and get the headers and cat bypass ceramic coated.

 

[stewartj239]

This is what's keeping me from tearing into the Spyder. It's my 2012 CRF250R. My three sons and I all belong to an MX club and we ride every Saturday from April through October. I need to get it back together to get the table space for the Spyder. At this point, everything is cleaned, greased and just needs to be assembled.

 

[stewartj239]

Now that I've got some time off over the holidays, I started to tear into the Spyder. The first thing I wanted to do was remove the entire exhaust system so that I could get the header pipes and cat bypass pipe dropped off to my local shop to have them ceramic coated. Once I had all of the tupperware pulled off, this is what I saw.

This was the view from the right side of the engine:



This was the view from the left side of the engine:



It was then that I decided that the KewlMetal air filter kit was a MUST. The resonator on the left side pulled out fairly easily, but getting the gigantic air box out took much time and patience. I had to remove both left and right side frame rails as well. It was a total pain, but worth it in the end.

Here is what the right side looks like now. You can easily get to the header pipe as well as the front cylinder spark plug and wire.



Here is the left side - nothing but room to work now.



The only thing that I don't like about the KewlMetal kit is that is uses air from within the tupperware and others who have measured this have stated that it runs 5-10 degrees higher than the air drawn by the stock air box. However, since I am adding a PCV with AutoTune, I do not see this as an issue.

Lastly, after seeing how packed everything is under the tupperware, how on earth can you get any air circulating underneath there? I know I've seen numerous threads talking about how to get air moving in there, but I don't see how you can unless you remove the OEM air box and resonator. The entire top and front of the engine compartment is now wide open.

 

[Bob Denman]

:shocked: That sure looks like some bery serrious surgery! :congrats: on getting through it! :2thumbs:
Are you going to wrap your pipes, after you have them coated? They sure run close tothe tank on the left, and pretty near everything on the right! :yikes:

Here's to wishing you continued success on your "journey"! :cheers: :thumbup:

 

[spacetiger]

Great updates + pics.

Keep up the work. We are all looking for the final product.

Jerry

 

[stewartj239]

Are you going to wrap your pipes, after you have them coated?

That is a great question, but I think the answer is no. I don't like the idea of using the heat wrap because of the moisture retention issue. In addition, since I currently do not have any heat related issues with my 2013, I think that doing both is overkill.

In the research that I've done, I have also seen that doing both could cause the O2 sensors to wear out quicker due to the excess heat that is being trapped in the headers. I don't know if it is true, but I just think that doing one or the other is sufficient.

 

[Bob Denman]

Thanks! :thumbup: Those are VERY good points, that I had not considered... pps:

 

[spacetiger]

That is a great question, but I think the answer is no. I don't like the idea of using the heat wrap because of the moisture retention issue. In addition, since I currently do not have any heat related issues with my 2013, I think that doing both is overkill.

In the research that I've done, I have also seen that doing both could cause the O2 sensors to wear out quicker due to the excess heat that is being trapped in the headers. I don't know if it is true, but I just think that doing one or the other is sufficient.

I don't think moisture would be a significant issue under the Tupperware and if you bike stays indoors it help keep water off the bike.

For you, I think the wrap is still a good option to consider for 3 reasons:
- noise reduction. Your exhaust will give you a good exhaust sound, the wrap eliminates the other engine noises.
- reduce gas tank temp. The exhaust pipe runs next to the tank. Even though ceramic may help keep exhaust flow up/and some heat in it still allows heat to leake out.
- you have the parts of and it is cheap to do so. It will never be easier.

jerry

 

[stewartj239]

I don't think moisture would be a significant issue under the Tupperware and if you bike stays indoors it help keep water off the bike.

For you, I think the wrap is still a good option to consider for 3 reasons:
- noise reduction. Your exhaust will give you a good exhaust sound, the wrap eliminates the other engine noises.
- reduce gas tank temp. The exhaust pipe runs next to the tank. Even though ceramic may help keep exhaust flow up/and some heat in it still allows heat to leake out.
- you have the parts of and it is cheap to do so. It will never be easier.

jerry

I'm hoping to drop the pipes off tomorrow (if they're open) and I will ask and see what they say about wrapping the pipes in addition to the ceramic coating. The stuff I have read about doing both shys me away from wanting to do the wrapping. I'll let you know what they say. I am definitely going to put some heat tape on the gas tank as well while I'm in there.