New to Spyderdom and have 2 questions

[AppleSpyder]

I have been reading and following SpyderLovers for almost a month and this site is fantastic. Thank you for being here!!!! I have found a lot of answers to questions that I have had and answers to questions that I didn't even know I had......but I still have 2 that I can't find answers to and I was hoping someone could help me out. I have a 2014 ST-Limited

1. I had glanced at a question someone else had posted but I didn't have time to read the replies and can not find the post again. The question was how or what do you do when riding in a group and the speed consistently varies and you are constantly shifting to keep the RPMs over 4300? I don't want to be shifting so much that I mess something up but I also don't want to be going too fast or too slow for the gear that I'm in. Is it ok to be shifting so much?

2. For those that have put the belt guard on have any ever fallen off? I live in a very hot, dry and sandy area and I am concerned that the "glue" wont hold causing the guard to fall off and get caught in the belt creating more damage. I really would like to put one on but I am a little hesitant.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

 

[ChasCS]

Well come on in!

Hi, and welcome to the Spyder family and forum.
Sounds like you are just over thinking the shifting thing. These are machines that are built very strong. Take the time to learn your Spyder Before you head out on the long road. The Spyder motors and gears are very intuitive. I ryde an SE5, and have never had any concerns or problems, arise from shifting. It will become second nature after a while. And you will shift by Sight of the tach. And by the Sound of the motor as well.
Personally, I don't see any need for a belt guard.

Have good luck and enjoy many happy trails.

Chas

 

[PrairieSpyder]

:welcome:

 

[Dragonrider]

Not having the "missing Belt Guard" cost me $600 in replaced belts. The guard will not keep chip seal rock chips out of the belt, and it will sound like you are losing the rear end of you Spyder, but no real damage occurs. Having the guard installed has kept rocks out of my belt/pulley for over 30,000 miles. I would never have a Spyder without one, and it was the FIRST farkle I added to my 2014.

Properly installed (cleaning with alcohol and using the accelerant), the guard will out last the bike....

On my old 990s, shifting was at 5,000 rpm, and we were warned to keep the bike's rpm above 3,200, or risk damaging the clutch. This is no longer the case for the 1330s, but still is for the 990s.

 

[Bob Denman]

As reagards your first question: (And I HATE to add more complexity to it! pps
If you're not putting a "load" on the drivetrain; it can take almost anything that yo throw at it.
Coasting or cruising at a steady speed; no problem! :thumbup:
Just drop it a cog or two if you need to add some load... (Acceleration)

 

[Netminder]

:welcome:The missing belt guard is one of the first thing I put on! It is now 2 yrs and it is still there, doing its job of protecting a costly belt replacement!

 

[retired1]

Since you have a 2014 with the 1330 in it, you can disregard any of the comments about the 4 to 5000 rpm. "sweet spot". I shift my 2014 RTS any where between 25 to 3500 rpms.
Although the extra belt guard may be worth it, my '10 RTS made 30,000 with out it. JMO

 

[wyliec]

Since you have a 2014 with the 1330 in it, you can disregard any of the comments about the 4 to 5000 rpm. "sweet spot". I shift my 2014 RTS any where between 25 to 3500 rpms.
Although the extra belt guard may be worth it, my '10 RTS made 30,000 with out it. JMO

I thought only the RT had the 1330. He has an ST.

 

[ARtraveler]

You may be overthinking the shifting a bit. If the group ride is causing you to downshift a lot, you might consider shifting down one gear. The slightly higher rpm's will not hurt the operation of the 998 Rotax and you will always be in the power band. The 998 likes the 5000 rpms a lot.

 

[Chupaca]

There you have it..!!

Relax..your fine. Cruising at or above 5,000 rpm's is where I am at. You will be fine on the high side..
I had the rock guard on for two years. Unfortunately it had an encounter with the tensioner and broke and became a fluttering annoyance. I had a real tough time getting it to come off. So don't worry about it. Southern California can be hot and dry as well.
Welcome..!! :2thumbs:

 

[Bling Bling]

You should talk to your ride captain about the route you're going to take, and possibly pre-ride the route prior to riding with the group. When I got my '09 RS, it was mandatory for Air Force personnel to have a mentor for new riders. I was fortunate to always have two mentors on group rides. One in the front and one in the back. Not only did they ensure our safety, but at the end of the ride they would critique our riding technique. There are a lot of traffic lights between Davis-Monthan and Mt. Lemmon (one of our favorite rides). We had pre-planned stops along the way for the stragglers to catch up if they got caught at a red light. The mentor ship program allowed us to ride together in a "safe environment" and only going as fast as our abilities allowed us. It allowed me to concentrate more on "getting in tune" with my spyder and learn my shift points based on sound/rpm.

I know the monsoons hit pretty hard the last month, so allowed extra room between riders going into turns. Some of the washes leave a bunch of sand/dirt in their wake. I had a buddy have his rear tire wash out from under him while in a turn in Arivaca. They had to heli-vac him out. He still rides, but after months of physical therapy his shoulders still gives him problems.

I put on my belt guard in '09 and it was still there when I traded my '09 RS for a '14 RT-L. Spyder has been in Tucson all the time till last year when I hit snow bird status (retired). Now I spend my summers in CO. I do miss group rides to Tombstone, Bisbee, Patagonia, Arivaca, and Mt. Lemmon.

 

[SpyderAnn01]

Since you have a 2014 with the 1330 in it, you can disregard any of the comments about the 4 to 5000 rpm. "sweet spot". I shift my 2014 RTS any where between 25 to 3500 rpms.
Although the extra belt guard may be worth it, my '10 RTS made 30,000 with out it. JMO

I thought only the RT had the 1330. He has an ST.

Wylie you are right,1330 is only in the RT. Retired1 your post is incorrect. AppleSpyder you do need to shift at the high rpm like the others have told you.

 

[Bob Denman]

Yup! :thumbup: It's easy to mis-read which model is being discussed, if you take a quick glance... :shocked:

 

[retired1]

My apologies, I could have sworn that the S was an R.pps:

 

[Bob Denman]

No need to apologize...
(It took me a couple of tries to it right in my own head too! :shocked
Old eyeballs that have been abused, are pretty good at getting even with us!

 

[KX5062]

I have been reading and following SpyderLovers for almost a month and this site is fantastic. Thank you for being here!!!! I have found a lot of answers to questions that I have had and answers to questions that I didn't even know I had......but I still have 2 that I can't find answers to and I was hoping someone could help me out. I have a 2014 ST-Limited

1. I had glanced at a question someone else had posted but I didn't have time to read the replies and can not find the post again. The question was how or what do you do when riding in a group and the speed consistently varies and you are constantly shifting to keep the RPMs over 4300? I don't want to be shifting so much that I mess something up but I also don't want to be going too fast or too slow for the gear that I'm in. Is it ok to be shifting so much?

2. For those that have put the belt guard on have any ever fallen off? I live in a very hot, dry and sandy area and I am concerned that the "glue" wont hold causing the guard to fall off and get caught in the belt creating more damage. I really would like to put one on but I am a little hesitant.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Since you're in AZ I will offer a little differing opinion about the "missing" belt guard. I bought one for my 08 GS/RS and did a lot of desert/high heat riding. I found the glue on the double sided tape did get soft in the heat and allowed the guard to migrate. It moved enough that it rubbed onto the rear tire. I tried to remove it to re-position, but it broke instead. So I just threw it away and ran without it.

 

[Highwayman2013]

Welcome!

Welcome, I always try to leave room between me and the bike ahead in a group ride. This way if they slow in front you have a little cushion. I doesn't hurt the engine to rev it, if you are constantly downshifting you are probably running in too high a gear.

 

[wyliec]

Wylie you are right,1330 is only in the RT. Retired1 your post is incorrect. AppleSpyder you do need to shift at the high rpm like the others have told you.

SpyderAnn01,

If you read this, can you tell me how you are able to double quote, like you did above? In all these years I haven't been able to figure out.

Thanks

 

[Bob Denman]

Wylie,
Roll your cursor over that little icon that's to the right of the "reply with quote" button...
When you click on it, you can select that post, plus any others where you hit that critter; for quoting/ :thumbup:

 

[ARtraveler]

Welcome, I always try to leave room between me and the bike ahead in a group ride. This way if they slow in front you have a little cushion. I doesn't hurt the engine to rev it, if you are constantly downshifting you are probably running in too high a gear.

Gaps between riders are very important when riding with a group. We always use the "two second rule" as a minimum. It depends on the skill level of the riders involved, whether or not we go more. Three seconds distance is better, but that sometimes invites other vehicles (autos, etc.) to join the pack--another problem that can happen.