Oh oh, I need help.

[Fatcycledaddy]

Trying to do to many things at once and had the bolts and sleeves that hold on the seat slip out of my hands and go into the void in the black plastic at the seat rear. I used a magnet and got the bolts out but can't get the sleeves. Does anyone know, are they perchance aluminum so a magnet won't work? If they are, any suggestions on getting at them, or should I buy new ones and let them be?

Thanks

 

[SpyderAnn01]

I'm not sure if they are magnetized or not but they make a tool that has grabbers on the end of it so you can fish for it like you would with the magnet. This must be the week for losing stuff down that hole, yesterday on Facebook someone lost a wrench while switching seats. Good luck.

 

[Chupaca]

The claw...

auto parts usually have a long flex housing with a push botton top and a three prong claw that pops out the bottom for grabbing such things. This is what Ann mentioned above. florist clay on a flexable shaft will work also. :thumbup:

 

[Highwayman2013]

You could put some tape sticky side out on a long stick or screwdriver.

 

[cptjam]

Seats

Step one is cover every opening with blue painters tape! Those fasteners and sleeves DIVE into those holes with pin point accuracy! First time, I wrote it off as a fluke; one in a million shot. The next time, I realized BRP painstakingly designed the underseat area to make certain you will lose the bits! Uncanny, but, after about a dozen seats, painters tape has solved this little problem. To remove the seat is at your own peril! Beware! Joe

 

[pegasus1300]

Just orger new oness from your dealer. I lost mine down there too and never could get them to come back. They are pretty cheap. Oh an no they are not magnetic.

 

[Bam Bam and Pebbles]

This happened to me with a nut today. Tried shaking the bike to free it up but that didnt work. Eventually I just rode it up my driveway, juicing the throttle a couple of times while my wife walked behind hoping to see the nut come falling out. That worked.

 

[Dan McNally]

I've learned the hard way to always stuff a rag into any of those openings, when working with small parts, because they suck any small item in, and, while BRP doesn't make this known, there is a tiny Black Hole sitting in there - once a part hits its even horizon, it is lost, forever, because it is transported across the universe to another galaxy.

 

[Bob Denman]

:shocked: This is never fun... :gaah:
I've lost enough tools and parts to open up a nicely-equipped garage and parts store over the years, so I've kind of gotten good at looking for them.
First: you need lots of light...
An extra set of eyeballs is always a good thing also.
If you can get someone to light things up, from up top; get down low, and use that vantage point, to see if you can find it. Remove the muffler if you can; it gives you more 'wiggle-room" up under the bike.
Get one of those flexible "grabbers". The work better than magnets because they won't stick to all of the stuff that you don't want to try and pull back from the void. nojoke

Happy Hunting, and Good Luck! :thumbup:

Remember: this is all MUCH easier than picking the bike up, and shaking the Bejeezus out of it!

 

[gkamer]

And can you imagine

I've learned the hard way to always stuff a rag into any of those openings, when working with small parts, because they suck any small item in, and, while BRP doesn't make this known, there is a tiny Black Hole sitting in there - once a part hits its even horizon, it is lost, forever, because it is transported across the universe to another galaxy.

Somewhere, in a parallel universe, a Sypder owner is wondering where the hell all these spare parts keep popping up from.

 

[Fatcycledaddy]

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions.
Where this hole is at the back of the bike I have few options. No way to look down it even with a mirror. I used a magnet and got the bolt, but not the spacers. I don't see a way of looking in there, or reviling that area without removing the hole rear assembly, and I have NO desire to do that.

So i will be purchasing a three prong grabber today to see if I can snag them, and I also ordered new one just in case I couldn't get them.

Do you think there would be any negative aspects of leaving them if I cant get them out? I hate rattles and that is one that I understand I would have to deal with, anything else?

 

[Bob Denman]

I suppose that there's a slim chance that it could end up dropping down and getting caught up in the drive
belt... :shocked:

But a HOST of bad karma would have to line up, for that to happen!

 

[Bobleach45]

Covered UP

Fortunately I read this before taking the seat off to put a backrest on it. I covered it with black cut tape and didn't bother taking it off. Don't wee any reason it has to be open at all. That way I figure I'm always covered so if I have a Senior Moment I won't start something without covering it.

 

[PW2013STL]

Not likely that you would have any issues leaving the nut it there - anyways I haven't with mine.

I also learned to cover the holes with blue painters tape (of course I had to drop a nut and two bolts into that black hole first):banghead:

For that square nut - in order to help keep it in the spot that I want so the bolt will easily line up I push the end of a plastic cable tie between the nut and the holder thus locking it in place and yet I can still move the nut if needed. Makes the job a lot easier!!