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There were many reasons for the change of the site software, the biggest was security. The age of the old software also meant no server updates for certain programs. There are many benefits to the new software, one of the biggest is the mobile functionality. Ill fix up some stuff in the coming days, we'll also try to get some of the old addons back or the data imported back into the site like the garage. To create a thread or to reply with a post is basically the same as it was in the prior software. The default style of the site is light colored, but i temporarily added a darker colored style, to change you can find a link at the bottom of the site.
Phil's Mods
- Thread starter Phil
- Start date
MarkLawson
RT-S PE#0031
With all those screens... I really hope you find time to look at the road occasionally!
(Be safe)
(Be safe)
Phil
Mod Monster
More lights coming soon...
While at Spyderfest, 3 Stooges (Faran, Kevorama and Bobbie, my bride) got together and convinced me to help Harvey (Spyderpops) put his grand kids through college. I added the skid plate (aka kritter splitter) and also his creative wire mesh inserts. They are begging for some creative lighting to be added to accent them. I found some purple UV strips the right length from an odd sort of vendor and I hope to add them in the coming weeks. They will graze over the mesh to accent it much like the lights accent a curtain at a Broadway theater. All will be placed out of sight as much as possible so you only see the results of the light.
I'm also adding Jim's belt tensioner (aka SmoothSpyder) while the tupperware is off.
Pics will follow...
Light Your World... Brighten The Corner Where You Are...
While at Spyderfest, 3 Stooges (Faran, Kevorama and Bobbie, my bride) got together and convinced me to help Harvey (Spyderpops) put his grand kids through college. I added the skid plate (aka kritter splitter) and also his creative wire mesh inserts. They are begging for some creative lighting to be added to accent them. I found some purple UV strips the right length from an odd sort of vendor and I hope to add them in the coming weeks. They will graze over the mesh to accent it much like the lights accent a curtain at a Broadway theater. All will be placed out of sight as much as possible so you only see the results of the light.
I'm also adding Jim's belt tensioner (aka SmoothSpyder) while the tupperware is off.
Pics will follow...
Light Your World... Brighten The Corner Where You Are...
Last edited:
Arr MiHardies
New member
I always thought some black lights on a white Spyder would create an awesome effect at night. Make the bike itself all glowy.
kevorama
MOgang Member & Pyro-Man
Phil, I had considered the belt tensioner and asked Kevin at cowtown about it. He thought it was unnecessary. I know those lights will look awesome. Can't wait for pics. What obscure co. Did you use this time?
Hanging with SpyderLady Linda and John out on the patio. Real nice weather this week.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hanging with SpyderLady Linda and John out on the patio. Real nice weather this week.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Phil
Mod Monster
Hey Kev- sorry man. Just saw this. OZNIUM is the company. I started to work on them this afternoon, but my body had another idea. Need to catch up sometime bro.
Phil, Tyler TX- from my iPad3.5 using Tapatalk HD
Phil
Mod Monster
~~~~FINE TUNING GLORYDERS~~~~
I've watched several posts asking questions about GloRyders so I thought I'd show a couple of 'different' views of them and how to fine tune them a little. There are other posts here in Phil's Mods showing how to attach GloRyders to a 622 trailer if you're interested. I know 2-3 of us that have done the trailer successfully, but I'll say again here... Do it at your own risk.
Some have asked how the GloRyder is powered. There are 3AA batteries. There are 2 more under the circuit board which is really easy to remove. There is also a switch allowing you to operate the units ON 100% of the time (show) or only operate when it is dark and when there is movement (glo). Here's a close up of the unit-
I have a 2010 RT with 6 spokes. There was something bothering me about the non-uniformity of the way the spokes were lighting up. Here's how it looked---
I was asked about the caps at Spyderfest. It is a design I did called Spyder Ichthus. Mark Lawson had the GloRyder folks cut a set for him and one for me. There is a price for it as you might expect, but they are great to work with if you want a custom design.
Anyway... the overall glo... Not bad, but to the eye, 2 of the spokes appeared more dim than the others. The LEDs on the GloRyder circuit board, as you can see in the first pic, can be nudged into alignment with the spokes by carefully pushing on the LEDs, thus bending the electrodes (wires) that connect to the circuit board. I'm pretty sure the GloRyder folks would say if you do this and break it, you will have voided the warranty. But since when has that stopped me
. I used a small screwdriver and simply bent the LEDs so the hottest point of the light was aimed right down the middle of each spoke, like this---
I didn't get a 'final result' pic with the cap on, but I can now feel good that the light coverage looks even across the wheel. Here's another view after the alignment--
A small adjustment that made a huge difference to me.
Phil, Tyler TX- from my iPad3.5 using Tapatalk HD
I've watched several posts asking questions about GloRyders so I thought I'd show a couple of 'different' views of them and how to fine tune them a little. There are other posts here in Phil's Mods showing how to attach GloRyders to a 622 trailer if you're interested. I know 2-3 of us that have done the trailer successfully, but I'll say again here... Do it at your own risk.
Some have asked how the GloRyder is powered. There are 3AA batteries. There are 2 more under the circuit board which is really easy to remove. There is also a switch allowing you to operate the units ON 100% of the time (show) or only operate when it is dark and when there is movement (glo). Here's a close up of the unit-
I have a 2010 RT with 6 spokes. There was something bothering me about the non-uniformity of the way the spokes were lighting up. Here's how it looked---
Anyway... the overall glo... Not bad, but to the eye, 2 of the spokes appeared more dim than the others. The LEDs on the GloRyder circuit board, as you can see in the first pic, can be nudged into alignment with the spokes by carefully pushing on the LEDs, thus bending the electrodes (wires) that connect to the circuit board. I'm pretty sure the GloRyder folks would say if you do this and break it, you will have voided the warranty. But since when has that stopped me
. I used a small screwdriver and simply bent the LEDs so the hottest point of the light was aimed right down the middle of each spoke, like this---
I didn't get a 'final result' pic with the cap on, but I can now feel good that the light coverage looks even across the wheel. Here's another view after the alignment--
A small adjustment that made a huge difference to me.
Phil, Tyler TX- from my iPad3.5 using Tapatalk HD
Last edited:
MarkLawson
RT-S PE#0031
Nice tip on the GloRyders Phil! I would guess the original install position would be the best solution. Wish I had thought of it way back then.
Phil
Mod Monster
SmoothSpyder added today
As you read this, remember that I am NOT a wrench guy. I wish I had Scotty and others of you here today as I did this mod. I made mistakes and was really uneasy as I did it. On to the mod.
As the instructions say, you CAN do this without removing any Tupperware, but I took the REMOVE EVERYTHING approach. The most critical part and the hardest and the one I was most nervous about is drilling the 2 holes in the frame. I wasn't nervous about putting holes in the frame. I was pretty sure I wouldn't get them in the right place. And I didn't. If I had LOOKED at this picture before I finished drilling and before I put the big aluminum foot peg piece ( what IS that thing called?) back on, I would have seen that I was wrong.
There is a hazard to putting the assembly on the RT without the foot peg piece in place. I made the holes about 1/16" too close to the outside of the bike, thus when I went to reassemble, the foot peg assembly ALMOST fit back in but not quite. I only have a Dremel and I did what I could with it.
But 4 tries later and using a pretty dull file, it finally fit. I took this right before I put the foot peg thing back on so you could see how the assembly looks. Very nice design. Very sturdy.
I followed the instructions on the tensioning of the roller and it came out spot on at 10lbs. Just enough to take out the wobble from the loose side of the long belt.
The installation instructions are correct, but for a non-wrench guy, a bit lacking. To Jim's credit, I likely should have had a professional do this one. BUT.... IT WORKS! As per the instructions, while Darth was up on the stands, I fired him up, put him in gear, went to 2nd gear, and rev'd to 5,000 then up to 6,500 RPM. and everything tracked perfectly and smoothly. Proof will be in the riding, but the engineering of it tells me that it will help. And the testimony of others is highly encouraging!
Now, while the panels are off...... More lights!
As you read this, remember that I am NOT a wrench guy. I wish I had Scotty and others of you here today as I did this mod. I made mistakes and was really uneasy as I did it. On to the mod.
As the instructions say, you CAN do this without removing any Tupperware, but I took the REMOVE EVERYTHING approach. The most critical part and the hardest and the one I was most nervous about is drilling the 2 holes in the frame. I wasn't nervous about putting holes in the frame. I was pretty sure I wouldn't get them in the right place. And I didn't. If I had LOOKED at this picture before I finished drilling and before I put the big aluminum foot peg piece ( what IS that thing called?) back on, I would have seen that I was wrong.
There is a hazard to putting the assembly on the RT without the foot peg piece in place. I made the holes about 1/16" too close to the outside of the bike, thus when I went to reassemble, the foot peg assembly ALMOST fit back in but not quite. I only have a Dremel and I did what I could with it.
But 4 tries later and using a pretty dull file, it finally fit. I took this right before I put the foot peg thing back on so you could see how the assembly looks. Very nice design. Very sturdy.
I followed the instructions on the tensioning of the roller and it came out spot on at 10lbs. Just enough to take out the wobble from the loose side of the long belt.
The installation instructions are correct, but for a non-wrench guy, a bit lacking. To Jim's credit, I likely should have had a professional do this one. BUT.... IT WORKS! As per the instructions, while Darth was up on the stands, I fired him up, put him in gear, went to 2nd gear, and rev'd to 5,000 then up to 6,500 RPM. and everything tracked perfectly and smoothly. Proof will be in the riding, but the engineering of it tells me that it will help. And the testimony of others is highly encouraging!
Now, while the panels are off...... More lights!
Last edited:
kevorama
MOgang Member & Pyro-Man
I defer to you, Phil. Let me know how you like this product. I love this site and the folks that try to make this bike better. I don't have much of a belt vibration issue with mine, but I do notice it when the belt 'unloads' when in cruise mode on hills and declines. That's to be expected. Once Cowtown got my belt tensioned correctly, it's been vibration free.
Phil
Mod Monster
oh how I long for a Cowtown close to me.
Phil, Tyler TX- from my iPad3.5 using Tapatalk HD
Phil
Mod Monster
Kev-
I took Darth out last evening after hastily putting everything back together (a post on that later). I went up to 80+mph two times and W-O-W!!!! The only vibration I felt at all was when I REALLY gunned it in lower gears. I'm guessing that might be the motor mount issue that is on the early 2010s. But W-O-W was it smooth!!!
Phil
Mod Monster
Adding one more pic of the SmoothSpyder. I took this looking straight down.
One additional observation about my first ryde to test the alignment and the overall WOW factor. As I was coming back down from 80+mph, I heard an interesting wrrrrrrrrr. I liked it! Kind of like a small jet turbine. Pretty sure it's the newness of the bearing in the roller.
More lighting, coming up.....
Phil, Tyler TX- from my iPad3.5 using Tapatalk HD
One additional observation about my first ryde to test the alignment and the overall WOW factor. As I was coming back down from 80+mph, I heard an interesting wrrrrrrrrr. I liked it! Kind of like a small jet turbine
. Pretty sure it's the newness of the bearing in the roller. More lighting, coming up.....
Phil, Tyler TX- from my iPad3.5 using Tapatalk HD
Phil
Mod Monster
A Few More Lights
Seems like whenever I have the Tupperware off, I mount a few more lights and clean up some wiring. I'm hoping you'll look at this and have no idea where they were added. That's one of the big points in doing lighting (IMHO). Whenever possible, lighting should reflect off of something UNLESS the light itself is a 'spectacular'. Like at rock shows. Even then the light typically reflects off of the fog they put in the air. But on a Spyder, WHEN POSSIBLE, you want to use the body, the chrome, the shape and form of the bike to show off your lighting, when you can.
Let me also, here at the top, put in a huge plug for Reggie and Custom Dynamics. While I'm NOT a wrench guy, I am decent with electrical. If you are the opposite, of if you're even better at dialing the phone than connecting wires, call those guys. They KNOW what they're doing. I'm makin this stuff up as I go.
Here's the 'current' end result.....
Some of the wiring re-work I did was to add disconnects to allow panels to be easily removed. There are several ways you can do this. My choice for this was:
I was looking for small, simple and weather resistant. This little connector is all that and inexpensive. Here' s a few more shots of it:
In the picture below, you can see one of the LED modules I added to one of the removable panels. It has a chrome body and puts out purple light. It's goal is to wash the Spyderpops screen mesh that was a Spyderfest addition.
The black cloth tape is Gaffer tape. Good for 200+ degrees and really tough stuff. I use a lot of it. I tried to keep the lead lengths that are exposed rather short. He's the sheath that I used to protect the wiring, since it runs near the radiator and other hot parts:
Above you can see that I've added the sheath to the lighting wire on the panel.
Here is the 'supply side'. I ran a sheathed pair of wires from the left and right wiring blocks to the sides where the removable panels are. I crimped 3 of the female sides of the connectors to that feeder.
I also added a larger section of the sheath braid so that once I plugged everything in, I can slide that section over all the connectors. Sorry, no pics of that, but here's one more shot, before replacing the panels...
The braid is good for really high temps, it's flexible, can grow to twice it's size by pushing it together like Chinese handcuffs.
By now you've figured out that I added 3 purple LED modules to graze the screen mesh. I also added several modules to better light around the shocks ( replacing a couple that had died or were dying).
Now go light your world!!
Seems like whenever I have the Tupperware off, I mount a few more lights and clean up some wiring. I'm hoping you'll look at this and have no idea where they were added. That's one of the big points in doing lighting (IMHO). Whenever possible, lighting should reflect off of something UNLESS the light itself is a 'spectacular'. Like at rock shows. Even then the light typically reflects off of the fog they put in the air. But on a Spyder, WHEN POSSIBLE, you want to use the body, the chrome, the shape and form of the bike to show off your lighting, when you can.
Let me also, here at the top, put in a huge plug for Reggie and Custom Dynamics. While I'm NOT a wrench guy, I am decent with electrical. If you are the opposite, of if you're even better at dialing the phone than connecting wires, call those guys. They KNOW what they're doing. I'm makin this stuff up as I go
. Here's the 'current' end result.....
Some of the wiring re-work I did was to add disconnects to allow panels to be easily removed. There are several ways you can do this. My choice for this was:
I was looking for small, simple and weather resistant. This little connector is all that and inexpensive. Here' s a few more shots of it:
In the picture below, you can see one of the LED modules I added to one of the removable panels. It has a chrome body and puts out purple light. It's goal is to wash the Spyderpops screen mesh that was a Spyderfest addition.
The black cloth tape is Gaffer tape. Good for 200+ degrees and really tough stuff. I use a lot of it. I tried to keep the lead lengths that are exposed rather short. He's the sheath that I used to protect the wiring, since it runs near the radiator and other hot parts:
Above you can see that I've added the sheath to the lighting wire on the panel.
Here is the 'supply side'. I ran a sheathed pair of wires from the left and right wiring blocks to the sides where the removable panels are. I crimped 3 of the female sides of the connectors to that feeder.
I also added a larger section of the sheath braid so that once I plugged everything in, I can slide that section over all the connectors. Sorry, no pics of that, but here's one more shot, before replacing the panels...
The braid is good for really high temps, it's flexible, can grow to twice it's size by pushing it together like Chinese handcuffs.
By now you've figured out that I added 3 purple LED modules to graze the screen mesh. I also added several modules to better light around the shocks ( replacing a couple that had died or were dying).
Now go light your world!!
Last edited:
opcorn: nice write up and pics too.:thumbup:
Phil
Mod Monster
Hey Coz.
There IS a limit, but I'm pretty sure I'm not there as long as I'm doing normal driving. One of my todo items is to actually measure the total draw of all of the lights I've added. It's easy because they all flow through a common fuse panel and one relay. I'll post the results soon.
Phil, Tyler TX- from my iPad3.5 using Tapatalk HD
There IS a limit, but I'm pretty sure I'm not there as long as I'm doing normal driving. One of my todo items is to actually measure the total draw of all of the lights I've added. It's easy because they all flow through a common fuse panel and one relay. I'll post the results soon.
Phil, Tyler TX- from my iPad3.5 using Tapatalk HD
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