Question about transport with side panels off

[DynamoBT]

OK folks, I tried to start up my Spyder to ryde it up to the dealer for servicing and recalls, and it would not start. :gaah: I got a hold of a friend who would help push the Spyder up on our trailer. He had a "power pack" which he had used on his Ducati bikes when their batteries pooped out. He loaned that to us. I got the side panels off. Tried to start the Spyder off the power pack. NO GO! Barely a half hearted whine from the engine.

So, now we will have friends come over to help us get the Spyder onto the trailer. The deal is, I was barely savvy enough to get the side panels off. I've never done it before. Had to use the Owner's Guide and tool kit that comes with the Spyder to do it. I am not sure I could get the panels back on correctly.

My question: Do you think I could transport the Spydet tied down on a trailer with the side panels off without doing damage to it? I know the answer is "probably not". But, I really do think I will have trouble getting the panels back on. Heck, we're going to have a devil of a time just getting the Spyder onto the trailer. This is basically a "landscape trailer" and there is quite the incline to get it up to the bed to tie it down. It would have been so much easier if the thing would have started!!

I am exhausted from changing clothes, hooking up the trailer, cleaning the trailer off, inflating tires of Spyder and trailer to correct levels, taking panels off and now have to come in to play with my very energetic dog. I had so wished I was taking a nice Spyder ryde today instead of all this garbage. Oh well. If I at least don't have to put the panels back on, that's less crouching down I'll have to do.

 

[xpeschon]

Some of those JUMPERS are tricking.... I'm thinking the Power Pack you got from your buddy is not charged.... Just my thought,, I'd charge the Power Pack and try again.. As for transporting with-out panels, shouldn't really be a problem.. How far away is your dealer?? I have heard though other members that they have trailered theres to the dealer with panels off so again, I think you'll be fine.. Charge up the power pack and try it again..

X-Joe

 

[NancysToy]

I wouldn't be surprised if your battery connections were badly corroded. That can prevent being able to jump start a vehicle. A bad battery can do the same thing, and yours may well be toast.

You should be able to transport the Spyder with several panels removed, as long as no remaining panels are loose. Some panels on the Spyder attach to other panels. Keep your towing speed down, just for good measure.

I sympathize with your situation. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Quite a workout to load a dead vehicle onto a trailer without a winch!

 

[boborgera]

OK folks, I tried to start up my Spyder to ryde it up to the dealer for servicing and recalls, and it would not start. :gaah: I got a hold of a friend who would help push the Spyder up on our trailer. He had a "power pack" which he had used on his Ducati bikes when their batteries pooped out. He loaned that to us. I got the side panels off. Tried to start the Spyder off the power pack. NO GO! Barely a half hearted whine from the engine.

:dontknow:
I'm still think your battery's weak and if it's really weak as in dead a power pack won't start the eingne!opcorn:

 

[DynamoBT]

Well, it started up this time.. The motorcycle savvy neighbor did not recommend I ryde it up as if the battery is not charging, I might have problems. But, the Spyder is loaded on the trailer!! I was able to ryde it up onto it. That helped a lot!

I may have to wait until Saturday to trailer it up to the dealer. We're expecting snow tonight. I don't want a lot of road crud splashing up onto the Spyder. It's my baby. It's pristine clean. I want it to stay that way.

Thank you all who relpied to my threads today. I've not been easy to deal with today. I get frustrated. I can have a short fuse sometimes. I work hard to not escalate and be a pain. But, when I get tired, it gets hard. I have Chronic Fatigue. When I say, "I'm tired". I'm really beat.

At least today ended with the Spyder on the trailer. This is a good thing. I'm happy about that. :clap:

 

[NancysToy]

Well, it started up this time.. The motorcycle savvy neighbor did not recommend I ryde it up as if the battery is not charging, I might have problems. But, the Spyder is loaded on the trailer!! I was able to ryde it up onto it. That helped a lot!

I may have to wait until Saturday to trailer it up to the dealer. We're expecting snow tonight. I don't want a lot of road crud splashing up onto the Spyder. It's my baby. It's pristine clean. I want it to stay that way.

Thank you all who relpied to my threads today. I've not been easy to deal with today. I get frustrated. I can have a short fuse sometimes. I work hard to not escalate and be a pain. But, when I get tired, it gets hard. I have Chronic Fatigue. When I say, "I'm tired". I'm really beat.

At least today ended with the Spyder on the trailer. This is a good thing. I'm happy about that. :clap:

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

If you have access to a volt-ohmmeter (multi-meter), or want to buy a cheap one, it is easy to see if the Spyder is charging. With the engine running and at 4,000 rpm, it should charge at 13.0-14.8 volts DC. A multi-meter can test the battery condition, too. After fully charging, and letting the battery rest off the charger for a few hours to overnight, it should read a minimum of 12.6-12.7 volts. Anything less indicvates a failed or failing battery. While cranking the engine at WOT (Wide Open Throttle), so it wont start, the voltage should not drop below 10.0 volts.

If you decide to ride the Spyder to charge it, remember that it only has half the rated charging charging capacity at 4,000 rpm. Keep the revs up. I hope you cleaned and tightened the battery terminals while the side panels were off.

 

[DynamoBT]

Thanks Scotty. My hubby seemed to understand what you wrote about the ohmmeter better than I did.

I wish there was a private women's place on this forum or a locked password protected place for dummies to post.

I did a really, really dumb thing today. It's OK. I learned a lot too. Stuff that I would never have learned had I not needed help this afternoon.

I think I can actually operate a ratchet correctly now!! Tying down the Spyder took only minutes compared to marathon it takes me. So, something learned is good. I won't be making the same mistake I made today any time soon. So, that's good too. I am wiser for the day.

 

[Firefly]

Don't worry about transporting without the panels on---- I ride mine all the time naked.... well the spyder is naked--- even rode without the trunk on for a few hundred miles....

Sounds like you need to install a Battery Tender and plug it in for a good nights slow-charge....

I leave mine plugged in all winter and at least one night a week the rest of the year if not more....

 

[SpyderSteve]

Don't worry about transporting without the panels on---- I ride mine all the time naked.... well the spyder is naked--- even rode without the trunk on for a few hundred miles....

Sounds like you need to install a Battery Tender and plug it in for a good nights slow-charge....

I leave mine plugged in all winter and at least one night a week the rest of the year if not more....

That part about you riding the :spyder2: naked scared me Dan :yikes:

 

[DynamoBT]

I did have it on a battery tender all winter. I must confess that the non starting was very likely due to operator error and not a battery failure.

Last night, friends came over. The put the power pack on it. I got on and started it right up. We did load it on our trailer for transport. The guys got it all tied down for me. I learned a thing or two in the process about ratchet straps that I didn't know. Any time I need to trailer it in the future will go a lot easier. Heck, even transporting our lawnmowers will go faster!! So, I did make progress yesterday. Just not the progress that I had hoped to make at the start of the day.

It's snowing lightly now. We parked the trailer with the Spyder on it in our workshop building. I will wait for clear roads now to take it up to the dealer. I don't want a lot of road crud to be splashed all over it. Looks like Saturday is the day now.

In the meantime, I will try and put the panels back on. I have the knee panels from BRP on it. The gaskets on these things are a real pain. Can they be glued in place?? If so, what kind of glue should I use?? I could be getting that done in the meantime too. I'll take the right side knee pad off and get that one fixed as well. No wonder people got the Druz fasteners for their Spyders. These torx screws are a royal pain in the butt!!!!

 

[NancysToy]

.....I have the knee panels from BRP on it. The gaskets on these things are a real pain. Can they be glued in place?? If so, what kind of glue should I use??.....

I would probably try 3M Super Weatherstrip Adhesive. That is strictly shooting from the hip. I have no experience with the Spyder kneepads, but this product is used for similar applications, namely attaching rubber weatherstripping to body panels. Protect the adjacent surfaces carefully, this stuff is messy, and it can attack some finishes when wet.

 

[qasamm]

I have these guards and got frustrated with the gaskets. I didn't really understand the purpose other than assuring the panels don't get scraped up so I used a 1/2 dozen rubber feet (stickon) for each guard. Works perfect.

 

[DynamoBT]

Thanks! I think I'm off to Home Depot or Lowe's to see what I can find. I kind of like the idea of the sticky rubber feet! That would be so easy!!! The gaskets truly are a pain in the neck! I have the Mono-seat cowl that I don't use exactly for the same reason! These accessories should have been thought out a bit more by BRP!! JMHO!

Anyone want a Yellow Mono-seat cowl for the cost of shipping and and say $75.00?? It's $199.99 new! I have three of the four rubber doohickies to attach it. Double sided velcro was the advice on the Do-it-yourself thread. I don't have that. But easily found at a hardware store.

 

[DynamoBT]

Well, I was not successful at getting little tiny black rubber "bumpers" to stick on the back of the knee panel. Boo hiss!

What I did get was black Silicone adhesive to glue the gasket onto the back of the panel. I got wooden cuticle sticks to help with the application of the adhesive. I am praying I don't make a complete hash of this.

It occurs to me that instead of rubber bumpers placed strategically on the back of the panel, that I don't need to glue the entire gasket on the back of the knee panel. I could cut the gasket into a number of small pieces and glue just pieces of the gasket onto the back of the knee panel. I would be making my own "small rubber bumpers". This would be a heck of a lot easier than trying to fill the small channel on the entire gasket with the silicone adhesive, then fitting the whole thiing together!

I honestly don't see why I can't do the cutting of the gasket and just put pieces of it on the back of the panel. Does anyone thing this would look beyond weird? Or is there some major drawback of doing this that I am not aware of? Clearly, the gasket is "toast" if I cut it into pieces!!!

Well, I will wait a bit and see if I get replies to my questions. My Spyder isn't likely going anywhere today. Maybe tomorrow. Definitely Saturday at the latest.

TIA for help. I would really be lost were it not for SpyderLovers!!!! nojoke

 

[DynamoBT]

Well, for anyone interested, I ended up using the silicone adhesive to attach the gaskets to the knee panels. They are "curing" now. It takes 3 hours to set up.

I used a Black Silicone adhesive in a calking tube made by GE. The only problem I ran into was that I destroyed the back end of the tube applying pressure to the caulking gun. I specifically asked in the store if my making a really small hole at the tip of the tube was going to be a problem. I was assured it would be fine. It wasn't fine. I forced the end of the tube up into the silicone. Yup, it was a mess.

I used gloves and a cuticle tool made of wood to scoop out the silicone from the opened back end of the tube. I filled the groove on the gasket right up. Attaching the gasket went even easier than when the gasket was dry. Way easier, in fact. The gasket just formed itself right around the knee panel nice as day. I could see where the gaskets had been flatened as they were squeezed between the side of the Spdyer and the knee panel when the screws holding the panel on were tightened. Not much I could do about the mis-shapen areas. I did the best I could.

I had very little mess. I'm neat. I put a cut paper bag taped to the kitchen counter to work on. The silicone, being black, blended right in to the gasket if there was any overflow. Actually, the excess silicone was pushed to the inside where it cannot be seen. So, I had very little wiping up on the outside of the panel. The silicone is shiny where the gasket is dull. Still, I don't think it will be noticable.

The big question now is after the knee panels have been attached to the side of the Spyder for a while, and someone goes to take them off, will the gasket go with the knee panel or stick to the side of the Spyder?? I'm hoping that I gunked up the groove on the gasket with enough silicone so that they are adhered for life. Time will tell.

I'll put the Spyder back together tomorrow morning before I trailer it up to the dealer. As I have said, "It's all loaded onto the trailer and tied down.". It's going to be cold tomorrow. I'm a weenie. Hopefully, when everything is all done, the weather will be more cooperative to ryde it home.

 

[NancysToy]

Way to go, Marilyn! Black RTV silicone is my second choice in adhesives. As you found, it takes longer to cure. Under your conditions, overnight is even better than 3 hours. For future reference, while it is still soft, it can be tooled with your finger, or mostly removed, by wetting your finger (or a plastic tool). I hope you're back in the wind real soon. You've had a long wait.

 

[DynamoBT]

Thanks Scotty. This was quite the accomplishment for me. I just hope now that I can put the side panels back on the Spyder tomorrow. It will be a whole lot quicker to go highways to the dealer rather than back 40 mph roads. I want it in their hands and work underway. I'm actually not even in the que for a DPS. They said, just get it up there as soon as possible. I might even move to the head of the line if my Spyder was right there waiting!

This is such a load off my shoulders. I can't wait to start ryding again. I just want some time in the wind. I've missed it.

 

[docdoru]

It occurs to me that instead of rubber bumpers placed strategically on the back of the panel, that I don't need to glue the entire gasket on the back of the knee panel. I could cut the gasket into a number of small pieces and glue just pieces of the gasket onto the back of the knee panel. I would be making my own "small rubber bumpers". This would be a heck of a lot easier than trying to fill the small channel on the entire gasket with the silicone adhesive, then fitting the whole thiing together!nojoke

 

[DynamoBT]

Doc, that probably would have been less expensive. Especially as I caved in the end of the calking tube. I have double layers of Saran Wrap held tight with elastic bands. Who knows if the whole tube is toast.

So far so good. The silicone is drying. Did a little test "pull" on the gasket. I know. I'm like a little kid unable to wait!! The gasket did not part company from the knee panel!! I hope this does the trick!!!