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RT ACCIDENT

It definitely WAS NOT human error. I inspected the bike not long afterwards and I saw (which was first spotted by another party) the top shock bolt missing on the right side. When, how and what caused this is anybodys guess.

The important lesson here of course is to inspect your bike as best you can. Will this be the only shock bolt out of all the thousands of Spyders out there spread out over 3 or more continents? Dunno. If there's a second or more we will probably never hear about it.

BRP watches this site and if I were them I'd send a message to all the dealers to add this item to the check list when we service our bikes.


The dealers charge to 'prep/assemble' the spyder. I got to believe that that should have been caught at that point. JMO, but maybe BRP might want to go over the prep/install with the original dealer. I'm making a big assumption that no one touched the shocks after it left the original dealer.
 
Rule of thumb...inspect your ride before taking it out...not just ocassionally...It'll avoid a lot of complications.

While this is a very good practice I was wondering how many actually inspect their car or truck before driving it (ie: oil, anti-freeze, tire pressure, transmission fluid level, etc) each and every time?

WHY should we have to treat a motorcycle differently? I mean the Spyder RT-S SE5 loaded w/trailer costs as much as a vehicle! I may agree with a pre-check ride inspection if it was being ridden off road but street riding on the same roads we drive our vehicles on????
 
While this is a very good practice I was wondering how many actually inspect their car or truck before driving it (ie: oil, anti-freeze, tire pressure, transmission fluid level, etc) each and every time?

WHY should we have to treat a motorcycle differently? I mean the Spyder RT-S SE5 loaded w/trailer costs as much as a vehicle! I may agree with a pre-check ride inspection if it was being ridden off road but street riding on the same roads we drive our vehicles on????

:agree:Plus, if you're going to check the upper shock bolt each time, don't you have to remove some tupperware?
 
Hmmm... because it doesn't have 4,000 pounds of metal surrounding and protecting you? Because it doesn't have seat belts or airbags? Because....

Well I use to fly for the AF and believe me, those cargo/tanker planes weigh way more than any vehicle and the airways are less crowded than the roads but we inspected them each and every time before flying. So, IMHO, "weight" is a moot point given the fact that people still die in car/truck accidents. If it is your time to go no matter how much "safety gear" you have around you, your time is up.

Forget the fact that "other drivers" can cause you grave injury, a daily inspection seems overkill (again IMHO). I check my SUVs oil, tires, etc about once a month and rarely do I find anything needed or leaking. I would like to think I purchased a dependable bike that does not need wrenching on after every ride.
 
Hmmm... because it doesn't have 4,000 pounds of metal surrounding and protecting you? Because it doesn't have seat belts or airbags? Because...

.

:agree:But the truth is I only do a quick eye ball before most rides.
Unless I'm going out on a long ride. [100Mi.+] Now when i change my oil [4/5 K] that's when i do a thorough inspection.
If I'm taken my 2 wheeler out
I'll do a pre ride inspection, Especially the tires, Because Spyders are like Webulls,
They might wobble but they won't fall over, Whereas 2 wheelers do fall over. Been there broke that.:yikes:
 
First, thank you for making other riders aware that something like this can happen (upper shock bolt failure). However, it seems to me that a pre-ride inspection may not be of much help. If the nut came undone, then you may be able to feel that on a pre-ride inspection. I am wondering whether it might not have been a heat treating problem and the bolt broke suddenly? If so, there may be no way to tell if your upper shock bolt is "good" or not. Hmmmmmmm.....
 
I've held off on commenting on this post but there are a few things I would like to add.

From what I'm reading it was not a DPS issue. I'm glad to hear that. BRP did a lot of homework to make sure the DPS was fixed and fixed for good. There can be setup issues even with the new DPS but the box itself has been redesigned to eliminate any possible mechanical issues. The dealer still needs to setup the unit on BUDS to make sure it operates as designed. This was not a cheap fix but it should help us all feel better about riding our Spyders.

It appears that the upper shock bolt on the right side was missing when inspected after the accident. It's unlikely that the bolt itself failed. You would have to have the bolt in hand to know for sure. From what I'm reading the bolt was missing so it hard to say either way. It's much more likely that the nut was never torqued by whoever handled the shock last.

From what I'm reading the RT had 16,000 miles on it and the DPS had been replaced. I'm not sure if this was done before it was delivered or if the DPS was replace somewhere within that 16,000 miles. Either way the trunk would have been off and the upper shock bolts would have been in plain site. If it was that loose you think someone would have noticed it. It would be nice to know when the DPS was replaced and if for some reason that shock was ever removed.

I've been riding motorcycles for many years and I'm a firm believer in hand washing your bike often, I do before any big ride and pretty much before any ride that my bike is dirty. I can't tell you how many times I've found loose bolts, pegs, mirrors, brackets, wires and the likes. There's nothing like going over every inch of your bike with your hand to find potential problems. I don't know if this is the practice of the OP but it's a good idea for the rest of you that may be new owners and are not aware of the added precaution that should be taken when riding a motorcycle or Spyder.

Information is power as they say and this post has some good information that can help us all keep safe in the future. :doorag:
 
Check the nuts and bolts

Good info and great advice.:agree: Thanks. I am sadly lacking in doing what you do all the time.:sour: I will up my care of my 2 babys.:lecturef_smilie: Living on a dirt road hasn't helped any bolts staying put. Have had one or two loose ones:shocked: and Thank God it wasn't on anything really important. Just a warning tho I guess. It helps if the nut behind the wheel gets it together!!!:roflblack::roflblack:
 
Lamont's offering some good advice; to paraphrase: Cleanliness is next to saf-liness:2thumbs:. Okay I know that's not a word but as Alec Baldwin says in his commercial - "Neither was bologna until someone made it up!"

My new resolution will be to keep my bikes cleaner in the interest of safety, not aesthetics.
 
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