2013 RT / 2014RT / 2015 RT - Shock Spring Adjuster Installation Instructions

Transcription

1 2013 RT / 2014RT / 2015 RT - Shock Spring Adjuster Installation Instructions Billet Aluminum Adjusters (2) Shock Spring Compressors (Optional) Spanner Wrench (1) BajaRon Decals Not Shown (4) Adjuster Scuff Protectors (2) Double Sided Sticky Tape (1) Shock Adjuster Installation Steps - This installation is easier with a helper but can be done alone. 1. Measure height from floor to the Front/Bottom/Center of the Frunk (Front Trunk). You will need this for future reference. It is best to write this measurement down. 2. Remove the nut on the lower shock mounting bolt on both sides. Leave the bolt in for now. 3. Lift the front of the Spyder with an appropriate jack so that both front wheels are just off the ground. 4. Remove the nut (rear of frame) from the top shock mount bolt on both sides. Leave the bolt in for now. We found that using an offset box end wrench on the front side, and ratchet/socket wrench in the rear works well. 5. Remove the lower shock mount bolt. This is easier to do when there is no tension on the shock. You can raise or lower the jack or (if you have a helper) push up or down on the handlebars or foot peg so that the wheel just touches the floor. This will release tension on the bolt and it will slide out easily. Do this for both sides. 6. Raise the Spyder up another 2-3 inches to get more room to work on the upper shock mount. 7. Remove the upper shock mounting bolt on both sides. Remove both shocks. 8. Coil Spring Removal. Spray or apply lubricant to the Spring Compressor threads. WD-40, chain lube or similar will work. You can clamp the shock in a vice or lay the shock horizontally on the floor or other sturdy, flat working surface. You may want to use a piece of carpet or thick cloth to keep from scratching the Shock and Spring unit. This also helps to stabilize the components and keep them from moving. 9. Place the Spring Compressors exactly opposite each other with both bolt heads at the top of the shock. Extend them to capture as many coils as possible being sure that at least 50% of the lower nut has thread engagement with the bolt. 10. Do Not! use an air impact on the spring compressors! Not only is it dangerous! But it will not work very well. Using a ratchet and socket, turn one Spring Compressor nut until snug against the spring being sure that the 'Hooks' on each end of the Compressor Tool fully engage the coil spring. Do the same for the other Spring Compressor.

2 Make sure that both spring compressors are vertically aligned with the shock body. Spring Compressors MUST be EXACTLY Opposite each other on either side of the shock. Be sure to maintain this orientation as you proceed. The compressors will want to move around the spring if tension is uneven. Take your time. Do Not get in a hurry. NEVER! put your fingers between the end of the spring and the shock. Handle the coil spring around the outside only! 11. Turn each Compressor bolt a few turns at a time alternating back and forth. Keep an eye on the spring hooks. Do not let them get cocked on the spring. Keep the Coil Spring straight (not curved to one side or the other). You can use vise grips, or an adjustable or open end wrench on the threaded nut at the bottom of the Spring Compressor to stabilize it. Equal number of turns does not necessarily mean equal tension. One spring compressor will grab more coils than the other. The spring compressor that spans more coils will require a few more turns to maintain equal tension. 12. Do not compress the Coil Spring any more than necessary to remove the retainers at the top of the Shock. 13. When you have enough clearance at the top of the shock, remove the Coil Spring retainer, then remove the Coil Spring/Spring Compressor assembly. Take reasonable care of the Coil Spring and Compressor assembly as it is under a great deal of tension. Place it in a safe place where it will not be disturbed and cannot fall. 14. VERY IMPORTANT! Remove the lower coil spring retaining ring from the body of the shock. You may need to tap it a few times to loosen it. Slide it off the shock. It will not be reused. 15. Slide an Adjuster down over the top of the shock with the threaded end down. Position the notches in the Adjuster over the 3 extrusions in the shock body. Push the adjuster as far as possible down onto the shock body. Turn the Adjuster by hand until it is fully collapsed (Inner portion is all the way up into the outer portion). 16. Place (1) Nylon Scuff Protector onto the top of the Adjuster where the Coil Spring will rest. 17. Align the upper and lower Shock Mounting Eyes. This will be more difficult once the coil spring is mounted. 18. Replace the Coil Spring assembly onto the Shock Body with the Compressor Bolt Heads at the Top of the Shock. 19. Replace the (2) Silver Coil Spring Retainers at the top of the shock. The Small retainer mounts inside the Large Retainer. Be sure to misalign the slots in these retainers at least 90 degrees. Check this misalignment as you go. 20. Extend the Adjuster by hand as much as you can by turning it counter clockwise. This will help position the top of the Coil Spring into the retainers and greatly reduce the amount of effort needed to release the Spring Compressors. Recheck the upper spring retainer assembly to be sure it is seated properly at the top of the shock and that the slots in the 2 stamped metal pieces have at least 90 degrees of misalignment. Check this several times throughout this process. 21. Release the Spring Compressors Evenly until they can be removed from the Spring. Keep the top of the Coil Spring and Retainers properly positioned on the shock. Keep Retainers properly seated into the top of the Shock. Again, equal number of turns does not necessarily mean equal tension release. If the coil spring starts to bend to one side, the Spring Compressor on that side is too tight. Do not let the Compressor hooks get cocked on the spring. Using vise grips or an adjustable or open end wrench on the threaded bolt at the bottom of the Spring Compressor will help maintain stability and can help prevent Spring Compressor Creep on the coil spring. Repeat steps # 8 through # 21 for the other shock. Then proceed to step # 22

3 22. Installing the Shock onto the Spyder - It can be difficult to get the nut started onto the upper Shock Mount bolt once the Shock is installed. The following steps are to be completed BEFORE re-installing the shock onto the Spyder. Be sure that the flange surface of the nut and the mating surface on the FRONT SIDE of the frame where the TOP eye of the Shock mounts are clean and dry. 23. Cut a square from the strip of Double Sided Sticky Tape a bit larger than the flanged end of the Shock Mount Nut. 24. Expose one side of the sticky tape and apply it to the flange. Pic-1 & Pic-2. Press hard to get good adhesion. 25. Using a razorblade or sharp box cutter trim the Sticky Tape around the inner and outer edges of the bolt flange. Pic-3 Be sure NO Sticky Tape is in or blocking the threads. 26. Insert the upper shock mount bolt all the way into the upper shock mount from the rear of the bracket. This is OPPOSITE of the Factory orientation. This makes installation much easier and makes no difference to the Spyder. 27. Expose the Sticky Tape and thread the nut a few turns onto the bolt, (nut on the front side of the frame). 28. Push the nut against the frame pressing FIRMLY. You can also pull on the bolt head to apply more pressure to the nut against the frame. This process will allow you to install the bolt without having to hold and align the nut, which is very difficult to do once the shock is in place. 29. Unscrew the bolt while pressing the nut against the frame. Do not disturb the Sticky Tape or allow the nut to spin! NOTE: As an alternative to this procedure, some have used the sticky tape on a finger to hold the nut in place. Others have used the sticky tape on the offset box end wrench to hold the nut in place. 30. Return the shock to its general mounting position in the same manner as it was removed. Do not install the lower shock mount bolt at this time. 31. Align the top Shock Mount Eye with the mounting hole in the frame bracket. While holding the shock so there is no friction on the mounting bolt, gently push the bolt through until it contacts the nut. Turn the bolt clockwise with gentle pressure on the nut to engage the threads. Be careful not to push the nut away from the frame. You can use the Offset Box End Wrench to hold the nut. But if you do, be careful not to disturb the Sticky Tape until you are sure you have good thread engagement with the bolt. Once the threads engage you no long need to be careful. 32. Tighten the upper mounting Nut/Bold assembly. It needs only to be reasonably snug as the Nylock Nut will prevent any loosening. Tightening beyond a snug fit will only bend the mounting bracket. Leave the lower end of the shock unattached at this time. Repeat this Install procedure for the other shock.

4 33. Install the bottom of the shock. Bolt inserts from the front and the nut attaches at the rear of the bracket. Same tightening instructions as for the upper assembly. Turning the Adjusters - Be sure that the Spanner Pin is Fully Seated into the Adjuster Hole before attempting to turn the Adjuster. Otherwise, the Spanner may slip out suddenly and unexpectedly. The curved portion of the Spanner will lay flush against the Adjuster when the Pin is inserted correctly. 34. 'Zeroing Process' - With both wheels off the ground, set the shock adjuster to the lowest setting. Do this by inserting the spanner wrench pin into a spanner wrench hole to the right side of the shock adjuster with the handle to the left. Turn the adjuster moving from the right to the left. Do this until the Shock Adjuster will not turn any further. 35. Apply the BajaRon Decal - It is VERY IMPORTANT that both shock adjusters be set exactly the same. This is easily done by simply counting the number of FULL turns that you have made on one adjuster, then making the same number of FULL turns, IN THE SAME DIRECTION to the other shock adjuster. Right to Left rotation (L) <---- (R) - LOWERS spring tension - Lower Spyder Height Left to Right rotation (L) ----> (R) - INCREASES spring tension - Raises Spyder Height This is true for both sides of the Spyder To be sure that both adjusters are set exactly the same on both sides, you will need to identify a 'Zero' Spanner Wrench Hole on each Shock Adjuster. I have provided BajaRon Decals to accomplish this. 36. After you have returned the Shock Adjuster to its lowest setting (See Step # 34), select a BajaRon decal and center it below the Spanner Wrench Hole (See Picture Below) that is most directly facing outward. Touching the decal lightly to the shock adjuster allows relocation. Once satisfied with location, press hard and rub the decal to get good adherence. The Red/Blue Decal centers with the peak of the middle 'A' at the Spanner hole. The Chrome/Black Decal Centers between the middle 'A' and the 'R'. These decals are made of a very high quality, UV resistant material and should last the life of the Adjuster. Be careful when pressure washing. Intense, direct spray may loosen the decal. You may not want to use the bajaron decal. But you MUST, in some permanent and easily distinguishable way, designate one spanner hole as your 'Zero' or starting point. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to know for sure that you have both adjusters set exactly the same. This is very important. 37. With both shocks mounted and secured and the 'Zeroing' process completed (steps # 34 - #36) lower the Spyder and remove the jack. 38. Settling the Suspension - Before making any changes from your 'Zero' setting, it is highly recommended that you ride your Spyder for a few miles. This will seat the Adjusters onto the shock body and there should be no further settling. 39. After riding the Spyder to settle the Adjusters, measure the height of the front of your Spyder at the same point used at the beginning of this installation process. It is good to record this number for future reference. Making adjustments to the suspension with your New BajaRon Shock Spring Adjusters. You DO NOT need to lift your Spyder or raise the wheels off the ground to change the setting on the Adjusters! Maximum adjustment is 8 Full Turns! DO NO EXCEED 8 FULL TURNS! To date, no one has kept a setting higher than 5 full turns. Most are very happy with 2-3 full turns. It is best to experiment to find your best setting. What works for you will depend on loading, road conditions, speed and riding style.

5 It is not necessary to adjust your Spyder for every ride. But you should increase spring tension when heavily loaded and decrease spring tension when lightly loaded. The purpose of these Adjusters is NOT primarily to Raise your Spyder, but to MAINTAIN correct ride height. This will add stability, improved handling and increased road clearance. Use the original 'Floor to Spyder' measurement as base line. I suggest riding with no adjustment for a short time and then adding 2 turns on each Adjuster as a starting point. Ride Height Setting Suggestions Based on Loading Lightly loaded Spyder, 1/4" to 1/2" above stock ride height. Heavily loaded Spyder, 1/2" to 3/4" above stock ride height. Experiment with these settings to find what works best for you. Never raise (Extend) an adjuster more than a total of 8 full turns from the 'Zero' setting. 8 full turns is the maximum amount an Adjuster can safely be raised. If more than 1 full thread becomes exposed below the bottom of the Adjuster STOP! You have reached the maximum Safe Extension. The Adjusters will take some effort to turn but should always turn smoothly and without binding. If an adjuster binds or gets extremely difficult to turn, please contact your supplier or BajaRon. Always make the SAME NUMBER of FULL TURNS on each adjuster. Never leave Adjusters with an unequal number of turns between them. If you are unsure, simply lower both adjusters to their 'Zero' setting and start over. Right to Left rotation (L) <---- (R) - LOWERS spring tension - Lower Spyder Height Left to Right rotation (L) ----> (R) - INCREASES spring tension - Raises Spyder Height This is true for both sides of the Spyder Once the adjusters have been set to a 'Raised' position, they can then be lowered by the same number of turns, or raised to a higher setting. Never Exceed a total of 8 Full Turns in the raised position! Always be sure that the Spanner Pin is Fully Seated into the hole in the Adjuster before attempting to turn the Adjuster. Otherwise, the Spanner may slip out suddenly and unexpectedly. The curved portion of the Spanner will lay flush against the Adjuster when the Pin is inserted correctly. Turn the Adjuster in the desired direction until the Locator Mark returns to its original position. This is One Full Turn. Repeat this process until the desired number of FULL TURNS is reached. This locator mark must ALWAYS be returned to its original position regardless of which direction it is being turned. (Facing outwards towards the corresponding wheel) Always! make the SAME NUMBER of FULL TURNS IN THE SAME DIRECTION for both Adjusters. It is our hope that you receive many very enjoyable miles of riding from your set of BajaRon Shock Spring Adjusters! Ron (bajaron) Contact Information - fyredad@hotmail.com Phone