High RPMs?

[Spydeegirl]

Hi Ya'll!

Got a Spyder about a month ago and love her. Decided to take it up to a bike rally. It was fun having something different and lots of questions were asked about her. Well... went on the Parade Route (rally goers will know what I'm talking about) and it overheated twice before I could get it off the main drag. Argg! The humiliation of a water cooled engine overheating at a air cooled bike rally.

Anyhoo, thanks to this forum I found out about the faulty fan relay. Nope, the fan never came on during the evening of teeth gnashing.

My question is this. Is there a reason for the higher RPMs? My Harley idles below 1,000 rpm and same with my car. The Spyder idles around 13 - 1400 rpm, at 50 mph 3700 rpm and its painful to see how fast the engine is turning at highway speeds. Could the higher rpms also be a factor in the overheating?

Are Rotax engines still two-strokes?

Sorry for all the questions but they have been a hot topic around the ol' Ponderosa lately.

Thanks for your help.

Sypdeegirl

[rat95dynaguy]

Hey Spydeegirl,

I have also noticed these things do NOT like to lug! Get mine below 2000 rpm and she starts buckin. I think this is just a design result as my 800 CanAm Outlander Max revs high also and it uses the same Rotax engine. On the plus side, you hit 3800 or so rpm and the Spyder takes off like a rocket.
I am no speed demon so I cruise at 65 mph which puts my rpm's around 5000. High, but good throttle response for passing.
I haven't heard about the fan relay problem. Was that specific to 08's or does it include 09's? So far mine is working (crossing fingers now).
Have fun! Keep three down!

[Spydeegirl]

rat95dynaguy,

Guess high rpms are the nature of the Spyder then. Mine doesn't like to putz either. On the open road she is great. Just have to get over the high rpms. Different engine, different numbers...

Don't know if 'fan relay' was the right term. Mine's a '09. It might be a fuse that is malfunctioning. Regardless, we are going in for her 600 mile oil change this week and the mechs can deal with the problem. I'm not going to try and fix the fan myself because I don't want the dealership saying that I caused the problem. When the cause of the fan malfunction/overheating is found, ya'll will hear about it.

Thanks for your input...

Spydeegir

[Spyderman]

The fan relay seems to be a recurring thing..... Oh, you may want to make sure the dealer checks that the Thermostat is OK too. As for the high RPM's you hit it on the head, the engine's origins are based in Aprilia sport bikes that really come into their own in the upper RPM's, it is a four stroke, so those RPMs are above 3800.

Be glad it's not a two stroke, my brother had a Yamaha two-stroke when we were "young"... man after 10,000 RPM, no matter what gear you were in, it would lift the front wheel right off the pavement, it was a scary bike.

[Latemarch]

There are 3 relays up there under the trunk lid, one of which is the fan relay.
All three are somewhat prone to failure and then all kinds of troubles happen.

First check that they are properly seated. They tend to work loose. Some Spyder riders put a piece of foam over them so that the lid holds them down.

Then go by Autozone and pick up a Duralast 19271 41-5100 Which is a drop in replacement for the one that BRP sources. Keep at least one in the trunk for when (not if) one of the original relays fail.

[2333]

I believe part of the problem with the high rpm at highway speeds is the fact that a forward gear was given up in order to have an engine powered reverse.

[Spydeegirl]

Hi Ya'll,

Got back from the dealership yesterday and this is their take on the overheating problem. The radiator fluid was low. So low that is was below the relay sensors that switch the fan on. (He said the sensors were in a weird place that didn't make sense.) The sensors were reading the air temp and not the fluid temp, so the fan could not switch on. His spin on why the fluid was low is the makers didn't "burp" the fluid. (Kinda like bleeding your brakes.) When the air came out, the fluid level went down.

Needless to say, I rode her for about an hour and a half to get back home, going between 70-75 MPH, sometimes stop and go traffic, in 104 degree heat (Houston) and no overheating. Yay!

Spyderman, I used to fly ultralights and all they used was Rotax two-strokes. Thought that was all Rotax made. Know better now.
Now that the Spyder is broken in, played with her a little bit. She has enough torque for me. It almost came out from under me once.

Latemarch, Thanks for the heads-up. Can never have too many things in your tool roll. Going to buy two fuses. Never know whats going to happen down the road.

2333, You may be right about sacrificing rpm for a reverse. Hubby is my reverse on my two-wheelie, and I think he's happy he can retire from that position now.

Thank you all for your input.

Spydeegirl