2024 RT Limited 'Suspension Fault' messages flashing on the screen - suspension compressor or no?

[Graderman]

For the life of me I can't wrap my head around the rear suspension.
To begin with I'm getting 'Suspension Fault' messages - only at highway speeds on smooth ground. These come and go seemingly at will. They flash on the screen and the little shock icon and exclamation point are also displayed. There is no change in riding characteristics. The ride is not harsh. I just returned from a 2000 mile ride and the fault would come and go many times a day (like 10 to 15). It would flash on and off for about a minute and then the icon and exclamation point would be lit for up somewhere around 20 minutes. Due to limitations in my knowledge, I didn't access the code to see what it was.
I checked my pressure the other day and it was flat but the ride was smooth and compliant. I added 60 lbs to the bag and the ride did not change.
The owners manual says I've got a compressor on board. I've never heard it and the ride level, as far as I can tell, has never changed. I've ridden over some pretty rough stretches of road/highway and never experienced anything that I would describe as abnormal suspension behaviour. Close to 60 years of riding all manner of on and off road bikes so I have a pretty good idea of what suspension is supposed to feel like.
Can anyone explain to me where this compressor is or where the air bag is and how to get to it?
I guess the real conundrum for me is this: if I have a compressor that automatically will adjust my suspension, then why do I have a Schrader valve under my seat and why does the manual not mention it when discussing the RT L vs the base model?
The only references I could find to the suspension were on pages 59, 60, the pressure recommendation sticker on page 104 and in the specs on page 177 where it states the suspension on the base is manually adjusted while the RT L and S2S are automatically adjusted.
In the specification tables, on page 177 it outlines

 

[ned64]

@Graderman, I don't know to much about this, but on a base model you manually add air to the air bag. On the RTL or S2S, the air is automatically added to the air bag by the compressor to keep the ride hight set. On my '19 RTL, the little arm that connects to swingarm was unhooked and I got the orange symbol on dash for the suspension on and off. I took it in for a check and that's what was causing it, they hooked it up, and no more fault showing up on dash. Yes, that was from the start, the little arm wasn't hooked up when the Spyder's pre-delivery set up was done. That's all I got.

 

[troop]

You do have the automatic leveling system. The bag is located directly next to your shock. You can see it when looking up underneath the bottom near the shock. Access is a PIA as all the body panels need to be removed. The ALS works with the machine running, Spyder in gear and rider seated on the bike. Your bag shouldn't be empty, as mine is usually around 45-50psi. You likely won't hear it activate. If it's under warranty, have it checked out to see if the leveling arm is connected.

 

[Graderman]

You do have the automatic leveling system. The bag is located directly next to your shock. You can see it when looking up underneath the bottom near the shock. Access is a PIA as all the body panels need to be removed. The ALS works with the machine running, Spyder in gear and rider seated on the bike. Your bag shouldn't be empty, as mine is usually around 45-50psi. You likely won't hear it activate. If it's under warranty, have it checked out to see if the leveling arm is connected.

Thanks Troop. I'll have a peek here shortly... I still don't understand the need for the Schrader valve or why the dealer was extremely clear about setting it manually for load.

 

[PW2013STL]

We went through this 2 months ago on my wife's 2021 sea to sky. Turned out the compressor was shot due to a leaking valve. Extended warranty covered all but the $50 deductible.
Your 2024 should be fully covered under the 2 year warranty.

 

[jzeiler]

Check to make sure the suspension sensor link is attached. There was a post that showed it disconnected and the rider was having issues.

 

[Mikey]

Thanks Troop. I'll have a peek here shortly... I still don't understand the need for the Schrader valve or why the dealer was extremely clear about setting it manually for load.

Like said above, check that link on the swing arm, I believe there's a fuse for the pump you also may want to check. If it's under warranty, take it back and have them fix it! If it is not covered, you can do what a lot of us have done and change the system over to a manual fill system by hooking the bag directly to the Shrader valve and bypassing the pump altogether. But saying that, I do not understand why if your pump's going South on you, you're not getting a crappy ride out of it? It should be bottoming out and riding like a dump cart. Maybe your bike is sensing that it's not riding as flat as it wants at times, and that's why you are getting codes now and then that go away?! Maybe your compressor's on its way out and has not gone totally yet! Hard to tell not seeing it, but I can tell you when it goes, you'll know it! Good luck!

 

[Graderman]

Thanks Mikey, I did look under the left side and saw the link just hanging in the breeze. To me, from what I saw, it looks like it was never hooked up to begin with. Back to the dealer on Tuesday.

 

[Peter Aawen]

Thanks Mikey, I did look under the left side and saw the link just hanging in the breeze. To me, from what I saw, it looks like it was never hooked up to begin with. Back to the dealer on Tuesday.

That is probably THE MOST COMMON failure in all Spyder 'pre-delivery assembly & set-up' jobs done everywhere/anywhere; it seems to be just too hard for most assembly techs to grasp the concept that they need to connect that link or the ACS simply won't work!!

So you're not alone in this, many of us have been there, often more than once!! Hopefully, your dealer can sort it for you, but then again, if you can get down there and back up again, it might be a little more certain of being done correctly if YOU do it yourself?? I know it's warranty and they should fix it for you in a timely manner at no cost, but we have seen many people wait quite lengthy times (weeks even!) while their dealer supposedly fixed just this, only for them to discover (after a few weeks of missed riding) that it seems no-one even looked at it!!

Just Sayin'

 

[Graderman]

I agree to a point. I’m not afraid of doing the work myself, but from what I understand, the ride height has to be set at the dealership - or at least should have been when they did the pre-delivery set up.

 

[troop]

I agree to a point. I’m not afraid of doing the work myself, but from what I understand, the ride height has to be set at the dealership - or at least should have been when they did the pre-delivery set up.

The ride height is determined when you sit on machine, start up the machine and put the machine in gear. The dealer does not set up the ride height, they just make sure everything is connected at assembly. Removing panels 1, 2, and 3 are easy. Removing the left side main (big) body panel is a bit more tedious. Both the big panel and panel 3 can be a bit finicky to line up on reassembly.

 

[Mikey]

It is true that the right height is set in the computer as long as whoever punch the right numbers in the boxes! This system works great 'til it don't! Sooo, just keep in mind that when it all goes South, you can easily set it up like the base models and have the manual fill set up for just a few bucks, not hundreds! Someday, they may rethink this system!

 

[trikermutha]

I put M2 shocks on and the system has no air it it with no problems at all. That air bag system is really not made for bikes.
A better shock takes care of the ride in most cases.

Check the swing arm switch too. Think there's still one there for height?