Battery Ground Connection

[Laura-NH]

Help please. We have loosened the negative battery bolt under the seat in an attempt to hook up a battery tender pigtail. The bolt just turns and turns and turns. After looking thru old posts, it appears that it happens to everyone!

How do we tighten it back up? I am trying to avoid a trip back to the dealer. What do we have to take off to get to the nut underneath?

Thanks!

 

[NancysToy]

Help please. We have loosened the negative battery bolt under the seat in an attempt to hook up a battery tender pigtail. The bolt just turns and turns and turns. After looking thru old posts, it appears that it happens to everyone!

How do we tighten it back up? I am trying to avoid a trip back to the dealer. What do we have to take off to get to the nut underneath?

Thanks!

You will have to remove the body panels, and find a wrench that will allow you to get at the nut while you tighten the bolt. While you are there, hook up to the real battery terminals, not these remote jumper connections.

 

[Laura-NH]

Do you have to remove all the panels? The manual seems like you are supposed to remove most of them to get to the middle rear panel.

 

[woodchuck]

You will have to remove the body panels, and find a wrench that will allow you to get at the nut while you tighten the bolt. While you are there, hook up to the real battery terminals, not these remote jumper connections.

Probably what happened is when you took out the bolt the nut fell out since the battery sits sideways. Take off the one panel b y the battery on the left side. No wrench is needed because the nut sits in a kind of box on the battery. The problem is that the bolt is too short to put a battery tender on it. Go to any hardware store and get a metric bolt a little longer. That will help your problem.

 

[Gordy]

I took a 10mm wrench and heated it and bent it so it would wrap around without pulling panels off.I did the same thing when putting on a ground wire.nut wont fall off because it has an interference thread

 

[ThreeWheels]

I did the same thing. Pretty aggravating isn't it? You'd think the power connections would be solidly mounted to the frame.

Do you have access to a power drill driver, like a Dewalt ?

Here's what I did. I put the 10 mm socket into the Drill Driver so that I could spin the socket quickly with one hand. Then I used a pair of pliers to pull up on the metal bar and put a little tension on the hidden bolt head to hold it in place. Then I spun the nut with the Dewalt until it snugged down. Set the clutch to about 6.

I hope this helps. Keep us posted so we know how yo made out.

 

[Laura-NH]

Got it tightned up again. Had to take most of the panels off. What a PITA! Oh well, guess we got the chance to become more familiar with the Spyder.

We got to take a trip to the dealer to order a piece for the right side mirror. Damn plastic clip inside broke off when my husband tried to put it back on! Supposed to be in before next weekend. Better be, it's gonna be in the 70's! WOO HOO!

We have decided to use the alligator clips for the battery tender for now.

 

[NancysToy]

Got it tightned up again. Had to take most of the panels off. What a PITA! Oh well, guess we got the chance to become more familiar with the Spyder.

We got to take a trip to the dealer to order a piece for the right side mirror. Damn plastic clip inside broke off when my husband tried to put it back on! Supposed to be in before next weekend. Better be, it's gonna be in the 70's! WOO HOO!

We have decided to use the alligator clips for the battery tender for now.

Another simple option for the RT is to get an adapter from your charger connection to a cigarette socket, and plug the charger into the trunk. I normally use added Powerlet sockets for charging, but haven't installed them on the RTS as yet, so I have been doing this for several months now. Unlike the RS, where the outlet is switched, it is alive all the time on the RT, allowing charging through the socket. Powerlet Products sells the adapters if your bike shop doesn't, or your charger didn't come wiith one.