Laser Alignment

[I-Day]

Two weeks ago I purchased a 2017 F3 Limitted and I mention to my dealer about a laser alignment because I noticed it being mention a lot on Spyder Lovers forums. My dealer said it wouldn't need it because BRP is doing a better job when the come from the factory and if I did want it done I would have to pay for it! Any thoughts and what does a laser alignment cost?

[MNBK]

You can check with Leo's South in Lakeville. Talk to Cathy in service and have Nick do the work. I have been dealing with them since 1995 and highly recommend them. I just purchased a 2016 F3T from them and my wife bought a 2010 RT back then. We have had several friends purchase Spyders from them. Check them out.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

BRP -alignment if they are doing it better that's news to us here ..... Of course yours may be one in 50 that are really close ..... you will know after about 5000 miles, because that's about how long it will take ........... UNLESS - they are really, really bad - like the guy in Fla. whose tires wore out in 700 miles ( no BS ) and that dealer tried to tell Him He needed to ROTATE them ( never do this to correct un-even tire wear ) ........ If you do get it Lazer aligned - go to someone who has the Rolo - TruTrac system, this is the genuine Nascar approved system ...... Mike

[I-Day]

You can check with Leo's South in Lakeville. Talk to Cathy in service and have Nick do the work. I have been dealing with them since 1995 and highly recommend them. I just purchased a 2016 F3T from them and my wife bought a 2010 RT back then. We have had several friends purchase Spyders from them. Check them out.

I'm assuming you mean Lakeville, MN? Do you have their phone number? How much is it $$$

[stillriding]

I'm assuming you mean Lakeville, MN? Do you have their phone number? How much is it $$$

​I think that most places performing the Rolo laser alignments are charging about $125.00. Some won't charge you if the alignment isn't needed.

[Michaelscs]

Caswell's in Mora, Mn. I think they charge $150.

[MNBK]

Yes the Leo's in Lakeville. Phone number is 952-435-5371. They are closed on Sunday and Mondays they open at 10am on Tuesday. If Cathy is not there ask for Nathan, he is the service manager. Not sure on the cost. Tell them Dave Smith sent you in. I don't get anything but just want them to know Cheri and I spread the word about them. They're good people and family owned.

[littledeer]

Yes the Leo's in Lakeville. Phone number is 952-435-5371. They are closed on Sunday and Mondays they open at 10am on Tuesday. If Cathy is not there ask for Nathan, he is the service manager. Not sure on the cost. Tell them Dave Smith sent you in. I don't get anything but just want them to know Cheri and I spread the word about them. They're good people and family owned.

I dopped my 2014rt off at Caswells yesterday for a lazer and new shoes.I should be getting it back this week and can let you know the difference.Price for the lazer was $130.
I have 15k miles on it and the front tires were cupping very bad. Les said it was not from alignment but bad tires.

[Michaelscs]

I dopped my 2014rt off at Caswells yesterday for a lazer and new shoes.I should be getting it back this week and can let you know the difference.Price for the lazer was $130.
I have 15k miles on it and the front tires were cupping very bad. Les said it was not from alignment but bad tires.

What tires are you going to put on?

[Lurker]

I dopped my 2014rt off at Caswells yesterday for a lazer and new shoes.I should be getting it back this week and can let you know the difference.Price for the lazer was $130.
I have 15k miles on it and the front tires were cupping very bad. Les said it was not from alignment but bad tires.

I would say any tire wear of this type is due to improper inflation and or toe adjustment. Laser is just a method and is not more or less accurate than other toe adjustment methods. A true alignment involves much more than simple toe and toe has very little affect on handling. The main objective to toe adjustment is to control tire wear. Typical setting is 1/4 to 5/16 positive on a rear wheel drive vehicle. This adjustment compensates for torque induced tire deformation and camber nothing more. $130 is not outrageous and a simple toe adjustment should only take a few moments to complete barring overly tightened lock nuts.


I would also stay clear of the Kenda tires. Continentals seem to be a good alternate. I get over 40k on mine so obviously happy with the tires and toe adjustments (non-laser set)

[littledeer]

I would say any tire wear of this type is due to improper inflation and or toe adjustment. Laser is just a method and is not more or less accurate than other toe adjustment methods. A true alignment involves much more than simple toe and toe has very little affect on handling. The main objective to toe adjustment is to control tire wear. Typical setting is 1/4 to 5/16 positive on a rear wheel drive vehicle. This adjustment compensates for torque induced tire deformation and camber nothing more. $130 is not outrageous and a simple toe adjustment should only take a few moments to complete barring overly tightened lock nuts.


I would also stay clear of the Kenda tires. Continentals seem to be a good alternate. I get over 40k on mine so obviously happy with the tires and toe adjustments (non-laser set)

Michaelscs I am going with Kuhmos all the way around. I see you live close to me. Give me a shout sometime if your up for a ride.

[Owatonnaspyder]

We just had our 08 GS and 15 F3S aligned at Caswell's last week. We rode up from Owatonna, MN just because of the great service. I had Loe's laser align my 08 GS 3 years ago and it never did handle well and the tires wore crooked. I contacted them about the issue and they insisted that it was correct without even looking at it and wanted to charge me to bring it back in. I will never go back to Loe's again. It was worth the extra 100 miles to go to Caswell's. They are great to work with and not just trying to make an extra buck off you.

[T.P.]

Leo's price is $190.00 T.P.

[I-Day]

Think I'm going to Jaycox in Worthington! $150.00

[PW2013STL]

I dopped my 2014rt off at Caswells yesterday for a lazer and new shoes.I should be getting it back this week and can let you know the difference.Price for the lazer was $130.
I have 15k miles on it and the front tires were cupping very bad. Les said it was not from alignment but bad tires.

My OEM tires cupped within 2000 miles - even after laser alignment - once I switched to Kumhos no more cupping. I have looked at a lot of Spyders that are running OEM tires and would say about 30% are cupping.
Good choice on going to Caswell's - good people that will treat you right. They have a meet and greet this Saturday so if you can stop in, and meet a number of MN Spyder riders.

[Michaelscs]

Michaelscs I am going with Kuhmos all the way around. I see you live close to me. Give me a shout sometime if your up for a ride.

I sent you a PM.

[Large1]

[littledeer]

I got my 2014 RT back from Caswells with the new Kuhmos and the lazer done. WOW It is never handled like this from new. It is like it is riding on rails. I let go of the handle bars at 75 and it went straight as a arrow down the road. I would highly recomend having it done even if your spyder is new. Great people to work with. Might see some of you at Caswells on Sat. weather permiting. Happy trails and safe riding.

[Mr. Pickels]

My new F3-t came laser aligned thank you Pitbull motor sports!


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[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Makes no difference at all whether or not the toe up front is aligned to the rear tire. It will not affect tracking at all. On a vehicle, only a fixed rear wheel can affect tracking. In other words, your toe can be WAY off, and it will not cause your spyder to "dog-walk". As long as the handlebars are centered when the toe is set, thats it! Thats the best you can do. The laser alignments are only using the rear tire as a reference point to set the toe measurments.

I'm not sure I can agree 100%. If the rear wheel is cocked to one side the frame centerline will be at a slight angle to direction of travel of the rear tire. If the frame centerline is not parallel to direction of travel then the front wheels will need to be slightly turned with respect to the frame so that they track parallel to the rear tire track. There is a steering angle setting in the VSS that has to agree with the front wheel to frame alignment. How much mismatch there can be in frame to tracking alignment without causing a VSS problem I do not know.

Whether or not the laser alignment method will give you better results than all other methods is subject to debate. But the factory alignment procedure is a bit crude and relies solely on setting the front wheel tracking parallel to the frame with a fairly loose tolerance. It doesn't account for rear tire mistracking. There are two shortcomings to the factory method. First is the preciseness of the settings, and the second is tracking vs. the VSS steering angle setting caused by the rear tire not being parallel to the frame. The laser alignment method referencing the rear tire obviates any problem of the frame not being parallel to the bike travel path.

The factory method can get the front wheel alignment 'good enough.' The laser alignment method makes it pretty easy to get the front wheel alignment 'really good!' It really is a matter of degree. A matter of degree that the experience of many here has determined does matter.

[Spyder ken]

149.95 at Ride Now but that's in Gainesville Fl. It should come done from the the factory you would think. Since it's up to date tech.


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[armyspydervet]

When I purchased my F3T last year I asked the dealer about a laser alignment, as I was about to ride from D.C. to Spyderfest. They told me it was brand new and didn't require one. When I got to Spyderfest, I had the alignment done by Squared Away and and they told me at the time that it was in the top 10 most out of line brand new Spyder they have seen. The ride home was like night and day. The alignment is well worth the money and I recommend you get "Squared Away" if you are heading to Spyderfest.

[armyspydervet]

My new F3-t came laser aligned thank you Pitbull motor sports!


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Elite dealers like Pit Bull and Pro-caliber will laser align out of the crate. I'm sure there are others, but most dealers have no idea what a laser alignment even is.

[jcthorne]

Elite dealers like Pit Bull and Pro-caliber will laser align out of the crate. I'm sure there are others, but most dealers have no idea what a laser alignment even is.

The
Mancuso dealers here in Houston know exactly what a laser alignment is and where to refer a customer to get the job done. BRP not covering the cost as a warranty item is one of the big reasons they decided not to do this in house but refer their customers to me.

[Highwayman2013]

I would say any tire wear of this type is due to improper inflation and or toe adjustment. Laser is just a method and is not more or less accurate than other toe adjustment methods. A true alignment involves much more than simple toe and toe has very little affect on handling. The main objective to toe adjustment is to control tire wear. Typical setting is 1/4 to 5/16 positive on a rear wheel drive vehicle. This adjustment compensates for torque induced tire deformation and camber nothing more. $130 is not outrageous and a simple toe adjustment should only take a few moments to complete barring overly tightened lock nuts.


I would also stay clear of the Kenda tires. Continentals seem to be a good alternate. I get over 40k on mine so obviously happy with the tires and toe adjustments (non-laser set)

My 2012 was badly toed out and I can tell you it handled terribly, after a laser alignment it was great. Our new F3 was not toe out but the front tires were not aligned with the rear tire and it was crabbing down the road. I would HIGHLY recommend laser alignment to anyone with a spyder.