Handling

[Waynebang i]

I am new to the Can Am, 2013 RT SE5. It has 20000 miles. I have been riding 2 wheels for several years so it feels strange on the RT. I don’t know if they all handle this way or if I have a problem. When you enter a turn the nose will dip to the outside which tightens up the radius. You must then relax the turn and it will rebound causing you to have to turn in tighter again. You basically go around the turn in a bump steer. What are others experiences. I love riding it but when people say it handles great I must disagree.

[Saluda]

I can only say I love the way my RT handles. Sorry you don't seem content. You've eye balled everything and checked
tire pressures ?

[Highwayman2013]

The stock shocks are quite soft on the 13 and newer RT's. There is a couple things you can do. Spring adjusters or stiffeners are available from vendors on this site. There is a heavier sway bar available. You can put aftermarket shocks on. Air pressure in the tires makes a difference, they should be equal. The biggest thing is to get a proper alignment to be sure the front tires are aligned with each other and with the rear tire. Most of the RT's as delivered new are out of alignment. Also make sure you lean your upper body into the turn.

Welcome!

[Buckeye Bleau]

I had similar experience and learned to deal with that and the Road Rut Bounce, my term. I drove my 2013 RTL that way for about 20k miles then saw that I needed front tires. I researched this site and settled on the Federal Formosa AZ01 tires and it took maybe 1/2 mile of ryding to experience a huge difference. Wow!

I was totally enjoying the smooth turns and almost a total lack of any RRB even on the worst roads. After about a month, I went to the Maggie Valley event where Spyder Pops and crew installed the Baja Ron Sway bar, this made the turns even better, not as much as the change with the tires but still a long road toward more performance was acquired.

Do yourself a favor and change those tires, by the way, I LOVE MY 2013 V-Twin powered RT!

Joe

[Waynebang i]

I love mine. A new set of tires are coming shortly. Thanks

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I love mine. A new set of tires are coming shortly. Thanks

& ........ IMHO , before you spend a ton of money trying to correct something that isn't broke .... You should drive your Spyder at least 2,000 miles. .... The spyders are unique in the way they handle, and only miles are going to teach you how to ride it ..... I can keep up with a lot of " CROTCH ROCKET " riders with my 2014 RT, that I haven't felt the need to put an improved Sway bar on it. ....A ROLO Lazer alignment ( done correctly ) is a Must Do thing ....... If the Spyder isn't tracking true, anything else you do won't mean much ..... It's like building a house with a crappy foundation, nothing about the house will be perfect if the foundation starts to fail ...... ride safe ride Happy .... Mike

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I am new to the Can Am, 2013 RT SE5. It has 20000 miles. I have been riding 2 wheels for several years so it feels strange on the RT. I don’t know if they all handle this way or if I have a problem. When you enter a turn the nose will dip to the outside which tightens up the radius. You must then relax the turn and it will rebound causing you to have to turn in tighter again. You basically go around the turn in a bump steer. What are others experiences. I love riding it but when people say it handles great I must disagree.

Have you ridden an ATV or snowmobile? The Spyder handles much more like those than a two wheeler. In fact, you will need to forget all about your two wheel cornering experience and expertise and relearn cornering techniques completely. There is no counter steering with a Spyder. Contrary to two wheel cornering steering a Spyder is pretty much a full time job, especially during cornering. The only time you can completely relax your hold on the handlebars is when you are going straight.

[BajaRon]

I am new to the Can Am, 2013 RT SE5. It has 20000 miles. I have been riding 2 wheels for several years so it feels strange on the RT. I don’t know if they all handle this way or if I have a problem. When you enter a turn the nose will dip to the outside which tightens up the radius. You must then relax the turn and it will rebound causing you to have to turn in tighter again. You basically go around the turn in a bump steer. What are others experiences. I love riding it but when people say it handles great I must disagree.

They all pretty much handle this way stock. Some models more than others. The RT is the highest and heaviest so it suffers the most. Loading and unloading the suspension creates an understear/overstear cycle that usually requires 2 or 3 steering corrections in a curve at speed. Very unnecessary.

Then you get the dive effect, especially if you apply braking entering a turn.

Some don't mind it and others hate it. I was one of the 'Haters' so I made a sway bar to improve the handling and shock spring adjusters for those who do not have any front shock adjustment and don't want to purchase new shocks.

Shocks (lack of adjustablility) and bad alignment will also contribute to the experience you're having.

The good news is. Once you have your Spyder set up correctly (not all that difficult). It will handle more like a go-cart and much less like a 57 Chevy! It can be an amazing transformation.

[ARtraveler]

and on your new ryde.

Start with this helpful thread on do's and don'ts.

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...-Spyder-owners

Most find a learning curve of 500 to 1000 miles when transitioning to the .

Quick reference on turns:

: Don't over control. Pretend there are eggs between your hands and the grips. Don't break the eggs. The is sensitive and will seem like it has a mind of its own if you over control. A slight push/pull. No counter steering.

: Enter turns at the right speed. If you have to brake as you enter the turn, your going to fast. You can accelerate slightly when going through the turn.

: Enter turns from the outside and go to the inside--without crossing any center lines.

: Lean slightly into the turn. This reduces the "g" forces.

: Feet planted on the pegs. More pressure to the "outside." You can also grip the tank with your knees.

Most find the information to be helpful. I can exceed posted speeds on most curves by 20 mph--when I dare.


Good luck with your new ryde.

[Chupaca]

Start with the easy things...check the tire pressue and make sure both fronts are the same. Then get a good laser alignment. Next ryde a few hundred more miles and see how it is going. Next I would go with the BajaRon swaybar and hiem joints then ryde a few hundred more miles and see the difference. Then if your shocks do not have the adjustment go with the spring adjusters or spring tighteners then ryde a few hundred more miles by now you will have enough mile to know how it handles. There are other steps after that but then you may be happy at this point. if not let us know and we will keep suggesting and directing you on where and how to get even more out of your ryde....

[RinconRyder]

. I love riding it but when people say it handles great I must disagree.

I agree with you. Rounding sharp corners at high speed is a dangerous experience - and I've been riding since the 50's. The only thing that comes close to the Spyder is the old off-road three-wheelers but at least with those you could toss your butt into the turn and the trike would come right around. Can't do that with the Spyder.

[RinconRyder]

Start with the easy things...check the tire pressue and make sure both fronts are the same. Then get a good laser alignment. Next ryde a few hundred more miles and see how it is going. Next I would go with the BajaRon swaybar and hiem joints then ryde a few hundred more miles and see the difference. Then if your shocks do not have the adjustment go with the spring adjusters or spring tighteners then ryde a few hundred more miles by now you will have enough mile to know how it handles. There are other steps after that but then you may be happy at this point. if not let us know and we will keep suggesting and directing you on where and how to get even more out of your ryde....

I'm sorry but it is absolutely ludicrous to have to re-engineer a product with this supposed high level of engineering and cost. I would compare my Spyder to an AMF Harley.

Tire pressures are a given and part of normal maintenance.

My RTL is 18 months old and was way out of alignment when I took it to Squared Away today (over 1" on one side and over half an inch on the other). This trike was toed out so bad it would almost toss you off when grabbing a tar strip on the freeway. This is a trike with approximately 2,500 miles and no history of damage or repair. Unbelievable! I might add that the laser alignment did correct the problem and now it handles without the constant twitching and snatching.

The stock swaybar should be engineered at the design stage and not have to be replaced on otherwise new trikes. Also unbelievable.

I have been very disappointed with the supposed "engineering" of my '16 RTL. It is very unsatisfactory and borders on the dangerous. And I didn't even get into the other dozen or so common complaints such as piss poor OEM tires or lack of an effective drive belt guard.

[fjray]

I did all the above mentioned mods to my 15RTL and gave it 15k miles but could never make friends with the handling. My wife was never comfortable on the back and the steering effort raised hell with my back. The spyder has some good features but I'm much faster and more comfortable on the wing.

[Easy Rider]

You basically go around the turn in a bump steer. What are others experiences. I love riding it but when people say it handles great I must disagree.

THIS has been discussed on here about a thousand times already.
A little searching and reading similar old threads might be helpful.

Yes, almost everybody has that problem in the beginning.
The consensus is: Give it some time. And stay OFF 2 wheels during your transition.

I am slowly getting over it but don't know yet if I will EVER be completely comfortable with unexpected "inputs"........like gusts of wind or a pitch in the pavement. It is hard to un-learn good riding technique from 50+ years on 2 wheels.

[Easy Rider]

but I'm much faster and more comfortable on the wing.

How many wheels on the wing.....2 or 3 ??

I think it is a huge dis-service to the Spyder to keep riding on 2 wheels too and then blame the Spyder when you can't "get used" to the different handling. Just MHO.

[greybeard]

are too soft!! Until you do something about that, alignment, tires, none of that will help. My STS was the same way out of the box. A baja Ron sway bar made it manageable, but looking back I should have tried spring stiffeners. Take care of that problem then proceed with the rest
Paul

[4 MARIE]

Okay, high center of gravity, plus Turn, equals unusual centrifugal force.
Turns need a little more "set-up" than a two wheeler.
Once you learn how to marshal a little weight shift,
and work on your technique, it will all start making perfect sense.
practice practice practice

[ARtraveler]

I went for the helpful/friendly version but Can't help wondering...

Is this an I would like some help thread,

or

Is this a lets complain about the brand thread?

[JayBros]

Were I in the boots of those who've put several thousand miles into trying to learn and grow accustomed to the way a Spyder rides and behaves and are still dissatisfied, I'd sell the darn thing and move on to a vehicle that would float my boat. Why tie up money in something you don't like? YMMV.

[msherwood]

When I bought my 2013 back in May I was easy into the turns but have found out that if crack the throttle into the turn the left tire hugs the painted lines perfectly but good judgement must be used on how much power to use

[Bob Denman]

Have you ridden an ATV or snowmobile? The Spyder handles much more like those than a two wheeler. In fact, you will need to forget all about your two wheel cornering experience and expertise and relearn cornering techniques completely. There is no counter steering with a Spyder. Contrary to two wheel cornering steering a Spyder is pretty much a full time job, especially during cornering. The only time you can completely relax your hold on the handlebars is when you are going straight.

No matter what you do, or what you call it: it'll NEVER handle like a "leaner". It just takes a while to get used to the new sensations. Give it 500 miles, and then tell us how it feels.
Good luck!

[Waynebang i]

I went for the helpful/friendly version but Can't help wondering...

Is this an I would like some help thread,

or

Is this a lets complain about the brand thread?

I love my Spyder, I am just looking for help

[Waynebang i]

No matter what you do, or what you call it: it'll NEVER handle like a "leaner". It just takes a while to get used to the new sensations. Give it 500 miles, and then tell us how it feels.
Good luck!

I bought it in Florida and rode it home to Georgia 500 miles on my first outing. Long straight Florida roads were great north Georgia mountains it really works your hard. It just seems to me that it should handle a little better than it does so I wonder if something was wrong with it

[Easy Rider]

I love my Spyder, I am just looking for help

The best advice is a few posts back:

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

Of course this needs to be quality practice; you need to re-learn some old principles, like LOOK where you want to go. That includes looking THROUGH a turn and not concentrating on the pavement lines immediately in front of you.

And I think that you need to get OFF two wheels completely because going back and forth just confuses matters.

[robhowen]

Assuming you are really new (week or two) I suggest you simply ride the bike for 1 to 3 months before you do anything UNLESS you have obvious alignment issue signs or your tire pressure is off.

It takes a while for a 2-wheeler to get used to 3. I tell people that curves are just like a 2-wheeled bike BUT OPPOSITE. On 2-wheels you use just a bit of counter steer to take a curve. On 3-wheels you use just a bit of steer to take the curves. Both are about slight amounts of push (just opposite). You'll learn to relax your upper body and ride with subtle adjustments.

By the way I hated the steering of my RT for the first month. Now two years later I've put on more miles with more enjoyment than I ever got from my many 2-wheeled bikes.

Rob