Front End Side to Side Waggle

[mebgardner]

Yup, new guy question, thanks for patience.

I read the "Do's and Do Not's" page, it mentions this issue, and to not grip the bars tightly, but to relax.

I've also read a couple recent threads where bad roads make this issue more severe. Some of those writers stated the severity was bad enough to make them walk away from the machine, and go ride something else. (I'm sure it was not that one thing, but contributed to their unhappiness).

So, here I am, mullin' buying an F3, and I know this town (Tucson AZ) has pretty bad roads. The town is doing best it can, but they're bad no doubt. Lots of potholes...

So, there's that issue and that I live at the end of 1/2 mile of dirt / sand / pebble road (1 mile round trip, every time...), and then there's the problem with the belt and gravel. I know that can be solved with an aftermarket guard.

But, can this "waggle" problem be solved, or reduced, or is it just "the nature of the beast", and you live with it? How bad is it?

[fjray]

With two front wheels on the ground a fair amount of bump steer is to be expected. keep a loose grip and let it dance, It won't go to far. Proper alignment can help but it's not a cure all.

[Flamewinger]

Many of us get the bike aligned and upgrade the sway bar and heim links. (BajaRon). Check the spyderlovers home page for vendors.

[AsphaltEagle]

I also live 2 miles down a dirt and limestone road. Not too concerned about the dirt and pebbles, I just go slower. It (2018 F3 Limited) does want to follow the road ruts a little but its not to bad. A light hand on bars is all thats needed. With three wheels its definitely a little more challenging trying to miss potholes and road debris. Having ridden 2 wheels for over 52 years its probably a little harder for me to get used to it then those who have never ridden, but its coming along fairly fast. Just got my spyder 2 months ago but because of crappy weather have not ridden all that much, only 1400 miles on it.
Planning a trip to Ga mountains next month and doing the Natchez Trace Parkway next year. I'm warming up to the spyder.

[JayBros]

I sort of agree with fjray with the addition of once you learn how to straddle rough spots between one of the front wheels and the rear wheel it makes things a bit smoother -- sometimes.

[always young]

I also live 2 miles down a dirt and limestone road. Not too concerned about the dirt and pebbles, I just go slower. It (2018 F3 Limited) does want to follow the road ruts a little but its not to bad. A light hand on bars is all thats needed. With three wheels its definitely a little more challenging trying to miss potholes and road debris. Having ridden 2 wheels for over 52 years its probably a little harder for me to get used to it then those who have never ridden, but its coming along fairly fast. Just got my spyder 2 months ago but because of crappy weather have not ridden all that much, only 1400 miles on it.
Planning a trip to Ga mountains next month and doing the Natchez Trace Parkway next year. I'm warming up to the spyder.

If you get up around Two Wheels Suches motorcycle resort on the 6th thru 9th next month, come on by and join in on our COG event. We don't care what you ride. Camping, riding and BSing around the campfire. Great bunch of people that like to ride on great roads.

[jcthorne]

There is no waggle problem with the Sypders.

Just spyders in need of alignment, tires, balance or all three.

[Easy Rider]

How bad is it?

Hard to answer because it varies as much with the rider as it does with each machine.

Some never seem to notice it at all.
Most adjust their riding techniques and it gets less irritating over time.
Some are hyper-sensitive to it and eventually give up.

There are more riding techniques involved than just keeping a "loose" grip on the bars.

[AngryBug]

But, can this "waggle" problem be solved, or reduced, or is it just "the nature of the beast", and you live with it? How bad is it?

I've only had a motorcycle license since July 2017, so I am a newbie in more than just the Spyder world. Got my permit in April 2017 and hubby bought me a 2014 Suzuki Boulevard as a learner bike (new, with only a couple miles on the odometer). I rode it from April 2017 to June 2018 - traded it in at just a hair over 3,500 miles.

Dealer is 2+ hours from our house. I was warned about the shimmy and told to "relax your hands when you feel it". We had just rode the bikes down to pick her up, so I was hopping directly from 2+ hours on a two-wheel ride to a three-wheel ride. Several times on that trip home I had to stretch my fingers to the sky while keeping my palms on the grips. This did help immensely. Hubby (my toy budget) took her for a spin when we got home and commented he noticed the shimmy to and that it went away when he relaxed his hands. It took me probably 500-1,000 miles to break that "death grip" hold that causes the shimmy. I'm not sure I would consider it a wiggle-waggle, but you can feel it.

I have 4,500 miles on Angry Bug now, and the only time I feel that shimmy is when I get tense in rush hour traffic...it's the distracted drivers that cause the anxiety more so than the extra vehicles on the roadway.

That said, now that I am more confident in how she handles, have been pushing my boundaries more, and can actually relax enough to enjoy riding, I have noticed a slight drift to the right that I believe may be alignment related rather than road grade related. I'm planning on talking to my toy budget when he's home this weekend about a sway bar upgrade and alignment.

You didn't specify (or I didn't retain) which F3 you were considering. Angry Bug is a 2017 F3-T SE6. And yes, I have put more miles on her in 2 months than I put on the bike I owned for over a year. She's become my daily driver which says a lot about my growth as a rider and comfort level on her, because I never took the Boulevard on a solo ride. Also I'm not being mean by referring to hubby as the "toy budget" because he introduces me as his "retirement plan". 😉

[stmike 1800]

I have 7,000 km on the rtl now and when on good highways ( 400 series ) i can ride up to 140 km no problem . But get on some of are northern crappy roads it is hard to go 80 km .

[mebgardner]

I've only had a motorcycle license since July 2017, so I am a newbie in more than just the Spyder world. Got my permit in April 2017 and hubby bought me a 2014 Suzuki Boulevard as a learner bike (new, with only a couple miles on the odometer). I rode it from April 2017 to June 2018 - traded it in at just a hair over 3,500 miles.

Dealer is 2+ hours from our house. I was warned about the shimmy and told to "relax your hands when you feel it". We had just rode the bikes down to pick her up, so I was hopping directly from 2+ hours on a two-wheel ride to a three-wheel ride. Several times on that trip home I had to stretch my fingers to the sky while keeping my palms on the grips. This did help immensely. Hubby (my toy budget) took her for a spin when we got home and commented he noticed the shimmy to and that it went away when he relaxed his hands. It took me probably 500-1,000 miles to break that "death grip" hold that causes the shimmy. I'm not sure I would consider it a wiggle-waggle, but you can feel it.

I have 4,500 miles on Angry Bug now, and the only time I feel that shimmy is when I get tense in rush hour traffic...it's the distracted drivers that cause the anxiety more so than the extra vehicles on the roadway.

That said, now that I am more confident in how she handles, have been pushing my boundaries more, and can actually relax enough to enjoy riding, I have noticed a slight drift to the right that I believe may be alignment related rather than road grade related. I'm planning on talking to my toy budget when he's home this weekend about a sway bar upgrade and alignment.

You didn't specify (or I didn't retain) which F3 you were considering. Angry Bug is a 2017 F3-T SE6. And yes, I have put more miles on her in 2 months than I put on the bike I owned for over a year. She's become my daily driver which says a lot about my growth as a rider and comfort level on her, because I never took the Boulevard on a solo ride. Also I'm not being mean by referring to hubby as the "toy budget" because he introduces me as his "retirement plan". ��

I think this is the model I'm eyeing closely, an 2017 F3-T in either manual or automatic.

However, I have not ridden the F3 yet, nor the RT. I have been told (by forum members) to ride each, as each gives a different ride. Mine will be mostly 1-up, as the good wife enjoys her own ride (a DR650), and she loves it.

So, I would say I'm a bit more than a lurker, as I try to learn from this group.

[BajaRon]

I think this is the model I'm eyeing closely, an 2017 F3-T in either manual or automatic.

However, I have not ridden the F3 yet, nor the RT. I have been told (by forum members) to ride each, as each gives a different ride. Mine will be mostly 1-up, as the good wife enjoys her own ride (a DR650), and she loves it.

So, I would say I'm a bit more than a lurker, as I try to learn from this group.

Definitely ride them both. My guess is you'll go for the F3. But they are definitely 2 different animals. It really depends on what you want to do with your Spyder as to which model you choose.

[AngryBug]

So, I would say I'm a bit more than a lurker, as I try to learn from this group.

I say lurk as much as you want and learn all you can. There's a lot of very knowledgable folks here.

By virtue of having three wheels, our Spyders are subject to being pitched side to side by an uneven road surface. As you ride and the road dips, the bike will be moved slightly. If you have a tight grip on the bars, your body will tend to stay in the same position, which WILL cause a slight movement of the handlebars. When this occurs, the Spyder will respond by going in this new direction, causing you to correct for it. If you over correct because you are startled by this, you will have a ride that is one constant back and forth battle to ride in a straight line. Add gusts of wind or turbulence from a passing vehicle, and you will be fighting a never ending battle.

That's why it is important to have a loose grip while riding. Also, it's important to be relaxed enough to allow your body to maintain an upright position, which will decrease the input to the handlebars by uneven road surfaces or wind gusts.

Try being relaxed as possible and just put the palms of your hands against the bar. I just let my fingers curl naturally over the bar without gripping it. If something happens that requires a firm grip, it is very quick and easy to do.

As BoilerAnimal shared the nature of the beast makes it difficult to find the sweet spot on bumpy roads. In Missouri, our roads are "fixed" with chip and seal and get very bumpy, lumpy, wavy, etc. The county highway running through town is horrible and feels like you are on a bucking bronco! LOL Luckily we are very close to Kansas and I have nice, smooth roads all the way to work with the exception of about 2 miles of lurching and pitching when I cross the state line into Missouri.