Any thoughts/ideas on excessive Tire wear on 2020 RT?

[Xplor45]

Have a little less than 10K miles on my Spyder. Have original Kenda tires. Both front tires have an excessive amount of inside wear. Any thoughts on causes/issues? We have our share of potholes around here but bothered that both tires are wearing on inside.

[Barender]

Probably front end alignment issue. A good laser alignment should fix it unless there are worn parts. Good luck.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Have a little less than 10K miles on my Spyder. Have original Kenda tires. Both front tires have an excessive amount of inside wear. Any thoughts on causes/issues? We have our share of potholes around here but bothered that both tires are wearing on inside.

If you have EXCESSIVE wear .... nothing is going to fix it, .... however if you don't correct it, ie. lazer alignment the next set will do the same thing.... If possible get Auto tires, the fronts are easy , any tire shop can mount and balance ... the rear will have to be taken off ( or by a Friendly dealer ... call them first ) there are lots of video's on how it's done .... good luck ....Mike

[Xplor45]

Thanks for response. My problem is I don't know of a dealer in Middle Tennessee that offers laser alignment. Over a year ago, I had a minor accident. It effected front end and steering. Although handlebar was slightly off, I continued to ride for about 6 months. RT front still tracked straight. Monitored the tires and didn't notice much if any wear. After this I took RT in and had front end lined up with non laser alignment. May be my imagination, but much of the wear seems to have occurred after the alignment was done.

[flash2002]

It sounds like you need a wheel alignment, the wheels are pointing outwards wearing out the inside.

[BajaRon]

If you don't get a laser alignment, you are wasting your time and money. You will probably end up with a worse alignment than what you had going in.

Wear on the inside of the tire means you're toed out. We are not in Middle TN, but we will have our laser alignment system up and running soon in East Tennessee. Don't know if it would be worthwhile to make the trip out. But we'd love to have you.

[PMK]

If you don't get a laser alignment, you are wasting your time and money. You will probably end up with a worse alignment than what you had going in.

Wear on the inside of the tire means you're toed out. We are not in Middle TN, but we will have our laser alignment system up and running soon in East Tennessee. Don't know if it would be worthwhile to make the trip out. But we'd love to have you.

The statement regarding laser alignments being superior to other non laser methods is absolutely inaccurate and incorrect.
In my arsenal of tools, I do have the ROLO laser alignment equipment, BUDS and BUDS2, and other equipment that can very accurately align, a Spyder, or car, or light truck.

A laser alignment, accomplished on a Spyder is merely as accurate as the tech measures with the tape measure when setting the targets AND, the techs knowledge and ability to fully understand the simplicity of the Spyders front end suspension geometry and steering design / linkage.

Without using my ROLO laser alignment equipment, my other tooling very accurately finds mistakes made by the manufacturer or techs that fail to correctly accomplish the alignment in a fraction of the time.
Again, the laser setup is only as accurate as the tape measures and how accurately the tech sets the lasers targets.

A laser alignment is no assurance or guarantee of a proper alignment, or not even valid to be accurate depending upon the tech.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

The statement regarding laser alignments being superior to other non laser methods is absolutely inaccurate and incorrect.
In my arsenal of tools, I do have the ROLO laser alignment equipment, BUDS and BUDS2, and other equipment that can very accurately align, a Spyder, or car, or light truck.

A laser alignment, accomplished on a Spyder is merely as accurate as the tech measures with the tape measure when setting the targets AND, the techs knowledge and ability to fully understand the simplicity of the Spyders front end suspension geometry and steering design / linkage.

Without using my ROLO laser alignment equipment, my other tooling very accurately finds mistakes made by the manufacturer or techs that fail to correctly accomplish the alignment in a fraction of the time.
Again, the laser setup is only as accurate as the tape measures and how accurately the tech sets the lasers targets.

A laser alignment is no assurance or guarantee of a proper alignment, or not even valid to be accurate depending upon the tech.

So if I read this correctly ... " Laser alignments " need to be done by knowledgeable people, but regular alignments can be done by anyone whether knowledgeable or not ???? .... .....Mike

[Bfromla]

First problem: KENDA unfortunate but should be said. Question is you wanna hold dealer responsible for the bad alignment?(thus new tires & likely some headache.)

**last heard when laser alignment -if within spec is free(no adjustments needed). So Hopefully whatever responsible dealer, you trust could just verify alignment.**

[Knizar]

So if I read this correctly ... " Laser alignments " need to be done by knowledgeable people, but regular alignments can be done by anyone whether knowledgeable or not ???? .... .....Mike

Bill

[mecsw500]

I'm sure proper alignment can be accomplished by someone technically capable of using their measuring equipment correctly, regardless of the type of system available.

In my youth I watched major Formula 1 teams doing critical 4 wheel alignment with home made frames, tape measures and string. However they really knew their stuff. I saw the same methods being used by Formula 1 sidecar teams for which alignment was hyper critical.

The reason I would rely today primarily on a laser alignment system is that it is possibly easier to train someone to be proficient at it, and if they are proficient it is likely to achieve a very accurate result. The laser alignment systems are just becoming more prevalent and that they are a better material investment for alignment shops to make over traditional systems. That doesn't mean a good alignment tech cannot do it via more traditional means.

With the Can Am trikes though, you have to get the alignment done and get the steering set to be correctly dead center, probably using the BUDS or BUDS2 system.

But this is true of most work on a modern vehicle with complex mechanical and electronic systems. They, more than ever, depend upon the skills of a well trained and experienced tech. These techs are often hard to find as Can Am dealers may not be ready to invest the time, effort and cost in training techs due to the relatively small numbers of Spyders they sell compared to four wheelers and jet skis.

I rather suspect some of those old Formula 1 race engineers could align with their primitive systems just as well as the fanciest modern laser systems. It would just take longer and require someone paid to a much higher level than would be economically viable to any service department.

Laser alignment is obviously the future but skills and understanding of the task in hand is no less of a requirement than for any mechanical method. Both require a theoretical understanding of the math and desired outcomes of the process itself.

[BajaRon]

What the laser alignment system adds to the equation is the POTENTIAL to get an EXTREMELY ACCRUATE alignment. But knowing that just tightening the lock nut on the adjusting rod can change the alignment. You need a tech that is willing to take the time to get it just right. If you have a tech that feels 'Close is good enough'. Then it's not the fault of the system. Because it is true that the ROLO system isn't magic. You can still get a bad alignment using that system. It all depends on the competence and tenacity of the tech using it.

The other advantage is that ROLO uses the rear wheel as the baseline to measure from. Other systems use different locations on the frame, which have no ability to attain the same accuracy as measuring from the rear wheel.

[PMK]

If you don't get a laser alignment, you are wasting your time and money. You will probably end up with a worse alignment than what you had going in.

Ron, the focus of my previous reply is based off these words you wrote.
Experience has proven that some owners, but not all, have had laser alignments and still suffered excessive tire wear. Owning both ROLO laser alignment equipment, and additional alignment equipment that does not utilize lasers, both systems can identify misalignments, correct alignments and more.

In regards to the ROLO laser alignment system referencing the expected thrust angle, sadly, that is all accomplished utilizing tape measures at multiple locations, each possibly adding errors.

Returning back to your quoted words, I have seen enough improperly aligned Spyders where customers paid for a ROLO laser alignment, and when requested to be checked on account of tire wear, the misalignment was substantial. Whether the tech utilizes a ROLO setup, or other accurate means, the techs quality of craftsmanship and understanding of the task relates to the value purchased.

[BajaRon]

Ron, the focus of my previous reply is based off these words you wrote.
Experience has proven that some owners, but not all, have had laser alignments and still suffered excessive tire wear. Owning both ROLO laser alignment equipment, and additional alignment equipment that does not utilize lasers, both systems can identify misalignments, correct alignments and more.

In regards to the ROLO laser alignment system referencing the expected thrust angle, sadly, that is all accomplished utilizing tape measures at multiple locations, each possibly adding errors.

Returning back to your quoted words, I have seen enough improperly aligned Spyders where customers paid for a ROLO laser alignment, and when requested to be checked on account of tire wear, the misalignment was substantial. Whether the tech utilizes a ROLO setup, or other accurate means, the techs quality of craftsmanship and understanding of the task relates to the value purchased.

I agree completely. The equipment can offer no more than an opportunity to get it right. It cannot correct for operator error, incompetence, or lazy attitude. There may be a non-laser system out there that will do a good job on a Spyder. I've heard claims. But I've not seen it. Lamont and I tried every way from Tuesday to get a decent alignment using several non-laser approaches with zero success. Again, not saying it can't be done. Just that we were not able to do it that way.