OK, did another 150 mile test ride today, and all is well at this point.
So here is my conclusion, I guess... This started on the second ride after installing the H&R front springs on the OEM shocks. To understand the lower ball joints and how they handle the load on the two front tires, I have loaded the picture of the right front again. This lower ball joint does not carry the Spyder's weight in the cup of the ball joint. Think of it this way, the stock b/j is holding the lower A-frame down and provides resistance to stop the lower A-arm from moving up. The ball joint is pressed into the bottom of the A-arm with the inner part that mates with the steering knuckle at the bottom of the knuckle. Meaning that when the tires are on the ground holding the weight of the front of the machine, that weight is trying to pull the center piece out of the shouldered top hole in the ball joint. It's not a ball pushing into a cup, it is a ball trying to pull up through a hole in a cup.
I believe the addition of the new H&R stiff springs caused the ball to be hammered into the ball joint 'cup with a hole' to the point of causing the steering to bind up possibly. I may never know for sure, but I do know that for several rides now all seems well. I bought this 2018 in fall of 2020 with 5240 miles on it; a lot of those miles I believe were done by the original owner at Quartzite, Az, while camping out in the desert. The machine was nice and clean on the outside. However, when I removed the tupperware, the interior was packed with dust. He may have beat it across bumpy desert roads. He said he had just installed a new belt, which now leads me to believe that the original ball joint was damaged by gravel. First picture was from his 'for sale' Ad.
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