Still having steering problems after alignment on 2013 RTS SE5

[MIKESZONE2]

Well after we had the alignment done on my wife's new Spyder it rides better. However it pulls to the right by itself with no warning and of course is making her very uncomfortable. We bought it back to the dealer today and were told at this point in time nobody knows what is causing this problem. The dealer is quite upset over this as well due to the fact BRP told them not to sell anymore 2013 until they have a fix, and they just got 13 in . This spyder has been in and out of shop and still is not correct. The dealer is going to call BRP Monday and see what they can do for us. I called BRP myself to see if there is anything new on this they said no but we now have a case file running for this. She asked if we could trade it back for a 2012 but believe it the 2012 RTS was more then the 2013 I said I am not spending any more money on this. We will wait to see what BRP is going to do for us as I made a payment on this but can not use it. Also had to cancel our road trip to the Key West. Just for the record I also own a 2012RT manual which I put 6000 miles on it and my wife put mileage on it as we'll so let's not go with operator inexperience here. I have no problems with my 2012. I just want to share this with everybody so you will be able to make-informative decisions and know what to tell the dealers in regard to this. I hear people were told to adjust their shocks on the 2013 I am saying what, they are not adjustable. I seen dealers take shocks from a 2012 and really tried to put them on a 2013, hello that can not be done they are reaching for straws do not let them do that with you. My next question is who will be reasonable for bodily injury to a Human being over this issue. Well we will wait for the next step.

[MouthPiece]

[QUOTE=MIKESZONE2;578586]Well after we had the alignment done on my wife's new Spyder it rides better. However it pulls to the right by itself with no warning and of course is making her very uncomfortable.I seen dealers take shocks from a 2012 and really tried to put them on a 2013, hello that can not be done they are reaching for straws do not let them do that with you.QUOTE]

[The above quote was edited for brevity and emphasis purposes].

My question is what dealer did this and to whom?

Chris

[Farmbanker]

I am very sorry to hear about the problem you are having. I had a catastrophic engine failure on the third day of ownersip (very rare) and BRP did make it right. Stay in regular close contact with your BRP rep and dealer and they should make it right for you. Did you ask if you could use a demo unit for your trip? They can do that.... I hope this gets resolved for you quickly.

[Bob Denman]

Mike,
Did you speak with Crystelle?
I found that she's pretty good at getting bad situations make much better...
I hate to have to say it ; Hang in there!
Please keep us informed as to your progress...

[Kungfuspyder]

I talked to the service tech at Hattiesburg cycles on what they are having to do to correct the problem is not an easy process, but they are having success. When a rider's weight is added to bike it causes the suspension to be out of alignment somehow(I wish I would have recorded what he told me), but they are using rods to mimic some part of this so they can see whats going wrong. When weight is applied it creates a problem for the alignment. Once this is measured they can go back to BRP's corrective solution and fix it. They have built a table just for the Spyders on this issue. They have this done to their new spyders before they leave. The biggest thing is figuring out the weight of the rider to know how to correct this, my weight and a smaller sized person will different in what needs to be corrected. I hope this helps.

[MouthPiece]

I talked to the service tech at Hattiesburg cycles on what they are having to do to correct the problem is not an easy process, but they are having success. When a rider's weight is added to bike it causes the suspension to be out of alignment somehow(I wish I would have recorded what he told me), but they are using rods to mimic some part of this so they can see whats going wrong. When weight is applied it creates a problem for the alignment. Once this is measured they can go back to BRP's corrective solution and fix it. They have built a table just for the Spyders on this issue. They have this done to their new spyders before they leave. The biggest thing is figuring out the weight of the rider to know how to correct this, my weight and a smaller sized person will different in what needs to be corrected. I hope this helps.

And although I have no idea what I'm talking about, THIS is why I was a bit disappointed that the shocks were not adjustable. I just couldn't see where "one size fits all" was a good thing. I expressed this when I first got my 2013 RT. Is my thinking wrong? [edit: My shocks seem to be appropriate for me. However, I realize there are many who aren't the same size as I]

Chris

[Kungfuspyder]

And although I have no idea what I'm talking about, THIS is why I was a bit disappointed that the shocks were not adjustable. I just couldn't see where "one size fits all" was a good thing. I expressed this when I first got my 2013 RT. Is my thinking wrong? [edit: My shocks seem to be appropriate for me. However, I realize there are many who aren't the same size as I]

Chris

This is very true, some of us are different sizes and weight. I am 6'4" about 260 lbs(BIG BOY), I think this is what the dealer tech is having to remove to put the rods in for measurement to get the alignment corrected to the rider's size and weight..

[Farmbanker]

This is very true, some of us are different sizes and weight. I am 6'4" about 260 lbs(BIG BOY), I think this is what the dealer tech is having to remove to put the rods in for measurement to get the alignment corrected to the rider's size and weight..

I think my ignorance is about to show but why would you want to engineer a vehicle in such a way that the rider's weight will affect the alignment? I know overloading trucks, etc has adverse effects but this seems wrong to me...

[Netminder]

I think my ignorance is about to show but why would you want to engineer a vehicle in such a way that the rider's weight will affect the alignment? I know overloading trucks, etc has adverse effects but this seems wrong to me...

I agree, and then to have no adjustments to compensate for the difference is just plain wrong!

[dabreitbach]

I think my ignorance is about to show but why would you want to engineer a vehicle in such a way that the rider's weight will affect the alignment? I know overloading trucks, etc has adverse effects but this seems wrong to me...

AMEN brother AMEN. Somebody screwed the pooch disigning this suspention. Imagine having a car that had to be aligned different for your weight or god forgive if you are carying a passenger. I truley hope this gets figured out.

[Lamonster]

I talked to the service tech at Hattiesburg cycles on what they are having to do to correct the problem is not an easy process, but they are having success. When a rider's weight is added to bike it causes the suspension to be out of alignment somehow(I wish I would have recorded what he told me), but they are using rods to mimic some part of this so they can see whats going wrong. When weight is applied it creates a problem for the alignment. Once this is measured they can go back to BRP's corrective solution and fix it. They have built a table just for the Spyders on this issue. They have this done to their new spyders before they leave. The biggest thing is figuring out the weight of the rider to know how to correct this, my weight and a smaller sized person will different in what needs to be corrected. I hope this helps.

They are real close to nailing down the issue on this. It's not just alinement but that's all I can say right now. I will say that the alinement has to be done at a certain ride height and there will be a strut that the dealers can use to make sure that ride height is correct before checking alinement, much like the tool they use now to hold the steering arms so the steering is zeroed out. Rider weight has no factor in the alinement procedure.

Hang in there guys, the fix is right around the corner.

[NancysToy]

All suspensions are a compromise, and their geometry does change with passenger/cargo weight as well as weight distribution. For a car, it makes little difference, since the passenger weight is a smaller percentage of the loaded vehicle weight, and affects the vehicle attitude less. On a Spyder it is a different story. The original RT had considerably more change in geometry upon loading (and change in alignment) than the RS. That caused unexpected alignment and tire wear issues. It was an unfortunate design aspect, that I was hoping the newer frame version would be able to eliminate or minimize. If that is not so, it is sad. We will be following this development closely.

[Kungfuspyder]

Dealer techs are troubleshooting this problem and getting input from owners. I'm sure there will be a solution for the problem. Not everyone has the exact problem, maybe similar. My 2012 Was an easy fix due to the obvious tire wear and the help from everyone who knows what to do. And I was refunded for the alignment.

[Spydered]

They are real close to nailing down the issue on this. It's not just alinement but that's all I can say right now. I will say that the alinement has to be done at a certain ride height and there will be a strut that the dealers can use to make sure that ride height is correct before checking alinement, much like the tool they use now to hold the steering arms so the steering is zeroed out. Rider weight has no factor in the alinement procedure.

Hang in there guys, the fix is right around the corner.

Lamont, thanks for your words of encouragement. I am waiting for my 2013 RT Limited to arrive and am encouraged by your words. Hopefully, BRP will keep all dealerships informed.

Ed

[Kungfuspyder]

Lamont, thanks for your words of encouragement. I am waiting for my 2013 RT Limited to arrive and am encouraged by your words. Hopefully, BRP will keep all dealerships informed.

Ed

I am a mere beginner in understanding the Spyder, Lamont has years of experience on troubleshooting and being an owner than I do. Most of my opinions are speculation not proven facts, I will let the ones that know more on what's going on give the opinions and I will learn from their observations. But being a owner, it's kind of hard not to reply.

[Bob Denman]

Thanks Lamont; for the update!

[JKMSPYDER]

What I don't understand is how most Spyders come off the line with no alignment or steering issues, and others have a problem. Is there more than one factory where they are assembled or more than one assembly line? My ST-S was mfd. in Nov. and I have had no steering or alignment issues that I am aware of. Others have had problems. I don't get it.

[BamaSpyder]

Well after we had the alignment done on my wife's new Spyder it rides better. However it pulls to the right by itself with no warning and of course is making her very uncomfortable. We bought it back to the dealer today and were told at this point in time nobody knows what is causing this problem. The dealer is quite upset over this as well due to the fact BRP told them not to sell anymore 2013 until they have a fix, and they just got 13 in . This spyder has been in and out of shop and still is not correct. The dealer is going to call BRP Monday and see what they can do for us. I called BRP myself to see if there is anything new on this they said no but we now have a case file running for this. She asked if we could trade it back for a 2012 but believe it the 2012 RTS was more then the 2013 I said I am not spending any more money on this. We will wait to see what BRP is going to do for us as I made a payment on this but can not use it. Also had to cancel our road trip to the Key West. Just for the record I also own a 2012RT manual which I put 6000 miles on it and my wife put mileage on it as we'll so let's not go with operator inexperience here. I have no problems with my 2012. I just want to share this with everybody so you will be able to make-informative decisions and know what to tell the dealers in regard to this. I hear people were told to adjust their shocks on the 2013 I am saying what, they are not adjustable. I seen dealers take shocks from a 2012 and really tried to put them on a 2013, hello that can not be done they are reaching for straws do not let them do that with you. My next question is who will be reasonable for bodily injury to a Human being over this issue. Well we will wait for the next step.

My 2013 RT-S handles just fine on back roads and anything below 60 MPH, but anything above that it is scary. The dealer says they will align it at the 600 mile service. Hope it fixes it. My 2011 was fine at any speed.

[daveinva]

What I don't understand is how most Spyders come off the line with no alignment or steering issues, and others have a problem. Is there more than one factory where they are assembled or more than one assembly line? My ST-S was mfd. in Nov. and I have had no steering or alignment issues that I am aware of. Others have had problems. I don't get it.

Friday bikes and holiday specials.

[Rolffe-of-Six]

They are real close to nailing down the issue on this. It's not just alinement but that's all I can say right now. I will say that the alinement has to be done at a certain ride height and there will be a strut that the dealers can use to make sure that ride height is correct before checking alinement, much like the tool they use now to hold the steering arms so the steering is zeroed out. Rider weight has no factor in the alinement procedure.

Hang in there guys, the fix is right around the corner.

This is great news! I fell in love yesterday. Went to the Charlotte IMS and sat on my dream- Yellow RT-s. It looks great- I can't wait to get it in the garage. Hope they get this steering issue fixed soon as I hope to place my order around April 1st.

[Dwight]

I'm sure dissapointed, I really thought that with the new suspension geometry and other updates that the 2013's would live up to the potential I'd expected of my 2010 PE. It appears that that won't be the case. Sad, I really liked my 2010 but after numerous warranty issues and many days in the shop I decided I just couldn't live with it anymore and sold it. I check back once in awhile just to see how things are going. It doesn't look much better. At the 2010 owners meeting I got to spend about 20 minutes with one of the top guys (can't remember his name) and as a result I was refunded money for on the road repairs, good for them. I think my last question/comment to him was to ask him if the engineers that developed the Spyder actually rode motorcycles. He was a bit offended but could not even guess how much experience (if any) they had. I'll continue to monitor the board and see how things progress, who knows, maybe sometime I'll own another one of them.

Dwight

[ARtraveler]

Another person here who has a hard time keeping quiet over a hot button issue.

There has been a lot of speculation as to the cause/effect of the problems with the 2013's. with those who are saying to sit back and see what happens, and that the solution is just around the corner. THIS TIME, it DOES (sorry about the EMPHASIS) appear that BRP is getting on the ball much quicker to solve the problem and to try to get it solved once and for all. There is a very serious problem here, and it must be giving the engineers fits. Were someone to be injured or worse in an accident caused by handling issues on the , it would open up a whole new can of worms.

One question has me wondering why this did not get found out when they tested the ,s? What happened to make this show up once the dealers started prepping the ,s for new customers?

[Rando]

One question has me wondering why this did not get found out when they tested the ,s? What happened to make this show up once the dealers started prepping the ,s for new customers?

Just a theory, maybe they tested it with the weight of an AVERAGE size (weight) rider and the problem wasn't discovered until lighter/heavier riders starting taking posession of them? Just my 2 cents.