Front wheel wobble.

[Ivorspyder]

I arrived back from The Owners Event 2500 miles of ryding.The bike ran like a dream no problem.A few days later as I left the house to get fuel the Spyder went onto a shaking wheel wobble which lasted a few seconds.Back home I read up on various posts which described what I had mainly downshifting between 42 and 45 mph.
A few days ago as I left home and the same thing happened.I decided to go straight to my tech who is BRP trained.Has his own little shop and is the best. Motorcycle mechanic I have ever met.On the way it happened a few times and exactly as described about 42 mph whilst downshifting.
My tech lifted the RT,checked everything around underneath .Tightened some bolts and even jiggled the Elka Shocks.Suggested them I go to the tire dealer and get the wheels balanced.On the way there the bike behaved perfectly so decided to do 50miles.No problem.
Today I took it for a 100 mile ryde.Again no problem.Rode great.
All I can say is when he played around underneath or jiggled the shocks he must have done something to correct the problem as the RT is running as it should.
It is a 2012 just on a year old with 14800 miles on it.My tires are good the original set.The back tire is coming due for a change.

Ivor

[Pennyrick]

I arrived back from The Owners Event 2500 miles of ryding.The bike ran like a dream no problem.A few days later as I left the house to get fuel the Spyder went onto a shaking wheel wobble which lasted a few seconds.Back home I read up on various posts which described what I had mainly downshifting between 42 and 45 mph.
A few days ago as I left home and the same thing happened.I decided to go straight to my tech who is BRP trained.Has his own little shop and is the best. Motorcycle mechanic I have ever met.On the way it happened a few times and exactly as described about 42 mph whilst downshifting.
My tech lifted the RT,checked everything around underneath .Tightened some bolts and even jiggled the Elka Shocks.Suggested them I go to the tire dealer and get the wheels balanced.On the way there the bike behaved perfectly so decided to do 50miles.No problem.
Today I took it for a 100 mile ryde.Again no problem.Rode great.
All I can say is when he played around underneath or jiggled the shocks he must have done something to correct the problem as the RT is running as it should.
It is a 2012 just on a year old with 14800 miles on it.My tires are good the original set.The back tire is coming due for a change.

Ivor

Ivor:

My 2012 acted exactly the same way and even did it at the same speed. It only happened from time to time and I could not make it happen.

After numerous trips to the dealer and lots of balancing and rebalancing we finally decided to take the wheels off a showroom Spyder one at a time and try them on mine. Once the right side wheel was replaced we narrowed it down a bit. The wheel was inspected and we found no problem there so we traced it to the tire.

Apparently, the tire had a loose belt that had broken loose. At faster speeds it would snap back into place but between 42-45 mph it would decide to pop out and play (sometimes).

Once the tire was replaced we were fine.

Nearly drove the tech at the dealership nuts.

[Ivorspyder]

Thats really interesting.I am taking it back to the tech next Wed.I will point out what you did and will check to see if its the same problem.
Thanks.

Ivor

[Grandpa Spyder]

A friend of mine had same problem at the same speed. we put my tires and wheels on his RT and it went away. He had just rotated his tires and one side of the tires were higher then the other and also a lot rougher then the other side. I am not sure what action he has planed.

[SpyRyd]

A friend of mine had same problem at the same speed. we put my tires and wheels on his RT and it went away. He had just rotated his tires and one side of the tires were higher then the other and also a lot rougher then the other side. I am not sure what action he has planed.

I'm the friend Grandpa Spyder is talking about. This morning I took my front wheels off and took them to Walmart to get the balance checked and rebalanced if necessary. Walmart could not check the balance because they did not have the correct size coupler to mount my Spyder wheels to their spin balance machine. They suggested Tread Quarters just down the road a few blocks. TQ was able to check the balance and said both wheels were "perfect" although they did move the weights on one wheel closer to the spoke side of the wheel. One wheel has four 1/4 oz weights and the other wheel has ten 1/4 oz weights which the Service Manager at Walmart said was not a problem and not unusual.

Brought both wheels home, installed them, torqued the lug nuts, and went for a test ryde. Wobble still there. Before I installed the wheels, I checked the lug nut studs for tightness and all 6 were tight. Not sure what to try next other than going back to my dealer and have them "un-rotate" my tires which they have offered to do. Dealer Service Manager suggested lowering my front tire air pressure from 18psi to 15psi so the tires run "flatter" and to try this for awhile. So far the lower tire pressure has done nothing. I first noticed this wobble at about 1000 miles after my dealer rotated my tires during the 14,000 mile service. I can "create" the wobble by going 42mph in 3rd gear at about 4400rpm; then I downshift to 2nd gear, keeping the speed at 42mph the rpm goes to about 5500 and the wobble is still there. I've noticed the wobble at about 38mph up to about 45mph in 2nd or 3rd gear. Below and above these speeds...no wobble. Also do not notice the wobble while accelerating through the gears and shifting my SE5 tranny between 5000 and 5500rpm. Also, sometimes when I'm consciously trying to create the wobble by going about 42mph in 3rd gear I can't get it to wobble and then at other times the wobble shows up. Really perplexing...any suggestions short of replacing both tires?

[DR Buck]

I've been through this and there are no less than a dozen threads about this with a HUGE number of owners having the had the same issue. Everyone that has solved it has replace their tires. Some with BRP factory and many with after market tires. The solution is always the same --------- NEW TIRES.

The factory tires appear to be sub standard and I believe shaking, wobble, and these post will continue.

[SpyderAnn01]

I think DRBuck is correct. I had the same problem on my 2010 and the dealer swapped my tires with some from a new bike and the vibration at 45 went away. The tires were cupped. I replaced them and had no more issues. It isn't unusual to need new tires at 15,000 miles so, Ivor, it may be time for new ones for you.

[SpyderAnn01]

On a completely unrelated note Ivor did you friend wind up buying a Spyder?

[Ivorspyder]

On a completely unrelated note Ivor did you friend wind up buying a Spyder?

Yes he sure did Ann.We last saw you at breakfast in Greeneville on the Sunday morning.We found a very nice dealer in Virginia on the following Tues and he traded his Wing for a 2013 Black RT Limited.The dealer gave him a good deal.We continued our trip from then through the Outer Banks until Friday when we split up him ryding home to Franklin T N and me to Florida.He put 1300 miles on it by the time he got home.
I rode the bike a number of times and has run great with no problems.

ivor

[SpyderAnn01]

Yes he sure did Ann.We last saw you at breakfast in Greeneville on the Sunday morning.We found a very nice dealer in Virginia on the following Tues and he traded his Wing for a 2013 Black RT Limited.The dealer gave him a good deal.We continued our trip from then through the Outer Banks until Friday when we split up him ryding home to Franklin T N and me to Florida.He put 1300 miles on it by the time he got home.
I rode the bike a number of times and has run great with no problems.

ivor

I hope he joins us next year at all of the Spyder events.

[Firefly]

Tires Tires Tires!

Get rid of them and put new on... preferably something better than the BRP ones-- which are really low grade.

Mine did the same thing... chased this for weeks before tracking it down to the tires. If you have the tire place spin them up... ask if you can watch them. They should be able to check and see if the rim or the tire is out of round. Mine was easy to see. On a couple of the tires I tried I could see the bounce while spinning them on the spyder while jacked up.

10 weights is indicative of a problem from the get go in my opinion. My new Potenza's have 2 weights on one side and none required on the other..... rides as smooth as I've ever had it ride.


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[Ivorspyder]

Tires Tires Tires!

Get rid of them and put new on... preferably something better than the BRP ones-- which are really low grade.

Mine did the same thing... chased this for weeks before tracking it down to the tires. If you have the tire place spin them up... ask if you can watch them. They should be able to check and see if the rim or the tire is out of round. Mine was easy to see. On a couple of the tires I tried I could see the bounce while spinning them on the spyder while jacked up.

10 weights is indicative of a problem from the get go in my opinion. My new Potenza's have 2 weights on one side and none required on the other..... rides as smooth as I've ever had it ride.


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Are your Potenzas on your RT?If so is the size. P165/65 R14 78s?Lastly does one have to adjust the fender on 2012 RT?
Thanks,
ivor

[SPYDER Mike]

to all the above that say tires, tires, tires = No Wobble.

can't balance something that's no longer round, no matter how much tread is left on the tire just do it, it will go away!!!

[Firefly]

Are your Potenzas on your RT?If so is the size. P165/65 R14 78s?Lastly does one have to adjust the fender on 2012 RT?
Thanks,
ivor

The Potenza's I got from Discount Tire are identical in size to the OEM's. No modifications are required.......

Yes-- on my RT that I had at the owners event. I felt they worked great.


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[UNCLEDAVE]

I'm seriously thinking about buying a new 2013 RTS Spyder. How pricey are new tires for a Spyder? Thanks!

[Chupaca]

As you can see this issue is best solved with new tires preferably aftermarket. Must be some batches out there that fell short. BRP does not make tires but should possibly find another supplier. Auto manufacturer use several which also give them a reference when these problems come up....

[SpyRyd]

The Potenza's I got from Discount Tire are identical in size to the OEM's. No modifications are required.......

Yes-- on my RT that I had at the owners event. I felt they worked great.


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Not a lot to choose from in the 165/65r14 size...Bridgestone Potenza and Michelin Energy Savers...Potenza's have been discontinued (but still available) and the Michelin's are out of stock practically everywhere.

Some SL's have gone to the General Altimax HP 185/60r14 which apparently fit without needing to adjust the fenders.

i'll most likely replace both front tires...just need to decide on what to get.

[YIRYDE]

Is anyone who has had this wobble problem using Ride-on tire sealant?

[TuckMiddle]

Is anyone who has had this wobble problem using Ride-on tire sealant?

When I got my RT in Aug 2011, it had a slight wobble at 50 sometimes, most of the time it was ok. One front tire had 4 weights, the other 12 and the rear 10.

I left the weights on, added ride on and it never really stopped, but was a little better. Took all the weights off (with a plastic knife, so the wheel doesn't get scratched, things still not right. Took the Spyder to our friendly tire dealer and he rebalanced the fronts with the ride on installed. Problem disappeared. the tire that had 12 weights originally now had 4, the one that had 4 now has 6. Left the rear alone with no weights. I was about to get new fronts, but the rebalance worked, with the ride on still in the tire. They now sit in the garage, as I bought a new take off set of black wheels from the Spyder dealer, added ride on and everything has been perfect, except the rear tire being replaced at 10,000 miles with a Kumho, which I had put on the original rim and had 5,000 miles on it before the new wheels. Bottom line here is the original fronts had some fault that wouldn't balance until the final try to balance with the ride on installed and original weights removed. They sit in the garage with 18,000 miles and lots of tread left and balance was still perfect upon replacement with new wheels.


Tuck

[Firefly]

I used to run OEM tires on my GS without weights but with rideon installed. Worked quite well. My current problem couldn't be fixed with rideon. The tires were just out of round really bad.

Tires for the Spyder are not that expensive IMO. Fronts are around $75 each with the rear $140. This will vary depending on brand. The real kicker is the expense of installing the rear. For those who can remove the wheel from the bike and reinstall.... You can save some serious $$$$

[YIRYDE]

When I got my RT in Aug 2011, it had a slight wobble at 50 sometimes, most of the time it was ok. One front tire had 4 weights, the other 12 and the rear 10.

I left the weights on, added ride on and it never really stopped, but was a little better. Took all the weights off (with a plastic knife, so the wheel doesn't get scratched, things still not right. Took the Spyder to our friendly tire dealer and he rebalanced the fronts with the ride on installed. Problem disappeared. the tire that had 12 weights originally now had 4, the one that had 4 now has 6. Left the rear alone with no weights. I was about to get new fronts, but the rebalance worked, with the ride on still in the tire. They now sit in the garage, as I bought a new take off set of black wheels from the Spyder dealer, added ride on and everything has been perfect, except the rear tire being replaced at 10,000 miles with a Kumho, which I had put on the original rim and had 5,000 miles on it before the new wheels. Bottom line here is the original fronts had some fault that wouldn't balance until the final try to balance with the ride on installed and original weights removed. They sit in the garage with 18,000 miles and lots of tread left and balance was still perfect upon replacement with new wheels.


Tuck

Tuck

Thanks for the info. I'm using ride on with the original wheel weights and no wobble problems so far with a little over 11,000 miles. I didn't have a wobble problem before I installed the ride on, I purchased it for the tire sealant protection.

[SpyderAnn01]

I'm seriously thinking about buying a new 2013 RTS Spyder. How pricey are new tires for a Spyder? Thanks!

The tires aren't that expensive you can get a rear tire at Discount Tire for $80 and if you do the work yourself you can save a ton. If you have to go to the dealer for service then the price goes way up.

[Ivorspyder]

I hope he joins us next year at all of the Spyder events.

He surely will.He is a really happy new owner.Never thought he would be.Swore by his Goldwing.

ivor

[ICE]

Firefly, I just picked up a couple of Potenzas What tire pressure are you using?. Thx

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I've been through this and there are no less than a dozen threads about this with a HUGE number of owners having the had the same issue. Everyone that has solved it has replace their tires. Some with BRP factory and many with after market tires. The solution is always the same --------- NEW TIRES.

The factory tires appear to be sub standard and I believe shaking, wobble, and these post will continue.

Guess what......KENDA TIRES ....Mtc. or Passenger, are not at the TOP of anybodys list of perferred Tires .................BRP got a Sweetheart deal and that's why they put them on the Spyder's.............JMHO....Mike