Vibration at interstate speeds -- Input please - 2012 Spyder RT Limited - 4200 miles

[Jim&Teresa]

Hello my spyderlover friends...

My RT is having vibrations -- specifically around 5300 - 6500 rpms about 70-80 mph...found this out the hard way on a 1200 mile trip using interstates with 75 mph limits - first time I had it at that speed on an extended basis. Vibrated on up hill grades, not down hill. I could accelerate out of it, but when it settled down again going up the grade, it would vibrate.

Anyway, the dealer had my bike a full week (Thurs - Thurs) - wow. They did fix my glove box so it locks now (cable was off at the switch area) - great!

The single most important issue I had told them was the vibration. It was so bad my wife could not put her feet on the passenger floorpads! We would go below 70 or exceed 80 in order to miss the vibration range (interstate in SD where speed limit is 75 mph) -- what a terrible way to ride a new bike (it had about 2600 miles at the start of this trip and we now have 4200 miles on it).

DO ALL RT'S HAVE THIS VIBRATION ISSUE??? That's what the Tech told me. He called BRP and they said at the 6200 rpm range, vibration "happens" - wow for a $25-30K motorcycle that you can't ride on the interstate comfortably?????

I would appreciate any suggestions. The Tech said he tightened the belt to the upper spec range and did some alignment - the vibration is still there! The Tech also informed me how much time he took on this (he did ride my bike 22 miles as I checked the odometer when I dropped it off and when I picked it up). No doubt he tried to do his best. He stated that this is normally an "owner" issue in terms of the tightness of the belt and alignment and I was fortunate that the dealership picked it up as BRP would not warranty it....I felt like I was getting a "talkin to" by this 30 something Tech ( I'm 58 with a Mechanical Engineering degree, retired and have worked as an auto mechanic in my earlier days) - I was nice and did not say much to him and just listened when I asked him questions. He finalized the conversation by saying he rode same model, same year and compared it -- they all do it!! WOW.

Anyway....I love the Spyder in it's design and functionality. I can get around issues like the heat on the right foot, glove box issues, etc, but this vibration issue is a "deal breaker" if I intend to keep the spyder. I would hate to get rid of it, but I have riden many other bikes on interstates (such as a 2012 Gold Wing) and it's "smooth" and quiet.

So any thoughts you all have would be appreciated! I see there is a tension pulley for the bottom of the belt, but I'm concerned it just another add-on that may not work.

Safe and happy ridin' to all of you!

[Cruzr Joe]

Sounds to me like your belt tension is not correct, i have seen belt tensioners advertised on here but since i do not have that problem i have never used one.

Let us know what you do to correct this, it is not normal.

Cruzr Joe

Spyderpops block off plate can help the hot foot problem relatively cheap.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[poordom]

[QUOTE=JLSpyder2012;658962]Hello my spyderlover friends...

My RT is having vibrations -- specifically around 5300 - 6500 rpms about 70-80 mph...found this out the hard way on a 1200 mile trip using interstates with 75 mph limits - first time I had it at that speed on an extended basis. Vibrated on up hill grades, not down hill. I could accelerate out of it, but when it settled down again going up the grade, it would vibrate.

I have a similar problem with my RS/GS.

The only thing I can think of is Alignment or and wheel balancing.

These are the issues I will check with, shortly.

Dom

[Biosafena]

I have exactly the same problem with my 2012 RT Ltd that you have described. I just took a 400 hundred mile trip and noted a couple of things.
* The vibration is much worse when riding 2 up
* The vibration is worst when going up a mild grade on the freeway.
* The vibration will mostly go away when starting down a grade and the load is removed from driveline.
* The vibration is not as bad when pulling a very steep grade and the driveline is under a great load.
* When rapidly accelerating and going through the gears quickly, I can feel the vibration (almost a crunchy sensation) in each gear as the engine reaches a certain RPM.

This vibration is so bad that it will make you numb after 30 minutes. Being that I can make it come and go, I believe it has to be belt or clutch related. I have had my belt adjusted by three (3) different dealers and it is still there. I have ridden a 2013 RT on exactly the same roads that I road mine on and there was no vibration. I do have the smooth spyder tensioner installed and can change the frequency of the vibration based on how much tension I place on the smooth spyder. This vibration is so bad that I do not even want to take my bike on the freeway on a trip. I can find speeds when riding solo that reduce the vibration and make it tolerable. Two of the dealers have said that something isn't right, but they said they wold have to just start tearing it apart and examining things, but no guarantee that BRP will cover anything. And they don't know how long they will have the bike. I was in the process of installing a small camera in the belt area to record what is actually going on at speed. Guess I need to get back to it. There is no way that I could ride my Spyder across the country with is condition, I would be numb before the state line.

You may think I am nuts, but I am seriously considering trailer in my Spyder to Pitbull and have them look at it. I AM DESPERATE TO GET IS FIXED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THIS IS NOT A WHEEL BALANCE ISSUE. HANDLEBARS ARE ROCK STEADY AND I CAN RIDE WITH NO HANDS FOR QUITE SOME DISTANCE IF I WANT TO. THIS STARTS AT THE FOOTPEGS AND COMES THROUGH THE FRAME, SEAT, HANDLEBARS AND MY BUTT!


Sent from the corner of walk and don't walk....

[dshogman]

I hope this doesn't come off as a dumb question, but where are you feeling the vibration? I just noticed yesterday that I have a slight 'buzz' in the floorboards but nothing else - no hand vibration, no butt, nothing else. I thought maybe it was the rough pavement. Only 1100 miles on the RT-S. Maybe it was there all along and I just never noticed it. I'll have to pay more attention to it.

[isammy777]

Vibration is one of the easiest things to isolate. Check for proper balance of the front tires.Check you air suspention pressure.30.0 to 50. psi.

isammy

[dshogman]

Vibration is one of the easiest things to isolate. Check for proper balance of the front tires.Check you air suspention pressure.30.0 to 50. psi.

isammy

WOW, just read this answer and realized what I did the other day - I adjusted the tire pressures up to 20 front and 30 rear - and I now notice a 'buzz' in the boards. Used to use 18/28 all the time until I read someone said go to 20/30. I'll back off the 2 lbs and see if that changes anything.

[kepople]

What goes numb?

I feel a vibration at certain rpm/speed combinations. I will have my hands start to hurt from time to time, then using cruise control helps a lot with the hand thing. Again very short rides and I have hand issues.

Vibration, I feel it in the belt. 600 miles is coming up, so I will check it out then. Only vibration I feel is through the foot pegs.

[Spyder Tony]

WOW, just read this answer and realized what I did the other day - I adjusted the tire pressures up to 20 front and 30 rear - and I now notice a 'buzz' in the boards. Used to use 18/28 all the time until I read someone said go to 20/30. I'll back off the 2 lbs and see if that changes anything.

2 days ago in an attempt to get a better feeling when riding 2-up, I adjusted the tire pressure to 20 up front and 28 in back. Immediately, I noticed the bike was less "grippy" as the back tire would spin out when it didn't before, and the front tires felt too stiff in hard turns. I backed the pressure off to 18 up front & 25 in back and am a happy camper. As for the need to improve the feel of riding 2-up, i've decided to go with the air bag install on DrewNJ's post. All parts are can-am and the total cost of the mod is under $150. Even better...apparently, my ST LTD already has the wiring harness needed to install & hook up the airbag suspension. Here is the post with the walkthru:

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...Air-Suspension

[Biosafena]

My hands, feet, butt, you name it. This thing vibrates so bad at speed that it is unbelievable. I am wondering if there is a tensioner or idler setup hat I can install on the top portion of the drive belt. The smooth spyder rides on the bottom. I think there must be slack, based upon load, created in the upper portion of the belt that is chattering or vibrating like crazy, hence the idea for the camera to video the belt. Really need a double pulley idler to sandwich the upper and lower sections of the belt together to keep them taught. Hello engineering type people???


Sent from the corner of walk and don't walk....

[widowmaker2011]

It sounds like you need to have a new dealer look at it, a properly tensioned belt and the smoothspyder should all but eliminate the belt issue , mine was the same way but tensioning the belt properly eliminated it without having to add a separate tensioner.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

[ARtraveler]

Can't give you any great mechanical advice--but I am guessing/hoping, Scotty will be aboard soon.

A bike that vibrates so bad that you are considering trading it in for a GW or something else--means to me--that there is a problem.

The that the dealer is telling you that this is "normal" for 's is a great big cop out. I have had four 's and never had any such problem with any of them. It might be time to find another servicing dealer--if possible.

Maybe others will have some good suggestions that are fixable before you have to make a drastic change.

You are so right when you say a machine that costs that much should be rideable on the highways. Here is its sounding like dealer servicing issues are a big part of your problem.

Please keep us posted.

[greybeard]

o. k. what gear are you in ? To me fifth gear is useless I ride to 75 mph in 4th gear. what grade gas are you using ? my engine loves premium fuel .The vibration is coming from the engine. Remember you only have 2 cylinders not 6 or 8. I have a 2013 sts . No vibration at 4500 rpm in 1,2 or 3rd gear, but I have it in 4th and 5th because of the higher gearing and the added wind pressure loading the engine. Are you and your rider over 300 #? do you have 200# of luggage? Do you have a super wide extra big windshield? You can not haul all this stuff up a steep grade in 5th gear Good luck

[JJW SpyderRider]

WOW, just read this answer and realized what I did the other day - I adjusted the tire pressures up to 20 front and 30 rear - and I now notice a 'buzz' in the boards. Used to use 18/28 all the time until I read someone said go to 20/30. I'll back off the 2 lbs and see if that changes anything.

I use 19/28 for the tires. My front right tire vibrates when cold at about 40 mph but goes away. My belt, as well as almost all belts, will have a vibration. The vibration you feel might be lessened if the tension were less. Mine vibrates at 4000 rpm. Not hard to keep it above 4K so it is not a big problem for me. I adjust my own belt to keep the vibration in the sweet spot for me. When riding two up I used to have these bad vibrations before making adjustments. Now very smooth.

I wonder if raising the belt tension just moves the vibration to a higher RPM/load point. At the higher speeds does it make the vibration even worst once you do hit the point the vibration starts?

I rode 260 miles yesterday doing 75 mph (other than setting in almost stand still traffic for 40 minutes to go 3 miles with the air temp gauge setting at 106 ) and had no vibration issues at all.

[Jim&Teresa]

My fellow spyderlover friends....

Thanks for all your great input on this thread as I started it after being very dissapointed in the dealer that I bought the bike at -- the Tech could not fix this issue after having my bike a week.

We were riding two up -- my wife and I are not large people (total weight in the range of 310 lbs total for both) and luggage was filled, but with clothes -- no heavy stuff. Hit the interstate in SD with NO wind and tried to go 75mph (speed limit is 75mph) NO such luck. Every small uphill grade it would vibrate. Not my expectations for a great motorcycle ride!!

What is the correct tension for the belt and what gauge do you use. I am a mechanic and also a Mechanical Engineer. I've overhauled engines, worked on front ends, etc. on cars. This vibration to me has to be the belt. I am willing to experiment with belt tension, but want to know your input before going down that road. The Tech said it was a little on the lower end and tightened the belt to top end of the tension spec.

To answer the question. I did ride in 5th gear at 75 mph, but I also tried 4th gear to see if the vibration went away at this speed going uphill -- It did not -- it was speed specific (rear wheel rpm) and not affected much by the engine rpm. As others who have the problem stated, you can throttle up out of it, but when you return to the desired speed (75mph) and you're going uphill, the vibration starts up. This vibration was not the front end or tires. It rattled the whole lower frame of the bike and was very noticable on my driver pegs (luckily I also have highway pegs which made it less noticable). As stated before, my wife did not want to put her feet flat on the passenger floor boards as the vibration was too intense.....so we "danced" around the speed lower and higher to minimize it. It really sucks to not have a bike that I can go on the interstate and enjoy.

I appreciate your input and have happy/safe ridin'

[OldDog]

Perhaps the belt itself may be bad. What about front to rear sprocket alignment? Is the belt running to the inside or outside of the sprockets? I'm just throwin' that out. Do you hear loud belt noise or is the vibration coming from the engine?

[SPYDERFUZZ]

Divorce your wife, or get rid of your girl friend and ride single. I just had to throw that out. Vibration is not a funny thing to happen. I have a 2012 RT LTD and have 1000 miles with no problems. Either that or I'm to dumb recognize a problem. I think I need to quit reading these threads. It's depressing, all I hear are problems.

I would like to hear some lovers say oh we had a great time last Sunday we rode over to the reservation saw a show and won $$$$. Everyone had a great time. There were 400 of us and NO ONE had a Spyder problem. We need two Spyder Lovers web sites. One for good things are happening and one for problems.

Don't beat me up too much I say this with tongue in cheek.

[Biosafena]

And the idea of cruising on the freeway at 75 mph in 4th gear makes no sense to me. I don't see 5th gear as being something reserved from jumping from one galaxy to another. I am all for keeping the RPM up, but 75 in 4th ain't a viable option. This has to be belt/RPM/engine load related. When it is not vibrating, I love my machine and it is smooth as glass. I could ride forever. When the vibration starts, and mine can happen anywhere between 4100 and 5900 RPM, depending on load on the driveline, i start to just hope that some component that is to blame would just explode so that the source of the problem could be identified. Mine will vibrate/buzz constantly for miles and miles if speed and RPM's are kept the same. The question was asked about weight, luggage, windshield. All are within the limits for my RT. If those are such a concern, can't wait to see what happens when I put a trailer behind this thing.


Sent from the corner of walk and don't walk..

[Jim&Teresa]

Divorcing the wife is not an option after 37 years -- she's a keeper! So it will be 2 up ridin' for us.

Alignment could be the issue. The belt has been pretty snug up against the inside lip of the pulley on the back wheel. I asked the Tech and he said he tightened and re-aligned the belt. To me, still looks like it's riding pretty tight up against that inner lip...

Another question -- with this vibration and riding, I'm getting 22 - 26 MPG -- is this normal. I'm not hot rodding this thing, just riding it. I did read to keep RPM's up -- does that really help MPG????

I can live with lower MPG issues, heat on my right foot (which I did install the upper radiator heat blocking plate and opened up the bottom with screen), and miscellaneous little anoyances, but this vibration thing may make me trade off this bike even though I bought in new in March 2013!! Would have never of thought that when I shelled out over $25K with trading in my Honda. We'll give it some TLC and adjustments, manybe a new dealer with new Tech, etc.

Again, anyone have the right belt tension spec. that doesn't create a vibration issue and what gauge do you use????

Thanks all...have a good weekend and Happy / Safe ridin'

[Illinois Boy]

The vibration you speak of has been hashed-out and re-hashed ad-naseum... however, if a person has vibrations as you describe (being that they are not caused from loading or rpm issues), it is simply not fun.

I am not the resident mechanic... (they seem to be off today); however I can touch upon a few of the issues people have mentioned that appear to have helped some.

Alignment of the engine was one. One owner had luck when his tech adjusted the mounting "ever so slightly". Apparently the engine was just slightly "crooked" enough to cause a belt misalignment problem between the front and rear sprockets.

Alignment of the tires (front to the rear). Apparently there have been some that have had their rear tires slight out of alignment to their front tires, thus causing some crabbing of the machine that might be responsible for vibrations at certain speeds -- as opposed to rpm's, gears, or other.

Tire and belt tension seem to be the first adjustment people go for; and probably should just to make sure they are correct. However, after that, it might require a bit more "engineering" on the machine's setup of the drivetrain -- if you know what I mean.

Again... this is what I have observed from plenty of threads on this issue. My machine has its vibration-quirks as well; however they are not very bad, nor consistent as some seem to be. My tech made adjustments to the rear-tire in relation to the front tires and it seemed to help some... but not completely.

If you come up with any solutions that may help others, please share it with us here. We would appreciate any comments and progress reports.

[JJW SpyderRider]

Alignment could be the issue. The belt has been pretty snug up against the inside lip of the pulley on the back wheel. I asked the Tech and he said he tightened and re-aligned the belt. To me, still looks like it's riding pretty tight up against that inner lip...

Check the flange for shards of rubber. Mine was delivered with the belt against the flange and it would actually try to ride on top of the flange. When it came off it vibrated the whole trike. The flange had a 1/4 long shard of rubber at every tooth.

Another question -- with this vibration and riding, I'm getting 22 - 26 MPG -- is this normal. I'm not hot rodding this thing, just riding it. I did read to keep RPM's up -- does that really help MPG????

Mine got about this bad of MPG when new for normal driving. On the highway it still gets this bad when running over 70. Now normal cruising I'm up to about 34 MPG.

I can live with lower MPG issues, heat on my right foot (which I did install the upper radiator heat blocking plate and opened up the bottom with screen), and miscellaneous little anoyances, but this vibration thing may make me trade off this bike even though I bought in new in March 2013!! Would have never of thought that when I shelled out over $25K with trading in my Honda. We'll give it some TLC and adjustments, manybe a new dealer with new Tech, etc.

Again, anyone have the right belt tension spec. that doesn't create a vibration issue and what gauge do you use????

Thanks all...have a good weekend and Happy / Safe ridin'

Good luck finding the vibration issue.

[Marcus In Moose Lake]

Hello,

I too have a new 2012 RT-S. I noticed the vibration at speeds 70-75 when encountering a slight incline. If I throttled-back for a spilt second and then powered-up, it would go away. I immediately thought belt tension and have read our belts are one of the longest reaches in the industry.

I mentioned the issue when I took mine in for first service. My dealer (who is awesome) checked it all out and made the required adjustments per factory spec as part of the first service. He did tell me the vibration is present on many of the machines during break-in and some belts take 4000 miles or more to break-in. Perhaps your long highway cruise is slightly less than a more typical break-in period with a mix including some serious hard pulls of acceleration in town (Yee Haw!).

I am no expert or mechanic but I only have 2000 miles on my Spyder and the vibration does seem to be subsiding. Hopefully yours too will diminish with additional belt break-in.

Marcus

[Rotaxer]

Hello my spyderlover friends...

My RT is having vibrations -- specifically around 5300 - 6500 rpms about 70-80 mph...found this out the hard way on a 1200 mile trip using interstates with 75 mph limits - first time I had it at that speed on an extended basis. Vibrated on up hill grades, not down hill. I could accelerate out of it, but when it settled down again going up the grade, it would vibrate.

Anyway, the dealer had my bike a full week (Thurs - Thurs) - wow. They did fix my glove box so it locks now (cable was off at the switch area) - great!

The single most important issue I had told them was the vibration. It was so bad my wife could not put her feet on the passenger floorpads! We would go below 70 or exceed 80 in order to miss the vibration range (interstate in SD where speed limit is 75 mph) -- what a terrible way to ride a new bike (it had about 2600 miles at the start of this trip and we now have 4200 miles on it).

DO ALL RT'S HAVE THIS VIBRATION ISSUE??? That's what the Tech told me. He called BRP and they said at the 6200 rpm range, vibration "happens" - wow for a $25-30K motorcycle that you can't ride on the interstate comfortably?????

I would appreciate any suggestions. The Tech said he tightened the belt to the upper spec range and did some alignment - the vibration is still there! The Tech also informed me how much time he took on this (he did ride my bike 22 miles as I checked the odometer when I dropped it off and when I picked it up). No doubt he tried to do his best. He stated that this is normally an "owner" issue in terms of the tightness of the belt and alignment and I was fortunate that the dealership picked it up as BRP would not warranty it....I felt like I was getting a "talkin to" by this 30 something Tech ( I'm 58 with a Mechanical Engineering degree, retired and have worked as an auto mechanic in my earlier days) - I was nice and did not say much to him and just listened when I asked him questions. He finalized the conversation by saying he rode same model, same year and compared it -- they all do it!! WOW.

Anyway....I love the Spyder in it's design and functionality. I can get around issues like the heat on the right foot, glove box issues, etc, but this vibration issue is a "deal breaker" if I intend to keep the spyder. I would hate to get rid of it, but I have riden many other bikes on interstates (such as a 2012 Gold Wing) and it's "smooth" and quiet.

So any thoughts you all have would be appreciated! I see there is a tension pulley for the bottom of the belt, but I'm concerned it just another add-on that may not work.

Safe and happy ridin' to all of you!

This is not normal, I have a slight vibration at that speed/RPM but is certainly bearable. Here is a procedure that will get you close and the tool needed. If after that you still have a bit then SmoothSpyder should make it perfect.

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...t=belt+tension

http://www.smoothspyder.com/SmoothSpyder.com/Home.html

[johnwinslow]

This is My 2 cents. First order a smooth spyder, then when you get it, put your spyder up on a atv jack so all (3) wheels are off the floor and you have good access for drilling, after you drill and clean the mess, but before you install the idler, set your belt tracking and tension the old way then run the spyder in first gear on the lift, and watch for vibration of the belt, if it vibrates increase the tension a little chk again for vibration if it is still there, decrease the tension . the object is to minimize the vibration as much as possible before smooth spyder. then install smooth spyder. repeat this procedure adjusting the smooth spyder until you have no vibrations in the belt. I have over 12,000 miles after I installed the tensioner and have not had any trouble with tracking or vibration, note you do have to trim the belt guard give yourself a 1/2 to 3/4 inch clearance otherwise you may hear the tensioner pulley hit the belt guard. when you adjust tracking have the left side panel off, so you can see the location of the belt on the engine sprocket as well as well as the rear sprocket the ideal is to have it track in the center. Jim sends a gauge with his kit. the tension of your belt should be the least of your worries when out for a ride, accept maybe if you stopped at the Golden Coral

[ARtraveler]

A couple flags here on second and third reads.

I recommend using the 5th gear for all highway driving 60-65 and above. Yes, shift down if you start lugging and need some help on inclines. There are some proponents that state that running the rpm's in the 7000 range all the time, is good--but, most recommend the 5000-5500 range.

Your mileage at 26 mpg average does seem about 5 mpg low compared to most that post. The 30-31 seems to be what most--including myself get. Very high revs MAY be contributing to this.