riding on highway

[Questions]

Experienced motorcyclist, but first time spyder owner. I only have about 50 miles on the spyder, but when I was on the highway today the bike felt really "loose" almost wobbly. It was a bit windy, but scared me. Ready to get rid of it already. My wife noticed it wobbly also and didn't like the feeling. Is this common? I checked wheels, etc, everything seems secure. Any input?

[DougB]

If it's an RT, you'll have that till you upgrade the front shocks IMO. Also, you need to loosen your grip. When the wind blows, your body reacts and causes you to move the steering.

[ThreeWheels]

Experienced motorcyclist, but first time spyder owner. I only have about 50 miles on the spyder, but when I was on the highway today the bike felt really "loose" almost wobbly. It was a bit windy, but scared me. Ready to get rid of it already. My wife noticed it wobbly also and didn't like the feeling. Is this common? I checked wheels, etc, everything seems secure. Any input?

Check your tire pressure. If it's too high, the bike gets squiggly. I set mine at around 18 PSI.

Also, there seems to have been a run of 2010 bikes with poor alignment that made the bike wander all across the road. Mine was one of them and I had the alignment done within the first few weeks.

There is also the stock advice about avoiding the "death grip" on the handlebars, but in my personal experience, experienced riders are more likely to have a hardware problem instead of a wetware one.

Of course, as always, my free advice comes with a double your money back guarantee.

[boborgera]

Experienced motorcyclist, but first time spyder owner. I only have about 50 miles on the spyder, but when I was on the highway today the bike felt really "loose" almost wobbly. It was a bit windy, but scared me. Ready to get rid of it already. My wife noticed it wobbly also and didn't like the feeling. Is this common? I checked wheels, etc, everything seems secure. Any input?

:welcome: Just loosen your grip on the bars, And go with the flow The rear tire tends to roll of the crown of the road, Believe it or not it's normal
Tail waging the dog feeling.

[redfox]

2010 or 2011? RT or RS ? What tire pressure do you have ? What are shocks set at ?

[jedd]

2010 or 2011? RT or RS ? What tire pressure do you have ? What are shocks set at ?

:agree:What model??

[Questions]

[QUOTE=redfox;315858]2010 or 2011? RT or RS ? What tire pressure do you have ? What are shocks set at ?[/QUOT


2011 RT SE-5, got the auto transmission, Front tires were at 21 and shocks at cam position 3

[Questions]

:agree:What model??
2011 RT SE-5, automatic tran, front tires at 21 psi, cam position 3

[Questions]

If it's an RT, you'll have that till you upgrade the front shocks IMO. Also, you need to loosen your grip. When the wind blows, your body reacts and causes you to move the steering.
Thanks for the advice. I didn't think about it till I read this, but my shoulders were tight as heck when I got home, must have been the death grip lol :gaah:

[BikerDoc]

:agree:
:welcome: Just loosen your grip on the bars, And go with the flow The rear tire tends to roll of the crown of the road, Believe it or not it's normal
Tail waging the dog feeling.

:agree: most steering issues by newbies come from oversteering by the rider much more often than flaws in the bike.. relax.... treat it gently and it will respond better

[jedd]

2011 RT SE-5, automatic tran, front tires at 21 psi, cam position 3
Try front shock cam position all the way up we have 5 or 6 clicks (I don't remember) but crank the springs to the highest and loosen that grip. I think that will help. If you have cash to spend call Cowtown and order a set of Elka's for the front, those would relly help too.

Jim:thumbup:

[ARtraveler]

Looks and sounds like you have received enough advice to solve the problem.

[bone crusher]

Try front shock cam position all the way up we have 5 or 6 clicks (I don't remember) but crank the springs to the highest and loosen that grip. I think that will help. If you have cash to spend call Cowtown and order a set of Elka's for the front, those would relly help too.

Jim:thumbup:

disagree..that will make it tighter and if his issue is due to gripping and unfamiliarity, he will bounce around on the bike more...

[BajaRon]

Most, if not all, of these are possibilities. But personally, I would not change any of the hardware until you've fixed you.

I had the same problem with my SM5. Scared me to death at first, twitchy as anything I'd ever ridden. No confidence in the machine or my ability to control it.

The problem turned out to be me, not the machine! I was unconsciously strong arming the handlebars trying to correct for every little movement which just aggravated the issue. It was a vicious cycle.

Once I relaxed (which I had to work at in the beginning) things got better. The improvement allowed me to relax more and things improved again.

We know our Spyders are a different machine. But it's more than looks. In the beginning it may seem twitchy and unpredictable. Nothing could be further from the truth. Once you get used to it, you'll find it responsive and very precise. The only difference will be input changes (or lack of them) by the operator.

Once you get YOU dialed into the machine. Then you will be best able to assess what hardware upgrades you want to improve handling. If a death grip and over active input from you is the problem, hardware changes are not going to help.

[fastfraser]

I think you need to set your front shock to at least 4 and check your air shock in the rear . Do you hear the compressor come on when you set it to the 4th or 5th bar and do you here the air escape when you set it to 1 or 2 bars. Does it hold air ? Under your seat is a air fill valve, test it with your gague should be about 60-70 psi for two up . Hope this helps .:dontknow:

[SteveMac]

Experienced motorcyclist, but first time spyder owner. I only have about 50 miles on the spyder, but when I was on the highway today the bike felt really "loose" almost wobbly. It was a bit windy, but scared me. Ready to get rid of it already. My wife noticed it wobbly also and didn't like the feeling. Is this common? I checked wheels, etc, everything seems secure. Any input?

Don't feel alone. I had the same experience with my new RT. I hadn't ridden in many years, but the more relaxed I became with the Spyder, the better it handles. I have about 1000 miles on mine now and when I ryde, I feel much more at ease. It is simply a different feel than a two wheeler.

Give it some time and a few more miles. I promise you will love the RT. I am now ryding mine to work every day and I ALWAYS take the long way home!

[Bob Denman]

Please don't forget to let us know how you make out solving this issue... Good luck! :thumbup:

[Yfactor]

One other thing I didn't see mentioned was wind screen. I found when at freeway speeds and in high wind conditions, lowering the windscreen helps reduce the buffeting.

:welcome:

[Bob Denman]

Good point! :thumbup: I do that too! :D

[COOLMACHINE]

:welcome: Just loosen your grip on the bars, And go with the flow The rear tire tends to roll of the crown of the road, Believe it or not it's normal
Tail waging the dog feeling.

:agree::agree::agree: Loosen the grip and let the machine track right on down the road.

[Lamonster]

Most, if not all, of these are possibilities. But personally, I would not change any of the hardware until you've fixed you.

I had the same problem with my SM5. Scared me to death at first, twitchy as anything I'd ever ridden. No confidence in the machine or my ability to control it.

The problem turned out to be me, not the machine! I was unconsciously strong arming the handlebars trying to correct for every little movement which just aggravated the issue. It was a vicious cycle.

Once I relaxed (which I had to work at in the beginning) things got better. The improvement allowed me to relax more and things improved again.

We know our Spyders are a different machine. But it's more than looks. In the beginning it may seem twitchy and unpredictable. Nothing could be further from the truth. Once you get used to it, you'll find it responsive and very precise. The only difference will be input changes (or lack of them) by the operator.

Once you get YOU dialed into the machine. Then you will be best able to assess what hardware upgrades you want to improve handling. If a death grip and over active input from you is the problem, hardware changes are not going to help.
:agree:100%
This is not a motorcycle and it is very sensitive to riders input. Relax your grip and soon you'll be passing semi's at 80mph with one hand on the bars. nojoke

[Mr. White]

I am relieved to hear some of you had the same "twitchy" as I did. I read here to loosen my grip...which I did...we are having our "pre hot days winds" and they blow me around a lot.

However, I solved the problem. I saw a psychiatrist. It still wiggles, but I don't care....:roflblack:

Please enter your year and model of your Spyders in your signatures...it makes it easier to give answers or advice.

I ride alone. 18 in front, 30 in rear and front shocks on 4. JMHO

:spyder2:

[kuroneko81]

TOTALLY :agree::agree::agree::agree::agree:


Most, if not all, of these are possibilities. But personally, I would not change any of the hardware until you've fixed you.

I had the same problem with my SM5. Scared me to death at first, twitchy as anything I'd ever ridden. No confidence in the machine or my ability to control it.

The problem turned out to be me, not the machine! I was unconsciously strong arming the handlebars trying to correct for every little movement which just aggravated the issue. It was a vicious cycle.

Once I relaxed (which I had to work at in the beginning) things got better. The improvement allowed me to relax more and things improved again.

We know our Spyders are a different machine. But it's more than looks. In the beginning it may seem twitchy and unpredictable. Nothing could be further from the truth. Once you get used to it, you'll find it responsive and very precise. The only difference will be input changes (or lack of them) by the operator.

Once you get YOU dialed into the machine. Then you will be best able to assess what hardware upgrades you want to improve handling. If a death grip and over active input from you is the problem, hardware changes are not going to help.

[NorthStar]

It takes most of us at least a few hundred miles in the saddle to become accustomed to the unique handling characteristics of the RT. After 40 years of driving two wheelers I admit that it took me at least 500 miles to learn to handle the machine and not have it jump all over the place. especially in high winds.

As others have mentioned, set the front shocks at 4 or 5. experiment with the tire pressure and most importantly, just give yourself time in the saddle and relax that grip. Once you have it dialed in you will look back at your initial concerns and have a chuckle. I know I did.

[sandrunr1]

Wife and I just rode through monument valley Az. from Moab Ut. to Sedona AZ. The wind was blowing west to east at about 65 to 70 miles per hour. We were going south at about the same. :spyder2:s wiggled but but did fine. Just kept it loose and went along with the flow. 75 miles like that. Got tired from boppen to the wind but you have to stay loose.