Front wheel in the air

[Spyder777]

So... I'm riding as usual with my wife. 16 psi in front, 27 in rear. RSS with factory setting on Fox shocks. Everything stock. 2700 approximate miles on Spyder. We ride the mountains and we ride them hard. We are used to VSS kicking on in the curves often and until today Nanny has done a wonderful job of keeping all 3 wheels on the road.

Today, taking a hard left, our front left wheel came at least 1 foot off the asphalt. I immediately hit brakes and the wheel dropped back down. WTF?? I thought that it was impossible? Is it possible that my aggressive riding over the last 2500 miles has dampened the shocks so much that this becomes possible? We ride on, slower than before, and when we stop I adjust the front shocks. I see between 6 and 7 threads showing from the bottom. Go for a solo test drive. Seems stiffer. Wife on back and we continue onward following our friend on a '75 BMW R90S through the Pisgah forest up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Seems better. Rides better. But a little fear/uncertainty remains.

What happened? Does anyone know? Do I need to have my VSS checked or is this "normal"?
I was under the impression that the Nanny was keeping all 3 down all the time.

Has this happened to you?

[sabunim5]

Easily possible to lift a front wheel, lots of us have done it, although a foot is pretty high. The nanny will retard the ignition and/or apply the appropriate braking if you are in danger of flipping. For me, it is much more likely in quick turns from a stop or a very slow speed. Not sure about the others out there.

[ThreeWheels]

I used to lift a front wheel occasionally. Especially on the Dragon or The Devils Triangle.

I haven't done it this season. I attribute that to replacing the 2010 OEM shocks with a set of 2011 OEM ones.

[DocRags]

The first time Erags lifted a tire was on the Blue Ridge Parkway near a scenic overlook. I honestly thought we were going to roll over. My response was similar to yours, with me screaming " :cus:I thought this couldn't do that" in my mike. My second comment to him was "If we are on YouTube tonight I am going to KILL you!" The "nanny" can be overcome with certain (shall we say, "aggressive") driving techniques; it's not foolproof...I figure lifting a tire is just a little warning to you to watch what you're doing in curves. I wonder if the road in the park wasn't banked a little, too, since the amount of tire elevation seemed excessive that first time it happened to us. It was the only time we've lifted a tire that I got scared :yikes: ..the other times haven't seemed to be much off the ground.

[aka1004]

pretty easy to lift inside wheel.
before i got evo's antisway bar, inside wheel used to come off the ground all the time while turning and i am pretty sure it was me letting go of throttle that brought it back to ground, not the spyder's vss or other safety features.
it still happens here and there but only when i accelerate really hard out of the turns(not curves).

[ARtraveler]

Glad you came out all right. :popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:

[serf]

I've had this happen but only when riding 1up. It's happened on tight turns and once in a round about. The round about scared the crop out of me because like you see fit a good ways off the pavement. When the wife is on the back I now slow it down a bit.

I did notice today that since I've installed Ron's anti sway bar that it kept us both flatter in the turns and it seems to work even harder to keep its flat with the added weight.

[jerpinoy]

Have fun riding but don't forget " murphy's law"

[ThreeWheels]

Lifting a wheel on the Spyder is the same as scraping the pegs on a two wheeler.

[Bob Denman]

There is NOTHING built by man; that can't be outwitted by somebody who's really trying to end up as a statistic somewhere... :shocked:
It's actually an easy thing to do since the Nanny doesn't prevent the wheel from coming up; she can only react TO it.
On the bright side... you found a limit, and survived the view over the edge! :thumbup:

[MikeinGA]

I've had this happen but only when riding 1up. It's happened on tight turns and once in a round about. The round about scared the crop out of me because like you see fit a good ways off the pavement. When the wife is on the back I now slow it down a bit.

I did notice today that since I've installed Ron's anti sway bar that it kept us both flatter in the turns and it seems to work even harder to keep its flat with the added weight.

I have never had any of the front wheels off the ground, the Nanny always kickin and slowed me down each time. After I had the BajaRon install his anti-bar swaybar I can go faster in turns and makes it more stable on the highway and the still the Nanny will not let the wheels lift on my Spyder RS-S.

Mike

[Bob Denman]

Oh; She will... you just haven't found the limits yet! :roflblack: :shocked:

[docdoru]

I have never had any of the front wheels off the ground, the Nanny always kickin and slowed me down each time. After I had the BajaRon install his anti-bar swaybar I can go faster in turns and makes it more stable on the highway and the still the Nanny will not let the wheels lift on my Spyder RS-S. Mike
Can I...? ;)

[Black Pig]

Yep! Regularly on the Bowling roundabout (between Dumbarton & Clydebank) It's a riot!:yes:

[gazunni]

We were just on a fall colour ride and the fellow behind us was using a GoPro HD and was videoing the ride. We took a corner and he actually captured in one of the video frames our inside wheel coming off the ground. It is only the second time it has happened to us. Riding two up on an RTS. Have Elkas on the front.

The video he shot of the colour ride was really cool. Take a look ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Cfop-hVt6gs#! )

55590

[donnellpj]

My Nanny is very particular. She does not like tight cornering while I'm in the throttle.

I typically brake coming into the corner, ryde through the apex, then throttle out of the corner, pretty standard for spirited ryding, but when I come in too hot I definitely get scolded, and even worse if the angle is too sharp.

[Colin]

I have never had any of the front wheels off the ground, the Nanny always kickin and slowed me down each time. After I had the BajaRon install his anti-bar swaybar I can go faster in turns and makes it more stable on the highway and the still the Nanny will not let the wheels lift on my Spyder RS-S.

Mike

I have the Aussie Swaybar fitted, and yes you can go faster and the Spyder sits flatter, but the swaybar actually just means that Nanny will kick in a little later if you should happen to get it wrong. Like it was said earlier, Nanny doesn't PREVENT it only REACTS.
I have managed to get an inside wheel up when 2-up and Nanny did kick in, but it certainly gave me a reality check, It happened when taking off from a set of lights and turning right and using a bit more throttle than required

[NancysToy]

My Nanny is very particular. She does not like tight cornering while I'm in the throttle.

I typically brake coming into the corner, ryde through the apex, then throttle out of the corner, pretty standard for spirited ryding, but when I come in too hot I definitely get scolded, and even worse if the angle is too sharp.
Which beats the heck out of sliding along the pavement on your nose! She's doing her job. With good technique she is quite quiet, with poor technique, she is more active, with really bad technique she may not have enough reflexes or muscles to save your skin. She is not a cure-all, just an aid.

[StanProff]

The first time Erags lifted a tire was on the Blue Ridge Parkway near a scenic overlook. I honestly thought we were going to roll over. My response was similar to yours, with me screaming " :cus:I thought this couldn't do that" in my mike. My second comment to him was "If we are on YouTube tonight I am going to KILL you!" The "nanny" can be overcome with certain (shall we say, "aggressive") driving techniques; it's not foolproof...I figure lifting a tire is just a little warning to you to watch what you're doing in curves. I wonder if the road in the park wasn't banked a little, too, since the amount of tire elevation seemed excessive that first time it happened to us. It was the only time we've lifted a tire that I got scared :yikes: ..the other times haven't seemed to be much off the ground.

Lifting a tire on the Blue Ridge Parkway?? It is not intended for agressive riding, I have ridden it many times on daily runs and also the length of it from Cherokee to Waynesboro at the Skyline drive. I don't remember ever lifting a wheel or the nanny kicking in. The southern end from Ashville to Cherokee is the more twisty area, i am sure it could happen there if your not careful on those switchbacks.
Your right about the parkway roads being banked or decending radius or something like that, it can be tricky and it is real easy to get a little over confident and those wierd curves can sneek up on you.

[donnellpj]

Which beats the heck out of sliding along the pavement on your nose! She's doing her job. With good technique she is quite quiet, with poor technique, she is more active, with really bad technique she may not have enough reflexes or muscles to save your skin. She is not a cure-all, just an aid.

Haha! Thanks Scotty, once again, you strike right to the core,...it must be my poor technique,...

Ill try to stop sucking.

/sigh :)

[NancysToy]

Haha! Thanks Scotty, once again, you strike right to the core,...it must be my poor technique,...

Ill try to stop sucking.

/sigh :)

I forgot the ;). We all do it. Riding the book line, entry speed, and body english is hard to do on every single turn...especially on an unknown road. At least Miss Nanny doesn't have a voice, to critique our techniques.

[TicketBait]

I forgot the ;). We all do it. Riding the book line, entry speed, and body english is hard to do on every single turn...especially on an unknown road. At least Miss Nanny doesn't have a voice, to critique our techniques.

It does if my wife is riding on the back:D;)

[DMENTR]

I lift a front wheel fairly regularly. Nanny steps in to settle things down, I wish she was not so abrupt. She needs to learn to work with me, not just slap me down. Seriously though, riding the Spyder hard requires more work and skill than pushing hard on big cruiser, IMHO.

[Pandy]

After I lifted a front wheel once or twice, I found the combinations of throttle, steering angle etc.. so now I can do it almost at will. Now that I know how to do it, I don't anymore if that makes sense. And yes, I took myself by surprise on the Parkway early on in my Pyder career.Meanwhile, it just sounds like you were just having fun.

Patrick

[Bob Denman]

I forgot the ;). We all do it. Riding the book line, entry speed, and body english is hard to do on every single turn...especially on an unknown road. At least Miss Nanny doesn't have a voice, to critique our techniques.

:agree: That the Missus' job out back... :shocked:

[bullant12]

When we took the GWRRA trike training, the excersices were mostly in conjunction with the MSF learning courses. There were some instances that we could abruptly corner a cone at 10-15 MPH and one of the wheels would come up. Like Scotty says, since the Nanny is more of an aid, we did not stop but continue going so the :spyder2: compensated the turn and never felt like we would turn over.

[Kratos]

I've done it. Scared me a little too. But the more I "learn" my bike and how she wants me to hit the turns, I find it much less now.

[medeff]

I've not pulled an inside tire for quite some time (20 thousand or so) as i learn how she handles, out side tire comes off a lot and no nanny! When that happens just more throttle and she comes back down

[Bob Denman]

:shocked::hun: Outside tire coming off the ground?? :yikes:

[NancysToy]

:shocked::hun: Outside tire coming off the ground?? :yikes:

:agree: That defies the laws of physics.

[Bob Denman]

Or it means that something horrendous is about to happen... :yikes:

[Spyder777]

Outside wheels don't come off the ground. It is impossible. Make an L with your hand and figure out your left and right. Maybe that will help with this inside out confusion.

[boborgera]

Outside wheels don't come off the ground. It is impossible. Make an L with your hand and figure out your left and right. Maybe that will help with this inside out confusion.


I'm, Dyslexic, So I'm trying to understand this;
If your making a very sharp Right turn, and your ''Left'' wheel comes off the ground,
Is the Left wheel the Inside or is it the Outside wheel. :dontknow:

[Spyder777]

If you are making a right hand turn, your right wheel is the inside wheel.

[boborgera]

If you are making a right hand turn, your right wheel is the inside wheel.

So that means you can lift the out side wheel! [I always thought you can, I've done it.]
Contrary to what some people are saying, [ i.e. :hun:OUTSIDE Wheel coming off the ground :yikes: Laws of physics] Again if i am understanding the last few posts.

[Spyder777]

If you can pop your outside wheel, please post video. Otherwise...telling stories is done around a campfire.

[NancysToy]

Gravity is gravity and physics is physics. The only way to lift an outside wheel in a turn is to get both front wheels off the ground. The the forces of the turn are pushing the outside wheel to the outside, and into the groundas a result of the suspension engineering. Only a large bump or jump could interfere with those foerces and raise the outside wheel. In most cases that would cause the vehicle to flip...or at least careen out of control. For those that insist otherwise, I'd suggest less wobble weed before you ride. nojoke

[Bob Denman]

Scotty,
If I may...
I think what he said was; that it'd take a pretty nasty CRASH!! :yikes: to lift the outside wheel off the road... or dirt... or mailbox... or lawn... or whatever you hit that started the whole mess! :shocked:

[NancysToy]

Scotty,
If I may...
I think what he said was; that it'd take a pretty nasty CRASH!! :yikes: to lift the outside wheel off the road... or dirt... or mailbox... or lawn... or whatever you hit that started the whole mess! :shocked:
It would sure take something! A bad crash usually goes the other way, with the outside wheel catching and flipping you off the high side. Being hit would be a different story...or hitting something before that wheel lifted. At any rate, it sure won't happen during normal riding, no matter how spirited. The only exception I can think of would be if someone got scared in an easy corner, and suddenly overcorrected badly, steering the other way and turning the outside wheel into the inside wheel, suddendly. Just conjecture on my part, and certainly bad technique and not recommended. I'm no test dummy, so I don't wish to try it to see if it is possible.

[Rotaxer]

We were just on a fall colour ride and the fellow behind us was using a GoPro HD and was videoing the ride. We took a corner and he actually captured in one of the video frames our inside wheel coming off the ground. It is only the second time it has happened to us. Riding two up on an RTS. Have Elkas on the front.

The video he shot of the colour ride was really cool. Take a look ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Cfop-hVt6gs#! )

55590


WOW traveling at that speed I am surprised the wheel only came off the ground once!!!!:roflblack:

[BajaRon]

:agree: That defies the laws of physics.

No, really it doesn't! If the Spyder is upside down, the outside tire is off the ground! :thumbup:

[NancysToy]

No, really it doesn't! If the Spyder is upside down, the outside tire is off the ground! :thumbup:

Uh oh, looks like we're going to need that BajaRon rollbar option. ;)

[Bob Denman]

No, really it doesn't! If the Spyder is upside down, the outside tire is off the ground! :thumbup:


That would be BOTH outside tires; right? :shocked: :roflblack:

[Tierhog]

I have done it too. Not a foot though. Haven't been able to replicate since.

[MrBones]

Just a dumb question but no one else ask so I will. Did you lean your body into the turn? Took me a while to get used to it so was just wondering.

[daveinva]

Stock Spyder can lift the inside wheel like crazy. Did it plenty of times on the RT I rode in my MSF class-- tight corners count more than speed, I could lift the wheel doing 15 mph around the cones.

With the swaybar on my RS, it takes more effort to lift a wheel; even more effort now that I have the Fox shocks. It's pretty rare that I lift the wheel, let alone engage the Nanny.

But yeah, it's a trike thing, it's perfectly normal, and it's why we have the Nanny in the first place. Nothing to fret about, just something to understand, expect and respect. :doorag:

[Yazz]

Just a dumb question but no one else ask so I will. Did you lean your body into the turn? Took me a while to get used to it so was just wondering.

No such thing as a dumb question.

The answer: Yup. Lean into the turn. Gets more weight on the inside wheel.

[Black Pig]

When I am booting along, I shift my arse over to the inside too, puts more weight on the inside and keeps the bike well planted.

[Spyder777]

Mr Bones,

that's a great question. It was the first one I asked myself. Had a become complacent? Lazy? Thinking that I could corner fast and tight without leaning? The adrenaline erased anything more than speculation. But, I ws under the impression prior to this that the Nanny would kick in and prevent this. After tightening my front shocks, it is riding much more stable, but I am also very aware of my leaning now when powering through the curves.

[CanAmChris]

When I am booting along, I shift my arse over to the inside too, puts more weight on the inside and keeps the bike well planted.

I do the same. If I am taking a nice tight on or off ramp I will even put the knee out like the sport bike racers. The looks I get from cagers are priceless.

CAC

[Bob Denman]

No doubt; throwing some weight to the inside during spirited cornering helps to keep all three wheels planted better. :thumbup:
Plus it looks cool! :2thumbs:

[spyderman526]

2011 RSS elka shocks front tires at 23 psi and i can get a wheel up pretty much whenever i want yes the nanny kicks in but i have had it as hogh as foot n a half that scarde the crap outta me but up to a foot is fun ...i also have a car tire in back with 26 psi shocks set as they were from elka i love doing it my felllow spyder riders cant belive how i can do it so easy ....

[Bob Denman]

What brand car tire are you running out back?

[Trevor G]

pretty easy to lift inside wheel.
before i got evo's antisway bar, inside wheel used to come off the ground all the time while turning and i am pretty sure it was me letting go of throttle that brought it back to ground, not the spyder's vss or other safety features.
it still happens here and there but only when i accelerate really hard out of the turns(not curves).

I have to admit I thought like you briefly, before I put it all together.

When it lifted the inside wheel the second time I realised that the safety system was, indeed, working properly!

Here's how I knew:

When I left the house it was a cold morning, and fifty metres later as I backed off for the first corner the exhaust crackled from a lean mixture. Two hundred metres later as I backed off for the second turn, there was no crackle but as I applied the throttle hard around the turn the inside front wheel lifted 3-4" and then dropped straight back down again. At the same time there was a "crack" backfire as the VSS momentarily cut the ignition and then turned it back on again. I shut the throttle and opened it again, but the wheel was already on its way down again as I did so.

It's only reasonable to believe that an electronic system will interpret a wheel lift before a human does - that's why they use VSS, because it has to react faster, and more accurately, than we will.

I haven't heard the "crack" since, and possibly won't, but then I only got in a couple of hours riding before I had to head back to Oz.

[GeoffCee]

The video he shot of the colour ride was really cool. Take a look ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Cfop-hVt6gs#! )

The live John Denver track I could listen to all day but the video running at high speed hurts my eyes! :shocked:

[BajaRon]

Stock Spyder can lift the inside wheel like crazy. Did it plenty of times on the RT I rode in my MSF class-- tight corners count more than speed, I could lift the wheel doing 15 mph around the cones.

With the swaybar on my RS, it takes more effort to lift a wheel; even more effort now that I have the Fox shocks. It's pretty rare that I lift the wheel, let alone engage the Nanny.

But yeah, it's a trike thing, it's perfectly normal, and it's why we have the Nanny in the first place. Nothing to fret about, just something to understand, expect and respect. :doorag:

The sway bar does make it more difficult to get the inside wheel off the ground. For those of you getting the outside wheel off the ground you need to install a dune buggy safety pole and brightly colored flag so you are easily identified as a hazard! :yikes:

Before installing a sway bar I could easily get the inside wheel 6-8 inches off the ground and the Nanny was all over me most of the time. The body roll of the Spyder made it feel like it was trying to throw me, especially if I was not prepared for it.

With the sway bar I may get 1 or 2 inches for just a moment on occasion and the Nanny is much less a factor.

Upgrading shocks will also improve stability of your Spyder.

[Bob Denman]

Do you think that the six foot fiberglass poles with the orange flag will work okay? :dontknow: :roflblack:
No doulbt; the stiffer anti-swaybar will help keep both front wheels on the ground better through any episode of foolishness! :thumbup: