Does your '14 RT" wander" more than your 10,11, or 12 RT?

[ulflyer]

Rode 125 miles this afternoon, 100 of that on secondary roads and the RT definitely wanders about more than my previous '11 which had Elkas and Ronbar. Not significantly so, but enough that I expected it to at least be comparable if not better.

Swapped with a buddy who has a 12 with just the Ronbar and he agreed the '14 does wander more than his '12. I immediately noticed his '12 was more stable, exactly like my '11 was.

My question is, have any of you '14 owners who have or had previous 998's noticed this same thing? If not, then I have a small problem. Could be alignment and if that doesn't fix it, then perhaps a Ronbar will.

Would apprec any ideas you folks might have.

[MouthPiece]

Rode 125 miles this afternoon, 100 of that on secondary roads and the RT definitely wanders about more than my previous '11 which had Elkas and Ronbar. Not significantly so, but enough that I expected it to at least be comparable if not better.

Swapped with a buddy who has a 12 with just the Ronbar and he agreed the '14 does wander more than his '12. I immediately noticed his '12 was more stable, exactly like my '11 was.

My question is, have any of you '14 owners who have or had previous 998's noticed this same thing? If not, then I have a small problem. Could be alignment and if that doesn't fix it, then perhaps a Ronbar will.

Would apprec any ideas you folks might have.

I believe an alignment will help. I'll even go further and say that every spyder that leaves the manufacturer needs to have the laser alignment. Of course the exception would be if you have the laser alignment performed, and they say you don't need it. (the obvious)

Chris

[DrewNJ]

Interesting that it seems like handling/wandering has been one of the hot topics since the new frame/suspension came on the scene in 13'

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[Cruzr Joe]

couple of things to check on the 14.

Air pressure in front tires especially, try 16 1/2 to 17 lbs of pressure and make sure both tires are equal. 29 + OR - 1 LB IN THE REAR

check to make sure that the (Directional) tires are on the correct side (don't laugh it happens).

my feeling is that if you come from a Spyder that had Ron Bar and Elkas and set up the way you liked it ..... the 14 will feel a little squirrely at first.

Get a Lazer Alignment, make sure they have the buds and reset the steering sensor to zero.

and if necessary take your front wheels off the Spyder and take them to a reputable local tire shop and have them check the tire balance.

The 14 is a more stable ride if all is correct

Cruzr Joe

[Flash Gordon]

I had the Laser alignment included with my deal on my 2014 RT-L. It is very smooth, no wandering. I will still have the BaJaRon Bar installed at Spyderfest.

[Plyrod38]

Thanks Ted......
For allowing me to test ryde your 14.
Observations:

Shifts smoothly
Brakes greatly improved over the 12
Shortened turn up time before start
Cornering stability is fantastic
Torque curve is much improved, you can accelerate in 5th gear without down shifting

I think you may want to consider your next move to be the laser alignment, that may cure the wandering situation.

[Nils888]

I got 150 miles on my RTS today all Canyon riding. Lots of corners. I had the stability control kick in several times. I was pushing the bike pretty hard into a lot of the corners. I don't feel I am riding it to hard. But it is a bummer when the thing cuts the throttle back in the middle of a corner.

My Spyder does not seem to wander too much. But it needs a lot of improvement in the handling department in corners. Its like driving a POS 1960's Cadillac with bad shocks!!!:yikes: I do have a Baja ron sway bar ordered. But I can see shock and springs in my future.

I still love riding my new toy!!!:yes::yes:

[ulflyer]

couple of things to check on the 14.

Air pressure in front tires especially, try 16 1/2 to 17 lbs of pressure and make sure both tires are equal. 29 + OR - 1 LB IN THE REAR

check to make sure that the (Directional) tires are on the correct side (don't laugh it happens).

my feeling is that if you come from a Spyder that had Ron Bar and Elkas and set up the way you liked it ..... the 14 will feel a little squirrely at first.

Get a Lazer Alignment, make sure they have the buds and reset the steering sensor to zero.

and if necessary take your front wheels off the Spyder and take them to a reputable local tire shop and have them check the tire balance.

The 14 is a more stable ride if all is correct

Cruzr Joe

Good info JOe. I had about 17 1/2 in the fronts and 28 in rear but have dropped it back to 16 and 22 in the ....what i ran in my '11. Going to ride again today to see if that makes a diff. As to Laser....I had it included in my deal but put if off till I've had a chance to get used to the bike. Also, my mechanic, although trained by ROLO (I think), has not done an alignment since. I wish they had more experience but they're good mech's and will make it right, one way or the other. I did notice that one front wheel has a slew of weights and the other only one, so the fronts might need re-balancing before doing the laser. Perhaps I can get them to do that as a freebie. ;) Will let you all know how it rides today.

As a sidebar: with my '11 I'd back out of my garage, still slightly rolling, and hit paddle for 1st and it would shift right away. Did same thing yesterday (first time I'd done a reverse with the '14) and it wouldn't go into 1st. I thought "OMG, I've got troubles already". This happened a couple times during my ride until I figured out you have to HOLD BRAKE (or come to a dead stop...not sure which) before shifting from reverse to first!

[ulflyer]

Thanks Ted......
For allowing me to test ryde your 14.
Observations:

Shifts smoothly
Brakes greatly improved over the 12
Shortened turn up time before start
Cornering stability is fantastic
Torque curve is much improved, you can accelerate in 5th gear without down shifting

I think you may want to consider your next move to be the laser alignment, that may cure the wandering situation.

Bill, glad you enjoyed it...that was a heck of a nice route you took me on. Bill and I just met yesterday although we've communicated by email a time or two. He's got a really pretty brown '12, set up nicely, and I was hard put to keep up with him. Either he was showing off or just in a hurry to get home cause his wife had a fresh pot of coffee waiting. :D

[Plyrod38]

Hey Ted,

I hope you get the laser alignment done soon. I'm chomping at the bit to get my byke done, but don't want to be the first to be experimented on. Just kidding (sort of).
Thanks for the education on the M-1 carbine, you know your stuff.

Bill

[Cruzr Joe]

Good info JOe. I had about 17 1/2 in the fronts and 28 in rear but have dropped it back to 16 and 22 in the ....what i ran in my '11. Going to ride again today to see if that makes a diff. As to Laser....I had it included in my deal but put if off till I've had a chance to get used to the bike. Also, my mechanic, although trained by ROLO (I think), has not done an alignment since. I wish they had more experience but they're good mech's and will make it right, one way or the other. I did notice that one front wheel has a slew of weights and the other only one, so the fronts might need re-balancing before doing the laser. Perhaps I can get them to do that as a freebie. ;) Will let you all know how it rides today.

As a sidebar: with my '11 I'd back out of my garage, still slightly rolling, and hit paddle for 1st and it would shift right away. Did same thing yesterday (first time I'd done a reverse with the '14) and it wouldn't go into 1st. I thought "OMG, I've got troubles already". This happened a couple times during my ride until I figured out you have to HOLD BRAKE (or come to a dead stop...not sure which) before shifting from reverse to first!


22 is probably way too low for the rear.

Cruzr Joe

[ulflyer]

22 is probably way too low for the rear.

Cruzr Joe

Joe, it seems to work for me, at least on my previous '11. After wearing out the OEM and then the General Altimax in the middle I graduated down to 20 which I was running the Pirelli P4. It had about 12K with lots of tread left with the center and sides worn evenly. I don't ride two up or pull a trailer, if this makes a difference.

Anyway, with 16 fronts and 22 rear I rode 75 miles yesterday with a very noticeable improvement in handling, about comparable, as best as I can remember (how quick one forgets), to the '11 .

Will have the laser done also as soon as the wx improves enough to ride to the dealer....our couple of warm days are turning cold again.

[NancysToy]

Joe, it seems to work for me, at least on my previous '11. After wearing out the OEM and then the General Altimax in the middle I graduated down to 20 which I was running the Pirelli P4. It had about 12K with lots of tread left with the center and sides worn evenly. I don't ride two up or pull a trailer, if this makes a difference.

Anyway, with 16 fronts and 22 rear I rode 75 miles yesterday with a very noticeable improvement in handling, about comparable, as best as I can remember (how quick one forgets), to the '11 .

Will have the laser done also as soon as the wx improves enough to ride to the dealer....our couple of warm days are turning cold again.

Glad it worked for you. For most owners it will not, however, because the thin carcassed tire wants to balloon at freeway speeds. If you do a lot of highway riding, you're probably going to need to crank the pressure up.

[coz]

i keep 19 lbs. in the fronts, provides good handling. 20 lbs. in the rear tire, provides good ride, and has greatly extended the life of the tire. i m at 12 k miles, and it's good for another season. i should get 15- 16 k out of it. i would think 22 lbs would be good on an RT, maybe a bit more 2 up. i ride solo. somebody has to live to tell the story.:roflblack:

[Cruzr Joe]

Lot of good info on different tire pressures, thanks

Cruzr Joe


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[DrewNJ]

i keep 19 lbs. in the fronts, provides good handling. 20 lbs. in the rear tire, provides good ride, and has greatly extended the life of the tire. i m at 12 k miles, and it's good for another season. i should get 15- 16 k out of it. i would think 22 lbs would be good on an RT, maybe a bit more 2 up. i ride solo. somebody has to live to tell the story.:roflblack:

We run pretty much the same pressures. I'm right at 10k and a good friend is at 14k. Plenty of tire tread left all the way around.

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[carajony]

Just got the 14 RTS. Traded in my 12 RTS. The dealer had no idea what a laser alignment was. I do say,,, I put about 180 miles on the 14 and it rides like a dream. My 12 did not ride as well especially on the highway. I was riding the 14 with 2 fingers. Handles great. A little adjusting cause very sensitive to the movement.... All I had on my 12 was the bajaron bar. Gotta go out for more riding... :yes:

[cuznjohn]

my dealer did a regular alignment on my bike w/o the laser ant there was a bud difference in the bike but i would like to get the laser done one day

[ulflyer]

Took mine in last week and two techs spent an hour, measuring, checking, remeasuring, etc. till they were satisfied they had everything lined up correctly. I watched all this from nearby which is always satisfying to see what goes on.

They said the fronts were toed out 3/4 inch and they toed it in slightly...forget what number...maybe 1/4?

Since then I've only been able to put many miles on; 30 coming home on smooth but curvy road and it felt better...less wandering. But then yesterday I rode about 6-8 mi on curvy uneven surface and it was all over the place. Just didn't feel as good as I think I remember my '11 handling that same road.

Another few miles on smooth interstate behind 18 wheelers and it was Steady Eddy! Since most of my riding is on relatively smooth roads, I'm happy enough for now. I'll play with the air pressure a bit more to see how that affects anything, and wait to see how the Ronbar affects the '14.

Pretty sure I'll want to get one. Will anyone be installing these at Springfield?

[zbunker]

Good info JOe. I had about 17 1/2 in the fronts and 28 in rear but have dropped it back to 16 and 22 in the ....what i ran in my '11. Going to ride again today to see if that makes a diff. As to Laser....I had it included in my deal but put if off till I've had a chance to get used to the bike. Also, my mechanic, although trained by ROLO (I think), has not done an alignment since. I wish they had more experience but they're good mech's and will make it right, one way or the other. I did notice that one front wheel has a slew of weights and the other only one, so the fronts might need re-balancing before doing the laser. Perhaps I can get them to do that as a freebie. ;) Will let you all know how it rides today.

As a sidebar: with my '11 I'd back out of my garage, still slightly rolling, and hit paddle for 1st and it would shift right away. Did same thing yesterday (first time I'd done a reverse with the '14) and it wouldn't go into 1st. I thought "OMG, I've got troubles already". This happened a couple times during my ride until I figured out you have to HOLD BRAKE (or come to a dead stop...not sure which) before shifting from reverse to first!

Yeah, me too when I tried to shift from reverse to 1st- or neutral to anything. Apparently, the brake now plays a part when changing direction
Ron

[Magdave]

Yeah, me too when I tried to shift from reverse to 1st- or neutral to anything. Apparently, the brake now plays a part when changing direction
Ron

Because it has a different clutch engagement. Hydraulic vs centrifugal is the reason for the change. In older model the clutch was not engaged at all. With lower torque band and hydraulic clutch you have a chance of it jumping much more.:thumbup:

[ZWolf-2011]

I just completed 500 miles on my new 2014 RTS (Got it Friday Feb 14th), and as for the wander, this one is the best for not wandering. 2011 RTS Always wandered, 2013 LTS was much better, but not great, 2014 RTS, this one is the best of 3 for less wandering.

As for cornering, I didn't think I had a problem with the 2011, but I also did know better. Got my 2013 and oh heck was it soft in the corners, got the RONBAR and it was much better. And for sure, the RONBAR is going on the 2014.

Allan

[ulflyer]

Because it has a different clutch engagement. Hydraulic vs centrifugal is the reason for the change. In older model the clutch was not engaged at all. With lower torque band and hydraulic clutch you have a chance of it jumping much more.:thumbup:

Good info. Thanks Dave.

[MidTNDawg]

I cannot say my '14 is better than my '12, but I never had a problem with my '12. And I love my '14!!

[3 Wheel Addict]

Ron bar and a set of Elka's cured the handling woes of my 13 RTS. The Elka's also stopped the bottoming out but I think the 13's had issues with factory shocks.