Shake, rattle & roll...

[Newflover]

Last year was our first full year ridding our 2011 rt-limited. Had servicing done at the end of the season, late Sept., at 17,000 miles. The bike has been stored over winter in our semi heated garage (40-50 degrees).

We had the opportunity to take her out twice when the temps rose into the 60's, both times, we would start out and travel less than a mile and the front would shake vilently for a second or two and then the shaking goes away and we can travel some 50 miles and it doesn't happen again.


Are the tires getting flat spots, is this normal? She never shook when taking her out most every day last riding season. Any ideas???

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Do you know if there is " RIDE - ON " in the tires. At low temps this stuff " congeals " (?) in one spot and it takes a bit for it to loosen and work correctly as a BALANCER ........Mike :bbq:

[Chupaca]

:agree: you may need some more extended rydes to get things round and balanced once again. If it does not go away then check a bit deeper...:thumbup:

[ARtraveler]

Based on cause/effect, I think Mike has hit the nail on the head. :yes:

[BajaRon]

:agree: I agree. Good chance you're running Ride-On. Make sure tires are inflated properly. Ride easy until you get them warmed up and round again. Riding with the front end shaking is going to create new issues.

[Bfromla]

Not trying to hijack but This brings up a concern about ride on(ive yet to try)... If that is the problem.. Surely it has a better temperature tolerance than that?


I wasn't there but I still care! POW /MIA VETS

[BajaRon]

Not trying to hijack but This brings up a concern about ride on(ive yet to try)... If that is the problem.. Surely it has a better temperature tolerance than that?


I wasn't there but I still care! POW /MIA VETS

It's not so much temperature. But time sitting. If you let the Spyder sit stationary for several months, some of the Ride-On tends to settle to the bottom. Not a big deal. Most people take it easy on their Spyder until it reaches operating temperature anyway. A good idea with any internal combustion engine. Even if you don't use Ride-On you'll get some of this same issue anyway because a flat spot will from at the bottom of each tire if it sits this long.

If the Ride-On has settled, you'll usually start getting some Out-Of-Balance issues around 30-40 mph. If you can run just below or right at the speed where this begins to occur for a few miles it will work itself out. If you run at the 'Shake-Rattle & Roll' speed, it will actually take longer and it isn't good for your suspension or steering components. It doesn't take long for the Ride-On to even out and as it does you can go faster and faster without issue. The colder it is the longer it takes. But you should be back in balance in 3-5 miles at the most.

If you ride your Spyder twice a month you'll never experience this. If you let it sit a month or more you probably will. Like I said, not a big deal. You'll find a much greater level of aggravation if you ever get a flat tire.

[Bfromla]

It's not so much temperature. But time sitting. If you let the Spyder sit stationary for several months, some of the Ride-On tends to settle to the bottom. Not a big deal. Most people take it easy on their Spyder until it reaches operating temperature anyway. A good idea with any internal combustion engine. Even if you don't use Ride-On you'll get some of this same issue anyway because a flat spot will from at the bottom of each tire if it sits this long.

If the Ride-On has settled, you'll usually start getting some Out-Of-Balance issues around 30-40 mph. If you can run just below or right at the speed where this begins to occur for a few miles it will work itself out. If you run at the 'Shake-Rattle & Roll' speed, it will actually take longer and it isn't good for your suspension or steering components. It doesn't take long for the Ride-On to even out and as it does you can go faster and faster without issue. The colder it is the longer it takes. But you should be back in balance in 3-5 miles at the most.

If you ride your Spyder twice a month you'll never experience this. If you let it sit a month or more you probably will. Like I said, not a big deal. You'll find a much greater level of aggravation if you ever get a flat tire. very good information & well stated thank you

[cycledude]

I used ride on in my tires on my 2011 rt and it did not work well in cold weather took a long time to get tires to balance out

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[BajaRon]

I used ride on in my tires on my 2011 rt and it did not work well in cold weather took a long time to get tires to balance out

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Which version did you use?

How cold was it?

How long did your Spyder sit between rides when you had the problem?

What tire pressures were you running?

[Bob Denman]

You could always jack the front of the bike up, and try spinning the front wheels by hand a little bit...
If there's anything in there that has settled into one spot; you'll know it... :shocked:
This would also give you a chance to check out your front wheel bearings, and the condition of the pads and rotors up front. :thumbup:

[Newflover]

Thanks for all the responses! I can safely say an old timer can learn something new. I have never heard of ride on, don't know if it has been used on our ride, but does sound like it may be the culprit. I goggled ride on just to learn what it is. Since we haven't replaced the front tires, it could be exactly our situation.

[finless]

I just had to replace my front tires at 20K as they failed and did what your saying...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmZUXwNh_Vk

[NorCalBud]

My '12 RTL would shimmy/wobble pretty good at about 43-45mph on many occasions, but not always. It was difficult to reproduce. The subject was kicked around here and consensus at the time was it could be tire separation I've since acquired new tires all around and not had it again.
There have been other threads describing front end shimmy/wobble...could make for interesting reading....
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?79548-Terrible-front-end-shimmy-……&highlight=wobble

[Firefly]

17,000 is a lot of miles on those 2-ply stock tires in my opinion. I've had brand new Kenda's from a dealer that gave me wobble issues. I'd spring for some new tires... and put some ride-on in them as it will help balance them out. After sitting awhile it is fairly common for the ride-on to need to re-balance for the first few miles. I prefer aftermarket tires like Bridgestone Potenza's for the fronts.

You also could have some flat spots if you let the Spyder sit for a long period of time. I usually jack mine up just enough to get the tires off the ground when parking it for a long time.

[cycledude]

It was the recomended spec for motorcycles it was about 40 degree hadn't set but 4 days never did balance out after 20 miles interstate was fine in the summer

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