Shake Rattle & Roll - Tires Un-Balanced, Alignment or Both?

[tbohman56]

I own a 2019 Ryker Rally with BaJa Ron Sway Bar and Links and I don't have any problems riding straight down the highway, no swaying from side to side like some describe. But, I do have a little bit of a shake in the handlebars at 50-60 mph. I tried 2 oz of CounterAct beads, and frankly it seems worse now. I can reduce the shake with a tight grip on the bars. I have noticed the shake at other speeds also, but generally it is in the 50-60 mph range. Does this sound like unbalanced tires or alignment or both?

[Peter Aawen]

Sounds like unbalanced or dodgy/defective tires....

The 'little bit' of alignment that can be changed on your Ryker shouldn't be able to induce any 'speed specific' shake, altho some suspension issues/component failures & 'non adjustable alignment' settings can do that in some specific instances....

But I'd be looking at wheel balance &/or defective tires first up. But if it's defective tires, no amount of CounterAct beads is gonna help!

Good Luck!

[whiting57]

It maybe neither ... some Rykers were assembled missing a washer in the headstem ( if you call it that) there is a Can am service advisory on it as it pertains to some 2019's ... do you have any free play when you wiggle the handlebars . Mine is a new 2019 and i asked them to go thru all service bulletins, recalls and ecu updates before i picked up my bike, they say they did, but i guess time will tell.

BTW Mr AAwen, i am from Alice Springs and went to Pembroke School in Adelaide for 6 years, happened to be in Adelaide in January 2019. Hello there.

[angusmcoz]

I had the same issue with my 2020 Ryker Rally. Pulled the front wheels and checked balance (both wheels were within 1/4 oz of being balanced). When I reinstalled the wheels I spun them and found them to be out of round. Both have a low spot (where the belts over lap?). I set up a jig with a dial indicator. The left was 70 to 80 thousands out of round and the right was 50 to 60. You can test this on any other Ryker by holding a steady speed on a straight road. Unless you have the same exact circumference for both tires( unlikely but possible) you should feel the shimmy get better then worst in a cycle depending on the difference between the two front tires. As Can Am thinks Kenda knows how to make tires, we have no other choice as of now for front tires in the US. My "fix" was to employ an old trick of mine I've used on cupped motorcycle tires. I have built a jig to hold a 4x24 belt sander at approximately a 30 deg angle to the tire to be sanded. I removed aprox. 40 thousands from the left and 30 thousands from the right. This dropped the shimmy quit a bit to a point I can live with for now. I will build a better jig over the winter hopefully. What I'm really hoping for is that someone who knows how to make a round tire starts making a 145/60R16.

[Tslepebull]

Just a question. Can you see the tires hopping up and down at that speed? I had a similar problem with just my right tire; I could see it hop at 50-55. I took it to an automotive tire shop and had them spin balance it. They removed the single weight on that tire and now it is as smooth as silk.

If you can't see the up and down hop it is more likely a tire defect.

[FastOldGuy]

I had the same issue with my 2020 Ryker Rally. Pulled the front wheels and checked balance (both wheels were within 1/4 oz of being balanced). When I reinstalled the wheels I spun them and found them to be out of round. Both have a low spot (where the belts over lap?). I set up a jig with a dial indicator. The left was 70 to 80 thousands out of round and the right was 50 to 60. You can test this on any other Ryker by holding a steady speed on a straight road. Unless you have the same exact circumference for both tires( unlikely but possible) you should feel the shimmy get better then worst in a cycle depending on the difference between the two front tires. As Can Am thinks Kenda knows how to make tires, we have no other choice as of now for front tires in the US. My "fix" was to employ an old trick of mine I've used on cupped motorcycle tires. I have built a jig to hold a 4x24 belt sander at approximately a 30 deg angle to the tire to be sanded. I removed aprox. 40 thousands from the left and 30 thousands from the right. This dropped the shimmy quit a bit to a point I can live with for now. I will build a better jig over the winter hopefully. What I'm really hoping for is that someone who knows how to make a round tire starts making a 145/60R16.

Can you post a picture of your Sander Jig please?

[angusmcoz]

This is just the experimental wooden version. I still have to manually guide the sander because even with the strap holding the grinder it will bounce as this setup is not tight. If I get time this winter, I may try to make something similar out of metal that firmly holds the grinder in place with provisions for adjustment for/aft and left/right.IMG_20200921_151512888.jpgIMG_20200921_151545848.jpgIMG_20200921_151740239.jpgIMG_20200921_151758063.jpgIMG_20200921_152757915.jpg

[fatboy]

if you put balance beads n take all the wieghts off

[tbohman56]

It maybe neither ... some Rykers were assembled missing a washer in the headstem ( if you call it that) there is a Can am service advisory on it as it pertains to some 2019's ... do you have any free play when you wiggle the handlebars . Mine is a new 2019 and i asked them to go thru all service bulletins, recalls and ecu updates before i picked up my bike, they say they did, but i guess time will tell.

BTW Mr AAwen, i am from Alice Springs and went to Pembroke School in Adelaide for 6 years, happened to be in Adelaide in January 2019. Hello there.

Yes, the missing washer was installed when I had the wheel nuts replaced, and I have no free play in the handlebars.

[tbohman56]

Just a question. Can you see the tires hopping up and down at that speed? I had a similar problem with just my right tire; I could see it hop at 50-55. I took it to an automotive tire shop and had them spin balance it. They removed the single weight on that tire and now it is as smooth as silk.

If you can't see the up and down hop it is more likely a tire defect.

I really don't see any up and down hop on either wheel. I have notice that I am missing the weights on the rear wheel, just the paper from the weights stuck to the wheel now. Ryker is going in to the dealer tomorrow to have the beads removed and rebalanced. They said they use beads occasionally, but mostly use some kind of liquid, like Ride On. They also do the laser alignment, but the service guy didn't think it was alignment since I have not probably with it drifting side to side.

[tbohman56]

I own a 2019 Ryker Rally with BaJa Ron Sway Bar and Links and I don't have any problems riding straight down the highway, no swaying from side to side like some describe. But, I do have a little bit of a shake in the handlebars at 50-60 mph. I tried 2 oz of CounterAct beads, and frankly it seems worse now. I can reduce the shake with a tight grip on the bars. I have noticed the shake at other speeds also, but generally it is in the 50-60 mph range. Does this sound like unbalanced tires or alignment or both?

The Ryker went in to the dealer today to have the beads removed and tires balanced. I assumed they were going to spin balance, but instead they put Ride On in the front tires. No sign of any shake in the handlebars now, so I am a happy camper!

[FastOldGuy]

I "thought" I'd use Balance Beads but they Are Not Recommended for Low Profile Tires! If the Tire is out of round, balancing will only help so much.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I "thought" I'd use Balance Beads but they Are Not Recommended for Low Profile Tires! If the Tire is out of round, balancing will only help so much.

Even " 50 " aspect ratio tires are not considered " low profile " by todays standard's ..... " 35 & 40 " are becoming more the norm in aspect ratio's .....jmho .... Mike

[fatboy]

ride on works great using it for years