Has anyone felt like your RT was slipping...

[BigGuy66]

...skating or on ice while ryding down the road. Every now and then it feels like it is slippery. Like it feels when the rear tire goes flat at a slow speed and you are still moving. It's not severe or constant... just now and then. Does a wind gust lift the front end just enough to cause it?It's been gusty lately. Curious....

[Peter Aawen]

First up, it's not likely to be just a wind gust thing, you'll generally feel those on your body as well as in the Spyder; but it is worth checking and confirming ALL of your tire pressures - making especially sure that the front pressures are within about +/- 1/2 a psi of each other. Those pressures confirmed, is there any chance you are still running an OE spec Kenda ANYWHERE on your Spyder, but especially on the rear??

If so, then even tho this 'slipping feeling' you get certainly could be due to quite a few other things, seeing as how many of the Kendas do actually fail in ways that start out feeling very much like this before becoming waay more catastrophic, then I'd be checking any Kendas still fitted VERY carefully, cos it sounds a whole lot like you may have a defective/damaged tire! Sure, a defective auto tire may also be the cause of this sort of thing, but the incidence of that occuring is exponentially less than the number of these occurrences with Kendas, so if you've still got them fitted, be VERY scrupulous & careful checking them out! I'd even suggest it worthwhile removing them from the rim then both visually & by feel checking the beads, tread, and sidewalls over for any soft/weak spots, any abnormal bulges or flexing anywhere, inc the tread or carcass; and closely checking/measuring for any tread depth variations in the channels around the circumference of the tire!! That should reveal even just a tiny bit of 'out of round' or a skewed tread layer, and those can cause exactly what you describe; but just like all of the others mentioned, both of those last two are often precursors of far more troubling issues!

Then, since you've got them off the rims anyway, you might as well save yourself some time, worry, and $$ and fit some better rubber! Just about ANY well known/reputable brand of auto tire in a size that fits your Spyder will be a significant improvement over the Kendas in just about every respect; especially if you run those stronger & more robustly built/higher load rated auto tires at a (lower) pressure more suited to the much lighter load of your Spyder than to an automobile - even if running 16-18 psi, maybe even 20 psi since you're 'a big guy'... even if it does 'feel' a little strange & maybe even 'softer than what you've become used to' initially, it won't take long to get used to that and besides, the traction, ride, handling, and the tire life from almost any auto tire in that pressure range will almost always still be a significant improvement over that of the OE spec Kendas or any of their stablemates/clones!

If you check and you exclude that 'defective tire' possibility (or you already have 'real' tires fitted) start checking out all the shock & suspension bushes (front, rear, & the swing arm!) and check the air bag (if fitted) too - dodgy bushes, broken shocks, or even just a leaky air bag/blown compressor could be creating the unsteady feeling for you.... IF/After you've ruled all those out, you'll need to start looking at things like the rear wheel axle bearings; worn or damaged suspension components; and maybe even your DPS - a dodgy power supply to the DPS/electric power steering can make it 'feel' like your Spyder's slipping & sliding down the road!

Over to you - some thoughts there that might help!

[BajaRon]

Summer tires can get a 'Greasy' feeling when the weather cools off. Especially early in a ride where both the tire and the pavement are cold. Not saying this is your issue. But it is something to be aware of.

[JayBros]

Not unintentionally. Now I have intentionally let the rear wheel, shod with a General Altimax, slide out on chip and seal type gravel -- great fun summer of '19 on the Pig Trail en route to Fayetteville, AR.

[BigGuy66]

First up, it's not likely to be just a wind gust thing, you'll generally feel those on your body as well as in the Spyder; but it is worth checking and confirming ALL of your tire pressures - making especially sure that the front pressures are within about +/- 1/2 a psi of each other. Those pressures confirmed, is there any chance you are still running an OE spec Kenda ANYWHERE on your Spyder, but especially on the rear??

If so, then even tho this 'slipping feeling' you get certainly could be due to quite a few other things, seeing as how many of the Kendas do actually fail in ways that start out feeling very much like this before becoming waay more catastrophic, then I'd be checking any Kendas still fitted VERY carefully, cos it sounds a whole lot like you may have a defective/damaged tire! Sure, a defective auto tire may also be the cause of this sort of thing, but the incidence of that occuring is exponentially less than the number of these occurrences with Kendas, so if you've still got them fitted, be VERY scrupulous & careful checking them out! I'd even suggest it worthwhile removing them from the rim then both visually & by feel checking the beads, tread, and sidewalls over for any soft/weak spots, any abnormal bulges or flexing anywhere, inc the tread or carcass; and closely checking/measuring for any tread depth variations in the channels around the circumference of the tire!! That should reveal even just a tiny bit of 'out of round' or a skewed tread layer, and those can cause exactly what you describe; but just like all of the others mentioned, both of those last two are often precursors of far more troubling issues!

Then, since you've got them off the rims anyway, you might as well save yourself some time, worry, and $$ and fit some better rubber! Just about ANY well known/reputable brand of auto tire in a size that fits your Spyder will be a significant improvement over the Kendas in just about every respect; especially if you run those stronger & more robustly built/higher load rated auto tires at a (lower) pressure more suited to the much lighter load of your Spyder than to an automobile - even if running 16-18 psi, maybe even 20 psi since you're 'a big guy'... even if it does 'feel' a little strange & maybe even 'softer than what you've become used to' initially, it won't take long to get used to that and besides, the traction, ride, handling, and the tire life from almost any auto tire in that pressure range will almost always still be a significant improvement over that of the OE spec Kendas or any of their stablemates/clones!

If you check and you exclude that 'defective tire' possibility (or you already have 'real' tires fitted) start checking out all the shock & suspension bushes (front, rear, & the swing arm!) and check the air bag (if fitted) too - dodgy bushes, broken shocks, or even just a leaky air bag/blown compressor could be creating the unsteady feeling for you.... IF/After you've ruled all those out, you'll need to start looking at things like the rear wheel axle bearings; worn or damaged suspension components; and maybe even your DPS - a dodgy power supply to the DPS/electric power steering can make it 'feel' like your Spyder's slipping & sliding down the road!

Over to you - some thoughts there that might help!

Peter - You may have uncovered the issue for me. You mentioned a damaged/defective tire... I'm suspicious that is why I'm experiencing the slippery feeling. Over Labor Day weekend I had a valve stem failure - my fault - and my rear tire went flat while riding. I had stopped at a light and as I turned right, I felt the rear end fishtailing and I knew what it was... a flat rear tire. We were riding two-up and I drove the bike about 400 yards to a gas station and pulled in... driving on the tire. I was able to have it trailered to a cycle shop where the same tire was fitted with a new valve stem. We continued on our trip of about 1400 miles in three days with no issue. After returning home and riding on short rides I felt the slippery action. I'm thinking that the tire I rode on was damaged as you described and that I need to replace it. If so, I need recommendations for what tire I should buy to replace the OE Kenda that I drove on. 2019 RTL. I appreciate the detail and good advice.
Jim