Question from Don Frank at F4 Customs about steering

[F4 Customs]

Hey folks as some of you know Kim, my wife, rides a 2016 Can-Am RT. She has the Elkin shocks and adjustable handle bars.
She has been telling me that her steering is getting hard to turn. I rode it and unless your moving you can't turn the handlebars. My F3 Limited as soon as I start the bike and try to turn the handle bars I can quite easily and I remember her RT was that way at one time.
What do you suggest? Have any of you had this issue?
Thanks
Don

[ARtraveler]

Hard steering on my 2014 RT-S when not moving down the road. No answer as to why???

[LifeLongRider]

DPS? Dynamic Power Steering sensor? Is it throwing any codes?

[Possible]

Just a data point, Peggy's 2013 STS-SM5 is hard to turn at a standstill, but is easy to turn when moving. Almost impossible
to turn if the motor is off.

The power steering is dependent on many things, one of which is battery power. If your battery voltage is low, the assist
will be less. That's about the only thing I can think of that can be easily checked.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Does it still have the original battery? If so, it might be time to change it. The DPS draws a huge amount of power, much more than the alternator supplies. If it's getting old and weak it just may not have the oomph needed to power the DPS adequately. Poor connections can act the same. Check the battery cable terminals. A good cleaning may solve the problem.

[F4 Customs]

DPS? Dynamic Power Steering sensor? Is it throwing any codes?

No codes and I changed the battery just in case there was not the right amount of current

[F4 Customs]

May have to bite the bullet and change the sensor

[fireplug98]

May have to bite the bullet and change the sensor

Or buy her a new bike !!!

Tommy J.

[F4 Customs]

Or buy her a new bike !!!

Tommy J.

No she likes this one

[Peter Aawen]

Kim's Spyder doesn't have a low or flat tire or two up front, does it??

Anything much lower than about 10psi in either or both of the front tires will make your 'not moving' steering pretty hard, even with the better 'stopped & low speed DPS assist' that's available on the more recent Spyders. I've found that dropping the tire pressure in my (not Kenda) front tires down to just 12 psi up front on my 2013 RT doesn't measurably increase the required turning effort; but the moment I drop just one front tire below about 10psi, the necessary turning effort goes off the scale PDQ!! (altho admittedly, it is a pretty small scale that I use to measure that turning effort. )

Worth a look, maybe??

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

May have to bite the bullet and change the sensor

That means changing the entire DPS unit. The torque sensor that controls how much assist is provided is an integral part of the DPS.

[JP58]

My 15 RTS turned hard sitting still. Had to start moving to get ps. The F3's all steer easy at idle. It wasn't till late 2017 they put the new dps in the RT's. Unless it turns hard while moving. Probably normal. Make sure battery terminals are tight. Even slightly loose. The dps wont work right.

[bikerchris1270]

Hey folks as some of you know Kim, my wife, rides a 2016 Can-Am RT. She has the Elkin shocks and adjustable handle bars.
She has been telling me that her steering is getting hard to turn. I rode it and unless your moving you can't turn the handlebars. My F3 Limited as soon as I start the bike and try to turn the handle bars I can quite easily and I remember her RT was that way at one time.
What do you suggest? Have any of you had this issue?
Thanks
Don

Lift the front end off the ground to remove weight off the front wheels.....check for binding in steering components....ball joints,tie rods,steering shaft.

[papanorm]

I raised my front tire pressures to 15-16 and it made a noticeable difference in steering improvement. Also I don’t feel the bike wandering when hitting bumps while cruising.

[EdMat]

I raised my front tire pressures to 15-16 and it made a noticeable difference in steering improvement. Also I don’t feel the bike wandering when hitting bumps while cruising.

Got to ask, what pressure did you raise it from?