Is it just me?

[sabunim5]

I have been monitoring or participating in this forum almost since it's beginning. I do not remember anybody posting about replacing front end components. When I did my 12k mile service, I discovered play in a ball joint and in a control arm bushing. Both of those were replaced. One was replaced under warranty and the other one was replaced on my dime, as I was too lazy to fight the warranty battle. I have just finished my 18k mile service interval and find that I have play in, and thus need to replace, all four ball joints and two control arm bushings. I have no idea if this is normal or unusual so I am soliciting input from those of you that have enough miles to give me some insight.
About half of my miles are one-up, about a quarter are two-up and about a quarter of my miles are two-up and pulling a trailer. I am getting good service life front my front tires and they are exhibiting a very even wear pattern.
I do have some theories about the situation so I'll tell you them, and you tell me if I am right or wrong.
1. Our front suspensions are essentially automotive in nature and the motorcycle mechanics that are checking our front ends, do not have experience in that area. So there may be lots of Spyders out there that actually need front end components, but it has not been diagnosed due to the techs lack of experience.
2. Even if you know how to properly check out the front end components; it is time consuming and almost requires two people to be done properly. I know of a shop that checks the rear bearings by jacking up the Spyder and rotating the wheel. IMHO this is a nice first step, but I check them by then removing the rear wheel and checking each bearing individually. You get the idea; a shop can only spend so much time on each task and still make a profit. The balance between thorough and expedient is probably slightly different at each shop. Many of us may have front end components that need replaced, but have not been subject to rigorous inspection.
3. Replacing a front end component may not be something people tend to post about. For example, how many of us post about replacing our plugs or our rear bearings. Of course plugs and rear bearings are specified as replacement items by BRP and the front end components are not.

Inquiring minds want to know. Thanks in advance to all that respond to this inquiry. Lets all learn something about our Spyders together.
Ryde Safe and Enjoy

[Raptor]

Hey Bud! Interesting post. It's ironic because I was thinking about the very same thing last night while I was laying in bed (I don't sleep much) based on the events of the past few days. I have been on quite a tear even by my standards as of late; I don't know why I'm charging so hard; I guess I'm just really enjoying the new DPS and Shock package I had installed and I'm exploring what my new limits are; the other part is that I love being on the edge; it's something I can't even explain.

But given the extreme loads and stresses I'm putting on 14, I started thinking about the other components in the system. Things such as bushings, bearings and so on. Now granted, she's only got 5347 miles on her, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to need to address these areas a little sooner than the average rider!

So far everything is perfect; I had my tech check everything out when the shocks went in. He knows how I ride so he gave everything a gooood look! And so far everything is perfect. But Brian is a top-notch factory-trained BRP tech so he knows what to look for and I feel very good that he has the knowledge about the Spyder that a typical MC tech would not. But I can only speak to my situation and the man who takes care of me.

He even looked at my front tires and just looked at me and shook his head laughing. All I heard was "animal!" So I guess my point here is that I have confidence in my tech that he does know the front end components of these machines and how to inspect them etc. And so far they are holding up very well. However, my bike is new compared to yours so I am not sure it's a fair comparison. But I am keeping my eye on things to be sure and check things almost every time I climb aboard; a sudden failure of a critical component could be big trouble!

[fifty sevn]

hello my name is fifty sevn (peter is real name)
good question i had to respond to this as i had both front top and bottom ball joints replaced around 25,000-30,000Km they were shot.lot of play in them.im up for my 45,000Km service on saturday and they both need replacing again,dps replacement when part arrives also .i have had the bushes that hold front sway bar replaced some time ago as they were also shot,easy to check ball joints with wheels straight hold either side of each wheel at the top just below guard and push side to side u will feel the play if there is a problem,or jack wheel off ground and do the same.this will be treated as warranty fix as was the first fix.still very happy 08 silver/black se5 owner.45,000Km since 7th june 2009 new.and loving every Km travelled.i had a pretty bad crash on a 2006 triumph speed master on way to work back in june 2007 with 13 broken bones to my left foot, hand , knee and ankle still recovering but able to ride due to this fantastic machine ,with out the spyder my only choice would have been a standard trike,man thank you BRP for this machine i really dont think i would have enjoyed 45,000Km the same way on a standard trike,even with some of the problems we have its won hell of a set up.i ride to work every day around 114Km return trip as well as week end rides.any way way bro take care out there hope all good with your ride etc.
cheers fifty. P.S.

[SpyderWolf]

I am getting new front tires put on my Spyder tomorrow. The current ones have just over 14,000 miles on them, and the inner section of the right one is completely bald. They are going to check my alignment at the same time, along with the front end components. I will let you know if they find anything out of whack on mine.

[pierrelogic]

I am getting new front tires put on my Spyder tomorrow. The current ones have just over 14,000 miles on them, and the inner section of the right one is completely bald. They are going to check my alignment at the same time, along with the front end components. I will let you know if they find anything out of whack on mine.

Welcome to the team spyderwolf.

Since I had mine aligned and put the ride-on in, 4,000 miles later the new front tires still look like new. Obvious improvement from the first set of tires. By this amount of miles the wear on the right tire (and damage) was easy to spot.

So either the alignment, the Ride on or both worked!

[SpyderWolf]

Welcome to the team spyderwolf.

Since I had mine aligned and put the ride-on in, 4,000 miles later the new front tires still look like new. Obvious improvement from the first set of tires. By this amount of miles the wear on the right tire (and damage) was easy to spot.

So either the alignment, the Ride on or both worked!

Thanks for the info, as I am taking the Ride-On with me for these tires as well, and am going to tell them not to put any weights on them at all.

Hopefully I just had a bad tire, or an alignment issue that can be corrected easily. I definitely don't want to have any bigger problems than that, especially this close to Daytona Biketoberfest.

[Rider Steve]

You get the idea a shop can only spend so much time on each task and still make a profit.

They get paid by the hour.

[canam9]

I have been monitoring or participating in this forum almost since it's beginning. I do not remember anybody posting about replacing front end components. When I did my 12k mile service, I discovered play in a ball joint and in a control arm bushing. Both of those were replaced. One was replaced under warranty and the other one was replaced on my dime, as I was too lazy to fight the warranty battle. I have just finished my 18k mile service interval and find that I have play in, and thus need to replace, all four ball joints and two control arm bushings. I have no idea if this is normal or unusual so I am soliciting input from those of you that have enough miles to give me some insight.
About half of my miles are one-up, about a quarter are two-up and about a quarter of my miles are two-up and pulling a trailer. I am getting good service life front my front tires and they are exhibiting a very even wear pattern.
I do have some theories about the situation so I'll tell you them, and you tell me if I am right or wrong.
1. Our front suspensions are essentially automotive in nature and the motorcycle mechanics that are checking our front ends, do not have experience in that area. So there may be lots of Spyders out there that actually need front end components, but it has not been diagnosed due to the techs lack of experience.
2. Even if you know how to properly check out the front end components; it is time consuming and almost requires two people to be done properly. I know of a shop that checks the rear bearings by jacking up the Spyder and rotating the wheel. IMHO this is a nice first step, but I check them by then removing the rear wheel and checking each bearing individually. You get the idea; a shop can only spend so much time on each task and still make a profit. The balance between thorough and expedient is probably slightly different at each shop. Many of us may have front end components that need replaced, but have not been subject to rigorous inspection.
3. Replacing a front end component may not be something people tend to post about. For example, how many of us post about replacing our plugs or our rear bearings. Of course plugs and rear bearings are specified as replacement items by BRP and the front end components are not.

Inquiring minds want to know. Thanks in advance to all that respond to this inquiry. Lets all learn something about our Spyders together.
Ryde Safe and Enjoy

[SpyderWolf]

New stock front tires are now on my Spyder. Ride-On was installed by the dealer and all weights were removed from the wheels. No alignment problems or worn front end components were found. I think the right front tire has always been bad, as the Spyder rydes smoother now than it did when I first bought it.

[altonk]

Get a piece of tire chalk and draw a inch stripe from side wall to sidewall before a hard ride. It's a good indicator of asymmetric tire wear and if the pressure is correct

if the remaining marks are not symmetric then alignment is off

if too far in from sidewalls too much pressure.

Let's you see what's going on before you wear off a lot of rubber

[musicarcade]

Get a piece of tire chalk and draw a inch stripe from side wall to sidewall before a hard ride. It's a good indicator of asymmetric tire wear and if the pressure is correct

if the remaining marks are not symmetric then alignment is off

if too far in from sidewalls too much pressure.

Let's you see what's going on before you wear off a lot of rubber

Sounds good. I'll do that when I get a set. I was waitin to hear about Spyderwolfs' experience as I'll be taking it to the same place for the same thing.

[NancysToy]

Steven, I seem to remember an early post or two about failed ball joints, and a couple about worn shock bushings. Can't remember any a-frame bushings reported, but those are very subject to wear. That's why they need lubrication. If the 600 mile lube is skipped, it would be easy to lose them. The size of these ball joints worries me. Quite small, in my estimation, but I am a big fan of overkill...I suppose. The cheap "Chinese" ball joints are quite prone to failure. Ask anybody with a Dodge RAM pickup who had them fail prematurely. Too bad there is not a heavy duty Moog replacement for our Spyders. A grease fitting would probably help, too. Funny that the tiny tie-rod ends seem to show no failures or slop.

[sabunim5]

[Raptor]

That's why they need lubrication. If the 600 mile lube is skipped, it would be easy to lose them. The size of these ball joints worries me. Quite small, in my estimation, but I am a big fan of overkill...I suppose. The cheap "Chinese" ball joint are quite prone to failure.

What grease fittings? No, I hear you man. I have always thought they could have made these parts "a tad" more beefy. But so far they are holding up, and I beat the out of mine!

However, would I feel better knowing I had a Moog part under me? You betcha! Give them time, maybe they will...

[txknight67]

Thanks for the info, as I am taking the Ride-On with me for these tires as well, and am going to tell them not to put any weights on them at all.

Hopefully I just had a bad tire, or an alignment issue that can be corrected easily. I definitely don't want to have any bigger problems than that, especially this close to Daytona Biketoberfest.

in below freezing conditions as in single digit or below zero degrees Fahrenheit? Would like to know how it behaves in those conditions.

[SpyderWolf]

in below freezing conditions as in single digit or below zero degrees Fahrenheit? Would like to know how it behaves in those conditions.

That is a good question. I will tag along for an answer on that as well.

[pierrelogic]

"Ride-On (TPS) is effective from -40ºF (-40ºC) to more than 300ºF (149ºC). Ride-On works well in every season."

[txknight67]

"Ride-On (TPS) is effective from -40ºF (-40ºC) to more than 300ºF (149ºC). Ride-On works well in every season."

Probably didn't look in the right place, but I couldn't find that when I was replacing my tires and was contemplating Ride On or just balance it and deal with the weights.

[SpyderWolf]

"Ride-On (TPS) is effective from -40ºF (-40ºC) to more than 300ºF (149ºC). Ride-On works well in every season."

Thanks!

[sabunim5]