Synthetic
New member
Last Friday I took our new 2015 RT Limited into Lamonster Garage for a laser alignment. I pulled up to the door at 1:00 pm and Jacob was waiting for me so he could get started.
The Spyder has 2000 miles on it....until I read here on SpyderLovers I thought since the Spyder was new it did not need to be aligned. So, due to reading posts here I thought it better to take it into Lamonster Garage and have it checked out......
Jacob got the laser alignment system all connected up to the Spyder and showed me where the alignment was supposed to be and where it actually was.....let's just say...."It needed the alignment".....Lamont and I looked at the laser dots and it showed both front wheels were toed out from centerline by quite a bit.
Since this is the first Spyder for us I didn't really know how the Spyder should handle on the streets/roads.
Lamont told me I'd really like the difference but I didn't really know what to expect.
So, the following day, a Saturday, I had a chance to ride it down to Branson, MO and test the alignment out....put on a couple hundred miles.
I could tell the straight line driving was better but not a huge difference....it "seemed" to roll easier if that makes sense and it drove straighter with no steering input. However, I was more than pleasently surprised at a couple other things that changed a lot....
Before the alignment I had what I would call a "harmonic imbalance" vibration that would happen every time I transitioned between 70 mph and 75 mph... every time I would feel the vibration between those two speeds....after the laser alignment there was no more vibration anywhere from zero to 80 mph. I like that!
The second huge change I didn't expect is more difficult to explain....before the alignment, when I would go around a curve at speed (35 mph and up) the handle bars would sort of wiggle, as in, it would try to turn and then go straight and then turn again and then go straight etc. It would help while turning if I would push the grip away from me without pulling on the other grip....in other words....in a left turn I would push with my right hand grip away from me but relax my left hand without pulling the left grip towards me....and the opposite for a right turn....it was sort of un-nerving especially with oncoming traffic in the curve.
After the laser alignment there was none of that taking place. The Spyder stayed in the curve without the "turning/going straight...turning going straight" feeling. This was whether or not I pulled on the opposite grip I was pushing in the turn....that was a gigantic improvement. It changed from having to "drive" the Spyder through the curves to "riding" it through the curves....what a great difference and a very nice surprise...
I have to believe the tire wear will decrease by a lot now that the Spyder is no longer shoving the front tires every time they spin around...
Thank you Lamonster Garage for making the Spyder handle so much better not to mention saving me money by not having to replace tires so quickly!
PS....thanks Jacob for doing the laser alignment for me
The Spyder has 2000 miles on it....until I read here on SpyderLovers I thought since the Spyder was new it did not need to be aligned. So, due to reading posts here I thought it better to take it into Lamonster Garage and have it checked out......
Jacob got the laser alignment system all connected up to the Spyder and showed me where the alignment was supposed to be and where it actually was.....let's just say...."It needed the alignment".....Lamont and I looked at the laser dots and it showed both front wheels were toed out from centerline by quite a bit.
Since this is the first Spyder for us I didn't really know how the Spyder should handle on the streets/roads.
Lamont told me I'd really like the difference but I didn't really know what to expect.
So, the following day, a Saturday, I had a chance to ride it down to Branson, MO and test the alignment out....put on a couple hundred miles.
I could tell the straight line driving was better but not a huge difference....it "seemed" to roll easier if that makes sense and it drove straighter with no steering input. However, I was more than pleasently surprised at a couple other things that changed a lot....
Before the alignment I had what I would call a "harmonic imbalance" vibration that would happen every time I transitioned between 70 mph and 75 mph... every time I would feel the vibration between those two speeds....after the laser alignment there was no more vibration anywhere from zero to 80 mph. I like that!
The second huge change I didn't expect is more difficult to explain....before the alignment, when I would go around a curve at speed (35 mph and up) the handle bars would sort of wiggle, as in, it would try to turn and then go straight and then turn again and then go straight etc. It would help while turning if I would push the grip away from me without pulling on the other grip....in other words....in a left turn I would push with my right hand grip away from me but relax my left hand without pulling the left grip towards me....and the opposite for a right turn....it was sort of un-nerving especially with oncoming traffic in the curve.
After the laser alignment there was none of that taking place. The Spyder stayed in the curve without the "turning/going straight...turning going straight" feeling. This was whether or not I pulled on the opposite grip I was pushing in the turn....that was a gigantic improvement. It changed from having to "drive" the Spyder through the curves to "riding" it through the curves....what a great difference and a very nice surprise...
I have to believe the tire wear will decrease by a lot now that the Spyder is no longer shoving the front tires every time they spin around...
Thank you Lamonster Garage for making the Spyder handle so much better not to mention saving me money by not having to replace tires so quickly!
PS....thanks Jacob for doing the laser alignment for me
Isn't it amazing how much nicer the ride is, when the wheels are pointed in the proper direction? :congrats:
