I really want to like this bike...

[Stumpy6Guns]

I would love to take it in to Squared Away, but there are 200 miles of Mojave Desert to go through, with an average high temp of 109°F this time of year. That's way too hot for me; in fact, it was so hot in Baker, CA a couple of weeks ago that my nephew turned his HD around and went back to Las Vegas rather than risk it. He drove home early the next day.

 

[sjn7708]

I think there is a big difference between the 2012 and the 2015 has the 2015 has different shocks and a bigger sway bar and of course different engine. my 2015 RT drove perfectly right out of the box. Even the stock seat broke in enough to where its comfortable for me. I would try anything to get it right because once you do you will love it, and I am a gold wing guy at heart.

 

[Bob Denman]

I would love to take it in to Squared Away, but there are 200 miles of Mojave Desert to go through, with an average high temp of 109°F this time of year. That's way too hot for me; in fact, it was so hot in Baker, CA a couple of weeks ago that my nephew turned his HD around and went back to Las Vegas rather than risk it. He drove home early the next day.

Could leave REAL early to avoid the worst of the heat?
Have the work done, and spend the night in Vegas. :thumbup:
You could then ride home early the following day... :dontknow:

 

[JayBros]

Could leave REAL early to avoid the worst of the heat?
Have the work done, and spend the night in Vegas. :thumbup:
You could then ride home early the following day... :dontknow:

That's exactly how I would do a 400 mile round trip in that country.

 

[Bob Denman]

I might be smarter than I look...

But that STILL doesn't "set the bar" too high... :banghead:

 

[Stumpy6Guns]

Or I could slip my nephew some party money and have him take it for me!

 

[Bob Denman]

:shocked: That would work...

But you wouldn't get the chance to immediately notice the difference it makes in the bike's handling.

"What happens in Vegas..."

 

[Stumpy6Guns]

I know.
Without going into a lot of detail here, suffice it to say that the composition of our family doesn't allow me to make overnighters. I don't even travel for work if I can avoid it.

 

[Bob Denman]

I hope you know that if your nephew spends that much time on it: he's gonna really want one!

 

[MikeT]

:agree: Squared Away is the best!

+2 on what PS said. My "local" dealer has the Rollo system. I chose to have the Squraed Away team align mine @Spyderfest 2016 after having a Ron Bar installed by Harvey's crew. Experience is everything.

 

[Deanna777]

Hang in there....it only gets better!

x 3 Deanna

 

[Stumpy6Guns]

I hope so. Tonight's ride home was awful. The bike wouldn't hold a line in the curves; a little input gave too much output. Every time I relaxed my grip, the dang thing would head for the boonies. I felt the rear tire break loose a couple of times, and other times it felt drifty, especially coming out of the curve when it would snap into a straight line.
At one point, I was ready to get off and push it the remaining 7 miles home.
I feel like I'm caught in a vicious circle. I'm getting more skittish, which undoubtedly shows up in the bike's behavior, which in turn makes me more skittish.

As far as getting it aligned goes, Riverside is a lot closer than Vegas, and that means fewer hours of terror on the road. :shocked:

The local dealer is having a Can-Am sales event tomorrow through Sunday. I'm going to go ride a new machine just to see how it feels. I'll also talk to their service tech and get his input.

Man, reading back through my posts in this thread makes me sound like a big whining ninny. I'm really not- I just don't need the aggravation!

 

[BitSlayer]

Hang in there. The bike can be a great ride. I am on my second one now and there is some learning as all have said. The alignment can help keep the bike on a straight line. One of the biggest things for me is to make sure your front end is not sagging and does not dip going into the corners. I think you have stated you have a BajaRon sway bar installed. You might look at the preload of the front shocks. Set it at the top most level, 5. That helped me on my 2011. The next step would be to look at some Elka shocks. They will also make a world of difference.

I agree with talking to a Can-Am specialist. They can give the bike a once over and tell you if there is a basic setup problem. I have heard stories about a misaligned DPS sensor making the steering squirly as well.

Good luck and hope you get the issue resolved. The bike is a great ride.

 

[Pirate looks at --]

Every one has said

Before you go out and spend $1000.00 for Elka shocks, get that darned thing laser aligned. PM Spyder Anne and she will get you Squared Away. I can literally ryde my Spyder without gripping the handle bars. Push with the outside hand and pull ever so slightly with the inside hand. Most Tim we can take corners with one hand. I am guessing that you are WAY out of alignment!:banghead::banghead:

 

[PW2013STL]

Or I could slip my nephew some party money and have him take it for me!

I would advise that you get it to Joe and Ann (Squared Away) how ever you can as they are the best. I had them do an alignment on mine in Alaska last year and they checked it again in Springfield. Joe noticed that my air bag was not holding air - something that I missed. I was able to get my dealer in MN to fix it under warranty.

 

[BajaRon]

I think there is a big difference between the 2012 and the 2015 has the 2015 has different shocks and a bigger sway bar and of course different engine. my 2015 RT drove perfectly right out of the box. Even the stock seat broke in enough to where its comfortable for me. I would try anything to get it right because once you do you will love it, and I am a gold wing guy at heart.

The 2015 does not have a bigger sway bar than the 2012. BRP did re-engineer the frame and suspension making improvements to geometry and shocks. The sway bar on the 2015 is longer and mounts differently. But is functionally the same as the 2012 bar.

 

[Stumpy6Guns]

I think I may have found the problem- bad ball joint(s) on the left side. Tow truck is on the way.

 

[Bob Denman]

:shocked: That'll do it...
While it's never good to find a busted part on your bike; at least you have a good idea as to what the source of the bigger problem was!
So I don't want this to sound horrible :shocked:, but :congrats:

 

[ARtraveler]

Glad to hear you found what may be the biggest part of the problem. :yes:

 

[Stumpy6Guns]

The loaner is pretty nice!

They loaned me a brand-new 2016 RTL with 3 miles on the clock for a couple of days. What a difference! It's more sensitive than mine, so it took some getting used to, but it handles like everyone says it should. The corners that gave me trouble before were easier to deal with, and I felt a lot more confident on this bike. I picked up some bad habits out of fear on my bike, and I had to work at riding correctly, but I'm glad it's my bike and not me!:clap: