Are Spyders super sensitive to road crown?

[Slowpoke387]

So after finally straightening out a trans oil filter issue on our new 2016 leftover SE6 F3L, we are now able to ride it a bit. Aside from the immense difference from a motorcycle, my biggest issue is the constant pulling to the right. It honestly detracts from the enjoyment by about 50%. Ive posted and complained already and most people are saying get a ROLO laser done. The nearest one is about three hours away and if this is just the way these Spyders react to road crowning then i dont want to waste a day and the money just to have it still pull to the right on crowned roads. Ive tried swapping out the right wheel from a spare set i have and its basically the same. On perfectly flat roads its hardly there. But almost all roads here are crowned for rain runoff. I find it hard to believe that this is the way it should handle when on crowned roads.
Is this just the way they are? None of my other vehicles do this. Im just trying to decide if im chasing my tail and this is just the way they are or if i should pursue it a bit.

 

[SteveLaoyster]

So after finally straightening out a trans oil filter issue on our new 2016 leftover SE6 F3L, we are now able to ride it a bit. Aside from the immense difference from a motorcycle, my biggest issue is the constant pulling to the right. It honestly detracts from the enjoyment by about 50%. Ive posted and complained already and most people are saying get a ROLO laser done. The nearest one is about three hours away and if this is just the way these Spyders react to road crowning then i dont want to waste a day and the money just to have it still pull to the right on crowned roads. Ive tried swapping out the right wheel from a spare set i have and its basically the same. On perfectly flat roads its hardly there. But almost all roads here are crowned for rain runoff. I find it hard to believe that this is the way it should handle when on crowned roads.
Is this just the way they are? None of my other vehicles do this. Im just trying to decide if im chasing my tail and this is just the way they are or if i should pursue it a bit.

If you think it's the crown in the road just find an empty stretch of road & drive on the other side. So long as no one is around you should find out if it's the crown for sure. Good luck.

 

[Slowpoke387]

If you think it's the crown in the road just find an empty stretch of road & drive on the other side. So long as no one is around you should find out if it's the crown for sure. Good luck.

Did that. Pretty sure its the crowning causing it. Should've clarified my question. Im wondering if this is the way Spyders react to crowning, or if something can be adjusted. Just doesnt seem like it would be designed this way.

 

[BoilerAnimal]

I haven't found a road yet that makes my RT-S pull one way or the other. In Illinois, we have roads with literal ruts from heavy semis and it has no real effect on the handling of it. I would say you have a real problem and a GOOD alignment may well be in order.

 

[SteveLaoyster]

Did that. Pretty sure its the crowning causing it. Should've clarified my question. Im wondering if this is the way Spyders react to crowning, or if something can be adjusted. Just doesnt seem like it would be designed this way.

I've noticed that it depends on the road. Some are worse than others but never to the point that I have to worry about going off the road. I got my spyder new in Sept and haven't had it aligned yet. It tracks well & I still have the little nubs on the tires from new. I have just over 1k miles so I guess my alignment is good.

 

[Slowpoke387]

I haven't found a road yet that makes my RT-S pull one way or the other. In Illinois, we have roads with literal ruts from heavy semis and it has no real effect on the handling of it. I would say you have a real problem and a GOOD alignment may well be in order.

Interesting. Gives me hope that maybe it can be improved. So from everything ive read here i shouldnt bother with a dealer laser alignment? If true thats painful lol. I have a dealer about half an hour away who does them. The nearest ROLO is over three hours out :banghead:

 

[Slowpoke387]

I've noticed that it depends on the road. Some are worse than others but never to the point that I have to worry about going off the road. I got my spyder new in Sept and haven't had it aligned yet. It tracks well & I still have the little nubs on the tires from new. I have just over 1k miles so I guess my alignment is good.

So on the roads that do affect yours, if you let go of the grips it wouldnt drift completely off the road? Ours def would just drift right off the road. But on a completely flat road it goes straight. Hardly any completely flat roads though.

 

[JayBros]

Spydercomfort.com is the company that originated the Rolo system. In Palmer, MA this activity does Spyder Rolo laser alignments:
http://www.spydercomfort.com/dealermass.htm. Next to them Netzley Tire in Accord, NY looks like the next closest Rolo site.

Why not try the Palmer activity and have them test ride the Spyder before doing anything.

 

[SteveLaoyster]

So on the roads that do affect yours, if you let go of the grips it wouldnt drift completely off the road? Ours def would just drift right off the road. But on a completely flat road it goes straight. Hardly any completely flat roads though.

I don't know of any vehicle that wouldn't drift off a crowned road when letting go of the steering. But I have let go of the handlebars on a good flat road & it did track very well. Straight flat roads are hard to come by here in PA too.

 

[Slowpoke387]

Spydercomfort.com is the company that originated the Rolo system. In Palmer, MA this activity does Spyder Rolo laser alignments:
http://www.spydercomfort.com/dealermass.htm. Next to them Netzley Tire in Accord, NY looks like the next closest Rolo site.

Why not try the Palmer activity and have them test ride the Spyder before doing anything.

Yeah i have an appt with the Palmer store already but its a Can AM dealer and i dont think its the ROLO. Thats the place that's about half hour away. Think its worth a gamble.

 

[Slowpoke387]

I don't know of any vehicle that wouldn't drift off a crowned road when letting go of the steering. But I have let go of the handlebars on a good flat road & it did track very well. Straight flat roads are hard to come by here in PA too.

Wondering why i dont see more posts about this. Seems awfully annoying to have to keep constant pressure on the right bar to keep it straight on crowned roads. It does track nice and straight on the few flat roads ive found. Its whats making me think these things are just inherently crappy on crowned roads, and also makes me keep asking why more people aren't as aggravated by it as i seem to be lol.

 

[PaladinLV]

Drifting yes; pulling no.
It's an alignment issue, tires not properly balanced, air pressure in the tow tires off, or a combo of the three.

Balance, if you have 6 or less weights on each tires, I would guess it's ok.
If your tires are close to being equal or after making them close it still PULLS; then ALIGNMENT require.

AJ

So after finally straightening out a trans oil filter issue on our new 2016 leftover SE6 F3L, we are now able to ride it a bit. Aside from the immense difference from a motorcycle, my biggest issue is the constant pulling to the right. It honestly detracts from the enjoyment by about 50%. Ive posted and complained already and most people are saying get a ROLO laser done. The nearest one is about three hours away and if this is just the way these Spyders react to road crowning then i dont want to waste a day and the money just to have it still pull to the right on crowned roads. Ive tried swapping out the right wheel from a spare set i have and its basically the same. On perfectly flat roads its hardly there. But almost all roads here are crowned for rain runoff. I find it hard to believe that this is the way it should handle when on crowned roads.
Is this just the way they are? None of my other vehicles do this. Im just trying to decide if im chasing my tail and this is just the way they are or if i should pursue it a bit.

 

[Slowpoke387]

Drifting yes; pulling no.
It's an alignment issue, tires not properly balanced, air pressure in the tow tires off, or a combo of the three.

Balance, if you have 6 or less weights on each tires, I would guess it's ok.
If your tires are close to being equal or after making them close it still PULLS; then ALIGNMENT require.

AJ

Hmm, the tow tire pressure. Thats the rear im assuming, come to think of it i havent checked that pressure yet. Any idea how that can affect things? Too Low or high...either way.
Should be 28 from what ive seen. Tomorrow am im going to check the rear pressure. Ive been so concentrated on fronts. Id imagine if the rear was too soft it would squat, making the front even lighter and less stable.
Lol i may run out there now, im super curious.
EDIT Went out and checked lol. Rear had 24. Seemed super soft. I could push on it and make it squish in. Aired it up to 30 and if it wasnt raining id go for a spin. Tomorrow ill ride it and see if it helps.

 

[SteveLaoyster]

Hmm, the tow tire pressure. Thats the rear im assuming, come to think of it i havent checked that pressure yet. Any idea how that can affect things? Too Low or high...either way.
Should be 28 from what ive seen. Tomorrow am im going to check the rear pressure. Ive been so concentrated on fronts. Id imagine if the rear was too soft it would squat, making the front even lighter and less stable.
Lol i may run out there now, im super curious.
EDIT Went out and checked lol. Rear had 24. Seemed super soft. I could push on it and make it squish in. Aired it up to 30 and if it wasnt raining id go for a spin. Tomorrow ill ride it and see if it helps.

Doesn't make sense to me why the dealers would put less pressure than spec in the tires.

 

[Slowpoke387]

Doesn't make sense to me why the dealers would put less pressure than spec in the tires.

Fronts were at exactly 15 when i picked it up too. Aired those up to 20 which helped a bit. It was actually a lot worse when they were at 15. Pulled harder than now lol.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

So on the roads that do affect yours, if you let go of the grips it wouldnt drift completely off the road? Ours def would just drift right off the road. But on a completely flat road it goes straight. Hardly any completely flat roads though.

The OEM Kenda tires might be bad. After 14k miles the constant pulling to the right problem I had went away after I switched to Continentals.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

YOUR ISSUES WITH YOUR SPYDER

I've read all your posts about all your issues and I'm sorry but , ...... I'm starting to think .......you may be the issue .:dontknow: ............. I think you should find another KNOWLEDGABLE Spyder owner who has no dog in the fight and let them drive yours and give you an Honest evaluation of your issues.................. not dissing you, just trying to get to the bottom quickly ...................... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Slowpoke387]

I've read all your posts about all your issues and I'm sorry but , ...... I'm starting to think .......you may be the issue .:dontknow: ............. I think you should find another KNOWLEDGABLE Spyder owner who has no dog in the fight and let them drive yours and give you an Honest evaluation of your issues.................. not dissing you, just trying to get to the bottom quickly ...................... Mike :thumbup:

Trust me ive been thinking that too lol. Although i def didnt install the defective oil filter at the factory and cause the slipping trans when we first got it. I have tons of experience with motorcycles (raced on a semi pro level for years) and own a car business so im actually surprised that I'm actually having these issues. All i can say is it drifts to the right and im not sure if its normal for Spyders, no other vehicle ive either raced or ridden on the street has done this. Id love for a seasoned F3 rider to take it for a rip and tell me its normal and im crazy, or its not and get it looked at. until then ill learn from people here and try alignments and also hope the correct air pressures help.
Or im just crazy :yikes:

 

[pushrod243]

I know exactly what you are talking about. I have 2 Spyder's. My left arm is paralyzed so the pull is extra annoying to me. My 2011RSS has 63k miles on it. It was aligned by Outlaw in Edgewater a few years ago. It has Wilbur shocks all the way around and I run the stock tires but around 30-32 in the front and 28 in the rear. The low pressures are designed to slow the steering quickness down. The flex of the tire's sidewall eats up some of the energy when you steer and makes the bike easier to ride for some. As you get more seat time you will be more comfortable with higher pressures. I tell new riders just go up to 20lbs and ride it then add 5 lbs at a time until you are comfortable. It will be real twitchy if you get higher than you are comfortable with.

I had a 2008 and it had about 75k on it so I like the higher pressures an am comfortable with the more responsive steering. I just bought a 2016 F3T in March. I forgot how different a stock bike handles. My 2011 I can pretty much ride with one finger. It doesn't drift or follow the road it just goes where you point it until you point it somewhere else.

The F3T on the other hand requires constant input to keep it going straight. It has a pretty consistent fade to the right. I added pressure to the front tires and it has gotten much better but it's still noticeable. My good arm is like jello after an hour. I find it's easier to set the cruise and grab the other side of the bars to pull on them instead of the constant push required with my right arm. I find myself riding my old bike instead of the F3T. I rode the RSS a complete tank of fuel with no stops. Filled it up and continued on. My arm was in heaven!

I haven't decided what my next move is. I know I will eventually replace the stock shocks but I think I could live with the handling of the new bike if I wasn't constantly steering it. I just think it makes more sense to align it with the new shocks on it so I am living with it for now. The shocks are my next dielema. I have Wilburs on my 2011 and I love them. I own an aftermarket motorcycle shop. We mostly work on Harley's but I have customers that have both Spyder's and Harley's and I have put Elka shocks on most of their Spyder's. I've Only put the stage 1 Or stage 2 Elkas on so not sure if it's a fair comparison to the Wilbur's. Any how..... I am certain the alignment will fix most of my woes.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

motorcycles & spyders

Trust me ive been thinking that too lol. Although i def didnt install the defective oil filter at the factory and cause the slipping trans when we first got it. I have tons of experience with motorcycles (raced on a semi pro level for years) and own a car business so im actually surprised that I'm actually having these issues. All i can say is it drifts to the right and im not sure if its normal for Spyders, no other vehicle ive either raced or ridden on the street has done this. Id love for a seasoned F3 rider to take it for a rip and tell me its normal and im crazy, or its not and get it looked at. until then ill learn from people here and try alignments and also hope the correct air pressures help.
Or im just crazy :yikes:

In truth , the folks who do better on Spyders initially .....are the ones who have never been on a motorcycle either as a passenger or especially as an operator. .... Spyders are motorcycles for LEGAL purposes and you will learn this eventually..... If you attempt to drive a Spyder like a Motorcycle you will KILL yourself in short order....... And I never suspected the oil filter and trans issue were caused by you ..... and I'm not a novice with Spyders, besides BRP - I think I am the only other person who has a Fan forced induction on their 1330 engine...... and I changed the angle of my front shocks approx. 16 degree's , ( positive ).... I don't think anyone else has done this ........ You'll get there eventually ..... Mike :thumbup: