Is your spyder shaking, start with the belt tensioner. Now on to Tires!

[bayoumanPIBE]

Agree Mike...it's a lot. I'd rather be sharing vacations or helping other ryders. I appreciate ya'll reading and keeping up...weird journey for the bike alone on top of personal life. I'm trying to use less words to make it smoother.

No, Peter...no one has blinked at the rear. I have an appt for tomorrow morning for the local dealer to take it off and scour it, the tire, etc. as detailed as possible. I'm not against any idea, if I can do it myself and/or afford it...been doing that up to this point.

So, if the rear wheel balances and the rubber is fine and they can't find anything...just as what happened with the fronts (Kendas), what then...mark the rear off the list of possibilities? I'm not against buying another tire...but, I already hate I spent more money for front rubber when I didn't have to...was planning on replacing all Kendas after a while of riding on them...since I already spent so much money on the bike and aftermarket items.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Agree Mike...it's a lot. I'd rather be sharing vacations or helping other ryders. I appreciate ya'll reading and keeping up...weird journey for the bike alone on top of personal life. I'm trying to use less words to make it smoother.

No, Peter...no one has blinked at the rear. I have an appt for tomorrow morning for the local dealer to take it off and scour it, the tire, etc. as detailed as possible. I'm not against any idea, if I can do it myself and/or afford it...been doing that up to this point.

So, if the rear wheel balances and the rubber is fine and they can't find anything...just as what happened with the fronts (Kendas), what then...mark the rear off the list of possibilities? I'm not against buying another tire...but, I already hate I spent more money for front rubber when I didn't have to...was planning on replacing all Kendas after a while of riding on them...since I already spent so much money on the bike and aftermarket items.

If the REAR tire is checked for BALANCE ....IMHO it Must be done on a high speed SPIN balancer .... Road Force would be nice , but not necessary ..... all the BEST .... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Peter Aawen]

.....
No, Peter...no one has blinked at the rear. I have an appt for tomorrow morning for the local dealer to take it off and scour it, the tire, etc. as detailed as possible. I'm not against any idea, if I can do it myself and/or afford it...been doing that up to this point.

So, if the rear wheel balances and the rubber is fine and they can't find anything...just as what happened with the fronts (Kendas), what then...mark the rear off the list of possibilities? I'm not against buying another tire...but, I already hate I spent more money for front rubber when I didn't have to...was planning on replacing all Kendas after a while of riding on them...since I already spent so much money on the bike and aftermarket items.

I'm not at all convinced that too many Spyder dealers will have the knowledge let alone the skills & experience to truly inspect any tire for anything more than obvious & superficial defects/failures.... and if no-one's jumped up & down about it already, then any issue with the rear tire isn't all that likely to be obvious &/or superficial! :banghead:

Whoever does it, they'll need to check for run-out & roundness BEFORE removing the wheel assy from the Spyder, and if they don't find any issues there, check it for balance & any associated 'on the rim' issues before stripping the tire and carefully inspecting it inside & out for any defects in construction &/or damage - and that will take a knowledgeable AND skilled & experienced tire technician, not just a mechanic or tech who's mounted a few tires, or even a couple of hundred tires - it's a whole 'nuther world of training & 'honed thru practice on-the-job' skills !! And finding a tire tech with that level of training & on-the-job skills might not be all that easy - they just don't train 'em these days like they used to! :lecturef_smilie:

That's why most people just bite the bullet at the 'checked everything else except the physical condition of the tires' stage & just swap them out - it's generally easier & often cheaper than finding an appropriately trained & skilled tire tech.... which probably should answer the questions in the last para I quoted above. But maybe you might be comforted by the fact that you aren't alone in this - there are a number of threads on the Forum, albeit many of them older now, where people have chased similar shakes/vibrations &/or handling & ride issues, altho some just change out all the tires early on & most of those seem to have no further issues; while others continue in much the same way you have, expending quite a bit of money in the process, only to end up (finally... ) changing out ALL the tires to something (anything! ) other than Kendas - and for pretty much all of those, miraculously, the 'untraceable' shakes/vibrations disappear with the last of their Kendas! hyea:

Now I'm not saying this is a sure thing for you, but I really don't recall anyone else having this sort of 'untraceable' shake/vibration issue that's eventually been driven to changing out all the tires as a last resort because every other option has been exhausted who has continued to have said issues.... Generally, the result is something along the lines of 'Why didn't I just do this FIRST?!?'... :gaah:

And really, since you were going to swap out the Kendas eventually anyway, why not do it now on the chance that it WILL resolve those shakes?? At the very least you'll then KNOW that it's not the tires, and the list of potential causes will have been reduced by one item that's proven to be the cause of similar shakes in numerous instances.... :dontknow: But hopefully, like in so many of those other instances, it'll resolve your issues too?!? :thumbup:

Here's hoping! :cheers:

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I'm not at all convinced that too many Spyder dealers will have the knowledge let alone the skills & experience to truly inspect any tire for anything more than obvious & superficial defects/failures.... and if no-one's jumped up & down about it already, then any issue with the rear tire isn't all that likely to be obvious &/or superficial! :banghead:

Whoever does it, they'll need to check for run-out & roundness BEFORE removing the wheel assy from the Spyder, and if they don't find any issues there, check it for balance & any associated 'on the rim' issues before stripping the tire and carefully inspecting it inside & out for any defects in construction &/or damage - and that will take a knowledgeable AND skilled & experienced tire technician, not just a mechanic or tech who's mounted a few tires, or even a couple of hundred tires - it's a whole 'nuther world of training & 'honed thru practice on-the-job' skills !! And finding a tire tech with that level of training & on-the-job skills might not be all that easy - they just don't train 'em these days like they used to! :lecturef_smilie:

That's why most people just bite the bullet at the 'checked everything else except the physical condition of the tires' stage & just swap them out - it's generally easier & often cheaper than finding an appropriately trained & skilled tire tech.... which probably should answer the questions in the last para I quoted above. But maybe you might be comforted by the fact that you aren't alone in this - there are a number of threads on the Forum, albeit many of them older now, where people have chased similar shakes/vibrations &/or handling & ride issues, altho some just change out all the tires early on & most of those seem to have no further issues; while others continue in much the same way you have, expending quite a bit of money in the process, only to end up (finally... ) changing out ALL the tires to something (anything! ) other than Kendas - and for pretty much all of those, miraculously, the 'untraceable' shakes/vibrations disappear with the last of their Kendas! hyea:

Now I'm not saying this is a sure thing for you, but I really don't recall anyone else having this sort of 'untraceable' shake/vibration issue that's eventually been driven to changing out all the tires as a last resort because every other option has been exhausted who has continued to have said issues.... Generally, the result is something along the lines of 'Why didn't I just do this FIRST?!?'... :gaah:

And really, since you were going to swap out the Kendas eventually anyway, why not do it now on the chance that it WILL resolve those shakes?? At the very least you'll then KNOW that it's not the tires, and the list of potential causes will have been reduced by one item that's proven to be the cause of similar shakes in numerous instances.... :dontknow: But hopefully, like in so many of those other instances, it'll resolve your issues too?!? :thumbup:

Here's hoping! :cheers:

:agree: ........I see you have a 21 F-3 .... it's still under warranty ... If that rear Kenda is defective it Should re-placed under warranty ..... good luck .... Mike :thumbup:

 

[bayoumanPIBE]

Update: She rides really smooth now. But, she can be better. Thus far, it's like a washing machine that's back on balance, and now needs a wedge under a leg...was shaking that bad.

The fix: @Peter Aawen - The rear wheel was out of balance. The local dealership said there was 6.25oz of weight on it. They could not get it balanced with or without the weights. They flipped / 180'd the tire on the rim, balanced it twice getting the weight down to 2.75oz. They said anything over 3oz is not good (idk if it's true).

They could not test drive due to the snow, but I could and did...as well as yesterday all day in high winds. I still can't get over the fact of how much smoother she is... I test rode leaving the belt tensioner raised...rode smooth, but she had a bit of that emphasis grinding sound and vibrations under me. Then lowered the tensioner back on the belt...as expected, it eliminated the grinding sound / vibration.

So, almost to the point of where I should've started day 1. The dealer balanced it out, but there's still some shaking. So, I'm getting a new rear to replace the already factory new rubber like the fronts.

All I can find are these Kumho Ecsta AST 225/50R15. I rode on this for a while on my ST-S...tread wore faster than the Kendas though...so, looking for another brand. This size is hard to find.

I'm not gone, but just need to say ya'll are wonderful and much appreciated...going out of ya'lls way to read this long unnecessary legacy tale while being virtual mechanics respectfully suggesting possible tests and fixes. Thank you friends...look forward to future SpyderLovers comms and rydes with all I get the pleasure to meet.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

All I can find are these Kumho Ecsta AST 225/50R15. I rode on this for a while on my ST-S...tread wore faster than the Kendas though...so, looking for another brand. This size is hard to find.

That's right. The OEM size pretty much does not exist in any tire brand other than Kenda and Kumho. Don't get hung up on looking for an OEM size. There is NO benefit to sticking with it. Look for a 215/60R15. That size fits quite nicely, and will bring the speedo closer to actual speed. As you have undoubtedly read here the General Altimax and Vredestein Quatrac are quite popular. I'm running a Cooper CS5 Grand Touring. It's been working good. As far as changing sizes my local tire dealer says there is no issue going up or down one width size, and seldom any problem going two sizes up or down. But don't go three sizes. That's when you risk the tire to rim fit.

 

[Peteoz]

Hahaha…..I read the thread heading, and thought I’d get some belt tension tips……and it has turned into a tyre thread:roflblack:
Those tyre threads manage to pop up everywhere. :dontknow:

Pete

 

[bayoumanPIBE]

@Peteoz - sorry about the title...this thread did go around the world. I cannot find a way to edit it...if someone knows, please let me know.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

@Peteoz - sorry about the title...this thread did go around the world. I cannot find a way to edit it...if someone knows, please let me know.

The subject line did make sense in the beginning as that was the rabbit you thought you were chasing! Use the contact button at the bottom of the page to ask the admin to change the title.

 

[YIRYDE]

Some members have had success using these to help balance their tires, https://www.lamonstergarage.com/centramatic-wheel-balancers-full-set-lamonster-approved/

 

[Peter Aawen]

Hahaha…..I read the thread heading, and thought I’d get some belt tension tips……and it has turned into a tyre thread:roflblack:
Those tyre threads manage to pop up everywhere. :dontknow:

Pete

@Peteoz - sorry about the title...this thread did go around the world. I cannot find a way to edit it...if someone knows, please let me know.

Just added to the thread title... Does the amended title (see below) work for you now?? :dontknow:

Why does lowering the belt tension help shaking? Now on to Tires!

 

[bayoumanPIBE]

Got my rear tire mounted/balanced last week. Weather and life has prevented thorough test riding. There's not much of a difference...still shakes, but not near as bad as the almost entire 1st year of owning. The tread on the not-old former rear Kenda was worn pretty bad as well...fyi.

There's nothing more I 'personally' can do other than tweak the shocks, tire pressures and belt tension. If I can find anyone with a road force balancer within a reasonable distance who has the parts (cone, etc.) for balancing, I'll do that...

For now, I'm enjoying the ryde even though it's not what I paid for...just wanted to update all.

cya.

 

[bayoumanPIBE]

Just added to the thread title... Does the amended title (see below) work for you now?? :dontknow:

Why does lowering the belt tension help shaking? Now on to Tires!

Thanks for updating the header!

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Got my rear tire mounted/balanced last week. Weather and life has prevented thorough test riding. There's not much of a difference...still shakes, but not near as bad as the almost entire 1st year of owning. The tread on the not-old former rear Kenda was worn pretty bad as well...fyi.

There's nothing more I 'personally' can do other than tweak the shocks, tire pressures and belt tension. If I can find anyone with a road force balancer within a reasonable distance who has the parts (cone, etc.) for balancing, I'll do that...

For now, I'm enjoying the ryde even though it's not what I paid for...just wanted to update all.

cya.

You use the term " Shaking " .... to me this is way more serious than " vibes " ..... you have issues that can't :thumbup:be fixed from a computer keyboard .... I hope you can get it solved , .... good luck .... Mike

 

[GrampaEJ]

No it's not a Silly suggestion. Taking a GUESS about something and advising someone else to do it, is not something anyone should do ...JMHO ..... I have a spare BRP belt and it has an ARROW indicating the direction of travel. ( this advice is FACT not a Guess )..... Mike :thumbup:

Wasn't aware of the direction of travel ARROW. Is his installed properly?

****************************

Hey, PIBE, after revisiting this thread, I noticed your video of the 'noise'. If you still have some vibrations, after changing the rear tire, I would investigate the front rotors. It sounds like the brake rotor(s) may be warped. HTH