RT Vibration continues

[saint999]

OK more excuses and no knowledge of the problem

I have had motorcycles for the last 32 years from Indian, Harley to the most recent trade in a Gold Wing. This is not a VTwin vibration issue or a novice issue. Maybe I should say any ex Harley riders wouldn't notice cause of the vibrations they lived with all their life....Its condescending. This is a drive belt issue that has been known about for almost 4 years. Do a search on this forum to see how many ppl have had this issue. Vendors are making and manufacturing a Tensioner for the RT because of this issue(at $280 a pop). Its unacceptable for a bike that cost this much to be like this and the manufacture ignore it. I did take it to the dealer today about this issue and tension was fine based on static test. But there is a slippage at the 5100-550 RPM range that LOTS of RT riders are experiencing and BRP does nothing.

All you have to do is read the article on this site.
http://www.smoothspyder.com/

So what do we do as a group about these issues? MOD our bikes so warranties are void or what?
Frustrated...

 

[Jeriatric]

I have had motorcycles for the last 32 years from Indian, Harley to the most recent trade in a Gold Wing. This is not a VTwin vibration issue or a novice issue. Maybe I should say any ex Harley riders wouldn't notice cause of the vibrations they lived with all their life....Its condescending. This is a drive belt issue that has been known about for almost 4 years. Do a search on this forum to see how many ppl have had this issue. Vendors are making and manufacturing a Tensioner for the RT because of this issue(at $280 a pop). Its unacceptable for a bike that cost this much to be like this and the manufacture ignore it. I did take it to the dealer today about this issue and tension was fine based on static test. But there is a slippage at the 5100-550 RPM range that LOTS of RT riders are experiencing and BRP does nothing.

All you have to do is read the article on this site.
http://www.smoothspyder.com/

So what do we do as a group about these issues? MOD our bikes so warranties are void or what?
Frustrated...

Understand your frustration and warranty concerns. While there is an outside chance the Smoothspyder could in some way come into question as it relates to a warranty issue, it's remote in my opinion. That said, in general I will not add to or alter my Spyder in any way that may put me on defense warranty wise.

The smoothspyder works, however it is not an end all to belt vibration in many cases. But, it is far better to have than not for those who are experiencing vibrations that can not be rectified by proper procedures performed by a reputable dealer.

It was a risk worth taking warranty wise in my opinion, and for sure I did the drive train of my Spyder a favor by installing it.

As far as getting people together on any issue. You'll have better luck herding cats.

Welcome aboard and hope this at least gives you something to bounce your thoughts off of.

Jer

 

[Firefly]

I have had motorcycles for the last 32 years from Indian, Harley to the most recent trade in a Gold Wing. This is not a VTwin vibration issue or a novice issue. Maybe I should say any ex Harley riders wouldn't notice cause of the vibrations they lived with all their life....Its condescending. This is a drive belt issue that has been known about for almost 4 years. Do a search on this forum to see how many ppl have had this issue. Vendors are making and manufacturing a Tensioner for the RT because of this issue(at $280 a pop). Its unacceptable for a bike that cost this much to be like this and the manufacture ignore it. I did take it to the dealer today about this issue and tension was fine based on static test. But there is a slippage at the 5100-550 RPM range that LOTS of RT riders are experiencing and BRP does nothing.

All you have to do is read the article on this site.
http://www.smoothspyder.com/

So what do we do as a group about these issues? MOD our bikes so warranties are void or what?
Frustrated...

Can you explain what you mean by slippage? SM5 or SE5 ???
Certainly you can't mean the belt is slipping.....

I'd really like to ride one of these with the 'vibration' problems to see what people are talking about. My GS had some vibrations..but nothing that ever felt like 'shaking the bike apart'. I added the belt tensioner and liked it... smoothed things out. On my new RT it's so smooth I don't feel the need for the tensioner.

If a $280 aftermarket part will fix your issue... I'd install one right away. If mine ends up with this vibration problem I'll gladly spend the $280 to fix it......

 

[dmdahnert]

I've got a 2010 RT A&C SE5 and am still trying to understand this vibration issue being discussed. The bike is a smoorth ride through all speeds and RPM range as far as I'm concerned. I may notice an extremely small amount of vibration in that 5100 - 5400 rpm range but cannot say that it is even noticeable all the time. I know the RT does not vibrate anywhere near my previous rides (all Yamaha and V-Star) so I see that as a bonus in itself. As pointed out by others on the thread, having a good dealer setup in the beginning and a trained, knowledgeable tech seems to keep most of the problems at bay that I have read about on the forum.

Diana

 

[TimmieTheGeek]

I have a barely perceptible vibration that occurs at several RPM ranges regardless of the gear I am in. Compared to a Harley this is nothing (vibration wise) and really not a concern to me. I'm interested in following this thread though because so many people do have serious issues with this. I am very pleased with my dealer. The Spyder tech is great and very picky. When I got my RT-S back from the initial service I noticed the steering was tighter and the engine seemed to run smoother. On the paperwork they indicated they upgraded some software so maybe that changed the engine. But so far I have not worried about the slight vibration other than to wonder where it was coming from. I sure hope BRP gets this figured out and fixed for the people who do have serious problems with this.

 

[saint999]

Slippage is the best way

Can you explain what you mean by slippage? SM5 or SE5 ???
Certainly you can't mean the belt is slipping.....

I'd really like to ride one of these with the 'vibration' problems to see what people are talking about. My GS had some vibrations..but nothing that ever felt like 'shaking the bike apart'. I added the belt tensioner and liked it... smoothed things out. On my new RT it's so smooth I don't feel the need for the tensioner.

If a $280 aftermarket part will fix your issue... I'd install one right away. If mine ends up with this vibration problem I'll gladly spend the $280 to fix it......

Sliplage is the best way I can describe it because the tension doesn't remain consistent through out the RPM Range. Don't get me wrong I love riding the spyder for the ride it gives, I just feel based on my experiences with other bikes touring or not they could do a better job in manufacturing. I think all of them have the issue and my dealer and BRP pretty much backed that up, I just think it bothers some more then others. If you keep your RPMs high you don't feel it as much but let it lug at all on the highway I feel it in the range I stated earlier. Then there is the whole fuel issues with this bike. Just poor QC in my opinion and will probably drop a lot of money into fixing QC issues from the heat, front suspension, fuel etc..you shouldn't HAVE to do these mods on a brand new 28K bike.

 

[Guzzi]

Sliplage is the best way I can describe it because the tension doesn't remain consistent through out the RPM Range. Don't get me wrong I love riding the spyder for the ride it gives, I just feel based on my experiences with other bikes touring or not they could do a better job in manufacturing. I think all of them have the issue and my dealer and BRP pretty much backed that up, I just think it bothers some more then others. If you keep your RPMs high you don't feel it as much but let it lug at all on the highway I feel it in the range I stated earlier. Then there is the whole fuel issues with this bike. Just poor QC in my opinion and will probably drop a lot of money into fixing QC issues from the heat, front suspension, fuel etc..you shouldn't HAVE to do these mods on a brand new 28K bike.

DITTO!! Exactly my thoughts, and the same gripe. BRP or any manufacturer should NOT put a product out for sale that is not fully production ready, or they should recall and fix the problem. The intermittant hard vibes from the belt drive is a real PITA, and takes the shine off of the product. Until BRP chooses to re-engineer the drive line, I will just have to live with it. 3600 miles since June 8th; 3 belt tension adjustments, 3 dealer services, and no improvement. Local dealer has bent over backwards to help with the situation and agrees with me, but BRP says it's normal?!!# I challenge BRP's senior Spyder engineer to get on a new factory RT, leave Quebec and run down to Florida on Interstate 95 at the normal 70-80 mph; look me in the face and tell me this is "NORMAL". Short jaunts, you might be fine, but for extended travel, at speeds of 70-80 (5000-6000 rpm in 5th) it will drive you crazy as it comes and goes. After 50 years of riding, no single cycle, sidecar setup, etc, has had this effect on me. BRP HELP! :banghead:

 

[phj]

I have had motorcycles for the last 32 years from Indian, Harley to the most recent trade in a Gold Wing. This is not a VTwin vibration issue or a novice issue. Maybe I should say any ex Harley riders wouldn't notice cause of the vibrations they lived with all their life....Its condescending. This is a drive belt issue that has been known about for almost 4 years. Do a search on this forum to see how many ppl have had this issue. Vendors are making and manufacturing a Tensioner for the RT because of this issue(at $280 a pop). Its unacceptable for a bike that cost this much to be like this and the manufacture ignore it. I did take it to the dealer today about this issue and tension was fine based on static test. But there is a slippage at the 5100-550 RPM range that LOTS of RT riders are experiencing and BRP does nothing.

All you have to do is read the article on this site.
http://www.smoothspyder.com/

So what do we do as a group about these issues? MOD our bikes so warranties are void or what?
Frustrated...

I stop by another dealer today for a second opinion today, service manager was very friendly and showed me a lot of his correspondence regarding vibration from BRP as well. They too have had some 2012 bikes with the vibration concerns and have thus far been able to move the occurrence to a different rpm/speed but been unable to eliminate it. They also showed me a video that BRP makes available to only their dealers. This video shows the bike accelerating from a slow speed up through 70mph and all I can say is wow does this belt vibrate and it changes from almost being smooth at some speeds to vibrating so bad at times you can hardly see the belt, it is just a blur! The amazing part is BRP tells the dealer this normal....??

This dealer has seen the vibration at lower rpms all the way to very high speeds, they feel it just might be in the belt and how it's made and since maybe not all belts being the same, some bikes vibrate more than others. So, now to give it some thought about replacing the belt .

If you get the chance have your dealer show you this video!!!

 

[A1A]

I stop by another dealer today for a second opinion today, service manager was very friendly and showed me a lot of his correspondence regarding vibration from BRP as well. They too have had some 2012 bikes with the vibration concerns and have thus far been able to move the occurrence to a different rpm/speed but been unable to eliminate it. They also showed me a video that BRP makes available to only their dealers. This video shows the bike accelerating from a slow speed up through 70mph and all I can say is wow does this belt vibrate and it changes from almost being smooth at some speeds to vibrating so bad at times you can hardly see the belt, it is just a blur! The amazing part is BRP tells the dealer this normal....??

This dealer has seen the vibration at lower rpms all the way to very high speeds, they feel it just might be in the belt and how it's made and since maybe not all belts being the same, some bikes vibrate more than others. So, now to give it some thought about replacing the belt .

If you get the chance have your dealer show you this video!!!

Yep, I also saw the video at my Dealer.

 

[Firefly]

Sliplage is the best way I can describe it because the tension doesn't remain consistent through out the RPM Range. Don't get me wrong I love riding the spyder for the ride it gives, I just feel based on my experiences with other bikes touring or not they could do a better job in manufacturing. I think all of them have the issue and my dealer and BRP pretty much backed that up, I just think it bothers some more then others. If you keep your RPMs high you don't feel it as much but let it lug at all on the highway I feel it in the range I stated earlier. Then there is the whole fuel issues with this bike. Just poor QC in my opinion and will probably drop a lot of money into fixing QC issues from the heat, front suspension, fuel etc..you shouldn't HAVE to do these mods on a brand new 28K bike.

What fuel issues??

After the 2010 models, BRP redesigned the front suspension to make it better. I put 300 miles on a totally stock RT in Cuba and in handled great... but since I had Elka's on before and liked them... I did them again on my RT.

The 'heat issues' only occur when people are placing their feet where they don't belong. If you want to modify the Spyder to allow forward 'highway' foot positions, you'll need to modify it to vent the heat somewhere besides your right foot.

 

[Firefly]

DITTO!! Exactly my thoughts, and the same gripe. BRP or any manufacturer should NOT put a product out for sale that is not fully production ready, or they should recall and fix the problem. The intermittant hard vibes from the belt drive is a real PITA, and takes the shine off of the product. Until BRP chooses to re-engineer the drive line, I will just have to live with it. 3600 miles since June 8th; 3 belt tension adjustments, 3 dealer services, and no improvement. Local dealer has bent over backwards to help with the situation and agrees with me, but BRP says it's normal?!!# I challenge BRP's senior Spyder engineer to get on a new factory RT, leave Quebec and run down to Florida on Interstate 95 at the normal 70-80 mph; look me in the face and tell me this is "NORMAL". Short jaunts, you might be fine, but for extended travel, at speeds of 70-80 (5000-6000 rpm in 5th) it will drive you crazy as it comes and goes. After 50 years of riding, no single cycle, sidecar setup, etc, has had this effect on me. BRP HELP! :banghead:

I did 800 miles straight on my new RT-- all highway and had no such vibrations.

I now have 3,000 miles on it during the last month and have only noticed it is far smoother than my GS ever was... so for me it's a dream to ride.

Sorry you're having such problems.

While this might not be your issue, I think some are just frankly lugging the engine because they're in the wrong gear.

I really want to meet up with someone with this problem and take one for a spin......

 

[A1A]

I have had motorcycles for the last 32 years from Indian, Harley to the most recent trade in a Gold Wing. This is not a VTwin vibration issue or a novice issue. Maybe I should say any ex Harley riders wouldn't notice cause of the vibrations they lived with all their life....Its condescending. This is a drive belt issue that has been known about for almost 4 years. Do a search on this forum to see how many ppl have had this issue. Vendors are making and manufacturing a Tensioner for the RT because of this issue(at $280 a pop). Its unacceptable for a bike that cost this much to be like this and the manufacture ignore it. I did take it to the dealer today about this issue and tension was fine based on static test. But there is a slippage at the 5100-550 RPM range that LOTS of RT riders are experiencing and BRP does nothing.

All you have to do is read the article on this site.
http://www.smoothspyder.com/

So what do we do as a group about these issues? MOD our bikes so warranties are void or what?
Frustrated...

I feel your frustration my friend, catch 22 to say the least. I could almost tolerate a 400 rpm range of the drive belt flapping around. But for me its 900 to 1,000 rpm range of continuous drive belt flapping under acelleration and at a cruise. I have to put up with this in 3rd, 4th, & 5th gears at 5300 through 6200 rpm.
Like you I like the Spyder RT, but if we don't get any resolution on the drive belt problem. I'm afraid I'll be sorry indeed the day I bought it.
Come on BRP step up to the plate and get this fixed.
A very concerned Spyder RT owner.

 

[Jeriatric]

What fuel issues??

After the 2010 models, BRP redesigned the front suspension to make it better. I put 300 miles on a totally stock RT in Cuba and in handled great... but since I had Elka's on before and liked them... I did them again on my RT.

The 'heat issues' only occur when people are placing their feet where they don't belong. If you want to modify the Spyder to allow forward 'highway' foot positions, you'll need to modify it to vent the heat somewhere besides your right foot.

Not true.

 

[phj]

Not true.

X2

 

[Jeriatric]

I did 800 miles straight on my new RT-- all highway and had no such vibrations.

I now have 3,000 miles on it during the last month and have only noticed it is far smoother than my GS ever was... so for me it's a dream to ride.

Sorry you're having such problems.

While this might not be your issue, I think some are just frankly lugging the engine because they're in the wrong gear.

I really want to meet up with someone with this problem and take one for a spin......

My first ride was 1600 miles in two days and that included stoping midway to get a hitch, harness and trailer install - all freeway - at speeds from 70 to 90 MPH and the belt vibrated like crazy, trust me, my Spyder doesn't know what it is to be lugged.

While some may or may not be operating their Spyders properly thus causing the problem.

Some of us do know what we are doing, and the vibration is real - not due to operator error.

Thankfully for my Spyder......CaptJims work around took care of a problem BRP calls NORMAL.

 

[Firefly]

Not true.

Really? Where's the other heat problem happening on RT's then? I'm unfamiliar with heat issues other than the 'forward peg' one.. which can be fixed with the block-off plate from Harvey.

Other than the 'forward peg' area, I've found the RT to be cooler on the feet and legs than my GS was.

 

[Jeriatric]

Really? Where's the other heat problem happening on RT's then? I'm unfamiliar with heat issues other than the 'forward peg' one.. which can be fixed with the block-off plate from Harvey.

Other than the 'forward peg' area, I've found the RT to be cooler on the feet and legs than my GS was.

Previous answers to similar question.

Posted by Jerbear

The upper block off plate is intended for those who use highway pegs. If you don't use highway pegs or place your feet out on the water deflectors you're barking up a tree that doesn't have a possum in it. So to speak

Also, it's worth your time to take a look at what part of the country, and the average temperatures there, when someone says something works for them. We are not all equal when it comes to how hot it is where we do the bulk of our riding. JMO & lesson learned.
...........................

Originally Posted by flybuddy
Same experience. If you just use the lower block off plate and do not use highway pegs, you will eliminate the right hot foot issue.

Poste by Jerbear

Somtimes.

I'm 6' 4" with a 36 inch inseam and my right knee gets hot already from the upper vent. If I were to block off the lower vent I would only move the problem to a new area(more heat on my knee). Much like those who block things off and end up with hot air coming up between the saddle and the glove box.

You said it best when you said (pretty sure it was you?) "it's like chasing a moving target."

One thing I've learned here is there are a lot of variables to consider when it comes to why something works for one and not for the other.
...............................

Then there is this post which is chocked full of opinions and data.

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?41690-Hot-Air-Solution-for
​

 

[Firefly]

Previous answers to similar question.

Posted by Jerbear

The upper block off plate is intended for those who use highway pegs. If you don't use highway pegs or place your feet out on the water deflectors you're barking up a tree that doesn't have a possum in it. So to speak

Also, it's worth your time to take a look at what part of the country, and the average temperatures there, when someone says something works for them. We are not all equal when it comes to how hot it is where we do the bulk of our riding. JMO & lesson learned.
...........................

Originally Posted by flybuddy
Same experience. If you just use the lower block off plate and do not use highway pegs, you will eliminate the right hot foot issue.

Poste by Jerbear

Somtimes.

I'm 6' 4" with a 36 inch inseam and my right knee gets hot already from the upper vent. If I were to block off the lower vent I would only move the problem to a new area(more heat on my knee). Much like those who block things off and end up with hot air coming up between the saddle and the glove box.

You said it best when you said (pretty sure it was you?) "it's like chasing a moving target."

One thing I've learned here is there are a lot of variables to consider when it comes to why something works for one and not for the other.
...............................

Then there is this post which is chocked full of opinions and data.

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?41690-Hot-Air-Solution-for
​

Interesting. Seems to be hit or miss like the vibrations.

I don't wear boots... just regular old shoes. On the way back from durango I rode in 110 degree heat and did have quite a bit of hot foot on my GS. After trashing my GS and continuing the rest of the trip on my RT, I noticed the heat was basically gone on the RT... when using the stock pegs. When moving to the highway peg position it was HOT!

Since I've been home, I added: Upper block-off plate, removed splash pans, installed cat converter shield. I did have a passenger mention a lot of heat on their right foot.... which is now gone after the cat shield was installed.

 

[saint999]

What fuel issues??

After the 2010 models, BRP redesigned the front suspension to make it better. I put 300 miles on a totally stock RT in Cuba and in handled great... but since I had Elka's on before and liked them... I did them again on my RT.

The 'heat issues' only occur when people are placing their feet where they don't belong. If you want to modify the Spyder to allow forward 'highway' foot positions, you'll need to modify it to vent the heat somewhere besides your right foot.

Not True again on the heat issue. No mods on my bike at all yet. Just 95+ weather in traffice. As for fuel, BRP responds to smell so bad I have to leave my garage doors open for 3 hours after riding that I just shouldn't fill the tank up. There are still solenoid and carbon canister issues with the fuel design.

 

[Ga Blue Knight]

Really? Where's the other heat problem happening on RT's then? I'm unfamiliar with heat issues other than the 'forward peg' one.. which can be fixed with the block-off plate from Harvey.

Other than the 'forward peg' area, I've found the RT to be cooler on the feet and legs than my GS was.

I agree x2