BRP . . . An Open Comment To You

[finless]

Question about that Michelin tire. Love Michelin's by the way! Longest lasting tire I ever had on my cars!

I hit 8000 2 weeks ago and my stock tire tread is now down to the water damn in the middle of the tire.
So I have some more miles to go but not much.

I am fully capable of removing the rear tire from the Spyder.
But where do you go to get the tire put on the rim?
Any car tire place or does it take a dealer with the proper equipment?

I could put the tire on the rim and maybe try the rope trick to get the bead to seat but would rather have it put on properly and balanced.

Also, do you take off the rear belt sprocket off the rim to balance the tire?

Thanks,
Bob

 

[Craniac]

Thread Hijack Alert

Hi Hayfield,

As you probably already know, we actively listen to comments and suggestions like this and take your feedback seriously - thank you for sharing it. I personally am a firm believer in choice, so you definitely are preaching to the choir.

Just wish BRP would listen to the heat problems on the 2013 ST. Boiling gas should NOT be considered "normal".

Reason for the hijack: I tried contacting BRP about my heat issue a couple times and never heard back.

 

[tigerdr]

BRP only « recommend » to have MC tires on the Spyder. It's not an obligation...

 

[ARtraveler]

Just wish BRP would listen to the heat problems on the 2013 ST. Boiling gas should NOT be considered "normal".

Reason for the hijack: I tried contacting BRP about my heat issue a couple times and never heard back.

E-mail Steve from BRPcare. He already answered in a post above. He is a good person to start a conversation with.

 

[ARtraveler]

Glad to see that BRP has replied to the OP post about tires.

I too, am very concerned. I do a lot of miles on :ani29: and having to put two or more sets of tires on in a season is a very large expense for me.

Previous experience (4 :ani29:'s) has averaged 20K miles on the fronts and 14K miles on the rear tires. I had to replace the fronts on our 2011 @ 12K miles because one tire had worn (right) on the inside, causing wear and shimmy. Dealer does not have, and will not purchase the laser method of alignment. Will see how the new fronts work with a mickey mouse alignment job.

Have 4000 on the new 2014 and am watching the tires very carefully. They look like they are wearing faster than I am used to.

If the tires decide to crap out before the end of the riding season, I am going to go to car tires. I have a dealer that in the past has said they will not install non BRP tires. Yazz got the other store to install hers, so that may be an option for me.

A $30K machine built for touring should NOT need new tires as early as some have indicated. Just my opinion. But, I have invested enough cash in the product since 2008 that I feel I can say my piece.

 

[Highwayman2013]

The tire is a Michelin Primacy 215/60/15. Cost was $140 and they mounted it. The local tire guy recommended this tire because it matched the speed rating of the stock tires on the bike. They were able to mount the tire because the rim is similar to an alloy car rim. I removed the sprocket and the rotor and it's mount. They could not fit it on the balance machine because I didn't remove the bearings. So I used balance beads.http://www.tirebalancingbeads.com/products/can-am-spyder-kit-for-bombardier.html
So far it has gone 2500 miles without a problem. The speedometer is very close to the gps now.

 

[Dan McNally]

Lots of good comments, but for the "just put a car tire on it" crowd, many of us don't have the ability to do that ourselves, which means we rely on a dealer . . .many dealers will only sell us OEM tires . . . leaving us with an OEM, or taking our Spyder to a third party . . . and how many mechanics out there, who have never worked on a Spyder, would you trust to lift your RT Limited, pull off the rear wheel to replace the tire . . . and do it correctly?

It would be a whole lot simpler if I could make an appointment at an authorized dealer, and buy a top of the line set of tires . . . then ride home knowing that all was done correctly, the belt was still properly adjusted, and the rear shock still held air, because someone who knew what he was doing did the work.

I'd like to see BRP negotiating with other manufacturers . . . or providing high-end/high mileage tire specs to the OEM manufacturer, so we'd have a choice.. . . because our Spyders are different than anything else out there, and not every wrench-turner has the knowledge to mess with them . . .

 

[finless]

The tire is a Michelin Primacy 215/60/15. Cost was $140 and they mounted it. The local tire guy recommended this tire because it matched the speed rating of the stock tires on the bike. They were able to mount the tire because the rim is similar to an alloy car rim. I removed the sprocket and the rotor and it's mount. They could not fit it on the balance machine because I didn't remove the bearings. So I used balance beads.http://www.tirebalancingbeads.com/products/can-am-spyder-kit-for-bombardier.html
So far it has gone 2500 miles without a problem. The speedometer is very close to the gps now.

Thanks for the response.

I will probably pull the bearings and have it balanced. Might as well just replace the bearings while the rim is out. This is probably what the dealer does when replacing the tire unless they have a special MC tire balancer or something?

Good info to know for my future tire which will probably be in another 4K miles.

THANKS!

Bob

 

[bscrive]

When I got the rear wheel done at the dealer they told me that they always remove the bearings and replace them to do the balace. Cheap insurance to not have a bearing go.

 

[Highwayman2013]

The bearings seemed ok. Next time I'll change them. I'm not much of a dealer guy, I like to do my own work.

 

[Highwayman2013]

Lots of good comments, but for the "just put a car tire on it" crowd, many of us don't have the ability to do that ourselves, which means we rely on a dealer . . .many dealers will only sell us OEM tires . . . leaving us with an OEM, or taking our Spyder to a third party . . . and how many mechanics out there, who have never worked on a Spyder, would you trust to lift your RT Limited, pull off the rear wheel to replace the tire . . . and do it correctly?

It would be a whole lot simpler if I could make an appointment at an authorized dealer, and buy a top of the line set of tires . . . then ride home knowing that all was done correctly, the belt was still properly adjusted, and the rear shock still held air, because someone who knew what he was doing did the work.

I'd like to see BRP negotiating with other manufacturers . . . or providing high-end/high mileage tire specs to the OEM manufacturer, so we'd have a choice.. . . because our Spyders are different than anything else out there, and not every wrench-turner has the knowledge to mess with them . . .

I get where you're coming from, I trust myself more than my local dealer. It would be nice to have a high mileage tire they could install. I think it comes down to the dealer not willing to install an aftermarket tire.

 

[PrairieSpyder]

I get where you're coming from, I trust myself more than my local dealer. It would be nice to have a high mileage tire they could install. I think it comes down to the dealer not willing to install an aftermarket tire.

Should we consider >7000 miles "high mileage?"

 

[Dan McNally]

Should we consider >7000 miles "high mileage?"

I sure don't . . . since the Spyder's characteristics are so different than those of a two wheel motorcycle, we should be getting a tire that lasts as long as a car tire does . . .

 

[Dan McNally]

Hi Hayfield,

As you probably already know, we actively listen to comments and suggestions like this and take your feedback seriously - thank you for sharing it. I personally am a firm believer in choice, so you definitely are preaching to the choir.

Thanks, Steve . . . carry the word to your bosses . . . I'd pay what a good tire costs, gladly . . . even if it cost more to buy a Spyder to begin with . . .

 

[MikeP]

Lots of good comments, but for the "just put a car tire on it" crowd, many of us don't have the ability to do that ourselves, which means we rely on a dealer . . .many dealers will only sell us OEM tires . . . leaving us with an OEM, or taking our Spyder to a third party . . . and how many mechanics out there, who have never worked on a Spyder, would you trust to lift your RT Limited, pull off the rear wheel to replace the tire . . . and do it correctly?

It would be a whole lot simpler if I could make an appointment at an authorized dealer, and buy a top of the line set of tires . . . then ride home knowing that all was done correctly, the belt was still properly adjusted, and the rear shock still held air, because someone who knew what he was doing did the work.

I'd like to see BRP negotiating with other manufacturers . . . or providing high-end/high mileage tire specs to the OEM manufacturer, so we'd have a choice.. . . because our Spyders are different than anything else out there, and not every wrench-turner has the knowledge to mess with them . . .

It's not rocket science taking three tires off of a spyder,, I took mine off and paid discount tire $10 a tire to mount new tires that I didn't even buy there and balanced them w Ride On tire sealer balancer... There maybe some things on the spyder I wouldn't tackle but not many... The bike that's my avatar / I built that... I'm sure things are gonna get better cause BRP is listening but I'm not waiting for them to fix something I can fix right now.. And as a point of reference there are MANY tires on motorcycles that don't last anywhere near what you guys gals are gettin with the oem tires... I replaced mine just for performance that I thought was lacking in my oem tires / it just so happens they will last a whole lot longer tooooo

 

[ThreeWheels]

Hi Hayfield,

As you probably already know, we actively listen to comments and suggestions like this and take your feedback seriously - thank you for sharing it. I personally am a firm believer in choice, so you definitely are preaching to the choir.

You might consider reading the voluminous posts about the windshield mechanism on the RT and how many people are having failures of the dogbone arm.

Sorry for the rant. Let's get back to talking about tires. I had two rear tires wear out, each with about 10,000 miles on them. Not a great deal of mileage for a touring machine.
I'm now running a Kumho on the rear. The OEM tires on the front seem to be wearing quite well, especially since I have the front alignment set properly.

 

[Derk]

I just returned from 14,000 mile trip to Alaska and back. I had to replace my Khumo rear tire after 12,000 miles, it was bald. Enumclaw Powersports in Washington put on OEM tire for the rest of the return trip to North Carolina. I usually only get about 10,000 on a Kenda. It sure would be nice to have a rear tire that would get at least 20,000 or more. Alaska was beautiful.

 

[ARtraveler]

Should we consider >7000 miles "high mileage?"

Not me! :yikes:

 

[ARtraveler]

Glad to see that BRP has replied to the OP post about tires.

I too, am very concerned. I do a lot of miles on :ani29: and having to put two or more sets of tires on in a season is a very large expense for me.

Previous experience (4 :ani29:'s) has averaged 20K miles on the fronts and 14K miles on the rear tires. I had to replace the fronts on our 2011 @ 12K miles because one tire had worn (right) on the inside, causing wear and shimmy. Dealer does not have, and will not purchase the laser method of alignment. Will see how the new fronts work with a mickey mouse alignment job.

Have 4000 on the new 2014 and am watching the tires very carefully. They look like they are wearing faster than I am used to.

If the tires decide to crap out before the end of the riding season, I am going to go to car tires. I have a dealer that in the past has said they will not install non BRP tires. Yazz got the other store to install hers, so that may be an option for me.

A $30K machine built for touring should NOT need new tires as early as some have indicated. Just my opinion. But, I have invested enough cash in the product since 2008 that I feel I can say my piece.

UPDATE: Yazz contacted me and I find that she was not able to get the tire installed here from either dealer. They would not install non-BRP tires.

If I indeed run into the same situation, I am thinking that is going to be the deal breaker with my long running relationship with the :spyder2:. And that is no April Fool. :yikes:

 

[Illinois Boy]

Motorcycle tires do not last long...

Most motorcyclists know they usually last anywhere from 6-8k before needing to be changed. Some put car tires on their motorcycle rear wheel; and a few braver souls also put one on the front. Not me though. I like the soft motorcycle tire for traction on two-wheels.

I am reading posts where people using CT's are claiming not to have any traction loss. That would be my first concern with CT's on the Spyder. A hard tire on a light vehicle like a Spyder might lose a portion of its traction -- especially in some environments, speeds, and attitudes.

I will continue to read on this and see how others are doing with CT's. However, it would be nice if a tire lasting a bit longer; without losing its traction, came with the Spyder.