after service and new tire nightmare

[DAKrut]

My wife's 2017 RT needed oil change and new rear tire.. (10,000 miles) When service was done I attempted to drive it home. 3 problems identified within 1 mile of leaving dealership in order of discovery 1. Parking brake alarm would not disengage 2. loud whining from rear tire at about 40 MPH.. 3. (and most shocking), when brakes applied, spyder dove violently down and left.. enough to take me way off line.
That led me immediately back to the repair shop to express my displeasure. They took it back in and told me they'd need to keep it for a couple of days. After several days they called to tell me it was done.
Wheel whine gone, parking brake alarm fixed and the violent brake dive/pull was minimized, but still noticeable to me.
NOW, after my wife took it on a trip, she is shocked at how poor the gas mileage is!!! She's put 9000 miles on the bike and is very familiar with it.
POOR GAS MILEAGE?? BIKE STILL PULLS LEFT?? I know this is a long post, but has ANYONE had a similar experience? I have a case in with CAN AM and will be seeing another repair shop on the 23rd of the month for a diagnostic, but trying to figure out what may have happened.. ESPECIALLY concerning about my wife's safety. Any help appreciated.

 

[PMK]

Where are you in Florida

 

[SportsterDoc]

All issues sound brake related.
1. Only rear tire removed?
2. ABS indicates normal?
3. Brake smell?
4. What was shop’s explanation for what they did or did not do?
5. Which brake rotor was the hottest?
6. Not owning a Spyder, what brake related damage can be done removing or reinstalling rear wheel?
7. No check engine light/trouble codes?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-NsxYsZx2HmdDBtVzJ5YXRnY1k/view

 

[BajaRon]

All issues sound brake related.
1. Only rear tire removed?
2. ABS indicates normal?
3. Brake smell?
4. What was shop’s explanation for what they did or did not do?
5. Which brake rotor was the hottest?
6. Not owning a Spyder, what brake related damage can be done removing or reinstalling rear wheel?
7. No check engine light/trouble codes?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-NsxYsZx2HmdDBtVzJ5YXRnY1k/view

I agree. A dragging brake could explain all of this. Easily diagnosed a few different ways.

You can ride a few miles at a reasonable speed without using the brakes. Then, pull to the side in a safe place, using abslutely as little brake pressure as possible. Ideally, no braking at all, though that is probably not possible. But you get the point. Then, with check brake rotor temps. Ad infrared gun is great. But you can also do it by moving the back of your hand near the rotor to feel for heat. If none detected you should be able to quickly touch the rotor. It takes a bit for heat sensation to reach your brain so you don't want to do more than a very quick contact and then wait. If you do not have a dragging brake, all 3 rotors should be the same almost ambient air temperature. If you have a hot one, you know where the problem is. I personally like this method. But I know how to do it without getting burned. But then I was in the fire service for 33 years! ;-)

Or, you can lift the Spyder and spin each tire. There should be little to no drag except for the rear wheel. But you should be able to tell the difference between drive line and brake pad drag.

You definitely have an issue which needs to be addressed.

Good luck!

 

[Peter Aawen]

:agree: it's most likely gonna be a brake issue, and at least the 'initial concerns' there have been fixed....

BUUUT, while what you have left still sounds like it's the brakes that're gonna be the most likely cause, you could (also?) have a rear wheel alignment &/or belt alignment issue?!? :dontknow:

I would sorta expect that any rear wheel mis-alignment would add the need for some steering correction most if not all of the time, but if that rear wheel & the belt are skewed enough, you'll almost certainly get noises & drag that will, amongst other things, increase your gas usage! :lecturef_smilie: And yes, I have seen Spyders return from a trip to a dealer that've come back the rear wheel skewed so much that the tire was rubbing on one side of the swing arm & squealing like buggry!! nojoke Not good for the steering &/or the tire, but bloody awful for the rear brake!! :sour: And talk about dive under brakes! :yikes: And yet it seems they always claim the tech didn't notice anything wrong when he took it for a test ride after putting the rear wheel back on! :banghead: Yeah, right!

I certainly hope the tech at the next dealer is a little better than the last one, but you're not ever going back to that dealer again, are you?!? Altho, once you get it all resolved to your satisfaction, I do hope you (politely) tell the Dealer Principal at the initial place exactly what it is the staff there are doing to their customers & the customer's machines! Cos it certainly doesn't sound like they're helping improve the business thru customer retention & increased repeat business!! ANYTHING they stuff up should be a priority fix, & certainly not take 'several days' to resolve, at least not without providing a loan machine for the duration!! :lecturef_smilie:

 

[trikermutha]

Man what did they do to your Spyder!

Sounds like front and rear brake issues.

Try taking it someplace else .

 

[BajaRon]

:agree: it's most likely gonna be a brake issue, and at least the 'initial concerns' there have been fixed....

BUUUT, while what you have left still sounds like it's the brakes that're gonna be the most likely cause, you could (also?) have a rear wheel alignment &/or belt alignment issue?!? :dontknow:

I would sorta expect that any rear wheel mis-alignment would add the need for some steering correction most if not all of the time, but if that rear wheel & the belt are skewed enough, you'll almost certainly get noises & drag that will, amongst other things, increase your gas usage! :lecturef_smilie: And yes, I have seen Spyders return from a trip to a dealer that've come back the rear wheel skewed so much that the tire was rubbing on one side of the swing arm & squealing like buggry!! nojoke Not good for the steering &/or the tire, but bloody awful for the rear brake!! :sour: And talk about dive under brakes! :yikes: And yet it seems they always claim the tech didn't notice anything wrong when he took it for a test ride after putting the rear wheel back on! :banghead: Yeah, right!

I certainly hope the tech at the next dealer is a little better than the last one, but you're not ever going back to that dealer again, are you?!? Altho, once you get it all resolved to your satisfaction, I do hope you (politely) tell the Dealer Principal at the initial place exactly what it is the staff there are doing to their customers & the customer's machines! Cos it certainly doesn't sound like they're helping improve the business thru customer retention & increased repeat business!! ANYTHING they stuff up should be a priority fix, & certainly not take 'several days' to resolve, at least not without providing a loan machine for the duration!! :lecturef_smilie:

If it is a rear wheel alignment issue. That's quickly determined by simply looking at where the belt is riding on the rear sprocket (forward rotation only). Supposed to be about a credit card width off the inner lip. If it's running there, then that eliminates this possibility.

 

[PMK]

Florida has many sub par Spyder service centers at the dealerships. There are also some that are very good.

If the OP returns here, again I ask, what part of Florida do you live.

 

[PMK]

If it is a rear wheel alignment issue. That's quickly determined by simply looking at where the belt is riding on the rear sprocket (forward rotation only). Supposed to be about a credit card width off the inner lip. If it's running there, then that eliminates this possibility.

Unless the axle is not tight. Loose rear axle would create the sudden pull to one side, possibly create the whining sound too.

 

[Mikey]

If it's dragging or being held back I wonder if they may have bunged up the bearings in the rear hub? But if it's still pulling I would think front end and it would be the hub in witch it is being pulled, right?