Highway speed handling

[BeachSpyder]

I am slowly getting through my small problems with the spyder. I am going to get the Corbin seat and foot pegs for comfort. I will get additional lighting for safety and will get a few electronics mods. I have increased my shock setting to 5 and my front tire air to 18. I still experience significant side to side sway over 50 miles an hour. Stability over 70 is definitely questionable and the aerodynamics seem dubious, coming from the company that brought us the G6. I am wondering if I am going to be comfortable on this bike. I have done 1k miles, hold the grips loosely, and try to let the bike steer itself, but the side to side sway does not stop. Can someone give me a cure? Is it just wheel balance? A problem with the axles? Or just a bad design?

2011 RT Limited

 

[fleegeds]

I suggest you look into the evo sway bar. :2thumbs: smooth it all out.
opcorn: keep us posted.

 

[Bob Denman]

Maybe a dealer needs to make sure that there's not an alignment issue at play here...

 

[LittleJohn]

Maybe a dealer needs to make sure that there's not an alignment issue at play here...

:agree:

 

[BikerDoc]

:agree: you may have an issue with your specific bike. I have ridden thousands of miles on highway at speeds between 70 and 90 mph and fine the handling excellent. I have even gone so far (as a test) as to ride a mile without touching the handlebars at 75mph...

 

[Yfactor]

Wish I could give you a answer but my experience with the 2010 RT PE 288 and the 2010 RS is that both are very stable at speed up to and over 70 mph. My son and I ride the RT and RS on I95, I 295 and I85 with no problems. The hardest time I've had was riding Rt 5 to Williamsburg and back with winds from 35 mph to gusts of 50 mph riding 2 up. Once I relaxed and loosened my grip and stopped fighting it the ride was quite pleasant with the exception of the bridges. These are not the most aerodynamic machines by any stretch of the imagination. I do have the front shocks set at 5 and adjust the rear from 3 up to 4 when riding 2 up.

 

[Yfactor]

:agree: With Bob and LittleJohn

 

[boborgera]

If you never been out on a bike or a Trike [Spyder] :dontknow: what you feel, Well i won't go as far as saying it's normal,
But it's the nature of two wheels in front being pushed by one in the rear especially on crowned roads.
Think of it as the tail wagging the dog, Relax and believe it or not you'll get used to it.:thumbup:

 

[Y Rider]

I have a RT Limited and it took me several hundred miles of riding but now highway riding is completely stress free. If you are at highway speeds on a flat smooth road with no cross winds and the steering still wanders then I would have someone check out the alignment as previously suggested. My shocks are set to 4 with 18 lbs of air in the front tires and it handles very well except for turns. I still get too much roll. I have Elka shocks on order and should hopefully have them next week. This should make the RT handle the turns much better.

 

[Yfactor]

:agree: The Elka's are my next purchase.

 

[Oklahoma Spyder]

handling

If its a 2011 assuming you wiegh 200 put the shocks at 4 and the tire pressure at 21. If you wiegh over 230 you might put the shocks at 5. If it is a 2010 get some better shocks. One option is to put 2011 shocks on it, the other is elka's. Make sure there is no toe out in the alighnment. and Ryde.

 

[Lamonster]

You didn't give your weight but if you have a 2011 with the front shocks set on five I and you're still all over the place I would say you got something else going on. I would love to ride your bike to see what it's doing. Mine is rock steady at any speed. nojoke

 

[Dragonrider]

I never had a highway sway issue, but trucks were noticeable - then I added the Works shocks. All gone. Note that I have found that tire pressure at 20/30 works best for me, if I have a lot of interstate miles to run, otherwise it's 18/28 - I am alone most of the time I ride...

 

[bikeguy]

On my 2010 RT I'm running 18PSI in the front tires and 32PSI in the rear after changing to a Kumho car tire the same size as the OEM rear tire. I recently changed the shocks to 2011 shocks and, after some trial and error testing, wound up setting them at position 4. The RT's manual rear air bag is about 40 - 45 PSI. We ride 2-up most of the time and, together we are a little over 300 pounds.

With this setup, the RT is very stable at highway speeds. Body roll was very noticeable when I first got it but became less so as I got used to it and the 2011 shocks reduced it even more. That said, the advice of others to have your dealer check the alignment is good advice if for no other reason than just knowing that is or isn't the problem.

Cotton

 

[ThreeWheels]

I agree with the other posters. Sounds like an alignment problem.

Evidently, BRP will be shipping alignment jigs to the dealers so they can do a proper job, instead of using stone knives and bearskins as tools.

I am slowly getting through my small problems with the spyder. I am going to get the Corbin seat and foot pegs for comfort. I will get additional lighting for safety and will get a few electronics mods. I have increased my shock setting to 5 and my front tire air to 18. I still experience significant side to side sway over 50 miles an hour. Stability over 70 is definitely questionable and the aerodynamics seem dubious, coming from the company that brought us the G6. I am wondering if I am going to be comfortable on this bike. I have done 1k miles, hold the grips loosely, and try to let the bike steer itself, but the side to side sway does not stop. Can someone give me a cure? Is it just wheel balance? A problem with the axles? Or just a bad design?

2011 RT Limited

 

[Marker]

I am slowly getting through my small problems with the spyder. I am going to get the Corbin seat and foot pegs for comfort. I will get additional lighting for safety and will get a few electronics mods. I have increased my shock setting to 5 and my front tire air to 18. I still experience significant side to side sway over 50 miles an hour. Stability over 70 is definitely questionable and the aerodynamics seem dubious, coming from the company that brought us the G6. I am wondering if I am going to be comfortable on this bike. I have done 1k miles, hold the grips loosely, and try to let the bike steer itself, but the side to side sway does not stop. Can someone give me a cure? Is it just wheel balance? A problem with the axles? Or just a bad design?

2011 RT Limited

I have just taken delivery of a new 2010 RTS SE5 the dealer that I bought from said that they have tested numerous RT :f_spider: with different tire pressures to see what works best. The dealer set my tire pressures to front tires 25# and rear tire to 30# since your shocks are a little stiffer for 2011 I cannot comment on the setting but my 2010 shocks are set at 3 and I do not ride hard as I am a new rider with usually a passenger.
I like the ride with this set up as the body roll is greatly reduced and stability at 65mph is very good but the ride is a little harsher than when air pressure is below 25#on front tires . This is just my opinion and what the dealer has done for me. I hope this helps.

 

[IWN2RYD]

Boy do a few of us know this feeling. You are getting outstanding help.

May I be a +1 on your grip. This was at least 80% of my personal issues when at HWY speeds.

The best way to explain it... Hold the Handlebars like a baby chick is in your hands. "Protectively" but solid.

Additionally. There has to be either some serious grooving in the road (We have this issue locally on the Concrete sections of I-5) or there is in fact (As suggested above) an alignment issue on your bike.

Not that I suggest this in ANY way... But now that we have our RT-S dialed in, I can go right by 18 wheelers with very little disturbance what so ever, and can use any one hand on almost any hwy to steer the Spyder with. It used to be that I need both hands and a little prayer to go along with it. ray:

:welcome: And good luck!!

 

[Mr. White]

I weigh 215 and ride solo. I have 25 in front and 30 in rear. I tried 16 and 18 in front and continued up to 25. I went from 26 to 30 in the rear. BR1 is steady but does follow rain groves some. I have my shocks on 4. This gives me a firm (harsher) ride, but I like a firm ride.

Start with 25 in front and ride a while. Let 2 or 3 pounds out and ride more, reduce your pressure more until you feel you have it...do the same with the rear tire. Put your shocks on 4 (firm) or per perhaps 5 (firmer) and see how it goes. It took me a month and 1,300 miles to get my scoot close to what I like. There are many combinations you can try, air pressures, shock settings, rear settings, etc.

On windy days, I get blown around quite a bit, but I know what it is and am used to it. My Motor Trike moves around with the wind too.

Hang it, you will get it the way you want it.

I must now prepare to leave soon for Wednesday bike night in San Antonio. I will be taking IH10 into town....running 75+ to keep from getting run over.

Let's see if I have all of my riding gear and equipment...Mesh jacket, gloves, FF helmet, boots, cell phone, brass knucks, pistol, extra clips, two quarts of Everclear, one case of Budweiser, first aid kit....yes, it seems I am ready to go. Later, my friends. :clap:

:spyder2:

 

[BeachSpyder]

I will go tomorrow to the dealer and see

I will see if he can check allignment and balance. Otherwise, it is on me. Thanks for all your responses, and please keep them coming if something has been missed. And Big Red, I always love your responses. I thought of the extra clips before I read your full response!

 

[StriperKing]

I have this same issue on My Rt-S. I have the Elkas, have put 3700 miles on my RT, have rode and raced ATV`s for years and rode bikes for years also. I can ride with the slightest of grip and still get the wondering. I do feel as if the alignment is off but my dealer has always told me they have no machine to align it with and would have to do it by the seat of the pants and they have not sold very many Spyders so I do not feel warm and fuzzy with that. Does any one know what the toe should be on the RT-S. I used to set my Kawasaki KFX 700 ATV at a lotal of 1/8" smaller C/C on the front of the front tire compared to C/C at the rear of the front tire and it was smooth as silk at 70 MPH.

I bought it used with 3400 miles on it so I do not know all the history but going down the highway when I first bought it the handle bars were not straight. My left hand was farther forward than the right. I loosened both outer tierod ends with them removed from the spindle. I turned the left one out one full turn further and the right one in one full turn shorter and reinstalled the tierod ends and the bar was straight. Still the same wondering but at least my handle bars were straight. Has always seemed odd that I had to do this to get the handle bars straight. That is why I think my alignment is also off. Good question for Scotty!