Is Can Am aware that some 2013 RT's have severe handling issues?

[jerpinoy]

I've experienced the same situations and learned so much from all these threads and thank you to all. The

best thing I did is, I took my time and rode her gently and carefully and now she trusted me more than ever

and I have the best ride ever:yes::yes:.

Most accident happened with in the first 500 miles travel of any vehicle especially 2, 3 wheels. Most reason

is familiarity. Ride safe:spyder2:lover and God Bless.

 

[fyrertuck]

First safety check your bike. Next check all the thread for new rides.

I have been riding for 30 years and when I pick my 2012 RTS up in May 2012 man-o-man it was the death ride from hell.

But I will tell you the folks here know there stuff. I first relaxed my grip, then up my front tires to 19 psi and the rear to 30 psi then the front shock to # 5.

The last thing they will tell you, you need a min- of 350 miles ride time before it will feel good to you. This is not a 2 wheeler and you can not ride it like one. I will tell you after 500 mile you will not go back to a 2 wheller.

I love my syder.:yes:

 

[CurrantRyder]

I'm not angry, I'm grateful

Typical for someone coming off 2 wheels. Same thing happened to me. Couldn't get over 45 mph without scaring the daylights out of myself. And I don't scare easily. I thought it was the worst purchase I'd ever made in my life (and I've made some bad ones!)

It's not the Spyder, it's you. I know that will probably make you mad saying it. It made me mad when my buddy who got his Spyder 6 weeks earlier than I did told me this. But it was 100% true. It's you.

You are causing all your own issues. I know it sounds impossible but rather than try to explain it. It's easier to tell you how to cure it.

First, relax, relax, relax. Every time you stiffen your forearms and grip the handlebars, you make it worse. The more you try to make the Spyder go straight, the worse it will get. The last thing your brain tells you to do is relax so it will take some willpower. But as you relax things will get better. It won't happen instantly because your brain is in 2 wheel mode and you're not in Kansas anymore. At first, even when you think you are relaxed, you will still be too stiff.

Give it a bit of time, don't force it. You will be cutting the pavement with the best of them soon. And you will realize like me and many others, it was you all the time.

The Spyder is the most stable, most controllable, most responsive and easiest vehicle in the world to ride. You just have to get your brain wrapped around the concept.

Good luck! Don't give up! Don't get angry. Relax! It will come! hyea:

I'm grateful for all the wonderful support this forum offers, from a bunch of involved & caring members. Got WAY too much money in this machine to get angry at anyone, I just want to learn and make sure there's nothing fundamentally wrong with the allignment, because I just don't know. The machine does not wander at low speeds, and will hold a line, it's just the wide open roads that challenge it, and that's exactly where I want to do a lot of riding. I was alarmed at one rider's report that some machines are being released with allignment issues so I will get that checked out, hopefully there will be an adjustment required. If not, then I just go and look at my face in the mirror and see if I can guess where the problem is. LOL

 

[ARtraveler]

The above posts cover the subject well. A similar post covered the same problem and the consenses was that it could not be BRP--but probably the driver. Now the subject seems to be flip-flopped.

There appears to be a couple issues going on here.

My usual reply to new riders was to avoid the "death grip" and learn to give as little input into the :spyder2: as possible. Most of us on SL have gone through this same process when experiencing the :ani29: for the first time. I drove two wheelers for over 40 years before getting on a :spyder2: and experienced the very same thing. I felt like I was not in "control". It took me a good 500 plus miles before I felt I was comfortable.

The second issue: perhaps some new :spyder2:'s did come from the factory that were not properly aligned. There appeared to be a lot of comments indicating this was a possibility. Another subject mentioned along these lines was possibility of out of round wheels, or bad tires. Another mentioned checking air pressure. All of the above could be a contributing factor to the situation.

IMO: Safety is paramount to the situation and caution is recommended. Try the exercises at low speed in a parking lot or some driving on roads where there is little to no traffic if possible. Work on your confidence and speed slowly. See the owners manual for specifics. If the problem still persists, a check of the :ani29: by the dealer is warranted.

Please keep us posted. Hopefully, if mechanical, this is just a "new model" glitch that they will get solved very quickly.

 

[currin20fan]

tire pressure

Also something as simple as too low tire pressure i.e.: 13 psi can cause alignment issues above 50 mph. I have mine set at 16.5lbs, others have more.

I have 20 psi in the front and 30 psi in the back.....elka shocks on the front....runs smooth as silk as far up as 85 mph. Never experienced the "wobble" at 50 mph and ray: that I never do.

 

[chris56]

hope your RT is technical OK ?!? - if I teach a biker (the other ones like my kids have no problem) how to ryde - I first tell him that he will NOT be able to make a straight line on the road, and I`m always right with that
second is I tell him that there are some one-arm Ryders (also here in Europe) so try to drive with one arm only ...
I needed thousend !! miles to follow my friends with their (BMW) bikes on our mountain-tours here in the alps & wouldn`t change back to 2-wheelers
greetings from AUSTRIA

 

[bruiser]

I'm going to throw another wrench in the fan blade. No one has mentioned that this could be a build issue from the dealer. If they didn't assemble the beast correctly or left something loose. I'm sure by now your head is spinning with all the responses. Get used to it. That my friend is Spyderlovers in action. By the way, not trying to sound funny but the faster I drive my 2012 RTS the smoother it runs.

 

[Bob Denman]

:agree: Good point! Dealer setup can make :thumbup: or break :shocked: the experience!

 

[NancysToy]

I'm going to throw another wrench in the fan blade. No one has mentioned that this could be a build issue from the dealer. If they didn't assemble the beast correctly or left something loose. I'm sure by now your head is spinning with all the responses. Get used to it. That my friend is Spyderlovers in action. By the way, not trying to sound funny but the faster I drive my 2012 RTS the smoother it runs.

The only thing they assemble for the suspension and steering is to bolt on the wheels, as far as I know.

 

[Bob Denman]

But they should also take it for a test ride to make sure that all is hunky-dory;right?

 

[BajaRon]

But they should also take it for a test ride to make sure that all is hunky-dory;right?

They should but some customers get upset when they see 10-15 miles on their 'Brand New' machine. Not sure if this is just a good excuse for the dealer to get out of a pre-delivery test or if it's just not worth the grief.

 

[NancysToy]

A test ride is no longer a part of the PDI protocol, to the best of my knowledge. It is quite impractical in the northern climates, and as Ron said, it aggravates some owners.

 

[Bob Denman]

I dunno; it just seems that a dealer that's serious about his business might at least ask a buyer if he would mind seeing a few miles on the odo in order to make sure that all is as it should be...
27 years ago; I worked as one of those guys who put together bikes for a Honda/Kawasaki dealership in a nearby Twon. (Trust me; they'd hire ANYBODY!) Nothing got out without some seat time being logged to make sure that the bike was gonna be a keeper.
But it WAS a long time ago... :shocked: In a galaxy far away... :roflblack:

 

[Tin Man]

I have over 3000 miles since August on my 2012 RT. Didn't like the handling at all until i changed the air pressure to 20lbs on the front 28lbs on the rear tire and setting 5 on the front shocks. What a huge difference this made in handling in corners. Riding on the highway is still a struggle with this bike with all the air turbulence. I have a relaxed grip and all the others suggestions I've heard but it just doesn't handle good on the highway. All over the road, but when I'm on back roads with no side air turbulence I can do 75 mph and hold a nice straight line. Should be better than this on the highway for a tour model. Thinking of ordering Ron's stabilizer bar next to see if that helps.

 

[bruiser]

Scotty, when I got my 2012 RTS last June the test ride by the dealer was still part of the PDI. They had to put minimum of twelve miles on it . Then hook it to BUDS afterwards. Of course that was 6 months ago.

 

[NancysToy]

Scotty, when I got my 2012 RTS last June the test ride by the dealer was still part of the PDI. They had to put minimum of twelve miles on it . Then hook it to BUDS afterwards. Of course that was 6 months ago.

They may have reinstated it. In 2010, after a number of problems with the new RTs, they issued a dealer notice that added the test ride. About six months later (when winter rolled around) they cancelled that requirement. I was not aware they had reinstated it. Perhaps your dealer just feels it is important, and decided to retain it. Sounds like a good place to do business.

 

[SilverSurfer]

Steering Position Sensor?

Not necessarily indemic to 2013s. There are some occasions with any Spyder that there may be a defect in the steering position sensor. Testing is a very specific procedure requiring BUDS. The defect can be due to the dealer build or before. It's true that moving from two to three wheels conveys a bit of shock ... lateral G's, vs. straight-down center of gravity and so on. If you can't reconcile what should only be a minor breaking-in/"get used to" period, I'd get your 2013 into the shop for a steering position sensor check. I'm even more suspect on the SPS in your case because the 2013s have undergone extensive improvements in front-end design that in previous models caused many of us to mod the shocks, install swaybars, etc.

You've got a great machine and I feel it warrants some qualified inspection.

Best,

~ Surfer

 

[NancysToy]

Not necessarily indemic to 2013s. There are some occasions with any Spyder that there may be a defect in the steering position sensor. Testing is a very specific procedure requiring BUDS. The defect can be due to the dealer build or before. It's true that moving from two to three wheels conveys a bit of shock ... lateral G's, vs. straight-down center of gravity and so on. If you can't reconcile what should only be a minor breaking-in/"get used to" period, I'd get your 2013 into the shop for a steering position sensor check. I'm even more suspect on the SPS in your case because the 2013s have undergone extensive improvements in front-end design that in previous models caused many of us to mod the shocks, install swaybars, etc.

You've got a great machine and I feel it warrants some qualified inspection.

Best,

~ Surfer

A steering sensor miscalibration can make a Spyder pull to one side, go into limp mode, suddenly "twitch" the bars at rest, or even cause sudden steering deviations under extreme conditions, but it will not make the Spyder wander (unless the rider fights it), or dart to both sides...only one. I expect the OP's problem lies elsewhere.

 

[Netminder]

I had 0 miles on my 2012 RT and I don't know wether it is the experience of riding my ATV, but I had none of the above issues with wobbles or alignment. I also have rode 2 wheelers most of my life. Maybe it is because I read alot hear before I bought, and also took a Spyder course before buying! I would defenitely have the dealer check it , it is a new machine and they should verify it is not mechanical (alignment) and once that is confirmed, you will feel more confident in adjusting your riding style.

 

[Ivorspyder]

I had only ridden 2 wheelers when I traded my Goldwing in on a 2012 RT.I was staying in Northern Michigan at the time and had just completed a 7000 mile trip on my Wing so my 1st ride was on twisty roads 2 lane roads.I never experienced any wobble but felt a very slight sway.My 2nd ride was with other motorcycles 200 miles of twisters.By the end of the day felt really good with the RT.
I paid attention to postings on this forum which were most helpful.I tightened my shocks to a 5 and air pressures of 28 in front and 30 in the back.
I now have done 6200 miles .Been on all sorts of roads and have had absolutely no problems.The RT rides great and I feel as comfortable with it as I did my Wing.I have extras on it like The Corbin seat and Seal Floorboards which makes the ryde really comfortable.I have ordered Baja Ron's swaybar which should improve what is already a good ride.
Hope you sort your problems out.

Ivor:spyder: