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

[CurrantRyder]

I just took delivery of a 2013 RT Limited and was horrified at how dangerous its road handling is. Anything above 50 mph goes beyond scarey and after making an extended trip home, following delivery, I consider myself lucky to be alive.

Trucks passing, undulating pavement, mild cross winds, cause the machine to enter into a high speed wobble that is almost impossible to correct with steering inputs. I've been riding for more than 50 years and this is the worst experience on a road bike I've ever had. Trying to hold a steady line, without wandering side to side, is only possible for short distances. The mental attention it takes to hold the machine in your lane, on the interstate, is beyond description.

I hope Can Am is aware of this and corrects quickly before someone gets hurt, ...or worse.

 

[crazyspyder]

riding a spyder

just have to ask, how long you been riding a spyder? because after riding 40years on a 2 wheel harley, my first 3 weeks on a never-ever
riddden a spyder, :yikes:I was scared stiff and wondered from side to side puckering my cheeks in hope I make my ride safely. NOW..8months down the road i am so confident and riding straight-lined that I can steer with one hand and itch my cheeks at the same time.:clap:
cheers!

 

[CurrantRyder]

just have to ask, how long you been riding a spyder? because after riding 40years on a 2 wheel harley, my first 3 weeks on a never-ever
riddden a spyder, :yikes:I was scared stiff and wondered from side to side puckering my cheeks in hope I make my ride safely. NOW..8months down the road i am so confident and riding straight-lined that I can steer with one hand and itch my cheeks at the same time.:clap:
cheers!

I was thinking the same thing, since I'm new to riding three wheelers. It's the violence of the handling which brings me back to thinking it's a fault in the allignment or electronic power steering. It dosen't just wander, it can change lanes. The trucks passing me by (while I'm doing 65 mph) literally suck me across the lines of my lane. Mild cross winds will do it too, as will less than perfect roadway. It doesn't self correct if you relax on the steering, so how do you get it out of a high speed wobble? Just a question, thanks for any input you can give me.

 

[Ken Thomas]

Send pictures !! :bowdown::bowdown:...........:clap::clap:..:roflblack::roflblack:

 

[Arr MiHardies]

I was thinking the same thing, since I'm new to riding three wheelers. It's the violence of the handling which brings me back to thinking it's a fault in the allignment or electronic power steering. It dosen't just wander, it can change lanes. The trucks passing me by (while I'm doing 65 mph) literally suck me across the lines of my lane. Mild cross winds will do it too, as will less than perfect roadway. It doesn't self correct if you relax on the steering, so how do you get it out of a high speed wobble? Just a question, thanks for any input you can give me.

There is a new spyder ryder thread around here somewhere. maybe someone will link it.
This is a big complaint from new riders. Most often it is due to the rider having a death grip on the handlebars. Relax on the grip. It will help a lot. If that doesn't do enough, try stiffening up your front shocks, and that can help a lot as well. But give the relaxed grip a try first.

 

[gwritesel]

relaxed grip because if the wind is blowing your upper body around it will translate to the handle bars and you'll be all over the place
Geo.

 

[TicketBait]

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.

 

[Arr MiHardies]

Looking around the site a bit today, it also appears that some 2013s were sent out with the wheels out of alignment, and BRP is working on something to fix this issue. This could be what you are experiencing as well.

 

[Can-Am Poogs]

Easily Corrected

I have experienced the same thing, but found it was the cause of it. I wasn't used to driving 1000 pounds on 3 wheels. I found changing a few things helped me out. First and foremost, relax!. If you try to hard to control the rts by making too many little corrections by squeezing the heck out of the controls, then you are all over the place. If you have bad posture in the saddle, this doesn't help. Slouching from fatigue seems to take away from control. The rts requires the rider to be more upright and knees at 90. If you are used to riding a 2 wheel motorcycle, then forget everything you know about steering. If you feel like you being pushed off the rts one way, then shift your weight forward in the opposite direction. Very important if you want to make a tight curve at any significant speed. Brake before the curb, accelerate after the apex. And the easiest thing to do, adjust the windshield to the best height. Depending on wind and heavy trucks, if the windshields is too high,you will get turbulence. I prefer the windshield to be as low as possible for day to day travel. Only time I have it all the way up is rain and at night to keep bugs off me. Good luck!

 

[BajaRon]

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:

 

[Kungfuspyder]

Alignment issues

Your description matches what my 2012 RT did and the owner of Hattiesburg Cycles ST did. I recently had my RT realigned because of unusual tire wear on my front wheels. Toe in was determined to be the problem on mine. His was toe in also, only had 300 miles on it. He had a 2012 RT before that and never had a problem with it and knew something was wrong with the ST after I gave him the description of what mine was doing which lead to extreme tire wear. Not being a previous spyder owner I thought this was normal for my RT to dart back and forth suddenly, I tried to relax but that made things worse and put me into a dangerous situation that I needed to stop and change my shorts. The owner at Hattiesburg Cycles has taken another step to assure the customers don't have a problem with their new 2013 spyders that every spyder has the alignment checked and "if out of alignment" it is realigned by the book and hooked up to the buds. He had several of the new spyders checked already and the findings were disturbing. BRP needs to check quality control before shipping out the door.

 

[ThreeWheels]

Your experience sounds just like mine.

In my case it WAS the Spyder. A bad alignment caused all the handling issues.

Sounds as if the first batch of 2013's is now subject to the same problems the first batch of 2010's had.

Maybe BRP needs to be more vigilant when they switch the production lines back to Spyders.

 

[MouthPiece]

In my case it WAS the Spyder. A bad alignment caused all the handling issues.

Sounds as if the first batch of 2013's is now subject to the same problems the first batch of 2010's had.

Maybe BRP needs to be more vigilant when they switch the production lines back to Spyders.

This is the first time that I've heard of the 2010 RT's having an allignment problem or at least "the first batch of them". My PE# was 0004 and I didn't have any allignment problems, nor do I recall a rash of complaints from others on this forum. I do recall DPS issues which was ultimately corrected by BRP.

As to the 2013's and allignment, I can only speak to mine. I received my 2013 RT-S on December 28th (I think) and I have not experienced any allignment issues. Perhaps I'm the only one. Now I have seen comments made about the ST on this forum and how some dealers were correcting those with reallignments. Also I'm not suggesting that anyone has not had an allignment issue.

The ride is certainly a different ride than the 2010 - 2012's. I, for one, like it better. JMO.

Chris

 

[Bob Denman]

Those first couple of miles sure can be eye-openers! :shocked: I was pretty sure that I had just made the biggest mistake of my life... Then I remembered that BRP knows how to build stuff that knows how to go down the road straight. I relaxed, lightened up my "white-knuckle death grip" on the bars, and things got better.
But I'd still be aware of possible alignment or tire pressure issues...

 

[MouthPiece]

This is the first time that I've heard of the 2010 RT's having an allignment problem or at least "the first batch of them". My PE# was 0004 and I didn't have any allignment problems, nor do I recall a rash of complaints from others on this forum. I do recall DPS issues which was ultimately corrected by BRP.

As to the 2013's and allignment, I can only speak to mine. I received my 2013 RT-S on December 28th (I think) and I have not experienced any allignment issues. Perhaps I'm the only one. Now I have seen comments made about the ST on this forum and how some dealers were correcting those with reallignments. Also I'm not suggesting that anyone has not had an allignment issue.

The ride is certainly a different ride than the 2010 - 2012's. I, for one, like it better. JMO.

Chris

I may be eating crow. I just saw a thread in the subforum RT Shop Talk in which it has been stated that BRP has acknowledged there is a problem and is working on solving this issue.

Chris

 

[NancysToy]

I suspect your problem is probably both the rider and the alignment. It does take a good 500-1000 miles or more to learn not to overcontrol the Spyder or respond in reverse to what it actually needs. Years of riding motorcycles or driving autos takes its toll...the Spyder is neither. Inadequate toe-in will lead to exactly the type of darting and lane changing you mention. My 2010 RTS put me on the shoulder in a heartbeat a couple of times...even after I was quite used to the handling. An alignment cured it completely. One of the difficulties with an alignment issue is that a novice Spyder rider will tend to compensate for the deviation in the wrong manner, making things worse. This can gain momentum like a snowball rolling downhill. It takes real concentration to tell yourself to relax your grip and adjust in tiny increments under those conditions. As to the wobble, if it is truly a wobble and not repeated overcontrol in opposite directions, it indicates a serious suspension geometry issue...either alignment, design, or a component issue. You need to have the dealer address it as soon as possible. If the Spyder is too dangerous to ride, have them pick it up...and consider filing a complaint with the NHTSA.

 

[daveinva]

I have no doubt that there may be cause for concern with the alignment on the 2013's, and it's certainly something that should be looked into.

That said, before we go too far down that road, here's my checklist / recommendation:

1. If you're a veteran two-wheeler, follow the light grip advice mentioned in this and other threads. If that doesn't help, have a Spyder veteran (either current owner, or a qualified person at the dealer) take the Spyder for a ride-- they should know in a jiffy if something isn't quite right.

2. If you're a Spyder veteran, you should have a good idea if something isn't right.

IME, one thing many two-wheelers don't consider: the Spyder is a *direct steering* vehicle. Meaning, you turn the bars where you want to go, and then you go. There's no initial countersteering at work like you get on two wheels.

Some-- not all, but quite a few-- veteran motorcyclists don't appreciate countersteering (heck, some still flat out deny it, in 2013! :banghead. These riders rely on years, even decades, of built in muscle memory to ride two wheels, they do what just feels natural, i.e. they don't even know they're countersteering on two wheels, they just lean and cornering "happens."

Well, guess what? Just as you can't direct steer a motorcycle, you can't countersteer a Spyder. All those years of two-wheel muscle memory is the EXACT OPPOSITE of what you're supposed to be doing on a Spyder. Oh, and leaning your body does nothing to steer a Spyder (it *is* important in hanging on to a Spyder in a turn, but that's another thread).

Every time I switch between three wheels and two, I have to mentally run through a checklist in my head on the bike to remind myself how I'm supposed to ride *this* vehicle.

I came to my Spyder with very little two wheel experience, however. I can certainly appreciate that had I enjoyed decades on a motorcycle, the Spyder would feel like it was trying to kill me, and I wouldn't know why... until, that is, I again appreciated the difference between direct steering and countersteering.

 

[Pennyrick]

I just took delivery of a 2013 RT Limited and was horrified at how dangerous its road handling is. Anything above 50 mph goes beyond scarey and after making an extended trip home, following delivery, I consider myself lucky to be alive.

Trucks passing, undulating pavement, mild cross winds, cause the machine to enter into a high speed wobble that is almost impossible to correct with steering inputs. I've been riding for more than 50 years and this is the worst experience on a road bike I've ever had. Trying to hold a steady line, without wandering side to side, is only possible for short distances. The mental attention it takes to hold the machine in your lane, on the interstate, is beyond description.

I hope Can Am is aware of this and corrects quickly before someone gets hurt, ...or worse.

There have been some good suggestions posted in response to your concerns. You mention this is the worst experience on a road bike you have ever had. My thought is that could be the problem. The Spyder is NOT a road bike... it is not a bike at all. At first I think we all tried to ride it like we rode a bike and that is just backwards to what is required. If you counter steer as you would on two wheels when encountering 18 wheelers, cross winds or uneven payment you create the wobble. If you try to hold the machine in your lane, you exacerbate the situation.

Take it off the road to a parking lot (church or supermarket, after hours) and try to get used to coasting with no hands on the bars... get the feel for the machine... you can move it around with just your body. You need the lightest grip possible on the bars... remember you have power assisted steering. Once you put 500 miles or more on the new Spyder I think you may be surprised. Please keep us posted on developments. There is a chance it could be partly the fault of the Spyder as Scotty says, but try to eliminate the rider fault first.

 

[StanProff]

First of all, Safety! Have the machine checked by an experienced Spyder owner or have the dealer pick it up and prove nothing is wrong. All of the info on the forum about the difference in the way a spyder handles is right. I don't know of anyone going from a two wheeler to a spyder that doesn't have some of the issues that you are having but to a much lesser degree. I can pass a 18 wheeler pulling my trailer with one hand on the handlebar taking a drink of water with the other. (not that I advacate anyone to do that) but after a few hundred miles, maybe a thousand or so, I had no concerns with the handling. Yes, tire pressures do affect the spyder perhaps more than you'd think. Anyone remember how sluggish a two wheeler handles with the front tire underinflated?
I have never had a wobble in the spyder so that makes me think that something is wrong for sure.

 

[BajaRon]

I agree with those who are recommending that you get your front end alignment checked. It's a shame that this may be the issue on a brand new Spyder. But if the alignment is off it can certainly give you steering and tractability fits.

Sorry for leaving this aspect out of my 1st post. Anytime safety is concerned, all possibilities need to be addressed.

Let us know what you find out.