Laser Align

[Pampurrs]

Pam, come on up to Las Vegas and we will get you squared away that is as soon as we get back from Alaska.

Thanks for the offer, but it's a 5 hour ride from our house to Vegas, and then a 5 hour ride back. It would have to be an overnight trip, which means the expense of lodging. I'll keep it in mind, but would prefer to take it somewhere closer. If I can't find anyone, I may take you up on your offer :2thumbs:

Pam

 

[griffontamer]

Is there anyone in Western Washington (preferably near Snohomish County) that does the laser alignment and you guys would recommend?

 

[900Dave]

This is after having two sets of the OEM Kendas wear unevenly. Wish I could get the Defenders in the 15" size for front of the 2015 RTS.

[/QUOTE]

You may want to try Federal EVO 595's for the front. You can get them in the 165/55/15 and they seem like a really good tire. I only have a couple hundred miles on mine so far. I believe SpyderAnn01 had put over 29000 miles on her first set of EVO's.


On another note, one alignment may not be enough. Keep an eye on tire wear. I had my STL aligned last year and noticed an immediate difference in handling. Tire wear was good at 10000 miles. At 13000 miles the handling still felt good but the left front tire was cupped severely and basically junk. I had another alignment completed a couple of weeks ago and and sure enough the left front was out a good bit. Quite a few potholes up here in PA and I could not miss them all.

 

[cyclekid58]

Lazer Alignment

Pam, come on up to Las Vegas and we will get you squared away that is as soon as we get back from Alaska.

We just had Squared Away do Alignments on 17 Spyders in Spokane prior to Joe and Ann departing on their North to Alaska trip, every one of them were out of line anywhere from 1/2 inch to 2 inches, and every owner commented that the alignment made a big difference in handling. I myself had an opportunity to ride a twisty road recently that on previous trips I fought the machine, this last trip the spyder handled like running a flat track racer and minimal effort. We have folks here asking when they will be back that missed out. Joe & Ann are the best, I we do not hesitate to recommend them! :2thumbs:

 

[Pampurrs]

We just had Squared Away do Alignments on 17 Spyders in Spokane prior to Joe and Ann departing on their North to Alaska trip, every one of them were out of line anywhere from 1/2 inch to 2 inches, and every owner commented that the alignment made a big difference in handling. I myself had an opportunity to ride a twisty road recently that on previous trips I fought the machine, this last trip the spyder handled like running a flat track racer and minimal effort. We have folks here asking when they will be back that missed out. Joe & Ann are the best, I we do not hesitate to recommend them! :2thumbs:

I've never questioned whether or not they are proficient. I'm just not ready to spend $450 to get my Spyder aligned.

Pam

 

[one2doo]

Had mine done in Landrum in May made a big difference. Thanks Mike:yes:

 

[900Dave]

I've never questioned whether or not they are proficient. I'm just not ready to spend $450 to get my Spyder aligned.

Pam

:yikes:$450 The going rate for the alignment seems to be in the $120 to $130 range. My dealer charged just a little more. I paid $149.00 after tax and then I found out that a new local dealer is charging less than $100. This new dealer will get my bussiness the next time around.

 

[Pampurrs]

:yikes:$450 The going rate for the alignment seems to be in the $120 to $130 range. My dealer charged just a little more. I paid $149.00 after tax and then I found out that a new local dealer is charging less than $100. This new dealer will get my bussiness the next time around.

I'm including the cost of a 700 mile round trip and an overnight stay in Vegas.:trike:

 

[JKMSPYDER]

Vegas

Just a suggestion; it would be a long day but you could leave your home early AM to avoid the heat and be in Vegas before noon. Get your RT aligned and eat lunch and be back before dark. Long day but you would avoid an overnight charge.

 

[Pampurrs]

Just a suggestion; it would be a long day but you could leave your home early AM to avoid the heat and be in Vegas before noon. Get your RT aligned and eat lunch and be back before dark. Long day but you would avoid an overnight charge.

Yeah, I've thought about that too....

Pam

 

[ingramwc]

My right side was out 1 inch. Feels like it tracks truer to me. I had a 100 mile ride after the alignment. I'm happy with the results!

 

[ARtraveler]

How many of you have had the laser alignment and have not noticed a difference in operation?

You may find not to many will be able to answer from the perspective of your question.

I for one have held off saying or doing anything. I spoke to my dealer early on and they were not interested in offering the service.

We had a tire cupping issue on our 2011 last season, so when I replaced the tires, I had the dealer perform an "alignment." It was done the "old" way. I believe a 2 x 4 is part of the procedure.

Joe and Ann from Squared Away were here to visit about three weeks ago. They did an alignment on both our :spyder2:'s. The 2011 (most recently aligned) was off big time. About 1 1/2 inches on one wheel and 3/4 inches on the other one. The 2014 (one year old and 18K miles) was off a bit.

Driving both :ani29:'s after the laser alignment was like riding new machines. They both tracked straight and true (even no hands). It actually took me 50 - 100 miles to re-learn how to drive both machines with the now easy, no-resistance handling.

Needless to say--I think laser alignment is a must for all :spyder2:'s.

 

[fencepost]

Make sure the person doing the alignment knows what they are doing, not everyone is experienced in this. Had it done on RT with no front tire issues, installed new 15" wheels and tires had wear issues within 1000 miles. Had dealer align the old way and all is good. Was told front was off 3/4". I will be having Pit bull do my new F3.

 

[wiredgeorge]

Find a straight stretch of un-crowned road with no traffic, ride along the road at a speed just high enough to engage the cruise control, barely lift your hands from the grips and see if the bike drifts left or right. Not as scientific as getting it checked, but can let you know if you have a major problem. Again you need to keep your hands close enough to latch on in a hurry and I would only do it on roadway that I had rode along and checked for holes, etc first.

The only uncrowned road in Texas I know of is IH10. Never mind, the thought is disquieting!

 

[Denny B.]

It probably rides better just like a clean car drives better:roflblack:

True that. I wonder about the placebo effect.

 

[Gray Ghost]

The only uncrowned road in Texas I know of is IH10. Never mind, the thought is disquieting!

Texas is a big state there are obviously some roads out there that you aren't aware of.

 

[Dgdecker]

2014 RTS right on

I went to Netzley's in NY for a laser alignment and installation of a BajaRon swaybar. I watched them do the alignment on my 2015 RT and it was spot on. When it came time to pay the bill, he said he wasn't charging me for the alignment cause it hadn't needed any adjusting! I'm definitely going back there when it's time for new tires, even though its a bit of a trek for me.

p.s. The swaybar changeout definitely stiffened up the cornering. Don't know if that's due to the swaybar itself, the solid heim links, or both. But definitely worth it.

I had exactly the same experience with Netzley, alignment was right on so he didnt charge. Then since I was there and had some extra cash - they did the Bajaron sway bar - big difference in cornering IMO. Great folks!

 

[wiredgeorge]

Texas is a big state there are obviously some roads out there that you aren't aware of.

Probably are a couple but I have been over many. I was joking, of course. I actually finished my suspension upgrades last evening. I have the proper air in the rear, the BajaRon swaybar and links and Elka shocks just got the proper springs. I finished installing the springs. The bike handles perfectly flat now on turns and feels much tighter. Only one issue... it pulls left on any road regardless of where the crown is and I suspect it will still get smacked around by big trucks out on the highway... the pull tends to pull it to the left and when a truck goes by correction makes it feel like it is unstable. I didn't want to get a laser alignment done till I finished suspension changes. I need to call Rocky the Can-Am service guru at Coyote in Boerne. He offered to check alignment at no cost but I am pretty certain it needs the thing done. Your suggestion to take your hands off the bars to see if it wanders is spot on.... if out of alignment it will wander and pull consistently to one side or the other even without road crown in my case.

 

[AY4B]

Is there a site that gives locations in the DFW area that do Laser Align?

 

[PaladinLV]

+

AJ

I am pretty sure this is an instance where someone could say "I CAN speak for everyone when I say that EVERYONE has noticed a difference" If you have yours done and it needs it (which a great percentage of them do) then you will definitely notice a difference. Add the BajaRon Sway Bar if you haven't already and it will be a completely different bike.