Laser alignment question

[pauly1]

Caster and camber are fixed, no adjustment, on the Spyder front ends. The only adjustment is toe-in/out.

The belt position on the pulleys is quite sensitive to adjustment. I would make sure the belt is properly adjusted for the first alignment. As long as the same belt remains aligned, the wheel alignment shouldn't be impacted, even if the rear tire has been changed.

One of the things that affects toe-in is the ride-level of the suspension. According to Mike Loescher, the relationship of the suspension components allows for variable toe-in/out as the suspension ranges through its motion limits. If I remember correctly, compressing the front suspension drives more toe-out into the system. A 50th percentile male ryder will have a different compressed dimension than no weight or a two-up 75th percentile ryder pair. I suspect the wheel alignment folks take that into consideration when setting the alignment.

Wayne

 

[MrBones]

Thanks Gray now I know.

 

[desertryder]

no extras

I now have 2500 miles on my 2012 RT-S(bought it new in Nov 2014), the last 900 miles were hard ones in the mountains of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. It took me a little while to adapt to the Y setup, but I now find I can keep up with my friends on two wheels, even in the twisties in the mountains. However, it is critical to keep the RPMs up in the 5-7k range which really hits the mileage. But I digress.........I have felt no need to do an alignment or add aftermarket sway bars or other "extras". I did have my dealer install the intake vents that were part of the 13 recall on BRPs dime which has helped with heat issues, but aside from that I haven't done a thing. I know folks like to fine tune their Spyders to fit their personal taste and personality but I wanted to provide my perspective to potential new owners that the Spyder is good right off the showroom floor and they shouldn't worry about having to spend any money to enjoy the ryde, I would rather spend my money on gas and hotel rooms!

 

[Gray Ghost]

...that the Spyder is good right off the showroom floor and they shouldn't worry about having to spend any money to enjoy the ryde, I would rather spend my money on gas and hotel rooms!

Have you checked to ensure that your Spyder tracks straight without rider input? In other words, can you lift your hands slightly off the handlebars on a straight no crown road and have it continue without pulling to either side? The great majority of Spyders will not do that right out of the box. Some dealers are doing laser alignments as part of the dealer set-up. Yours may have been one of them.

 

[desertryder]

track

Have you checked to ensure that your Spyder tracks straight without rider input? In other words, can you lift your hands slightly off the handlebars on a straight no crown road and have it continue without pulling to either side? The great majority of Spyders will not do that right out of the box. Some dealers are doing laser alignments as part of the dealer set-up. Yours may have been one of them.

Dealer did not do an alignment and it does track perfectly straight, no abnormal tire wear evident either. Aside from the poor mileage, especially when ridden hard I have been very happy with the RT-S.

 

[Gray Ghost]

Dealer did not do an alignment and it does track perfectly straight, no abnormal tire wear evident either. Aside from the poor mileage, especially when ridden hard I have been very happy with the RT-S.

Then you are one of the fortunate few. The great majority of Spyders do not track straight out of the box. And while the Spyder is a fun ride, if it isn't aligned properly it will fatigue a rider quickly with having to constantly correct the steering.

 

[skak72]

I have to agree that it should be aligned properly out the door... but I've heard some say that can am changed the spec of the alignment from factory...so that's the reason so many are not where they should be. I will say it did make a positive difference in the amount of vibration we had before at high speeds 65+ & also in cornering.

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[hillybillyheaven]

I am driving back tomorrow from Biketoberfest down at Laser headquarters True Laser Track/Outlaw/ROLO

I had Mike recheck mine as I hit a deer....talking to Mike he has now done over 850 aligns since Summer of 2013 and only 5 have been perfect...i would have to say that your Spyder is OFF but you just don't know it....Mike says most people can tell right off but some drivers have no clue the Spyder is not correct,,,,he had one on Deadwood....the Spyder was so toed out and after he corrected it the rider went for a trial ride , came back after 10 minutes and said he felt NO difference....that is impossible but he was either lieing to get the FREE alignment( Mike guarantees to make you happy or you don't pay) so this guys alignment was free or he honestly had no feel for the road

So Mikes guarantee has changed...it is now " he guarantees a better ride and if you feel the alignment did not help he will put it back to its original "bad" specs and you don't pay....

But i am just saying EVERY Spyder needs to be checked

 

[Gray Ghost]

... but I've heard some say that can am changed the spec of the alignment from factory...so that's the reason so many are not where they should be.

That is not the reason. Spyders have been having the alignment problem for years. The ROLO laser alignment process was not designed by BRP, although they do encourage their dealers to use it now.

Originally BRP aligned the front wheels to the frame. The laser alignment system aligns them to the rear wheel. It makes a big difference.

 

[desertryder]

I am driving back tomorrow from Biketoberfest down at Laser headquarters True Laser Track/Outlaw/ROLO

I had Mike recheck mine as I hit a deer....talking to Mike he has now done over 850 aligns since Summer of 2013 and only 5 have been perfect...i would have to say that your Spyder is OFF but you just don't know it....Mike says most people can tell right off but some drivers have no clue the Spyder is not correct,,,,he had one on Deadwood....the Spyder was so toed out and after he corrected it the rider went for a trial ride , came back after 10 minutes and said he felt NO difference....that is impossible but he was either lieing to get the FREE alignment( Mike guarantees to make you happy or you don't pay) so this guys alignment was free or he honestly had no feel for the road

So Mikes guarantee has changed...it is now " he guarantees a better ride and if you feel the alignment did not help he will put it back to its original "bad" specs and you don't pay....

But i am just saying EVERY Spyder needs to be checked

I would respectfully disagree that they all need to be checked. If there are no symptoms of a problem why spend the money? My Spyder has no pull/push, tracks straight as an arrow, no vibration, no tire wear. Steering at high speeds requires only a light touch. I have been riding a looooong time and have a pretty good sense of when any of my vehicles are not performing as designed so am happy with my rig as is. After hitting a deer I would certainly go over my Spyder with very carefully and consider an alignment if the deer hit the front suspension. Glad you were ok after the deer hit.

 

[skak72]

That is not the reason. Spyders have been having the alignment problem for years. The ROLO laser alignment process was not designed by BRP, although they do encourage their dealers to use it now.

Originally BRP aligned the front wheels to the frame. The laser alignment system aligns them to the rear wheel. It makes a big difference.

Hmm interesting...because it was a dealer person that told me that... I think they should all be laser aligned before hitting the street...I mean it's an average of like $125 or so, they should easily be able to make that up in the selling cost.

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[missouriboy]

Many dealers look at alignment as a "factory done" thing on new vehicles. Add to that, some dealers that just "check the boxes" on the set up sheet and do nothing other than put on the wheels.

It seems to now be a proven fact, that factory set up does not a perfect alignment make. How customer oriented a particular dealer is, then is the next step.

This is why we occasionally (not as much lately), hear how the Spyder just purchased drives like a POS right out of the box.

Yes... from year-old info in that other alignment thread comes this:

Up until early 2014, when BRP finally admitted that their factory assembly-line methods *might* lead to incorrect wheel alignment, Dealers were NOT REQUIRED to check that before selling a new Spyder. They just did a pre-sale assembly from the crate and a safety check but, by the time they hit the road in Australia, alignment was wrong, and often by a huge amount.
(Emphasis added by moboy)

My NEW toy pulls quite hard to the right, such that I can never release the handlebar and my back muscles become achy tired very quickly on longer rydes.

 

[Gray Ghost]

My NEW toy pulls quite hard to the right, such that I can never release the handlebar and my back muscles become achy tired very quickly on longer rydes.

You really need to get an alignment. Riding should be fun not a form of torture.

 

[GearHd]

Can someone tell me what the average price of the laser alignment is? I think we need to get it done and was curious of the cost. Thanks.

 

[JayBros]

The median is probably somewhere in the $100-$140 range. Prices vary so shopping around is worthwhile. Mine was $125.