• There were many reasons for the change of the site software, the biggest was security. The age of the old software also meant no server updates for certain programs. There are many benefits to the new software, one of the biggest is the mobile functionality. Ill fix up some stuff in the coming days, we'll also try to get some of the old addons back or the data imported back into the site like the garage. To create a thread or to reply with a post is basically the same as it was in the prior software. The default style of the site is light colored, but i temporarily added a darker colored style, to change you can find a link at the bottom of the site.

riding on highway

Questions

New member
Experienced motorcyclist, but first time spyder owner. I only have about 50 miles on the spyder, but when I was on the highway today the bike felt really "loose" almost wobbly. It was a bit windy, but scared me. Ready to get rid of it already. My wife noticed it wobbly also and didn't like the feeling. Is this common? I checked wheels, etc, everything seems secure. Any input?
 
If it's an RT, you'll have that till you upgrade the front shocks IMO. Also, you need to loosen your grip. When the wind blows, your body reacts and causes you to move the steering.
 
Experienced motorcyclist, but first time spyder owner. I only have about 50 miles on the spyder, but when I was on the highway today the bike felt really "loose" almost wobbly. It was a bit windy, but scared me. Ready to get rid of it already. My wife noticed it wobbly also and didn't like the feeling. Is this common? I checked wheels, etc, everything seems secure. Any input?

Check your tire pressure. If it's too high, the bike gets squiggly. I set mine at around 18 PSI.

Also, there seems to have been a run of 2010 bikes with poor alignment that made the bike wander all across the road. Mine was one of them and I had the alignment done within the first few weeks.

There is also the stock advice about avoiding the "death grip" on the handlebars, but in my personal experience, experienced riders are more likely to have a hardware problem instead of a wetware one.

Of course, as always, my free advice comes with a double your money back guarantee.
 
Experienced motorcyclist, but first time spyder owner. I only have about 50 miles on the spyder, but when I was on the highway today the bike felt really "loose" almost wobbly. It was a bit windy, but scared me. Ready to get rid of it already. My wife noticed it wobbly also and didn't like the feeling. Is this common? I checked wheels, etc, everything seems secure. Any input?

:welcome: Just loosen your grip on the bars, And go with the flow The rear tire tends to roll of the crown of the road, Believe it or not it's normal
Tail waging the dog feeling.
 
If it's an RT, you'll have that till you upgrade the front shocks IMO. Also, you need to loosen your grip. When the wind blows, your body reacts and causes you to move the steering.
Thanks for the advice. I didn't think about it till I read this, but my shoulders were tight as heck when I got home, must have been the death grip lol :gaah:
 
:agree:
:welcome: Just loosen your grip on the bars, And go with the flow The rear tire tends to roll of the crown of the road, Believe it or not it's normal
Tail waging the dog feeling.

:agree: most steering issues by newbies come from oversteering by the rider much more often than flaws in the bike.. relax.... treat it gently and it will respond better
 
2011 RT SE-5, automatic tran, front tires at 21 psi, cam position 3
Try front shock cam position all the way up we have 5 or 6 clicks (I don't remember) but crank the springs to the highest and loosen that grip. I think that will help. If you have cash to spend call Cowtown and order a set of Elka's for the front, those would relly help too.

Jim:thumbup:
 
Try front shock cam position all the way up we have 5 or 6 clicks (I don't remember) but crank the springs to the highest and loosen that grip. I think that will help. If you have cash to spend call Cowtown and order a set of Elka's for the front, those would relly help too.

Jim:thumbup:

disagree..that will make it tighter and if his issue is due to gripping and unfamiliarity, he will bounce around on the bike more...
 
Most, if not all, of these are possibilities. But personally, I would not change any of the hardware until you've fixed you.

I had the same problem with my SM5. Scared me to death at first, twitchy as anything I'd ever ridden. No confidence in the machine or my ability to control it.

The problem turned out to be me, not the machine! I was unconsciously strong arming the handlebars trying to correct for every little movement which just aggravated the issue. It was a vicious cycle.

Once I relaxed (which I had to work at in the beginning) things got better. The improvement allowed me to relax more and things improved again.

We know our Spyders are a different machine. But it's more than looks. In the beginning it may seem twitchy and unpredictable. Nothing could be further from the truth. Once you get used to it, you'll find it responsive and very precise. The only difference will be input changes (or lack of them) by the operator.

Once you get YOU dialed into the machine. Then you will be best able to assess what hardware upgrades you want to improve handling. If a death grip and over active input from you is the problem, hardware changes are not going to help.
 
I think you need to set your front shock to at least 4 and check your air shock in the rear . Do you hear the compressor come on when you set it to the 4th or 5th bar and do you here the air escape when you set it to 1 or 2 bars. Does it hold air ? Under your seat is a air fill valve, test it with your gague should be about 60-70 psi for two up . Hope this helps .:dontknow:
 
Experienced motorcyclist, but first time spyder owner. I only have about 50 miles on the spyder, but when I was on the highway today the bike felt really "loose" almost wobbly. It was a bit windy, but scared me. Ready to get rid of it already. My wife noticed it wobbly also and didn't like the feeling. Is this common? I checked wheels, etc, everything seems secure. Any input?

Don't feel alone. I had the same experience with my new RT. I hadn't ridden in many years, but the more relaxed I became with the Spyder, the better it handles. I have about 1000 miles on mine now and when I ryde, I feel much more at ease. It is simply a different feel than a two wheeler.

Give it some time and a few more miles. I promise you will love the RT. I am now ryding mine to work every day and I ALWAYS take the long way home!
 
One other thing I didn't see mentioned was wind screen. I found when at freeway speeds and in high wind conditions, lowering the windscreen helps reduce the buffeting.

:welcome:
 
I agree... loosen the grip

:welcome: Just loosen your grip on the bars, And go with the flow The rear tire tends to roll of the crown of the road, Believe it or not it's normal
Tail waging the dog feeling.

:agree::agree::agree: Loosen the grip and let the machine track right on down the road.
 
Back
Top