Twitchiness

[deer30084]

I've read comments on this site about some Spyders exhibiting "twitchiness." I didn't know what that was and being the new owner of a 2015 F3 I decided to find out. First google: www.thefreedictionary.com/twitchiness1. Characterized by jerky or spasmodic motion. Then the Random House Websters College Dictionary: to move spasodically or convulsively: jerk, jump; to give a sharp, sudden pull, tug, et al.


Well here's what I think and it's just my opinion. I think someone described his Spyder as having twitchiness, then the next guy said, "Oh yeah, mine may be twitchy too." Then the next guy said the same thing and the next and the next and the next. Before you know it everybody is seeking a solution to a probable nonexistent problem. Yes, I said it and I'll say it again: A probable nonexistent problem! So everyone is out spending money, replacing this and replacing that in the hopes of correcting their Spyder's non existent twitchy problem. Then after spending a few hundred bucks, they wipe their forhead and say "Phew, I'm sure glad I got rid of that twitchy problem." Save yourself some money folks. Don't fall for some of this nonsense.

My Spyder is not "twitchy!"

And that about sums up my opinion on alleged twitchiness of a Can Am Spyder. Have a nice day.

 

[Chupaca]

We welcome all views..

the dictionary explanations are spot on and that is exactly what many feel when first on a spyder and not knowing it's quirks. You may be one of the lucky ones that jumped on and were totally relaxed and the dps did not compensate for the death grip the others had on their spyders. The dps will cause this but you are right in that running out and buying all the items mentioned is not needed. Now those that have masteded the dps and the relaxed grip do come to find the spyder is set up for the normal average new ryder and does in fact lack in the handling department. This does not mean all need to make the mods for many the spyder is perfect as it is. We or I always recommend that you put a few miles on, say 1,000, before you go changing things up and if you do make changes do them one at a time to see if that is all you need...:thumbup: good reminder to look before you leap....

 

[4 MARIE]

UH..... we all know the Spyder isn't twitchy. It's the slightly overboosted power steering that is a "new" sensation,
especially to those of us that come from a pretty solid 2 wheel background. With a little relaxation and practice (miles).
It's stability starts to shine. Twitchy, fidgety, darty....

 

[Gray Ghost]

The overwhelming majority of Spyders that come off the sales lot have alignment issues, and yes that makes the steering a bit "twitchy." I have seen spyders toed out on one side and toed in on the other. Some were a little off, some were a lot off. If your bike is working well for you that is great, but again, the great majority of bikes are not working well. It has gotten better as some of the dealers have finally come onboard with doing the ROLO laser alignment.

 

[ARtraveler]

Laying aside poor factory alignment and bad tire pressure, IMO, twitchiness is caused by over control when first driving the :ani29:.
Little input = big output. A lighter grip results in a smoother ride. :thumbup:

 

[Ron2andia]

I held it too tight in the beginning and have relaxed more now.. Much better and smoother.

 

[ThreeWheels]

Nah, I'm not buying it. My first Spyder was so Twitchy as to make it unsafe to ride. It's like constantly riding 10 feet behind big truck.
There may be a few cases of twitchy riders, but in my opinion, the overwhelming majority of twitchy spyders have some type of mechanical problem:
The most likely culprit is a bad alignment. Other factors can be bad tires, incorrectly inflated tires, bad ball joints, etc.
The guys who are are misoperating the steering learn the correct way pretty quickly.

Just my opinion, I could be wrong. If I am, someone on this forum will let me know about it VERY quickly.

 

[Sam Mac]

Nah, I'm not buying it. My first Spyder was so Twitchy as to make it unsafe to ride. It's like constantly riding 10 feet behind big truck.
There may be a few cases of twitchy riders, but in my opinion, the overwhelming majority of twitchy spyders have some type of mechanical problem:
The most likely culprit is a bad alignment. Other factors can be bad tires, incorrectly inflated tires, bad ball joints, etc.
The guys who are are misoperating the steering learn the correct way pretty quickly.

Just my opinion, I could be wrong. If I am, someone on this forum will let me know about it VERY quickly.

My RTL was "Twitchy" alignment was way off. Having experience setting up race cars I figured it out in a few minutes. Toed out. Get out the old toe plates and wrenches. A few minutes later all good. The thing that I don't understand is if they are "Properly Aligned" at the factory what happens between the factory and delivery? Or is it that they are not aligned properly when shipped? Just my 2 cents but it would seem that the alignment should be properly adjusted by the dealer before delivery with the laser system. New buyer should not have to pay to have something brand new fixed.

 

[Hypurone]

Well here's what I think and it's just my opinion. I think someone described his Spyder as having twitchiness, then the next guy said, "Oh yeah, mine may be twitchy too." Then the next guy said the same thing and the next and the next and the next. Before you know it everybody is seeking a solution to a probable nonexistent problem. Yes, I said it and I'll say it again: A probable nonexistent problem! So everyone is out spending money, replacing this and replacing that in the hopes of correcting their Spyder's non existent twitchy problem. Then after spending a few hundred bucks, they wipe their forhead and say "Phew, I'm sure glad I got rid of that twitchy problem." Save yourself some money folks. Don't fall for some of this nonsense.

My Spyder is not "twitchy!"

And that about sums up my opinion on alleged twitchiness of a Can Am Spyder. Have a nice day.

You got lucky then. Call it whatever you want, but my F3-S was "not stable" as delivered new! Had to ride 1.5 hours to a place that could do a laser alignment and VOILA, a properly handling, stable machine....

 

[IGETAROUND]

twitchiness

My RTL was "Twitchy" alignment was way off. Having experience setting up race cars I figured it out in a few minutes. Toed out. Get out the old toe plates and wrenches. A few minutes later all good. The thing that I don't understand is if they are "Properly Aligned" at the factory what happens between the factory and delivery? Or is it that they are not aligned properly when shipped? Just my 2 cents but it would seem that the alignment should be properly adjusted by the dealer before delivery with the laser system. New buyer should not have to pay to have something brand new fixed.

Couldn't agree more about should be properly aligned @ delivery. The sad truth is that less than 1% of the spyders are delivered to the purchaser properly aligned!!! (source the people who have done the most alignments in the business).

Only the motorcycling public would put up with this; if your new car came that way you would take it back to your dealer and expect that it be made right under warranty!!!!:gaah::gaah::gaah::gaah:

 

[Deer Slayer]

gront tyres

Never look at the front tyres! Look where you are going. Just like ya motorcycle, pick a spot and go for it. No walls please! Ryde on.
:riding:

 

[Bob Denman]

I'm glad that we've cleared this up...

Heading back to the Station: save me some Krispy Kremes! :roflblack:

 

[Gray Ghost]

The thing that I don't understand is if they are "Properly Aligned" at the factory what happens between the factory and delivery? Or is it that they are not aligned properly when shipped?

The original way the Spyders were aligned from the factory was removing the wheels, hooking up a bar to the frame and setting the alignment of the hubs to the frame. The alignment of the rear wheel in the swingarm is completely ignored in that set up. I don't have the BRP laser alignment procedures in front of me, but IIRC it was still not exactly what Mike designed in the ROLO system.

The ROLO system is done on the ground, lasers are mounted in the center hubs of the front wheels and measurements are taken based upon the relationship with the rear wheel rather than the frame.

Some folks just use the old method of measuring at the front and rear of the tire to set toe. But that is aligning to the frame, not to the rear wheel.

 

[Sam Mac]

My guess is that the Canadians that assemble them may have had a couple extra Molson's before the alignment process.

 

[Stumpy6Guns]

I'm glad that we've cleared this up...

Heading back to the Station: save me some Krispy Kremes! :roflblack:

View attachment 137157

Krispy Kremes?! You got Krispy Kremes? Our local Krispy Kremes place is now a Chick-Fil-A . We loved watching those tender rings of sugary goodness come off of the line. Fresh, hot Krispy Kremes are a little taste of heaven.

 

[asp125]

Our GS must have been produced on a good day. Other than wandering due to road imperfections like rain grooves and uneven patches I've never noticed any twitchiness. I got used to relaxing my grip after the initial miles and it has never needed IMO an alignment. I may just be one of the lucky ones.

Anyone know how Spyders are shipped to dealers? Is there dealer assembly like two wheelers? If so the problem might be incorrect shop procedures and not from BRP. Then again if they come pre-assembled then the factory is the problem.

 

[ARtraveler]

Krispy Kremes?! You got Krispy Kremes? Our local Krispy Kremes place is now a Chick-Fil-A . We loved watching those tender rings of sugary goodness come off of the line. Fresh, hot Krispy Kremes are a little taste of heaven.

RE: KK--they finally opened a store here on August 30. I will be visiting, but am not going to get into a block long line at the drive up. Going to give a month or so. :yes:

 

[Bob Denman]

Krispy Kremes?! You got Krispy Kremes? Our local Krispy Kremes place is now a Chick-Fil-A . We loved watching those tender rings of sugary goodness come off of the line. Fresh, hot Krispy Kremes are a little taste of heaven.

:clap: Amen! :clap: :2thumbs:

 

[Buckeye Bleau]

Twitchy from two wheel ryders

Well, I have been putting a lot of thought on this issue and others that are posted on this site regarding relaxing hands and such.
The other day, while ryding, the thought occurred to me based on comments from a friend who went from GW to Spyder RTL that the problem is not the Spyder but the dynamics of the reverse trike. (This of course excludes those with tire or alignment issues.
On two wheelers you counter steer and lean, Spyders you steer. With two wheels you only notice road issues with bobbing, front to back movement no lateral or side to side. On the Spyder you still have the bobbing , but you have lateral movement which causes the body to shift weight to one side or another.
therby causing the Ryder to feel as though he needs to correct or counterforce to condition, caused by years of earned experience as a bike rider. This is really quite simple and it is proven with some remarks here and on other threads where their first Spyder was twitchy of they rode it took it to dealer and eventually it went away. The old saying about action and reaction is the cause of these issues. It is only natural for the two wheel experience to cause one to fEel that they need to correct or think that the Byke is twitchy!
Call me mud if you like but this is my final observation, and I am sticking to it.:yikes:

Joe

 

[deer30084]

Viewer discretion advised

:joke:I've come up with a definition of twitchiness as it relates to the Can Am Spyder:
twitchiness: 1. An imaginary contagious psychological human virus transmitted through the eyes of some Can Am Spyder owners who read comments of others afflicted by imaginary psychological twitchiness of their Spyders while ryding. There is no known cure, but spending hundreds of dollars on parts and alignment makes one feel better.