Unstable ride feeling........

[JayBros]

No. But the symptoms are not typical for an alignment problem.

The one thing missing from this thread is input from "God," -- Joe Meyer. The only activity that has aligned more Spyders than Joe is BRP and they have a reputation of sending them off the assembly line on a spectrum that runs from pretty good to totally :cus:ed up. A PM to Joe would probably elicit a response that would tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the details of precisely aligning Spyders and what out of spec settings can do to it and how it can make it feel on a ride. Joe's never laid a hand on mine; he's just a friend. Mine came from the dealership laser aligned and tracks like an arrow shot from a crossbow so I don't know what a misaligned Spyder acts like.

 

[Highwayman2013]

No. But the symptoms are not typical for an alignment problem.

And if the tires are crap, they are crap and need to be replaced anyway.
And they will be a bit less expensive than what I usually put on my cars.

No one is arguing about the tires, they are crap. More than one person was surprised by an alignment. Me included. Twitchiness on the spyder usually means toe out condition. 5 years 2 spyders and over 50,000 miles here, and many more people have more. There are common problems and one is alignment. I believe I heard 1% come from the factory aligned perfectly, just going by the people that do that sort of thing. Remember we here are trying to help you.

 

[cptjam]

Hmmmmmm

Easy Rider,
if you can, bring it to me at Spyders on the Bayou. If it does not need an alignment, it is free. We should be able to help you, or at least eliminate the variables. I hope you can make it! Joe

 

[Beaudog]

One of the big problems arguing tire pressure is the gauges. The avg pressure gauge is highly inaccurate. My gauge might show 15 and yours might show 18. You don't buy an accurate gauge at Walmart for $2.98.

You need a quality gauge. Where to get them is another argument.

 

[Easy Rider]

I don't go for the "loose grip" theory.

It's not a theory......but it is two different problems.

When transitioning from 2 wheels, erroneous rider inputs to the bars can be VERY disruptive until you get used to it.....and loosening your grip can help prevent that. So can looking farther DOWN the road.

Once you get over that, tiny little external forces like uneven roads and small wind gusts can cause it to FEEL like it is dancing sideways at times.
Whole different problem.

 

[Easy Rider]

Easy Rider,
if you can, bring it to me at Spyders on the Bayou. If it does not need an alignment, it is free.

Which is where exactly ??

Y and I will be starting our summer NASCAR tour in about 3 weeks.
When not on the road, we live in Florida.

 

[Easy Rider]

Remember we here are trying to help you.

Yes I understand that and appreciate the effort.

But sometimes well meaning folks with good intentions can give out some incredibly BAD advice.
Not that I think that applies here.
One just has to carefully sort through the recommendations.

 

[Highwayman2013]

https://spydersonthebayou.com/

 

[Easy Rider]

https://spydersonthebayou.com/

Thank you.
Alas, no room in my calendar at that time.

 

[Highwayman2013]

Since you are in Florida maybe this guy can help. He invented the laser alignment system. He aligned our first spyder. http://www.spydercomfort.com/index.html

 

[Easy Rider]

OK......you guys have me convinced.

After another TERRIBLE ride yesterday.....during which time I was thinking about doing some test rides on Goldwing Trikes.......I decided to have the alignment done. Thinking back to how much improvement it made on my first motorhome helped me decide.

Now to find time to schedule it.

 

[honda]

UNSTABLE FEELING

Ride your bike at least to 3 k miles at your pace on roads that are not making any added stress before spending . I found it takes time to relax but they are very safe and fun.

 

[UtahPete]

No. But the symptoms are not typical for an alignment problem.

And if the tires are crap, they are crap and need to be replaced anyway.

They are not crap. They do their job extremely well.

 

[Jeffmal]

My unbiased, honest assessment!

OK......you guys have me convinced.

After another TERRIBLE ride yesterday.....during which time I was thinking about doing some test rides on Goldwing Trikes.......I decided to have the alignment done. Thinking back to how much improvement it made on my first motorhome helped me decide.

Now to find time to schedule it.

I think you and I seem to follow the same threads and have the same concerns.
I ryde a 2017 F3t, so we are going to have a different ryding experience even if all is perfect.
I first checked my air pressure and everything was ok...
I had the laser alignment and didn't feel too much difference (maybe slightly better feel )..
Last week put on the upgraded Sway Bars and again, maybe a slight difference..
Yesterday I ordered an F4 customs 23" vented shield to minimize or eliminate the wind buffeting.
I am hoping this will be the piece that makes everything better!
I sometimes ryde at 80 mph with no issues and then at 60mph feeling very unstable!!
It's been a process trying to figure this out where I can truly enjoy this machine...
I will post the results of the windshield after it is tested next week.

 

[Highwayman2013]

I think you and I seem to follow the same threads and have the same concerns.
I ryde an 2017 F3t, so we are going to have a different ryding experience even if all is perfect.
I first checked my air pressure and everything was ok...
I had the laser alignment and didn't feel too much difference (maybe slightly better feel )..
Last week put on the upgraded Sway Bars and again, maybe a slight difference..
Yesterday I ordered an F4 customs 23" vented shield to minimize or eliminate the wind buffeting.
I am hoping this will be the piece that makes everything better!
I sometimes ryde at 80 mph with no issues and then at 60mph feeling very unstable!!
It's been a process trying to figure this out where I can truly enjoy this machine...
I will post the results of the windshield after it is tested next week.

It takes some time to hit the right combination. I just did a 1,400 mile weekend on our 2016 F3L, rain, shine, cold and warm. It was great. Did a cross country trip on it last year 7,300 miles.

 

[UtahPete]

It takes some time to hit the right combination. I just did a 1,400 mile weekend on our 2016 F3L, rain, shine, cold and warm. It was great. Did a cross country trip on it last year 7,300 miles.

:agree: I did the same ride and got great performance from my bone-stock RT with Kenda front tires. Chased a BMW through the twisties and straightaways with no trouble then drove 500 miles home towing a trailer. Solid as a rock.

 

[BajaRon]

It's All In The Eye of The Beholder!

They are not crap. They do their job extremely well.

 

[Mahaflac]

Where is Spyder on the Bayou event

Easy Rider,
if you can, bring it to me at Spyders on the Bayou. If it does not need an alignment, it is free. We should be able to help you, or at least eliminate the variables. I hope you can make it! Joe

Is this and event and where. I am having the same issues. I want to have a laser alignment done but no one around here does them. My closest laser alignment is about 4 hours from me. I spent some time yesterday trying to confirm this and can't find anyone who can do it. I am a school teacher and have time a couple of months from now. Mine is sometimes even treacherous at 70 MPH. It makes me a little nervous and I have been on motorcycles my entire life. I want to solve this problem. I am going to try some different tire pressures this weekend.

I have several Can Am Dealers around here with shops but none of them do laser alignment.

 

[Easy Rider]

Ride your bike at least to 3 k miles at your pace on roads that are not making any added stress before spending . I found it takes time to relax but they are very safe and fun.

If you had read the WHOLE thread, you should have noticed that I am approaching 3,000 miles now.
I am TRYING to make sure that something really needs to be done........but I can't take it anymore.

 

[Easy Rider]

They are not crap. They do their job extremely well.

I think the votes are about 100 to 1 against you.