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Vibration

remark2013

remark2013

New member
My first time posting here, but been lurking and learning about our new bike, 2014 RT-LTD.
We was able to make our first long ride this weekend (445 mi.) and an issue has showed up. When the bike get to about 68 mph and above we have a vibration when I apply throttle, when I let off it goes away. the faster we go the more pronounced the vibration becomes. My uneducated guess is the belt is vibrating at highway speeds but not sure. Any and all ideas are appreciated, thanks in advance, Kent.
 
remark2013 said:
My first time posting here, but been lurking and learning about our new bike, 2014 RT-LTD.
We was able to make our first long ride this weekend (445 mi.) and an issue has showed up. When the bike get to about 68 mph and above we have a vibration when I apply throttle, when I let off it goes away. the faster we go the more pronounced the vibration becomes. My uneducated guess is the belt is vibrating at highway speeds but not sure. Any and all ideas are appreciated, thanks in advance, Kent.
Click to expand...

Plenty of discussions here about this very subject. I would say they all end with installing a belt tensioner (smoothspyder or baker built).

I'm trying to find the time to install the smoothspyder that arrived last Saturday.
 
:agree: Most likely; it's the belt.
Rather than spend money on buying a "fix"; why not have your dealer just check the belt tension and alignment first? :dontknow:
It couldn't hurt... :D
Good Luck; AND... :welcome:
 
Bob Denman said:
:agree: Most likely; it's the belt.
Rather than spend money on buying a "fix"; why not have your dealer just check the belt tension and alignment first? :dontknow:
It couldn't hurt... :D
Good Luck; AND... :welcome:
Click to expand...

Bingo! I agree with Bob on this one.
:welcome::congrats: on the new Spyder.
 
I am making plans to have the Dealer look at it, however I am trying to educate myself as to the possible problems that could be causing this. With the bike only having ~900mi. on her, I am not willing to spend a whole lot of cash on things that should be taken car of by the dealership.

Could there be any other items that could be causing this?
Pleas, keep the ideas coming, the more info I have the better, Kent.
 
Hi Kent, (Again... :D)
These bikes have always shown a tendancy to "Buzz the Belts" at certain speeds... :shocked: It's a harmonic vibration, and it's not a harmful thing; just a bit disconcerting!
When I had my 2010 RT; it would start up at 75 mph, and quit by 77 mph...
But I found that it was also a good indication that the belt was a bit loose. Keeping the proper tension on the drivebelt always minimized this little trait...
I really can't think of any other system on the bike that could set up a vibration at a particular speed, and be throttle-sensitive...
But there's about a Jillion folks in here who are smarter than I am! nojoke
 
Vibrations..!!

they come from many places..most common belt, engine and front end. Where you feel the vibration helps locate the problem. Feet, seat area comes from belt needing alignment/adjustment. Because there are several tensions easy for dealer techs to get it wrong. If you feel it in the hands/bars usually front end. Some faulty tires have been giving folks problems balance and alignment. Engine least likely....:thumbup:
 
I value your honesty Bob, and I do hope that I wasn't coming across like an a$$. I have been on enough forums for my other vehicles to understand who gives good advise and who has no idea. So far, on this forum, I have been able to see who seems to have a clue and who does not.



I posted about my vibration problem with the intention of getting it to the dealer next week, when I ride to work, it doesn't see much above 50 and I only have about 5 mi. to go. My dealer is ~100 mi away so a whole day will be used up. I am still learnig everything there is on these bikes and forums like this are awesome, so are the people!

Ride on folks and be safe out there! I'll post back when I get it back from the dealer, Kent.
 
I'm normally pretty Clueless... :dontknow:
But I just figured that what I felt on my own bike, might come in handy for you. :D

Good luck at the dealers! :thumbup:
 
Chupaca said:
they come from many places..most common belt, engine and front end. Where you feel the vibration helps locate the problem. Feet, seat area comes from belt needing alignment/adjustment. Because there are several tensions easy for dealer techs to get it wrong. If you feel it in the hands/bars usually front end. Some faulty tires have been giving folks problems balance and alignment. Engine least likely....:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Chupaca; When the vibration occurred, it was only noticeable when , or the cruise, applied power and after I got to around 68 mph. It would go away when power was taken away. It didn't have any shimmy or shake in the handle bars, just a vibration felt in the seat and foot boards. I did notice that at highway speeds it has a tendency to have a slight pull to the right which I will ask the dealer to check on as well. Wish I could find a Lazer Alignment place in Albuquerque!
 
Bob Denman said:
I'm normally pretty Clueless... :dontknow:
But I just figured that what I felt on my own bike, might come in handy for you. :D

Good luck at the dealers! :thumbup:
Click to expand...

What other riders feel on their bikes is very valuable to me and for that I thank you, Kent.
 
:welcome: I think it's great that you are gathering intel before going to the dealer. I have a 2014 Rt-S and also experienced slight vibration, not really enough to bother me but worth mentioning to my dealer. One vibration was at 55mph which I felt was front tires and the other, like you at about 68-70. Which I thought was belt. So at my break 3k mi checkup, the dealer replaced front tires and belt was adjusted. Now the vibe at 55 is gone. The vibe at 70 is reduced and is not enough to bother me. I think different riders have different sensitivity to vibration. I have a Honda ST1100 that has a front end shake (according to my mechanic friend) that I only notice when he mentions it. The long belts on the Spyder tend to lead to a noticeable vibration, so if adjusting the tension does not eliminate it 'to your satisfaction' then a belt tensioner would be an option for you.

I have a slight pull to the right, but on a four lane highway if i ride in the left lane, I have a slight pull to the left, so for me it isn't really a pull but just the reaction to the crown in the road. I haven't found a perfectly flat road to test on, but for me the pull is insignifigant.

Enjoy the ride, and you are right this forum contains a wealth of information and people who care enough to share.
 
NovaSpyder said:
:welcome: I think it's great that you are gathering intel before going to the dealer. I have a 2014 Rt-S and also experienced slight vibration, not really enough to bother me but worth mentioning to my dealer. One vibration was at 55mph which I felt was front tires and the other, like you at about 68-70. Which I thought was belt. So at my break 3k mi checkup, the dealer replaced front tires and belt was adjusted. Now the vibe at 55 is gone. The vibe at 70 is reduced and is not enough to bother me. I think different riders have different sensitivity to vibration. I have a Honda ST1100 that has a front end shake (according to my mechanic friend) that I only notice when he mentions it. The long belts on the Spyder tend to lead to a noticeable vibration, so if adjusting the tension does not eliminate it 'to your satisfaction' then a belt tensioner would be an option for you.

I have a slight pull to the right, but on a four lane highway if i ride in the left lane, I have a slight pull to the left, so for me it isn't really a pull but just the reaction to the crown in the road. I haven't found a perfectly flat road to test on, but for me the pull is insignifigant.

Enjoy the ride, and you are right this forum contains a wealth of information and people who care enough to share.
Click to expand...

This weekend ride was the first time I noticed a pull, first time at speed, not a bad pull, but if I loosened my grip on the handle bars the bike would kind of wonder to the right some. I will be on the lookout for someone doing the Lazer Alignments close by me and do everything I can to get an appointment.

Kent.
 
Glad you brought up this topic. I just logged in my first 700+ miles on my 2014 rt, and I am noticing the same vibration. I am waiting for a local friend to take it for a test drive so that we can hopefully find all the little issues and have them resolved at the same time. I also noticed this weekend that my cruise control is hard to engage, and most of the time, it couldn't get it to work. My friend said that the switch felt a little funny, so I will have that taken care of also. Now I just need to find a dealer that knows what he is doingnojoke.
 
Just me again... :opps:
The Cruise Contol Switch on my 2014 seems to be able to "rock a little bit"; giving the feeling that it's being moved... when it actually isn't! :shocked:
If you have a chance; try to notice if that's the case with yours.
The solution for me: make sure that my thumb is as low on the switch as possible; pushing on the BASE of it! :thumbup:
 
Our CC worked flawlessly! Push down to set and up for resume, thankfully not a problem for us...........yet!!!!!:pray::pray: Kent.
 
I'm a "creeper" :shocked:
If I DON'T set the cruise control; within 10 miles, I'll be going 20 mph over the limit.... and looking for more!:yikes:
I use mine ALL of the time! :D
 
Got those vibes myself

Chupaca said:
they come from many places..most common belt, engine and front end. Where you feel the vibration helps locate the problem. Feet, seat area comes from belt needing alignment/adjustment. Because there are several tensions easy for dealer techs to get it wrong. If you feel it in the hands/bars usually front end. Some faulty tires have been giving folks problems balance and alignment. Engine least likely....:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Wow, thanks for the information.

Got my Spyder out on the highway just this last weekend and felt those vibrations in the mid-70s. Did not know what it was as all my other 'bikes' have been shaft drives and never had anything like this.

This was definitely vibrations at my feet... even to the point I thought the Engine was lugging now & then (could have been my imagination though).

I love these forums, so much good information.

Thanks Everyone
 
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