What's your secret recipe?

[Little Blue]

Ryde SAFE

There is a learning process for the Spyder. Maybe like learning to play 'Golf or Tennis'. Some things come easy. Some things take more time. Try it and just do it at a comfortable pace for YOU. I have learned to enjoy my RYDE and YES it was a learning Process. For me, I ryde at my own pace. :thumbup: PS: GOOD LUCK in what ever YOU Decide.

 

[Jeffmal]

There is a learning process for the Spyder. Maybe like learning to play 'Golf or Tennis'. Some things come easy. Some things take more time. Try it and just do it at a comfortable pace for YOU. I have learned to enjoy my RYDE and YES it was a learning Process. For me, I ryde at my own pace. :thumbup: PS: GOOD LUCK in what ever YOU Decide.

I personally would love to see the problem you encountered and what you added to alleviate or eliminate issue and how it worked out.....
thanks for all the good feedback! I feel like Dr. Phil!!

 

[mavrik]

well...it starts off with 3 eggs and some bread crumbs....oh wait wrong forum...hahha

 

[Mad Mac]

Generalities don't help.

What WAS your main complaint to start with........and how is it better now ??

Are there any of the "unique" ride characteristics that it did NOT help ??

Read post #28. I think I had said what the issue I was having and what I did to fix it, I thought it was obvious, but maybe not. The sway-bar "stiffened" the "front end", it made the machine have less "body-roll" or "less tippy", more "planted", in turns and more stabile in straight line riding (less of the rocking sensation when a gust of wind hits you from any angle. I hope I covered the "cause and effect" of this particular "fix'. I have never ridden the new F3, but have sat on a few, until the wife made me get off and took my phone away so I couldn't call the bank, since I am the "impulse" buyer of our family! Hope this helps. Mac:doorag:

 

[Easy Rider]

Read post #28.

and more stabile in straight line riding (less of the rocking sensation when a gust of wind hits you from any angle.

I just did. There was no mention of any "straight line" improvement........but there is now.

I don't get any "rocking sensation" when going straight. It feels like it is shifting sideways under me a tiny bit.......but enough to be disconcerting.

 

[Mad Mac]

I just did. There was no mention of any "straight line" improvement........but there is now.

I don't get any "rocking sensation" when going straight. It feels like it is shifting sideways under me a tiny bit.......but enough to be disconcerting.

Is it a constant "shifting" motion or does it feel like it's "sideways" all the time? If it's a "sideways" all the time thing, an alignment is probably going to have to be re-done since you said it was done once already. The "shifting" could be the road surface acting upon the tires. That's the best I can do for you at this time. Hope all of this helps and hope you get it figured out. Mac:doorag:

 

[Easy Rider]

Is it a constant "shifting" motion or does it feel like it's "sideways" all the time? If it's a "sideways" all the time thing, an alignment is probably going to have to be re-done since you said it was done once already. The "shifting" could be the road surface acting upon the tires. That's the best I can do for you at this time. Hope all of this helps and hope you get it figured out. Mac:doorag:

I never said it has had an alignment; it hasn't.

It will be going down the road just fine, sometimes for long stretches, and then just suddenly feels like it is darting to the side slightly.......with no apparent external input.

I suspect it's road surface and poor tread design. If the rear tries to follow a ridge......or "falls off" of one.....I think that's the feeling I'm getting.

I think upping the pressures a little will be my next experiment.

I'm not opposed to spending some money to fix this........but I AM opposed to throwing money away on things that aren't likely to work.

I do NOT have this problem when turning or going around curves at speed.......unless the road surface is really BAD.

 

[Bob Denman]

An alignment will help to make your tires wear more evenly (and last longer.).
It's a quick and relatively cheap process to have done, and positive results are felt immediately.
(Although I almost suspect that some of your lane movement has a bit to do with the highway crown...)
Ron's anti-swaybar: I put one on my 2010, and it railed around corners like a slot car on steroids. :bowdown:
I never put one on my 2014... but I DID notice that it wasn't quite as sharp in the corners...
So I've got one on my 2018, and am waiting for the weather to clear up so that I can get it properly aligned.

 

[Lew L]

I owned it also

Yes, I have 17K with the new sway-bar(I installed it the first year I owned it) and am quite satisfied with the outcome. As we have been discussing in this thread, Spyder's are "quirky" machines, you either like them or you don't. I have owned enough quirky recreational vehicles that I know you either adapt or get something else. I had a Kaw ZX11 back in the day, and I could only ride it 60 miles and then I had to get off of it for about 30 min. before I could get back on again, fast as heck, handled fantastic, but a touring bike it was NOT!! So I got rid of it. Mac:doorag:

Hay Mac,

I used to have a ZX-11 also. I made brackets to lower the foot pegs an inch and bought a bar raising kit. With a double bubble shield all was good for a tour. Had saddle bags, Corbin seat, and a tank bag. Pumped up the motor a bit also. Never should have sold it. Now a have a old , slow V-max for when I feel the need for light speed.( V-boost is a blast)

Lew L

 

[Mad Mac]

I never said it has had an alignment; it hasn't.

It will be going down the road just fine, sometimes for long stretches, and then just suddenly feels like it is darting to the side slightly.......with no apparent external input.

I suspect it's road surface and poor tread design. If the rear tries to follow a ridge......or "falls off" of one.....I think that's the feeling I'm getting.

I think upping the pressures a little will be my next experiment.

I'm not opposed to spending some money to fix this........but I AM opposed to throwing money away on things that aren't likely to work.

I do NOT have this problem when turning or going around curves at speed.......unless the road surface is really BAD.

It does sound like more of a tire issue, even though our tires really don't have any "ribs" in them (stock Kenda's). My RT will "dart" on occasion but I've noticed it was the road surface. I could ride with "no-hands" farther on my Gold Wing's then I can with the Spyder, but I'm sure that has to do more with the contact patch of the machine. I really am not trying to be an A%$, but have you noticed if your rear axle/wheel has been shifting in any direction (possibly loose axle?)? I say this because it would not have to move much to make the machine "jerk". Try looking at your belt and see if it is in the same place on the pulley when you stop or if the clearance against the flange has increased or decreased. P.S. make sure you push the machine fwd a small ways to make sure the belt travel on the pulley is neutralized, for lack of a better word. I find when my belt is adjusted correctly, and if I let it roll backwards, the belt will shift, then when I roll it fwd, it rides where I adjusted it, probably due to the belt's length?? I do hope you can get it worked out because once you get it sorted out, the Spyder is fun to ride and enjoyable. Mac:doorag:

 

[Mad Mac]

Hay Mac,

I used to have a ZX-11 also. I made brackets to lower the foot pegs an inch and bought a bar raising kit. With a double bubble shield all was good for a tour. Had saddle bags, Corbin seat, and a tank bag. Pumped up the motor a bit also. Never should have sold it. Now a have a old , slow V-max for when I feel the need for light speed.( V-boost is a blast)

Lew L

Wasn't that bike a "HOOT"!! (80 mph in 1st gear!) I left mine stock except for a tail bag and tank bag. The tank bag was mainly to lay my chest on as I could take weight off of my wrists. I did have a "kerker" exhaust on it, and yeh, you could hear it coming or going! Man, makes me feel freak'n old trying to remember the "good ole days". Mac:doorag:

 

[Lew L]

Wasn't that bike a "HOOT"!! (80 mph in 1st gear!) I left mine stock except for a tail bag and tank bag. The tank bag was mainly to lay my chest on as I could take weight off of my wrists. I did have a "kerker" exhaust on it, and yeh, you could hear it coming or going! Man, makes me feel freak'n old trying to remember the "good ole days". Mac:doorag:

Yes it was!!! I piped and jetted it with a modified air box and intake defuser. Also added a couple of teeth to the rear sprocket. Really pissed off a bunch of bikes that were supposedly faster. I could probably only hit 75 in first but it would loft the front wheel in second if I wasn't leaning well forward. Yes it was a HOOT!!!!

Lew L

 

[Mad Mac]

Yes it was!!! I piped and jetted it with a modified air box and intake defuser. Also added a couple of teeth to the rear sprocket. Really pissed off a bunch of bikes that were supposedly faster. I could probably only hit 75 in first but it would loft the front wheel in second if I wasn't leaning well forward. Yes it was a HOOT!!!!

Lew L

WE just had to go there, didn't we!!! Yes, I jetted and K&N'd mine, but that was it. Was sure fun to "scream" around on, wasn't it?? I could NOT ride that type of bike again if I had to, But I was glad to have had the opportunity and that chapter of my life. NO regrets! Mac:thumbup:

 

[Easy Rider]

(Although I almost suspect that some of your lane movement has a bit to do with the highway crown...)

I think you are close to something there.
Asphalt tends to "flow" under heat and pressure......in places like Florida especially.
That tends to put a "crown" in the middle of each lane right about where the back wheel runs most of the time.
Or if you ride a bit off center, the back wheel would be on the side of that little hill.
I doubt that can be eliminated totally without adding or subtracting one wheel.

 

[Easy Rider]

even though our tires really don't have any "ribs" in them (stock Kenda's).

I could ride with "no-hands" farther on my Gold Wing's then I can with the Spyder, but I'm sure that has to do more with the contact patch of the machine.

All honest thoughts are appreciated.......except those that imply that it's all in my head and I just need to get over it.

I don't know what you mean by "ribs" but mine certainly do have grooves near the center which are essentially un-broken and on a real motorcycle that can be REALLY bad. Those grooves try to follow ridges in the pavement and sometimes even cracks, no matter what you are doing with the bars.

Once you understand that a motorcycle really is steered by weight shift and leaning (initiated by counter-steer at speed) and the gyroscopic forces from the LARGE wheels and tires, you can better appreciate why "no hands" is pretty easy. NONE of those factors apply with 3 wheels.

 

[Mad Mac]

All honest thoughts are appreciated.......except those that imply that it's all in my head and I just need to get over it.

I don't know what you mean by "ribs" but mine certainly do have grooves near the center which are essentially un-broken and on a real motorcycle that can be REALLY bad. Those grooves try to follow ridges in the pavement and sometimes even cracks, no matter what you are doing with the bars.

Once you understand that a motorcycle really is steered by weight shift and leaning (initiated by counter-steer at speed) and the gyroscopic forces from the LARGE wheels and tires, you can better appreciate why "no hands" is pretty easy. NONE of those factors apply with 3 wheels.

I might have used the rib definition incorrectly, but your description is correct and I do understand the "counter" steering of a two wheeled vehicle I.E. push-pull technique, or I have been doing it wrong for almost 47 years ( let go of the handle bars and wiggle your butt and see how fast you head for the ditch!). I was just trying to provide the OP with some possible places to look for issues. Without riding the OP's machine, it's hard to trouble shoot any type of issues. I still feel it's a "road" problem. Just say'n! Mac:dontknow:

 

[Lew L]

A few of the roads here in Nevada are 2 lane and crowned in the center. When SAFE----I can put the :spyder2: in the center of the road and take my hands off the bars with no drift either way. It tracks straight and true. Yes----- air pressure is the same on both tires ( to a tenth of a PSI) and it has been Squared Away ( Thanks Joe and Anne). Our roads out in the west aren't the greatest but ya have to get off the beaten track to get a bad one.

Also, NO helmet buffeting with a vented windshieldnojoke


Good luck in you quest to fine peace with your :spyder2:.


Lew L

 

[Jeffmal]

I gave the 15RTL 15,000 miles and never made friends with it so re-homed it to someone else and went back to two wheels. We never got comfortable with the ride or the handling. Went through laser alignment,shock adj.,new tires on both ends, RDL seat and played with air pressure up and down the scale. I loved it in town and thought the sissy shift was the greatest thing going but as soon as I was in the twistys is handled like a truck. It's like drinking scotch as it is an acquired taste. I do like scotch but not so much the spyder. YMMV.

I’m gong to install the Baja Ron anti sway bars within a week to see if that settles down some of the twitchiness from wind buffeting, etc..
I’m not so sure it’s going to make a big difference on the f3t. I really don’t do the twisties in south Fl but maybe will hit them some day!