[rodneyj123]

Hi people,

I've been riding motorcycles and driving cars for over 45 years. Recently I've gotten sick and lost a lot of leg strength so I don't trust myself at stop lights with my 800 lb Harley but I still want to ride out in the open air so I just traded the Harley in on a 2011 Spyder RT A&C yesterday.

For over 45 years I've been hot roding cars and bikes, I know how to make horsepower and how to make cars and bikes handle. I have always driven vehicles that handle very well and go pretty fast.

Now I own a Spyder and I find the stability and handling to be atrocious. It wallows and wobbles all over the place. I know that some of this is due to soft springs and a soft sway bar (for a nice, soft and comfortable ride) and the very low air pressure in the front (only 15 psi) and the rear (only 25 psi). My 2004 Z06 Corvette, which has Nitto road racing tires on it runs a pretty low air pressure but it's 28 psi (the stock tires ran best at 32 psi) Most of my recent motorcycles ran around 40 psi (except my Harley, which was never tweaked for performance handling, only HP was added).

I know that stiffer front shocks and springs and a stiffer rear shock and spring will help. I also know that changing the tires will help. Possibly I would need new rims also. So I'm hoping that some of you have hi performance Can-Ams or are road racing Can-Ams and can give me some information on where to buy springs and shocks and tires and wheels. Oh, also sway bars.

I know that the RT is a touring trike with lots of luggage capacity and soft spings for comfort but that shouldn't stand in the way of making it handle great. There's plenty of acceleration for just street driving, it just needs a boost in handling.


Thanks

Rod

 

[Bob Denman]

Hi Rodney!
How many miles have you logged on your RT so far? It does take a bit of adaptation and adjustment... Try loosening your grip on the bars; a lot of newer ryders get nervous and put a death-grip on them... The Spyder will track straight and true on its own if you let it...
Shocks and tire pressures...
I bumped my preload up on the front shocks by one notch... take the weight off of the front end while doing this!
Tire pressures are always a personal issue; I keep mine at 18psi up front and 30psi out back!
I hope that this helps!

Oh! Welcome aboard!!

 

[Spidergirl]

Well I know really nothing about this but from I have read here ppl are bumping up the tires to 18 in the from and 30 in the back. Also yes do not death grip the bike
lean over in the curves in the direction your going just a slight more than you would with your harley. The bike will track in the direction keep your head up and look also in the direction and not so much at the curve if that makes sense.

I have the Rss 2011 MODEL and i love it so much. I am a new rider and not driven a bike before so I have nothing to really compare it too. It coming along better every day that I ride it. I have ony had it for 11 days now.

 

[Y Rider]

I have a 2011 RT LTD. I also found the stock setup for the shocks to be unacceptable for me. Way too much body roll and really crappy in cross winds. I ended up setting my front shock pre-load to position 5 and putting 18 lbs of air in the front tires and 28 in the back. This helped a lot. But still not perfect. Much better in turns but still not the best in cross winds.

After doing much research I ended up ordering a set of Elka stage 1 shocks for the front. I have heard nothing but great things on these shocks. Should get them next week.

One more thing. I had been riding HD motorcycles for many years. When first riding the Spyder I thought there was something wrong with the steering. After about 200 miles or so of riding I finally got the hang of it and feel very confident in turns and at highway speeds. My Spyder is the best open air ride I have ever owned.

 

[rodneyj123]

Thanks Bob and Spydergirl and Y Rider for the air pressures to try. I'll set mine to 18 front and 30 rear and go for a ride tomorrow. I'll also set the preload to the max, since I weigh a lot.

I only had about 70 miles on the trike when I wrote my post. I went for a ride this morning and put another 40 on it. The Spyder wasn't that bad on the 55 mph windy road that I was on but it still tussles me around a bit when I on the straights. It takes more muscle to keep me centered on the trike than it does on either a bike or car.

The only thing that I found bad about the steering is that when riding straight I can move the handlebars forward and backward about 1/2" without moving the front tires. That would be scary on a bike and, for me, unacceptable in my car.

Y Rider, where did you buy your Elka stage 1 shocks? And I would be interested in you opinion of them after you've installed them.

Although it might sound like I don't like the trike, I do. I think the Spyder RT will give me much enjoyment over the years. And it looks pretty cool too.

Rod

 

[50fathomsdown]

rodney! On those tire pressures Im not a heavy weight and found 20 front near perfect for me with 30 back. The steering gets tighter at the reccomended 15 thats in the book. It takes a little work to turn with 15. Experiment with pressures thats right for you. Riding alone at 140lbs my pressures are comfortable and they change very little when my bundle of love rides with me, Yes like they say,, Relax the grip

 

[Gruemeyer]

Hi people,

I've been riding motorcycles and driving cars for over 45 years. Recently I've gotten sick and lost a lot of leg strength so I don't trust myself at stop lights with my 800 lb Harley but I still want to ride out in the open air so I just traded the Harley in on a 2011 Spyder RT A&C yesterday.

For over 45 years I've been hot roding cars and bikes, I know how to make horsepower and how to make cars and bikes handle. I have always driven vehicles that handle very well and go pretty fast.

Now I own a Spyder and I find the stability and handling to be atrocious. It wallows and wobbles all over the place. I know that some of this is due to soft springs and a soft sway bar (for a nice, soft and comfortable ride) and the very low air pressure in the front (only 15 psi) and the rear (only 25 psi). My 2004 Z06 Corvette, which has Nitto road racing tires on it runs a pretty low air pressure but it's 28 psi (the stock tires ran best at 32 psi) Most of my recent motorcycles ran around 40 psi (except my Harley, which was never tweaked for performance handling, only HP was added).

I know that stiffer front shocks and springs and a stiffer rear shock and spring will help. I also know that changing the tires will help. Possibly I would need new rims also. So I'm hoping that some of you have hi performance Can-Ams or are road racing Can-Ams and can give me some information on where to buy springs and shocks and tires and wheels. Oh, also sway bars.

I know that the RT is a touring trike with lots of luggage capacity and soft spings for comfort but that shouldn't stand in the way of making it handle great. There's plenty of acceleration for just street driving, it just needs a boost in handling.


Thanks

Rod

Hi.. I had the same felling when I first rode my new RS.. I was beginning to think that I made a big mistake.. Now after 900 miles I knokw I made the right decision.. Put a few hundred miles on the RT as the Spyder is a completely different ride than two wheells.. I love mine so much that I am now saving for the difference between my new 2010 and a new RT..

Give it a little time-- play with your tire presure and stiffen up your front springs.

Mike

 

[rodneyj123]

I went back to the Can-Am dealer and sat on 2 RS's and when I moved the handlebars 1/16" the front wheels moved. On my RT I can move the handlebars 1/2" and the front wheels don't move. The service department was closed today and I'm busy all week but buy next week I will the trike back and talk to the service guys and try to get them to tighten up the steering. That should solve my problem. I hope.


Ride safe,

Rod

 

[Bob Denman]

Please let us know what they find! Good luck!