Spyder Rider question

[RDawson]

Neighbor bought a 2023 Spyder new last year. The dealer has had it more time than he has. It has a bad front end vibration they can’t get out of it (I don’t have much faith in that dealer). Any recommendations here?

[N3FOL]

They probably should look deeper into the repair history of the vehicle.  I am just speculating that it might have been involved in an accident that has never been mentioned.  If you don't ask, the dealer will not volunteer any information.  If there is no other fix, as far as I am concerned, I would like my money back.

[RDawson]

  On 4/14/2025 at 2:43 AM, N3FOL said:

They probably should look deeper into the repair history of the vehicle.  I am just speculating that it might have been involved in an accident that has never been mentioned.  If you don't ask, the dealer will not volunteer any information.  If there is no other fix, as far as I am concerned, I would like my money back.

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He bought it new. Problems from day one. 

[N3FOL]

Look into the Lemon Law applicable to motorcycles.  

[Chaharly]

Silly question. Tire Balance???

[Marcarl]

Front wheel alignment. Had that issue when I bought my 2014. Front wheels need to be aligned with the rear wheel, not the body necessarily.

It's been about 6 years since I did this and it's not on-line anywhere that I know of. Hopefully I remembered all the steps I took. A little understanding though might be needed. Also, this is not how Canam does their alignment, but they did it 3 times and 3 times they failed.

Concrete floor, flat and level.

1) install and set the belt for the rear wheel.

1A) set and fasten the steering gear in perfect center, measure well, set snug.

2) set a target behind the bike about 1' behind the tire to use for marking on, 1x3 works great, pasted to the floor.

3) using a laser mark the rear wheel outsides on the 1x3, not the tire, the wheel.

4) now you can measure to mark the center of the bike on the 1x3.

5) make 2 identical inserts to fit the front wheel hubs so that you can set a laser on them and rotate from floor to rear. Identical, very important!!! I made mine with some brass and a speaker magnet glued to it to hold the laser.

6) shoot the laser to the floor at the tire and make that mark on a piece of masking tape pasted on the floor.

7) roll the bike ahead and measure the distance between the marks, make note.

eight) now shoot the laser to the 1x3 from the front wheel and make that mark

9) both marks should be the same distance from the center mark from the back wheel.

10) check to see how the measurements work out compared to the front measurement.

11) you can now adjust the tie rods so that the front tires have a 5 to 10 degree toe-in. As you drive they will automatically toe-out a bit to come straight as they should.

12) a crowfoot wrench is very handy to get at the inside nuts.

[RDawson]

Thanks Carl, that’s what I think he’s looking for. The dealer is a mega store and deals with mostly atv’s and utv’s from several brands. I checked them out when I was looking for a utv and wasn’t impressed with their people. I went elsewhere because of that. He’s wishing he did too. 

[N3FOL]

  On 4/15/2025 at 2:21 AM, Marcarl said:

Front wheel alignment. Had that issue when I bought my 2014. Front wheels need to be aligned with the rear wheel, not the body necessarily.

It's been about 6 years since I did this and it's not on-line anywhere that I know of. Hopefully I remembered all the steps I took. A little understanding though might be needed. Also, this is not how Canam does their alignment, but they did it 3 times and 3 times they failed.

Concrete floor, flat and level.

1) install and set the belt for the rear wheel.

1A) set and fasten the steering gear in perfect center, measure well, set snug.

2) set a target behind the bike about 1' behind the tire to use for marking on, 1x3 works great, pasted to the floor.

3) using a laser mark the rear wheel outsides on the 1x3, not the tire, the wheel.

4) now you can measure to mark the center of the bike on the 1x3.

5) make 2 identical inserts to fit the front wheel hubs so that you can set a laser on them and rotate from floor to rear. Identical, very important!!! I made mine with some brass and a speaker magnet glued to it to hold the laser.

6) shoot the laser to the floor at the tire and make that mark on a piece of masking tape pasted on the floor.

7) roll the bike ahead and measure the distance between the marks, make note.

eight) now shoot the laser to the 1x3 from the front wheel and make that mark

9) both marks should be the same distance from the center mark from the back wheel.

10) check to see how the measurements work out compared to the front measurement.

11) you can now adjust the tie rods so that the front tires have a 5 to 10 degree toe-in. As you drive they will automatically toe-out a bit to come straight as they should.

12) a crowfoot wrench is very handy to get at the inside nuts.

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It does looks like a lot of work for a bike that may still be under warranty.  I hope the neighbor finds a competent shop that is able to fix his issue.  

[Marcarl]

  On 4/15/2025 at 3:51 PM, N3FOL said:

It does looks like a lot of work for a bike that may still be under warranty.  I hope the neighbor finds a competent shop that is able to fix his issue.  

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i found that it's not necessarily the shop, it's the procedure followed or maybe how close it's followed. Canam does alignment on front wheels using the body center line. This way the wheels are aligned to each other, the fronts to the rear. Yah, it's a bit of work but then it's rewarding.

[N3FOL]

Speaking of CanAm, I was at Don's Kawasaki yesterday and had my SVTC front tire mounted and balanced.  While waiting in their showroom, I got the chance to take a closer look at their new 2025 RedRock model built for street and mainly for offroad use.  It is sharp.  If only I can find the funds to support my desire, this CanAm is a great addition to the fleet.