Is it normal for 2011 RT to have very touchy steering at speed?

[Dmmuir]

Just checking, since we have had this running and on the road for under a week.

At highway speeds, the steering seems very touchy. Is that normal? is there an adjustment to this?

[pegasus1300]

Have you ridden other Spyders? Try relaxing your grip and your arms. The Spyder steering can be "touchy" but mostly needs less input from you so lighten up on the grips. BTW whart was wrong that you have only had it running a week?

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Have you ridden other Spyders? Try relaxing your grip and your arms. The Spyder steering can be "touchy" but mostly needs less input from you so lighten up on the grips. BTW whart was wrong that you have only had it running a week?

.... if this is your First Spyder, it's not an un-common complaint..... I like to use the term " GUIDED ". when I explain how I steer my Spyder. I've driven my 14 RT at well over 100 MPH, with barely touching the handlebars ( NEVER DO THAT ) .....however if you've owned Sp[yders for years then something might be mis-aligned .... good luck .... Mike

[BajaRon]

Just checking, since we have had this running and on the road for under a week.

At highway speeds, the steering seems very touchy. Is that normal? is there an adjustment to this?

I will simply echo what others have said. If you are new to the Sypder, this is a universal complaint. Especially if you are coming off of 2 wheels. The key is to Relax, Relax, Relax. But having said this, there are things which can magnify what you describe as 'Touchy'. Front tire pressures over 20 psi. Out of alignment (check front tire wear for this). But chances are, it's nothing more than the learning curve that takes between 500 - 1,000 miles of riding to overcome.

The more miles you ride in the shortest amount of time will tend to reduce the time it takes to get comfortable. Hang in there and you'll be fine.

[Mikey]

x4

[Pooch]

I found that setting the front tire pressures, when cold, at 18psi solved the problem for me. Otherwise, it felt like a beachball bouncing all over the place.
Also lowered the new rear tire to 25 psi.

[Dmmuir]

I bought this for my wife, who has never ridden. I am used to a 2 wheel bagger so it's totally different. but I have to admit this is a really fun machine to ride.

I also need to reduce tire pressures by a bit.

As to why it's only on the road now, i bought this from an acquaintance with the DPS system out and an overheating problem. I replaced all this and went through the whole bike. Now that it is rideable I need to teach the wife.

Sounds like front tires should be at 18 psi and rear around 25?
I have them all set at around 30..... oops

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I bought this for my wife, who has never ridden. I am used to a 2 wheel bagger so it's totally different. but I have to admit this is a really fun machine to ride.

I also need to reduce tire pressures by a bit.

As to why it's only on the road now, i bought this from an acquaintance with the DPS system out and an overheating problem. I replaced all this and went through the whole bike. Now that it is rideable I need to teach the wife.

Sounds like front tires should be at 18 psi and rear around 25?
I have them all set at around 30..... oops

Hi, as far as PSI goes will be different depending on what BRAND tires you have ... OEM Kenda's front 17 psi +/- one ....rear 28 +/- one. I switched to Auto tires more than a decade ago and love them I use Front 16 psi Rear 18 psi ..... trust me this what works with any auto tires .....PS your wife will have an easier time learning because She never drove a two wheeler .... best advice I got was just drive it like a CAR - foot brake only +++ steer gently ..... and take Her to safe area ( like a parking lot ) and have Her do some quick STOPS ... She needs to know how good the Brakes are ..... keep us posted .... Mike

[K80Shooter]

Sounds like front tires should be at 18 psi and rear around 25?
I have them all set at around 30..... oops

Yep, way too much air in the tires.

Also, what kind/brand of tires are you running? If you are running the Kendas then 18 front and 24-25 rear, if you are running car tires all the way around then it should be 17-18 psi for all three tires.


It looks like Blueknight & I was thinking the same thing at the same time. lol

[Dmmuir]

Hi, as far as PSI goes will be different depending on what BRAND tires you have ... OEM Kenda's front 17 psi +/- one ....rear 28 +/- one. I switched to Auto tires more than a decade ago and love them I use Front 16 psi Rear 18 psi ..... trust me this what works with any auto tires .....PS your wife will have an easier time learning because She never drove a two wheeler .... best advice I got was just drive it like a CAR - foot brake only +++ steer gently ..... and take Her to safe area ( like a parking lot ) and have Her do some quick STOPS ... She needs to know how good the Brakes are ..... keep us posted .... Mike

That is the plan. She has to learn a manual transmission as part of this as well. I do have Kenda's on it, so I will drop that air pressure and see how she rides.

[ARtraveler]

First of all, let me say

The issue you mention is a very common one for those that are new to the Spyder. So much so, that we have even given it a name. Most of the others have already made mention of this.

A lot of us refer to the cause of the problem as the "death grip." The Spyder is VERY responsive to ALL inputs. That can lead to the "twitchiness."

I used to say...pretend that in your hands around the handgrips are EGGS. Do NOT grab so hard that you break the eggs. A gentle push/pull on the bars is all it takes. Most find that the problem quickly goes away as you become more accustomed to the Spyder idiosyncrasies. We used to say there was about a 500 mile learning curve. I guess I am not so smart. It took me about 1500 miles to get comfortable with my first Spyder. I had the first one sold to a customer back in Alaska in 2008.

[Bartender]

I haven't ridden your bike so I will not endeavor to tell you how to ride it. I will say that I moved to a 2019 Spyder RTL after 60 years of riding 2 wheels. I hated it for the same reason you described. Thought the bike was twitchy and couldn't stand it. Installed a Baja Ron Sway bar, had the bike laser aligned and balanced the inflation on the tires to 18 lbs on front and 26 on back(OEM tires) I won't presume to tell you how to ride, how to grip your bars an anything else. I will, however, bet that if you balance the tire inflation as described and get the bike aligned and install a sway bar that you will absolutely love it. I do and wouldn't go back to two wheels for anything. In fact you can see from my sig line that I liked it so much I traded for a 2022 Sea to Sky. I would comment that the difference between 19lbs and 20lbs is unbelievable.

[helton61]

Adjust air pressure and ride it about 1000 miles you will love it.

[Dmmuir]

I made the air pressure adjustment this morning and rode it to work. Major improvement. Now I would call it very responsive, it's a much better ride this way.

I didn't realize how much fun one of these can actually be!

[BajaRon]

I made the air pressure adjustment this morning and rode it to work. Major improvement. Now I would call it very responsive, it's a much better ride this way.

I didn't realize how much fun one of these can actually be!

The Spyder is very tire pressure and alignment sensitive. Tires can also make a big difference. I am glad you are making progress. Hang in there and it will pay off!