Bad Vibration 2024 Can Am Spyder RT Limited - what can I do to improve my ride?

[Bake1987!]

I’ve been riding motorcycles for years and a few years back I did a demo ride at a dealer. It was a 2025 Sea to Sky. Absolutely loved it!
Never having ridden a Spyder otherwise, I decided to by a carryover 2024 RT Limited. I did not realize there was such a difference. I have vibration in the bike itself, the handle bars, & the floorboards. I am a heavier person. I have taken it back to the dealer & they test drove it and it had no vibration. Any ideas what I can do to improve my ride? Would manually changing the rear suspension help?

 

[LisaMal]

Before I would change the suspension, I would take it to another dealer (or an experienced independent Spyder mechanic) and have it checked the same way. Also, ask them to check the tire wear and alignment. It’s an expensive endeavor to change the suspension out and get much higher quality suspension, so I would want to make sure all other possibilities are eliminated and that the dealer did appropriate due diligence in checking things. Just my two cents.

 

[Lew L]

Although my Spyder is 10 years older than yours, I had a similar problem. The Dealer had to change both front wheels! It was done without any complaint from them after a test ryde.

If it's a really bad vibration, your dealer is on drugs...

 

[LisaMal]

Although my Spyder is 10 years older than yours, I had a similar problem. The Dealer had to change both front wheels! It was done without any complaint from them after a test ryde.

If it's a really bad vibration, your dealer is on drugs...

If that’s the problem, with your bike, it should be under warranty. Also potentially check the situation with the swaybar..

 

[Snoking1127]

I’ve been riding motorcycles for years and a few years back I did a demo ride at a dealer. It was a 2025 Sea to Sky. Absolutely loved it!
Never having ridden a Spyder otherwise, I decided to by a carryover 2024 RT Limited. I did not realize there was such a difference. I have vibration in the bike itself, the handle bars, & the floorboards. I am a heavier person. I have taken it back to the dealer & they test drove it and it had no vibration. Any ideas what I can do to improve my ride? Would manually changing the rear suspension help?

Did they check the balancing of the front tires? Are the tires inflated to spec? 2024 would still have been wearing the older Kenda tires I believe. I would guess there is a glob of balance weights on them. Also, the trike could have been sitting for almost 3 years, creating flat spots on the tires. If it was mine, it would have new car tires on it ASAP.

 

[Little Blue]

This sounds out of the norm. I would have the selling Dealer call BRP and get some real help. If BRP has a good day they should be able to Help.

I hope this helps you.

 

[Bake1987!]

Did they check the balancing of the front tires? Are the tires inflated to spec? 2024 would still have been wearing the older Kenda tires I believe. I would guess there is a glob of balance weights on them. Also, the trike could have been sitting for almost 3 years, creating flat spots on the tires. If it was mine, it would have new car tires on it ASAP.

The dealer said they checked the air pressure in all 3 tires and they were good. Never said anything about the balance on them. From what I had read they seem to be the older Kenda tires. What would you suggest I put on for car tires?

This sounds out of the norm. I would have the selling Dealer call BRP and get some real help. If BRP has a good day they should be able to Help.

I hope this helps you.

I will try that Thank you.

 

[Mikey]

If you have anything that resembles a service shop at your dealership, the first thing they've got to do is own up to there being a problem, which they should have realized when they test drove it after they pulled it out of the box and set it up!!!!! The first thing I would guess from what you're saying is that the tires need to be balanced, and if they can't balance them, then they should replace them with tires that they can balance! Getting them to put car tires on is another battle in itself and the chance of that is probably next to none, but if you can, great for you!! Most dealerships have to follow the motherships rules of engagement and run the crapola tires! Good luck and remember you are still under warranty!! Good Luck!

 

[Snoking1127]

The dealer said they checked the air pressure in all 3 tires and they were good. Never said anything about the balance on them. From what I had read they seem to be the older Kenda tires. What would you suggest I put on for car tires?


I will try that Thank you.

I like Vredesteins Quatrac on the front and a General Altimax on the rear. Some report clearance issues with Vredesteins Quatrac 165/60R-15 on the 2020+ Spyder RT's, as they are taller than the 165/55R-15 Kenda's. I run the 1/2" wider PPA wheels with 175/55R-15 Vredestein Quatrac's.

 

[LisaMal]

The dealer said they checked the air pressure in all 3 tires and they were good. Never said anything about the balance on them. From what I had read they seem to be the older Kenda tires. What would you suggest I put on for car tires?


I will try that Thank you.

Do not put on car tires. The ride will be significantly impacted negatively in my experience.

 

[Snoking1127]

Do not put on car tires. The ride will be significantly impacted negatively in my experience.

Tell us more about your experience. Brand of tires, inflation etc. You are one of very few that that such an experience, it would be nice to know more details. If you had followed the inflation specs of the OEM tires the car tires would have not performed well. I run 16-16.5 in the front and 18-19 in the rear and they performed great.

 

[Sagebrush]

I had a bad vibration in my 2024 S2S starting around 9.5k miles which steadily got worse every time I rode the bike. Both stock Kenda front tires were badly cupped even though I was religious about maintaining 20psi in them. It was a little hard to tell that they were cupped while mounted on the bike but once I removed them and got them out from under the fenders the cupping was readily apparent. I replaced them with Continental ContiProContact 155/60R15. I have since put around 2k on the Continentals and they work fine. I don't notice much difference in handling but the ride quality is so much better. I took the wheels to a Discount tire and they replaced the tires for me but were unable to balance them because of the small diameter of the center hub hole in the wheel, it was too small to fit their balance machine. I took them off the bike to the local Can Am dealer and they balanced the wheels and tires.

 

[jjc54]

The first owner of my 2016 RTL had a bad shake in the handlebars and the dealership could not balance the tires to get rid of the shake. They found the OEM Kendas were out of round. They replaced the tires under the BRP warranty. Fixed the problem. This is a known problem with the Kendas!

 

[Snoking1127]

The first owner of my 2016 RTL had a bad shake in the handlebars and the dealership could not balance the tires to get rid of the shake. They found the OEM Kendas were out of round. They replaced the tires under the BRP warranty. Fixed the problem. This is a known problem with the Kendas!

A tire that took this much to maybe balance is not a good tire.

 

[LisaMal]

Tell us more about your experience. Brand of tires, inflation etc. You are one of very few that that such an experience, it would be nice to know more details. If you had followed the inflation specs of the OEM tires the car tires would have not performed well. I run 16-16.5 in the front and 18-19 in the rear and they performed great.

I haven't done it as I know a little about tire construction. The Spyder's tires are meant for the Spyder and its 3-wheel configuration. The design accounts for wear and tear on these tires. The wear and longevity of a car tire on a 3-wheeled vehicle will differ because of geometry and physics. I suspect it would be unpredictable, since the manufacturer hasn't tested the tires for this use. I wouldn't try it, and I don't think this solution is the best one to try. I've been riding motorcycles for over 50 years and was a dealer for about 6. Just my $0.02.

 

[Snoking1127]

I haven't done it as I know a little about tire construction. The Spyder's tires are meant for the Spyder and its 3-wheel configuration. The design accounts for wear and tear on these tires. The wear and longevity of a car tire on a 3-wheeled vehicle will differ because of geometry and physics. I suspect it would be unpredictable, since the manufacturer hasn't tested the tires for this use. I wouldn't try it, and I don't think this solution is the best one to try. I've been riding motorcycles for over 50 years and was a dealer for about 6. Just my $0.02.

Kenda Koolaid! I have been running car tires for almost 6 years on three different 2018 RTL and 10'sK miles and will never go back to the cheap Kenda tires. Weights off one rim with a Kenda tire.

 

[LisaMal]

Kenda Koolaid! I have been running car tires for almost 6 years on three different 2018 RTL and 10'sK miles and will never go back to the cheap Kenda tires. Weights off one rim with a Kenda tire.

I wouldn't call it the Kool-Aid, and I'm not beholden to Kenda. Do you ride mostly straightaways or curvy, mountainous roads? That will impact your performance and longevity. I ride very spiritedly and would never tolerate a car tire on my motorcycles or my Spyders.

 

[jdgretz]

I wouldn't call it the Kool-Aid, and I'm not beholden to Kenda. Do you ride mostly straightaways or curvy, mountainous roads? That will impact your performance and longevity. I ride very spiritedly and would never tolerate a car tire on my motorcycles or my Spyders.

Lisa - you should really try it on the Spyder. I started riding two-wheeled motorcycles around 1964 and finally had to give up my heavy long distance favorite (2008 GL1800) due to some medical issues (thankfully now mostly resolved - but I'm still 78, so there is that to consider) and purchased a 2024 RT-Limited. At around 3K miles, I removed the stock tires and front wheels and replaced them with Continental ContiPro Contact and a General AltiMax before the start of an 8800+ mile trip from California to Florida, to Maine and back. The replacement tires have been nothing but exceptional in all weather (I didn't encounter snow or ice, but lots of rain) and with almost 10,000 miles on them show little if any discernible wear. Handling has improved a bit. It's hard to say how much over stock as I've also added the BajaRon Ultimate Sway Bar which really improved handling, especially when playing in the mountains. It's a tad more stable with the new tires when pushing hard through the twisties and sweeping curves. Hard to tell any difference on flat, straight roads (as would be expected).

I've never been a dark sider fan on motorcycles as many IBA riders are. I prefer real motorcycle tires on my two-wheeled bikes. But the Spyder is a completely different animal.

Of course, you do you, but having ridden on both kinds of tires, I'll take "car tires" over the OEM stuff all day long.

jdg

 

[Mikey]

I haven't done it as I know a little about tire construction. The Spyder's tires are meant for the Spyder and its 3-wheel configuration. The design accounts for wear and tear on these tires. The wear and longevity of a car tire on a 3-wheeled vehicle will differ because of geometry and physics. I suspect it would be unpredictable, since the manufacturer hasn't tested the tires for this use. I wouldn't try it, and I don't think this solution is the best one to try. I've been riding motorcycles for over 50 years and was a dealer for about 6. Just my $0.02.

Don't take this the wrong way, but I think you're over thinking this a bit, and if you were to try them you may like them! They will outlast the stock tire, and wear better than the stock tires, give you a better ride than the stock tires, and handle just as good if not better! But at the end of the day you do what you want to, that's what makes the world go around, and helps you sleep at night. There are thousands of people on here that are using them and love them!! I got to ask, have you put a aftermarket sway bar on yet or a set of shocks? You know BRP worked on that also just like there tires! You ride your ride!