Intermittent front end bounce

[Pennyrick]

I hate to post this because I don't want to have another negative about RT's out there but maybe someone can shed some light on the problem that may help.

I love my new RT Limited but I am experiencing a problem that was not evident on my 2011 RT or with my wife's 2012 Limited.

At about 600 miles I began to notice a slight bounce in the front end around 40-44 mph. It wasn't constant however, just sometimes. When I took it in for the first service they re-aligned the front end as it was (very) slightly out of spec. The bounce was still there.

I returned to the dealer and they balanced both front wheels, test drove it and it was fine. After a few hundred miles the bounce returned but still intermittent.

Today the dealer re-balanced both fronts and the vibration, or bounce is still evident. They are stumped and will be contacting BRP about the problem.

I have written to Carlo and will wait on his and the dealer's response but in the meantime I was wondering if anyone else may have experienced a similar problem.

 

[boborgera]

Out of round tire, :dontknow:

 

[spyryder]

Since you have two Spyders I'd troubleshoot by switching wheels one at a time with your wife's machine.

 

[Pennyrick]

Since you have two Spyders I'd troubleshoot by switching wheels one at a time with your wife's machine.

Out of round tire, :dontknow:

Good thoughts.... but my wife has a sign on her machine that says...."Don't Mess With My Spyder"

The dealer doesn't 'Bubble balance', they have a 'Spin balance' machine and since both wheels and tires spin up with no problems it is apparently unlikely to be the wheel or the tire that is the problem. I'm wondering if there is something in the front end geometry that is out of whack, or a part that is about to fail.

 

[NancysToy]

I agree regarding high speed balancing. If you can find a machine to fit, spin them. Also check the tires for radial and lateral runout. A tire that is not true will do funny things, and the balance will change as it wears. In addition, check the wheels for lateral and radial runout. There have been some bent or poorly machined wheels reported. My best guess from here is that you have one or more bad tires, probably with a heavily lapped belt overlap. These may run true and be able to be balanced when new, but as they wear they develop balance problems. They can also act worse than the other tires when cold. If your wheels are true, I expect you will have an improved machine when it comes time for tire replacement. In the meantime, Ride-On may help.

 

[Pennyrick]

Problem solved

Thanks for all your input.

Also a major thank you to Crystal at BRP who responded to my complaint in Carlo's absence.

Crystal put a BRP tech in touch with Mountain Motorsports (my dealer in Conyers, Ga) and they figured it out. Turns out the folks who responded to my post were on the right track.

The culprit was a tire where one of the belts was not fused properly so sometimes it stayed in place and sometimes it decided to move around. Putting another tire and wheel on each side allowed them to identify the bad tire and once a new one was balanced and installed the Spyder feels solid on the road, just like my old one was.

A shout out also to Darren and Matt at Mountain Motorsports! Thanks guys.

 

[NancysToy]

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: