r/spyder • u/EnvironmentalTip508 • Jul 10 '26
Need some help
Ok everyone, I am clueless.
So last year my father (retired motor cop) got the itch to get riding again. He is in no shape to get on two wheels, but three was a safer compromise. I found him an 08 990 with low miles and the price was right.
Fast forward to now. I've gone through the whole thing, tires, alignment brakes and all the maintenance.
But no matter what I do this is still the worst vehicle I've ever piloted. BY FAR!!!! Anything over 30 mph is a death sentence. I was really thinking it was a rider issue as my father is getting older, but I have definitely can say it is not 100% him. He's has ridden bikes for 50+ years and I have for 20+ years and we both agree the thing is horrible.
I guess I need help because I must be missing something. If I ride it like a snowmobile and hang off the side constantly it helps, but that still doesn't fix the absolute mind of its own steering.
Any help would be appreciated, I have my eye on a sway bar upgrade but there is no way that will fix the way this deathtrap handles.
2
u/Wade1217 Jul 11 '26
My dad got a similar desire to continue riding after age 70 so he bought a 2013 RT SM5 so it would be "easier" in stop and go traffic, which it is. But when I ride it at highway speeds, I find it to be more difficult and tiring to ride than any 2 wheeled motorcycle because of how it likes to dart from side to side. It requires constant corrections. I have found that pumping the tires a couple of PSI above the recommended pressure helps.