Handling: 900 ACE versus Rally

I have a sport/touring background but am too old to do that safely anymore, hence the Ryker. Does anybody have experience with both the 900 ACE and the Rally? Specifically, does the upgraded suspension on the Rally translate into better handling or perhaps a more comfortable ride? Do the rally tires detract from the handling on pavement? Is the standard Rally seat as comfortable as the optional Driver's Comfort Seat? Is the optional Sway Bar worth installing in terms of improved cornering ability? Lots of questions I know but I want to make the best choice.

:welcome: :congrats: on that first post.

Others will come on with some answers to your questions. There are a few out there, but don't know of anyone with both flavors of the 900. :popcorn:

Hi tthursto,
I test rode a standard Ace and bought a Rally. I find that the Rally has more comfortable seating, ride, steering (not so twitchy), and handling and I'm very happy with it. I bought the anti-swaybar but do not have it on yet. I haven't been able to tell about tires but I have felt them slip a bit on paved corners. It's fun no matter what you get. Good luck! Be safe.😎✌
the CENTAUR

I have ridden them both and bought the Rally. Between the more adjustable rear shock, rear max mount, hand guards and RALLY mode it made sense for me to spend the extra bucks. i do like the regular Ryker rear fender better, and the wheels as well, but I love the ability to ride on the area fire roads without too much fear of a flat. Performance wise, I am immature enough to really dig Rally mode. Did I mention how much I like Rally mode? Lol.

You can replace the rear Rally fender with the full regular one. That is what I did after riding it for a short time and realized how much dirt and gravel was dropped on the swingarm and thrown into the shock area. It only cost about $70 or so and not too hard to do.

Am I the only one that thinks the half fender looks great? I love the way that fender shows off a portion of that aggressive tread. That was one of the first things that drew me to the Rally! I ride about 80% on dirt roads and yes the swing arm is always covered in dirt but a little squirt of water cleans it up.

Really liked the look of the half fender. Guess I am just a little too picky about the dirt.

Half fender does look great! With that tire, even sexier.

However, can you imagine what that plastic is going to look like with mud and rocks and other debris being thrown at it at high speed for a couple years? What will that pretty spring look like? Not factory shiny clean I'm guessing.

Gskinner: Where did you get the part? Just a factory rear fender? Any more details? install? pictures? Thanks for the info

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Originally Posted by tthursto

... Do the rally tires detract from the handling on pavement? Is the standard Rally seat as comfortable as the optional Driver's Comfort Seat? Is the optional Sway Bar worth installing in terms of improved cornering ability? ...

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I own the Rally and I chose it because of the adjustable suspension and included MAX mount. The tire choices for the 16" front are limited right now, but the 15" rear is a common size that should be easy enough to swap to a different brand. I have noticed that the OEM Kenda tires tend to squirm quite a bit through corners and the rear tire is definitely lacking in traction, probably due to the all-season tread pattern. The rain/wet performance of the rear tire definitely leaves much to be desired in terms of traction... mine will spin up at nearly any speed (including 45+ mph on wet pavement)... the TC kicks in to keep things under control, but the traction is definitely limited.

As for the sway bar, I can definitely recommend that item. The original bar allows too much body roll/lean and the traction nanny engages too early even in normal riding (not abusing it or riding hard). After installing the upgraded sway bar, the nanny is less intrusive and the bike stays flatter through corners. The secondary benefit of the upgraded bar is that the impact of single-wheel events (e.g. rumble strips, potholes, etc) are lessened and tend to upset the front end less than before the bar upgrade. I understand that BajaRon is developing a custom bar (and possibly adjustable end-links) that would also work for the Ryker.

Lastly, on the BRP comfort seat... I didn't want to spend $300 for that little jewel, so I went a different route instead. I already own an Airhawk Cruiser-R Large seat pad ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013RGDGQ8 , $102.00), so I transplanted it onto the Ryker... it fits PERFECTLY! For me, that is a better (and cheaper) option because I already own it, it's adjustable, and I can move it from bike to bike as needed. The medium version may fit a little better (within the rear curve of the seat), but I already had this one and it works well for me. I just completed a 450-ish mile trip from Houston-Austin-Houston last weekend, and it worked a treat!



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QM

Quote:

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Originally Posted by poli

Am I the only one that thinks the half fender looks great? I love the way that fender shows off a portion of that aggressive tread. That was one of the first things that drew me to the Rally! I ride about 80% on dirt roads and yes the swing arm is always covered in dirt but a little squirt of water cleans it up.

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I commute on the Ryker for work sometimes, and I've noticed that I get DBS (dirty butt syndrome) from the water kicking up through the rear splash tray behind the seat. If I'm wearing rain gear, then it's no problem; however, I get spin-off even over minor wet surfaces (e.g. water runoff from lawn sprinklers), so it can be a nuisance if I'm wearing work/street clothes. On a motorcycle, you usually only need to be concerned about your boots, shins, and knees getting the splash/spin-off from the front tire. The Rally's rear tire spin-off is really excessive when riding in the rain or muddy surfaces (see pics below).



I'll probably do the full fender conversion on my Ryker to get rid of that annoyance. YMMV.

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QM

Quote:

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Originally Posted by QuasiMotard

I commute on the Ryker for work sometimes, and I've noticed that I get DBS (dirty butt syndrome) from the water kicking up through the rear splash tray behind the seat. If I'm wearing rain gear, then it's no problem; however, I get spin-off even over minor wet surfaces (e.g. water runoff from lawn sprinklers), so it can be a nuisance if I'm wearing work/street clothes. On a motorcycle, you usually only need to be concerned about your boots, shins, and knees getting the splash/spin-off from the front tire. The Rally's rear tire spin-off is really excessive when riding in the rain or muddy surfaces (see pics below).



I'll probably do the full fender conversion on my Ryker to get rid of that annoyance. YMMV.

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QM

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I'm considering the full fender also because when you have any runoff on the road the swingarm is a mess! This may Not happen on dry roads? The Rally seat won't do it for me and I sold my airhawk a few years ago So it may be time for a New Airhawk R. My stock F3 seat feels like Heaven compared to the Rally seat. I hope ultimate comes out with a Seat.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by poli

Am I the only one that thinks the half fender looks great? I love the way that fender shows off a portion of that aggressive tread. That was one of the first things that drew me to the Rally! I ride about 80% on dirt roads and yes the swing arm is always covered in dirt but a little squirt of water cleans it up.

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I'm with you on the Rally fender. I don't personally spend a lot of time washing bikes; I always thought it was bad luck. Anyway I think you have the best Rally avatar I have seen yet.

sounds intresting for me - I love the wheels !! so I took the 900 and the FOX for the back (dealer changed the tire FOC to the TOYO) + the mount-max and the side case (plan to use it also 2up) - after my first test I now ordered the sway-bar hope that helps against the "nervois" hoppeling front ...

I make a very flat GEL seat over the complete maxmount and a topcase with backrest behind it - my Girl prefers to sit very low behind me to be protected from the wind (since 35 years) we had many bikes and the last years a GS and an RT .. I also want to come up with my seat 2-3 Inch (she is 2 inch shorter than I)

but I love also the short Fender of the Rally - my plan was to cut mine in around the same way - but with much more protection for my shock .. if you look at this BRP picture you see that they have different solutions for that, I don`t know if that would make it better ??

Just the factory full fender I ordered from my dealer. Not really hard to install. Need to remove rear wheel, tail lights and other items to move over to the new fender. There are 2 rivets in the front of the fender that attach it to the swing arm that need to be drilled out and replaced when you install the new fender.

I drove both the 900 and Rally. I think they both handled well and didn’t notice much off a difference between the two. I decided to go with the Rally because of the adjustable shocks and accented silver pieces. By the time I added the same accessories that are on the Rally to the 900 it was going to be just under $500 less not including the shocks, plus I personally like the Rally wheels better.