Try BajaRon's stabilizer before getting new Shocks? Or What?

[SPYDERJERRY1]

I have a 2022 Spyder RT. It really seems weak in the turns at some speed. It really leans too much compared to my other Spyder with Elka shocks. What should I do, try a Baja Ron stabilizer before getting expensive shocks?

[fatboy]

baja first

[Mikey]

It depends what your trying to do, and what you don't like! I can not tell you first hand, but from what everyone's saying about the new style frames they are almost spot on for most riders. I know it made a huge difference on my bike, it had a huge amount of body roll that I hated. So my question to you is what don't you like with your ride?

[BajaRon]

I have a 2022 Spyder RT. It really seems weak in the turns at some speed. It really leans too much compared to my other Spyder with Elka shocks. What should I do, try a Baja Ron stabilizer before getting expensive shocks?

The only advise I will give here is that if you go the BajaRon Sway Bar route. Get the Ultra-Bar if you are mostly riding 2-Up, ride aggressively, or with heavily loaded storage compartments. Otherwise, the Original Sway Bar kit will do just fine for lighter, solo riders. If you need more information on our product, you are welcome to call the shop at 423-609-7588, PM me here or just reply in this thread.

Though BRP continues to make improvements. It is not uncommon for riders to be a bit dissatisfied with handling on the 2020+ models.

Tips for loading the Spyder. If possible, you want to put heavy items in the front trunk, lighter items in the saddle bags, and lightest items in the rear trunk. The lower and more forward you place the weight. The better the Spyder will handle it.

Have a Great Riding Season!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

The only advise I will give here is that if you go the BajaRon Sway Bar route. Get the Ultra-Bar if you are mostly riding 2-Up, ride aggressively, or with heavily loaded storage compartments. Otherwise, the Original Sway Bar kit will do just fine for lighter, solo riders. If you need more information on our product, you are welcome to call the shop at 423-609-7588, PM me here or just reply in this thread.

Though BRP continues to make improvements. It is not uncommon for riders to be a bit dissatisfied with handling on the 2020+ models.

Tips for loading the Spyder. If possible, you want to put heavy items in the front trunk, lighter items in the saddle bags, and lightest items in the rear trunk. The lower and more forward you place the weight. The better the Spyder will handle it.

Have a Great Riding Season!

.... Sway-bar vs. performance shocks .... the Sway -bar will improve the handling / feel of your Spyder ... WITHOUT punishing the Ride ..... many folks who get the shocks/springs changed discover the ride is Harsher, ..... JMHO ... good luck .... Mike

[GFrog]

The only advise I will give here is that if you go the BajaRon Sway Bar route. Get the Ultra-Bar if you are mostly riding 2-Up...

Tips for loading the Spyder. If possible, you want to put heavy items in the front trunk, lighter items in the saddle bags, and lightest items in the rear trunk. The lower and more forward you place the weight. The better the Spyder will handle it.

Have a Great Riding Season!

Thanks Ron for the great tips. I didn't realize that you had an "Ultra-Bar". I'm riding 2.5 -up most of the time and the Ultra Bar will most likely be much better for my 2022 Spyder S2S.

Yes I did write 2.5-up. That is because I have our 20 lbs Miniature-Schnauzer in a special back-pack between my wife and I.

This is when he was a fluffy puppy last fall. I'll get an updated picture in his new back-pack later this spring.

Meeko with his Doggles.jpg

[BajaRon]

Thanks Ron for the great tips. I didn't realize that you had an "Ultra-Bar". I'm riding 2.5 -up most of the time and the Ultra Bar will most likely be much better for my 2022 Spyder S2S.

Yes I did write 2.5-up. That is because I have our 20 lbs Miniature-Schnauzer in a special back-pack between my wife and I.

This is when he was a fluffy puppy last fall. I'll get an updated picture in his new back-pack later this spring.

Meeko with his Doggles.jpg

Are those goggles he's wearing? Cool looking not so little guy! I'll bet he loves riding.

[Peter Aawen]

Are those goggles he's wearing? Cool looking not so little guy! I'll bet he loves riding.

C'mon Ron, he's clearly a DOG! So obviously, they're not goggles, but Doggles!



Ps: Max, my former Assistance Dog (now passed ) who weighed in at about 4 lbs dripping wet, doesn't have his doggles on in my avatar pic (look left ) but he wore them all the time when riding with me and we did many tens of thousand miles together on the Spyder - the Child Bride even came with us occasionally too! I really don't know how you do it with a 20 lb Mini- Schnauzer GFrog, but you can't leave him at home, can you?!

Buster, my new Assistance Dog (just over 12 months old now) who's much bigger than Max at almost 8 lbs is still getting used to his doggles, but because he's so much bigger than Max was, I'm still in the process of upgrading his Spyder Riding gear - he has a studded leather harness already but still needs a bigger tank bag/seat & a bigger helmet; and for some reason, it's bloody hard to find appropriate riding gear for a dog?!

[GFrog]

Are those goggles he's wearing? Cool looking not so little guy! I'll bet he loves riding.

He does love riding. He's very popular when we are riding in the city.

C'mon Ron, he's clearly a DOG! So obviously, they're not goggles, but Doggles!

I really don't know how you do it with a 20 lb Mini- Schnauzer GFrog, but you can't leave him at home, can you?!

Buster, my new Assistance Dog (just over 12 months old now) who's much bigger than Max at almost 8 lbs is still getting used to his doggles, but because he's so much bigger than Max was, I'm still in the process of upgrading his Spyder Riding gear - he has a studded leather harness already but still needs a bigger tank bag/seat & a bigger helmet; and for some reason, it's bloody hard to find appropriate riding gear for a dog?!

When I'm sitting on the Spyder, the bottom of the back-pack rests on the front part of the passenger seat and removes any strain on my shoulders. Fortunately my wife is small so this leave enough room for her and she can keep an eye on the dog.

Like you Peter, we love our fur babies and certainly want them to be with us as much as possible. Most of them do enjoy the open air. Below is an older picture of our previous fur babies enjoying a convertible ride.

I wish I could have made a carrier like yours Peter, but my dog is just too big to be in front of me. I have also been looking for a dog helmet but have not found one I like yet.

Micca & Manny enjoying the open air.jpg

[FrogmanDave]

I am running Ron's regular bar because I didn't want a stiffer ride and because I ride solo almost 100% of the time. You will not believe the difference this anti-sway bar makes.

[Teleman58]

I have a 2022 RTL and only have 275 miles on it. I did not like the way the front end felt on the trip home so I immediately ordered and installed a Baja Ron's kit and it made a big difference in the way the bike handled. It was a bit challenging to get the bike lifted high enough to get the old bar out and the new one in if you are doing this in your garage.

[askitee]

Shocks first, I was ambivalent, but rode one of each and went the shocks. The Stabilizer solved a problem, the shocks solved multiple.

[appkrill]

New to Spyders and the Forum.

I purchased a 2019 Spyder RT limited about 6 weeks ago after 35 years on motorcycles. I didn't like the handling as it was too squirrely, especially when riding aggressive or with a passenger. The BajaRon sway bar and Lamonster links completely changed everything for the better without sacrificing a bit of ride quality comfort. Best $300 I've spent on any bike.

[Heisty]

For Teleman58, Appkrill, and FrogmanDave: could you provide more details about what the actual differences and improvements in handling and ride, etc.

And for askitee: what were the multiple problems solved by different shocks? And which ones?

Thanks!

[Rednaxs60]

For Teleman58, Appkrill, and FrogmanDave: could you provide more details about what the actual differences and improvements in handling and ride, etc.

And for askitee: what were the multiple problems solved by different shocks? And which ones?

Thanks!

Have a 2014 RTL. Stock suspension with the original Baja Ron sway bar when bought. Rear suspension not really an issue unless you find your Spyder bottoming out, then upgrade to a 550/600 lb-in rear spring. There is a thread on this forum regarding this upgrade.

As for the front, it's a combination of shocks and sway bar.

Sway bar comes into play when you are cornering, not the sweepers as such, but turns - such as at an intersection, cloverleafs, and such. Can only make a sway bar for the Spyder a certain size, if it was meant to take everything into consideration, it did it would be huge. Sway bar does not affect road clearance, shocks do. Upgraded shocks with the appropriate shock spring rate for your quality of ride and Spyder performance (will never be a canyon carve like a two wheel) is what you want combined with the upgraded sway bar. It's a two part system, sway bar does "X", upgraded/replacement shocks do "X+Y".

Benefits with front shocks with the appropriate shock spring installed and valved for this shock spring, significantly reduces roll/lean on sweeping turns, turns as mentioned, and cloverleafs, when riding two up, and solo riding. Shocks with a heavier shock spring properly valved provide as good a ride as the OEM shocks.

Snowmobiling industry has been at this for years, snowmobilers are performance addicts. The Spyder configuration is nothing new, see my avatar - late '60s early '70s.

Front shock springs properly sized maintain correct road clearance, loading the front trunk and reducing the road clearance can be compensated by adjusting shock spring preload - once the load is removed you can return to the non-loaded preload setting.

Upgraded front shocks and shock springs will assist in steering control, easier to steer the Spyder. This is because the front of the Spyder is supported by the front shocks, and the front shocks are not being overpowered by the weight of the Spyder - too much front weight for the OEM shocks. OEM shocks give a plush ride on the road, but are less than adequate for anything else that is affected by weight and weight being high.

Preload should not be used to adjust front shock stiffness. This is done with the shock damping adjustments, compression and/or rebound. OEM shocks have no adjustments.

I understand why the sway bar is recommended first, replacement/upgraded shocks are expensive. There are some intermediate fixes form Baja Ron at a more reasonable price than a new set of aftermarket shocks.

The bottom line for me is that I don't like to work hard at riding and compensating for the design of my ride. I want to work less than the machine I am riding.

I have M2 shocks all round. Front shock springs are 300 lb-in (started at 250 lb-in, 250 lb-in is a heavier spring than the OEM shock spring), thinking of going to 350 lb-in shock springs. If you are going to ride mostly 2-up, I'd definitely recommend new front shocks with a spring rate of at least 300 lb-in, probably more in the 350 lb-in range ( I like riding and letting the machine do the work) - lots of choice out there. I do not find the 300 lb-in too stiff.

Just a few thoughts on this issue. Not wanting to "make a silk purse out of a pig's ear", but do want to make my riding experience as pleasurable as possible.

Good luck.

[FrogmanDave]

For Teleman58, Appkrill, and FrogmanDave: could you provide more details about what the actual differences and improvements in handling and ride, etc.

And for askitee: what were the multiple problems solved by different shocks? And which ones?

Thanks!

The bike is more stable while cornering and has much less lean. It will take away some of the 'throw you off' feeling. I also noticed the bike does not lean side to side when getting on and off. That really surprised me. The bike is just more 'planted' all around. I kept putting it off but finally gave in to all the positive reviews and bought one. Buy it. You won't be disappointed.

[CloverHillCrawler]

I just upgraded my shocks to some wilbers and have had the original BajaRon Bar on for a while and love both.

I plan on upgrading to Ron's ultra bar next year once I have some more money saved up for another upgrade to accommodate for my 2up.

If cost is your issue I would do the bar first unless you are bottoming out with your 2 up then I would do the shocks first.

[appkrill]

I found that the bike felt twitchy and would quickly move left and right based on imperfections in the road, wind and got worse with additional speed. Felt almost a bit unstable especially with a passenger. Now the bike feels and is more stable and planted at all speeds. It also leans much less in corners, especially with a passenger. Cornering is better but the ride quality remains excellent. Meaning the suspension itself is no harder or softer.

[Heisty]

Thanks for the clarification, guys! Very helpful info.

[askitee]

.... Sway-bar vs. performance shocks .... the Sway-bar will improve the handling / feel of your Spyder ... WITHOUT punishing the Ride ..... many folks who get the shocks/springs changed discover the ride is Harsher, ..... JMHO ... good luck .... Mike

I fitted Wilburs which were built to my specs. The bike is much more comfortable to ride especially long distances and does everything much much better. I chose a more touring-oriented build than sports.

The Spyder was nervous in rough corners, and when you encountered one of those corners where it dips on the outer wheel line, the Wilburs make the bike less prone to going off track.

I allowed a mate with just the sway bar fitted ride mine, he went home and ordered a set of M2's asap. When I rode his with the BRP OEM shock and sway bar his felt very rigid. Each to their own

[pauly1]

As others have stated, they work together to alter the ride characteristics. The torsion bar (a.k.a. sway bar, anti-sway bar) helps to transfer load from the loaded side to its mate. The outer wheel in a turn to the inner wheel. It will corner flatter. The machine should feel more planted and controlled through corners.

Shocks, more specifically, coil over shocks, control ride stiffness and weight capacity. Too soft a spring for the load and the front end ride height will drop. Spyders are affected by bump steer: the "toe", alignment of the front wheel to the rear wheel, changes with movement of the A-arms. As the ride height drops, wheel geometry changes in the toe-out direction. Toe-out makes the bike steering feel more "twitchy" and darting. Toe-in won't have twitchiness in the steering but will wear out from tires quicker. Wheel alignment will only be right at the ride height of the bike as it was aligned; the bike should be weighted down for alignment.

Ride stiffness, along with spring rate, is affected by the damping characteristics of the shock body. If only one adjustment is on the shock, it will most often affect rebound damping only. The high-end shocks have 2 or more adjustments for independent compression and rebound damping control, and sometimes rate (hitting a bump at low speed or high speed) sensitivity.

Aftermarket shocks can be adjusted to compensate for changes in load, some more easily than others. Their basic function is spring weight (mass/displacement in either Imperial or Metric units). Ride and ride height are further affected by the amount of preload on the spring vs the load on the bike (people and cargo).

Best bang for the buck: upgrade the torsion bar. Unlimited budget and the willingness to work on the suspension settings: get both the torsion bar and performance shock upgrades. And top it all off with a proper wheel alignment for the chassis (weighted) ride height.

[TFoster]

I got the Baja Ron Ultra sway bar for my 2022 Sea to Sky about a month ago. It made a big difference to me on the lean on aggressive cornering. I went back to Baja Ron's this week to add a hitch harness and decided to get new tires. Got the Vreredestein 175/55R15 on front and Altimax 215/60R15 on back. The corning is even better and the tracking going down the road 45+, is amazing. To me, these are both game changers. I also had Baja Ron's add their shock adjuster to the fronts. I haven't felt a need to touch them since Daniel, their main tech,, set them. My opinion, is to get Ultra sway bar and the tires. You won't regret it. Up

[CloverHillCrawler]

.... Sway-bar vs. performance shocks .... the Sway -bar will improve the handling / feel of your Spyder ... WITHOUT punishing the Ride ..... many folks who get the shocks/springs changed discover the ride is Harsher, ..... JMHO ... good luck .... Mike

I have to humbly disagree, When I called EPM performance (they are the us rep for wilbers you will have to deal with) they tune the wilbers to your weight and riding specs of which they will ask you when they receive them from germany.

I spent the extra 300 bucks on the Hydraulic Preload Adjuster and glad that I did. It is set for minimum when I am riding as it is tuned from wilbers.

I just give the handle a crank for a couple of turns when the wife gets on and she is a lot happier compared to the stock shocks that were bottoming out.

It is a very nice ride now and worth every penny to keep your pillion happy. I also noticed this from the stock shocks when I removed them. This is the front left shock bent at top of the shock and once again with the money we spend on these you would think that BRP would use better built parts.

IMG_20230317_194931111_PORTRAIT.jpg

[jnt]

Baja Ron's bar made a huge difference for my RT! I ryde it just as hard as I rode my Beemer.