Just received BajaRon's (2nd) prototype anti-sway bar for the RT. Yes, I am the mystery 2nd prototype tester! How did I get this honor?
Well, back in July, I contacted Ron and he was looking for an RT owner to help with the specs, development, and testing of his new bar since he did not own an RT. Since I actually have long experience with these type of bars and on 2 RT's, we agreed to proceed. I am a non-paid tester and doing this all purely for fun !
My experience is based on analyzing, changing out & testing anti-sway bars on Motorhomes, Samurai's, Jeeps, etc over many years, and, 2 Spyder RT's. Plus, I regularly ride some of the toughest roads anywhere a spyder would normally go, and then some!
After many emails, pm's, and Tel calls since July, Ron now has a prototype bar ready for testing. I received the new bar today and immediately started setup, installation, and testing.
Stay tuned for results of early testing Ron's new anti-swaybar for the Spyder RT !
I had previously used an Evolucione Anti-swaybar on a 2010 RT, and on my 2012 RT Ltd. I have been using the oem bar for the last few months since the Evo bar was making very little difference in performance. So, I have changed/installed swaybars on RT's several times in the past. My 2012 RT has Elka Stage 1 shocks, and I have SpyderPops Bumpskid installed.
I learned through experience you can change out the bar on an RT without removing the front end (frunk), and I was able to install the prototype bar the same way. I was also able to do the change without removing the Bumpskid, but I think it might be a little easier to go ahead and remove it. The install took a little over an hour. I can go into detail about the install steps later if anyone is interested.
BajaRon's new Anti-Swaybar is definitely beefier and heavier than either the stock bar or an Evo bar, and comes with very nice adjustable collars for locking it in place to prevent lateral movement of the bar (see pic below). The prototype is black but I still have hopes to see some color on the final production bar.
It's an impressive piece of gear!
After I finished the install and got the RT off the stands, I had planned to start road testing but it was beginning to rain. Later I was able to do a short run just to check things but the streets were wet so I didnt have a chance to do any serious testing.
It was apparent from the start that the suspension had a tighter feel and the RT was riding flatter! Good signs to start with!
Today I plan to do some extensive riding on the twisty N. Ga backroads not far from my house, and tomorrow I will be riding down I75 to see my dealer, Extreme Propulsion, near Atlanta. Details on performance, after these rides...
How should people interested (That don,t have Elka,s ) Read the results?
In general, an RT with oem shocks is likely to show much more dramatic improvement in cornering with a better Anti-Swaybar than an RT with upgraded shocks. This was my experience with a 2010 RT. I will try to expand on this some in the test results.
First round of Road tests of BajaRon's prototype Anti-Swaybar
Today I rode a little over 80 miles testing Ron's new bar on N.Ga, 2-lane backroads. These roads are not as extreme as the Dragon or the Snake but there are plenty of twisty, hilly curves, plus surprise dips, bad pavement, off-banked corners, you name it. I did not do any testing on Interstate Hwys or riding 2-up today.
Right up front, I will tell you this bar performed like an all out Champ in every situation! There were no vague or bad results whatsoever.
Note that my RT is configured as follows:
2012 RT Ltd SE5 with Elka Stage 1 shocks that are set slightly tighter than many riders prefer. I use about 20 psi in the front tires.
The roads I was riding are all rural areas, mostly with 35 to 55 mph limits, but I did manage to get one test at 90+ !
I tried to push the cornering performance in a variety of situations and speeds to see how this bar handles vs the stock bar (and an Evo bar I previously used on this same RT).
I did several test swerves, such as you might be forced to do in an emergency situation. Most of these were done at 35-50 mph but I also did a couple of mild swerves at 80mph. In every case, the feeling of control was noticeably better and leaning was less than with the oem bar. Almost any kind of quick and unexpected maneuver seemed to be much safer. Testing on the Interstate Hwys for lane changes to be done later should look good based on what I saw today.
I concentrated on pushing the RT on the curves and even some poorly banked and off-camber corners. I regularly ride these same roads and today I was able to push the speeds higher in many corners. In fact, I found that the longer I rode, the more confident I felt in pushing the limits and even in the most extreme cases, the RT was much more flat and level in the corners than I had seen before on these same roads.
One of the best tests I did was going down a hill that had an unbanked lefthand curve at the bottom and a surprise dip that has always given me trouble. I rode this section several times today and was able to increase the speed a little every time.
I also found there was noticeable reduction in leaning & handling at lower speeds as Ron mentioned from the earlier tests of this bar. But, I can say emphatically that the harder you push it, the better this bar performs. I expect that a more agressive rider than me could really wring out one of these!
I will try to edit and expand this report as I recall more details and get more test results, but for now, here are some conclusions based on what I have seen so far:
- A reasonably agressive rider will see significant improvement in cornering with this bar on almost any RT. An RT that had oem bar & shocks is likely to see dramatic results. An RT with Elkas will also see significant improvement but moreso in extreme cornering.
- This bar is significantly better than the oem bar, but it is also stiffer than the discontinued Evo bar (which was the same diameter as the oem bar). If you change from either of them to this bar, I think you will quickly agree.
- The thought that hit me several times today was, the performance of the RT with this bar approaches the feeling of riding a GoCart!
Do I have any concerns at all ? None at all with the performance, but I have always felt the oem SwayBar connector links seemed pretty lightweight considering the amount of stress they are subjected to. There were some vague reports in the past of these links developing cracks or failing. Now, with a much larger and stronger bar, I have to wonder if there is even more need for better links. Seems I heard that someone was developing improved aftermarket links and I hope that materializes.
It will be interesting to see how the new 2013 RT suspension feels, but I have trouble believing it could be much better than an RT with this bar coupled with Elka shocks.
As a disclaimer, Let me emphasize, I am not a paid or professional tester and did this evaluation only as a fun project. Some aggressive riders with a lot more miles of Spyder experience could likely do a better test & report, but I am confident they would be just as impressed as I was.
I am not an engineer or in any way associated or employed by any vendor, sponsor or mfg of these products, and in no way vouch for or endorse the design, specs, compatibility, safety, or otherwise of this product, including the color!
Questions regarding this new Anti-Swaybar should be referred to BajaRon!
Edited 10/1/2012 to add:
Today I rode the RT 70 mi on I-75 from Chattanooga to my dealer near Atlanta, wet & raining all the way. This was the first time using the new bar on Interstate Hwys. It was way to risky today to mess around much but during lane changes and encounters with semis & wind buffeting the RT seemed even more rock steady than before. Everyone that has upgraded to Elkas knows just how much more steady and safe the spyder is on Interstates but it seemed to feel even better today. I am getting really attached to this bar!
Jack, thanks very much for your detailed and honest review. The biggest thing you've done is to fill us with anticipation and hunger for the new sway bar. Hopefully Ron is only waiting on a few parts and corrections before he unleashes it on us.
Carl
Last edited by quickster47; 10-01-2012 at 06:49 PM.
2012 White RT Limited and 2013 Yellow ST-S Think 3 .i.
Thanks for the excellent review. I was undecided whether to purchase the Elkas or the sway bar first. For my riding, your review convinced me I need the sway bar first. Guess I'll have to win that.
Roberta
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2012 RT A&C SE-5
Fog lights
Cal-Sci Windshield
Thanks for the excellent review. I was undecided whether to purchase the Elkas or the sway bar first. For my riding, your review convinced me I need the sway bar first. Guess I'll have to win that.
I respectfully disagree. After having two RT's and Elkas on both, the Elkas win out over the crap OEM shocks. They make a huge difference. Once you put on the Elkas, you may well decide that they are enough by themselves. If not, then add a sway bar.
If you can't see it, why all the talk about the color??
Perhaps I should have said "...you can only see a small portion of." I just don't want it to scream out when someone does look in the right direction, and I don't want it to draw the attention of my tech.
-Scotty 2011 Spyder RTS-SM5 (mine) 2000 BMW R1100RTP, motorized tricycle & 23 vintage bikes 2011 RT-622 trailer, Aspen Sentry popup camper, custom motorcycle trailer to pull behind the Spyder
Testing BajaRon's new RT Anti-SwayBar...
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We are all so envious of you! 
Originally Posted by Sarge707
Thanks for a very complete and thorough review! 
Thanks for the Great feedback, now we wait in anticipation ....................
If you can,t even see it why not just give $ to you favorite charity or Food Bank?
