Sway Bar

[Ham88]

Installed a Baja Ron sway bar on my 2016 RTS and went for first ride today. Anybody thinking of doing this mod should go for it. I dont understand how some people say it doesn't make a big difference, for me it was like night and day. It makes the bike feel a lot safer and a lot more fun to ride.

[woodyaa]

I agree, I had mine installed on my 2015 RTS last year at Spyderfest. Was riding aggressively in the Ozarks before and after. Huge difference, one of the best investments that I have ever purchased for my Spyder.


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[danasgirl]

Forgive me, I'm a newby to owning, and riding, a Spyder. But my first reaction to riding was that it felt.....wobbly, unstable, like a cheap kids toy ride... Does this address that issue? I have had my Spyder since the end of June and just got back from a 2500 mile trip, still the wobbly bothers me, makes me nervous, though I think I am getting used to it. I have assumed it is the nature of the vehicle, and yet another difference, in riding a Spyder, than a bike. There's certainly a learning curve!

Installed a Baja Ron sway bar on my 2016 RTS and went for first ride today. Anybody thinking of doing this mod should go for it. I dont understand how some people say it doesn't make a big difference, for me it was like night and day. It makes the bike feel a lot safer and a lot more fun to ride.

[Peter Aawen]

There certainly IS a learning curve to ryding these things Danasgirl, for some, it can be as much as a few thousand miles; but it IS NOT the nature if the thing, & if you are still feeling nervous & wobbly after this amount of time/miles, either there is something wrong with your Spyder or you are doing something wrong!! For most ryding Spyders getting used to ryding one for the first time, they fairly quickly work out that these things are actually more stable & less nervous than a 2wheeler, especially at low speeds, & while they can take a few thousand miles to really get comfortable with because they are distinctly 'different' to riding a 2wheeler, they should not feel 'wobbly' at all!!

So check out the 'Do's & do-not's' thread/sticky here: http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...-Spyder-owners & try to follow the guidelines in there; but most importantly, try these few & see if it makes a difference to how you feel - relax your grip on the bars; settle your bum into the seat some more if you can & keep your back straight; loosen your shoulders & gently 'guide' the bars rather than forcing them as you steer; relax & drop your elbows & wrists; don't stick your elbows out like you see many 2Wheel riders do when they start to turn, but rather pull on your inside bar & tuck that elbow in close to your body as it comes back so that you hafta lean your upper body into the turn, bringing your face closer to 'in line with the inside mirror' more the faster/harder you are working it, & pushing hard on your outside foot at the same time....

If you are already doing all those things & it's still feeling nervous & wobbly, maybe check your tire pressures - especially making sure that your front tires are equal or at least very close to the same pressures & that they are not massively high! Regardless of what type of tire you are running up front, any pressure much more than about mid-20's up there is likely to contribute to a twitchy feel, most will want their pressures to be in the 16-20 psi range; while your rear tire pressure is going to be pretty dependant upon what sort & size of tire you are running - the OE Kenda crap will need about 28-32 psi to carry the Spyder, while quality car type tires might only need 18-22 psi to carry the same load & provide far better ride, handling, & traction while they do - but I digress, the type of tire discussion can wait for now, just make sure your tire pressures are in those ranges & very close to equal up front!!

And then, if it's still feeling wobbly & nervous, it's definitely time to consider that your Spyder needs some attention!! If it hasn't been properly aligned since the Dealer, there's a good chance it needs some alignment attention, talk to someone like Ann & Joe at Squared Away about getting a good wheel alignment; done properly, the laser based techniques are generally better'n than the 'align to the frame' thing dealers used to do (& I'm sure some still do!!) So get your alignment & front suspension checked to make sure nothing's loose or worn & that it's all pointing in the right direction!! Then it's time to catch up with BajaRon & talk about fitting one if his (anti) Sway Bars, especially if you want to ride it a bit more spiritedly!! It DOES make a big difference to flatter, less 'lurchy' or twitchy cornering, & straight line stability too!!

Doing all those things WILL make a biiiiig difference to how comfortable your Spyder Ryding & steering can be, especially if you are practicing the techniques outlined above & in the Do's & Do-not's thread!! But you'll never know how good your Spyder can be until you start to do all this, practicing the techniques & getting the w/a done, fitting the sway bar, etc; so stop mucking around, JUST DO IT! And then get on with enjoying your Spyder instead of feeling uncomfortable & nervous on it!

[cptjam]

I sent you a message.

[Peteoz]

Peter has pretty well covered it, Danasgirl. I just installed the Bajaron sway bar, and noticed a big improvement in general stability for me. The original setup required constant correction in corners (partly due to my poor style) to avoid going bush. That has now gone. The other noticeable difference for me was on the shoulders of narrow potholed roads. My Spyder had a tendency to want to wander off when I pulled well over to allow for passing traffic. That also has been greatly reduced. The other name for the sway bar is a stabiliser bar, and that is exactly what if did for me, and for a very reasonable price.

[kngfsh27]

I rode a year with the stock sway bar before I did a change out. I can say that the difference is night and day. I literally drove the tires off my Spyder. BajaRon's sway bar makes a ton of difference to the good. Change out the sway bar and you will love it. I don't care if my tires only last 15k miles, the ride is a blast.

[SuperDave_GPS]

Has anyone installed one of these sway bars themselves?
I would have no issues with doing it myself, aside from trying to figure how to raise the front of the Spyder off the ground to gain access to the suspension.
Any pros/cons about doing it yourself, should I decide to go for the sway bar and install myself?

[Buckeye Bleau]

There are too many posts about the sway bar and many install it themselves. I memory serves me correctly the challeng is elevating the Byke high enough for extraction and insertion. Contact SpyderPops for the instruction.

Joe

[Shifter]

The one I'm ryding has a swaybar fitted.
Also I've cranked up the preload on the front shocks to maximum and it's now pulling g's through bends.

[OverHillAndDale]

I dont understand how some people say it doesn't make a big difference, for me it was like night and day. It makes the bike feel a lot safer and a lot more fun to ride.

I'm one of the few (or perhaps the singular?) voices that hasn't been enthralled with adding Baja's sway bar. However, I'm also among the few that didn't notice a difference in my Kawasaki's throttle when I made a mod everyone else was thrilled about. I didn't even notice a huge change when my defective heart valve was replaced with one that some poor cow gave up on my behalf! (No, I didn't install that farkle myself)

If I were reading the forum and considering this mod, I would assume that there is always one bad apple, one sour customer, one jerk who just won't go with the flow.

[Bam Bam and Pebbles]

I'm one of the few (or perhaps the singular?) voices that hasn't been enthralled with adding Baja's sway bar. However, I'm also among the few that didn't notice a difference in my Kawasaki's throttle when I made a mod everyone else was thrilled about. I didn't even notice a huge change when my defective heart valve was replaced with one that some poor cow gave up on my behalf! (No, I didn't install that farkle myself)

If I were reading the forum and considering this mod, I would assume that there is always one bad apple, one sour customer, one jerk who just won't go with the flow.

You aint alone. I haven't installed one yet. If I did, I might say the same as most members but I have found that I can pound the twisties pretty hard just using good cornering technique. I might install one at some point, but Pebbles has been out of work because of a bad back and extra money is hard to find right now.

[Brian Kay]

I definitely noticed the twitchy behavior lessened with the Baja Ron sway bar installed. And that was very evident on the interstate next to other vehicles, passing by...as the stronger bar should help with such a thing. The other improvement I made was to add the Elka shocks to the front. That combination really made my front end strong and stable on any road and curve. The only item remaining for me is to have the laser alignment done, to complete the trifecta and be the best.

I definitely made sure the tires were inflated equally, and around 20 psi for the oem kendas. And purposely found a newly paved road to really feel everything going on with the Spyder. I wanted to make sure my ride felt smooth, crisp, and twitch-free. I installed everything myself so the $$$ spent on the bar seemed well worth the results. I think you'll like what you get out of this farkle.

[Lew L]

Hey girl,

There are lots of things to check. As stated above----- equal and correct tire pressure , the first and easiest. My Spyder was delivered to me with unequal and low front tire pressures.
Alignment---- many 's come from the factory/dealer out of alignment. It's money well spent.
Anti-sway bar------- It REALLY helps, if the above have been handeled.

and good luck. There are many,many great handeling 's here.

Wobbly,unstable 's cause:::::::

Kaos