I would like to take this opportunity to go through some facts about our sway bars (more accurately, Anti-Sway Bars). Because there is some misinformation out there that I may be able to dispel. Nothing malicious or agenda driven. Just bad information or
'Facts' that are not true or misunderstood.
If you want to go right to my addressing the OP's issue, drop down to my
'Answer' segment below.
We have been making the BajaRon sway bar since 2010. Thousands have been installed and there have been several improvements made over that time. Most of them in the End Link or Heim Joint Link component. There is much more to that little gizmo than meets the eye. The original (2008-2012) bar kits come with high quality silicone bushings. These have never been changed and are not the subject of discussion here.
BRP has strengthened and improved their sway bar over time - BRP re-engineered the frame and suspension for all Spyders in 2013. They then incorporated these changes into the F3 when it came out in 2015. These changes included a total redesign of the sway bar and components (except for the composite plastic end links) which BRP has retained to this day. Though the design change brought handling and ride improvements. The sway bar effect remained comparable to the previous design. Same cookie, different wrapper.
Though there are rumors that BRP strengthened the sway bar in 2020, (we had a Can-Am salesman in the shop just this week who said this), the sway bar in 2024 Spyders is the same bar that came in the 2013's. Part numbers have changed, which does lend some plausibility to the statement. But there are 2 reasons for part # changes. 1- A change to the part itself. 2- A change in who supplies that part (even if the part itself has identical specifications). Since we have takeoff bars from 2013, we are able to test them against the current sway bars. There is no functional difference. They have equal deflection with the same applied pressure.
There is no functional difference between the Bajaron Original (1-Piece) sway bar and the newer Ultra- (3-piece) sway bar. The Ultra-Bar is just a fancy version of the original. This misinformation may be due to the fact that the steel and bar diameter is the same for both bar kits. The tendency is to stop there. But many are unaware that there is much more to a Sway Bar than diameter. It is important to say that the Spyder NEEDS to lean. Just not nearly as much as it does in the stock configuration.
This is also a good time to talk about the falsehood that
'You should get the stiffest sway bar you can'. Believe me, I can easily make a
MUCH stronger sway bar, no problem. But you don't want it. I've said this before, but I consider the sway bar a 'Goldilocks' product. Too stiff can not only give you a bad ride, it can be dangerous. It is much better to err on the weak side with this suspension component. Which BRP has certainly done.
The BajaRon original bar, while much better than the OEM bar, has always been lacking for 2-up riders, heavy single riders, and other scenarios which place more than a medium centrifugal stress on the sway bar. Yes, I can build a stiffer sway bar. But if a light, single rider with no additional loading were to end up with that Spyder, though it might handle superbly in ideal conditions. It could well be dangerous in the rain or other, less than ideal, traction conditions. So, I decided to build a more EFFICIENT sway bar. Not a stiffer one. This way, either bar is safe for every situation and rider. Yes, you give up some ultimate performance in ideal conditions. Which you would not want to do on a race track. But we ride in the real world and race proven upgrades are not always the best way to go off the track.
A light to medium weight rider (to around 180 to 200 lbs.) with an Ultra-Bar kit installed will not see much, if any, improvement over the Original Bar. However, it is a sliding scale. If you are in the 200 lb. range, and an aggressive rider that enjoys the twisties, then the Ultra-Bar may be for you. Riders in categories which increase sway-bar stress beyond this point will definitely get better results from the Ultra-Bar.
I'm OK with bling. But bling is not our primary purpose. We try to concentrate on function. So, before we released the Ultra-Bar, we sent prototypes to several riders who put a lot of miles on their Spyders every year. Owners who had been riding 2-up on the BajaRon Original Bar for at least 2 years. They were thrilled with the improvement in handling that they got from installing the Ultra-Bar. We also sent prototypes to some heavy single riders who, also having ridden extensively on the Original BajaRon Bar, reported the same results. Since then we've had hundreds of customers upgrade from the Original BajaRon Bar to the Ultra-Bar and much feedback (which we encourage, good or bad) helping us fine tune our advice. We do not try to upsell to the Ultra-Bar. But we do try to answer questions and give each one our best advise, then let them decide which way to go. If the Original Bar will do the job, why spend the extra money?
Answer to the OP's 'Clunk' issue.
This is a picture of the bushing in question. Yours will be Black and both the Original and the Ultra-Bar use the same bushings. This one is White because you can't see the important detail on a Black bushing. The important detail is the dimple at the point where the bushing bolt goes through the bushing. Slightly compressing the bushing at this point indicates a proper install. When we get pictures of a clunking bushing, the 2 sides of the slit are usually not touching at all. Blue Arrow = Sway Bar. Red Arrow = Bushing Bolt. White Arrow = Slit and where the compression dimple should appear at the bushing bolt location. You can also see the gap at the top mentioned in this thread.
We have experienced some issues with the 'Clunk'. With the exception of the OP, and possibly Taxmyzer, the problem has always been improper install. As a sideline. We seem to have more issues with dealership installs of these bar kits than we do with customer installs. But in the end, we've gotten everyone straightened out and happily on their way.
Concerning the sway bar, a clunk is due to a loose bushing. And a clink is due to a loose end link bolt. I don't know how well known this is because of the thousands of bars we sell each year, we get maybe 25 or 30 instances for all possible sway bar issues. Not just the clunk. Up until now, the solution and permanent cure has been to properly tighten the affected component. On rare occasion, it has been wrong components in the kit, and for this, I apologize. My feeling is that this will be the case with the OP's install. As for Taxmyzer, I thought we had that fixed. I will pursue that issue again now.
It was mentioned that the gap at the top of the bushing might be a design flaw and cause for the clunk. But we've been selling this bar and bushing configuration since 2013 with no issues beyond what I've already discussed. Not only that, but we've never had a bushing wear out (other than the rare occasion where the customer greased the bushing, attracting dirt and grit which eventually ate through the powder coating and wore the steel bar down). The bushings are self-lubricating. Never put anything on them. It can shorten their life.
The stock bushings are injection molded plastic and will wear and can deform in surprisingly short order. We've had Spyders come in with low mileage with this problem. I'll see if we still have a set that I can post pictures of here when I get back to the shop on Monday.
I am currently working with the OP to figure out exactly what is going on. I will get to the bottom of it and let everyone know the outcome and solution.
To be continued....
This post was not intended to answer all questions and I am more than happy to bore anyone interested with more technical information. You can always call the shop between 9am-5pm Eastern Time.
Have a Great Riding Season!
