2013 RT-L sway bars

[mclaw44]

I've seen a lot of talk and comments about sway bars and I'm trying to make sense of it. I got my 2013 RT-L Saturday and on the way home from the dealer and today coming home from work I was very uneasy. The bike was swaying back and forth at highway speed. I was assuming I needed sway bars but thought, doesn't it have them? So I guess that gets to my question. Do I need them or can I adjust what I have or do I have a problem I need to go back to the dealer with?

 

[NancysToy]

The Spyder does have an anti-swaybar. The aftermarket bar is just an upgrade. There are several possible reasons for your uneasy 2013. The first concern would be the ball joints. Check with your dealer to see if yours was on the recall list for these, and if so if the work was performed. The second worry would be inadequate toe-in. Some Spyders were shipped with toed out front wheels, which will make them wander badly. The dealer can perform an alignment using the new procedure outlined in a service bulletin. Finally, the rider is the usual cause of this issue. If you have not ridden a Spyder before, you will tend to overcontrol it. Keep a very light touch on the bars, and try to let the Spyder go down the road instead of trying to make small corrections constantly. The steering is very sensitive. If you are a converting motorcycle rider, you will also have a tendency to steer the wrong way at first. The Spyder steers instead of counterstyeers, and it takes a while to get that out of your head. Most of us have been there.

 

[bullant12]

You need to determine a couple of issues BEFORE you decide you need a sway bar... You have a brand new :spyder2: and if you don't have any experience with it, you can't determine what you need/don't need:

a) Ask the dealer if the ball joint replacement was done. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!! A few 2013 came out of the factory with smaller ball joints and that makes the :spyder2: sway more than it needs to. Talk to the manager if you keep hearing "yes it was done" because you want your machine to be fun from the start.

b) Like I said, if this is your 1st Spyder, you do not have any experience yet!!! You need to think fresh: this is not a motorcycle, so you do not need to grip the handlebars strongly (AKA the grip of death). Take your new baby to an open parking lot and practice curves, reverse and braking. It will take you a few hundred miles before you can get use to her handling.

c) after you have done all this and taken her to the roads (including interstate) then you decide if you need a sway bar nor not. The anti-sway bar is a modification, so it improves the way it sways, but doesn't fix the issue.

Other will surely chime on this, but this is my experience, and I have 12,000 miles logged on my previous :spyder2:.

 

[BajaRon]

You might want to check tire pressures. While this isn't usually a huge issue, it can add to the problem. Try 18~19 psi in the front and 28~30 psi in the rear. If you are 3 or 4 pounds below this amount the added pressure could help some.

 

[gorcutt]

My 2013 RT Ltd has the same problem, its in for an alignment now, hope this fixes it.

 

[mclaw44]

Great Info! and thru careful process of elimination

1. My RT-L is the 2nd Spyder Ive owned
2. never road anything else
3. already checked tire pressure

So that leaves camber or ball joint recall which has not been done, back to the dealer I go! Now for the disappointing part, from my first Spyder bought new at Middletown cycle in '09 and my second on Saturday I have never had but GREAT things to say and very happy with my dealer.....But they have really disappointed me, when I picked up the RT-L I was told about the recall and was told "its NO big deal and we will complete the recall on the ball joints on you first 600 mile check up" Well if thats the cause of the uneasy swaying of the Spyder well it is a big deal in book! Now if thats not the case I will need to eat crow. But Im 2.5 hours away from the dealer (which they know) and now I am going to have miss some family activities on Saturday to get it fixed if they will do it then! Hope for the best and I hope I am wrong and its camber. I will let you all know what I find. Thanks for the information to go to the dealer with knowledge

 

[bullant12]

Great Info! and thru careful process of elimination

1. My RT-L is the 2nd Spyder Ive owned
2. never road anything else
3. already checked tire pressure

So that leaves camber or ball joint recall which has not been done, back to the dealer I go! Now for the disappointing part, from my first Spyder bought new at Middletown cycle in '09 and my second on Saturday I have never had but GREAT things to say and very happy with my dealer.....But they have really disappointed me, when I picked up the RT-L I was told about the recall and was told "its NO big deal and we will complete the recall on the ball joints on you first 600 mile check up" Well if thats the cause of the uneasy swaying of the Spyder well it is a big deal in book! Now if thats not the case I will need to eat crow. But Im 2.5 hours away from the dealer (which they know) and now I am going to have miss some family activities on Saturday to get it fixed if they will do it then! Hope for the best and I hope I am wrong and its camber. I will let you all know what I find. Thanks for the information to go to the dealer with knowledge

I was told the same thing at my dealer, and my tech is BRP Spyder Certified. I had to call him every week to get my :spyder2: in until he finally caved. I took a 300 mile ride while it had the ball joint issue, but did not want to go on the interstate. Besides, if I am not mistaken, when the ball joint service bulletin was released, it was to be done to ALL Spyders BEFORE they left the showroom, so I'd give that dealer a piece of your mind.

 

[BajaRon]

Great Info! and thru careful process of elimination

1. My RT-L is the 2nd Spyder Ive owned
2. never road anything else
3. already checked tire pressure

So that leaves camber or ball joint recall which has not been done, back to the dealer I go! Now for the disappointing part, from my first Spyder bought new at Middletown cycle in '09 and my second on Saturday I have never had but GREAT things to say and very happy with my dealer.....But they have really disappointed me, when I picked up the RT-L I was told about the recall and was told "its NO big deal and we will complete the recall on the ball joints on you first 600 mile check up" Well if thats the cause of the uneasy swaying of the Spyder well it is a big deal in book! Now if thats not the case I will need to eat crow. But Im 2.5 hours away from the dealer (which they know) and now I am going to have miss some family activities on Saturday to get it fixed if they will do it then! Hope for the best and I hope I am wrong and its camber. I will let you all know what I find. Thanks for the information to go to the dealer with knowledge

Bad ball joints, bad alignment, bad shock or shocks. Could be any or all of these. You've eliminated the easy stuff and it's up to the dealer to get your ride right. It's not your fault that there is something wrong with your Spyder. It's their fault. It should never have gone out the door until it was right.

 

[diesel-dawg]

I just got my 2013 RT Limited a few weeks ago. I am transitioning from a Harley Tri glide to the Spyder. Different ride, but nicer. I drove it home and I had the same experience you did. Loosen up on the grips and don't fight the steering so much. Secondly, I up'd my rear suspension to highest level, and it handled so much differently. They say it takes a good 400-600 miles to get comfortable with the ride, which I believe. The 2013 has an upgraded suspension and stability system, so I would not start off by trying to add a sway bar...anyway, the sway bars advertised say they do not fit on the 2013 RT Limited...probably for a good reason. Let us know what you do, if anything. BTW, if you just got your RT Limited, then it probably has all of the ball joint issued resolved from the factory. They are required to make sure all recalls or changes are installed before they deliver a new spyder to the customer. Your VIN number can be checked by the dealer and he can tell you.

 

[Spyder Smyles]

My 2013 RT-S wandered all over the road when I hit between 55 and 60, as this was my first spyder I had no idea if this was normal or not. Then I read about the ball joint problem and brought my spyder in for the recall. What a difference changing out the ball joints made it is like ryding a whole new bike.

 

[GuitarPlayer]

When I purchased my 2013 RT-Ltd, I made sure to have the dealer replace the ball joints and check the alignment. I told him I wouldn't take delivery until they checked everything out. Well, they did a fine job. As long as I keep a light grip on the handlebars, my :spyder2: tracks very straight and handles very well at speeds well above 70 mph. This is now after having put 900 miles on my :spyder2:. I have no doubt that the handling problems have been fixed on my :spyder2:. I have no doubt that if you give the dealer a chance, your :spyder2: will too.

Tony

 

[mclaw44]

Update............

I got my RT-L back from the shop today with new ball joints and fresh alignment and she's like floating on a cloud! MUCH MUCH happier now! Thanks for your input another problem solved by Spyderlovers.


Thank you all

:bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

 

[MouthPiece]

Update............

I got my RT-L back from the shop today with new ball joints and fresh alignment and she's like floating on a cloud! MUCH MUCH happier now! Thanks for your input another problem solved by Spyderlovers.


Thank you all

:bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

And THANK YOU for getting back with us and letting us know the outcome. (there are many who don't and leave us hanging).

Hope you have as much fun on your spyder as I'm having on my 2013.

Chris

 

[StanProff]

Good to hear all is now well. :thumbup:

 

[Spacetrucker]

20 psi front and 30 psi rears works great if you are on a rt-s. weight makes it to jump around if you ar light weight rider lbs the and some to the front trunk it helps also.