BajaRon Sway Bar on a 2020 RT

[WilcoJunoHotel]

Just my 2 cents on the sway bar install and handling results.

Installation was pretty straightforward: Three small plastic panels on the underside are the only tupperware. The instructions are accurate except it took more than 18" of lift to get the old bar out and new one in - more like 24-25", and that was with the rear wheel on the floor.

My bike has less than 600 miles on it but those are mostly twisties miles. The improvement was pretty obvious from the get go: The constant shimmy ,wiggle or "hunting" (whatever you want to call it) just rolling down the road is gone completely. On the interstate in heavy traffic, at speeds up to 80, it tracks much better. Before the install, it felt like it was constantly wanting to dart left and right. This feeling was worse on the interstate and bumpy roads. Now it is very stable and I can easily take my hands off the bars without worrying about losing control. I don't think the handling aspects in the curves has been improved that much except for the fact that the shimmy is gone so it feels more direct and responsive in the tracking through the curve. Uneven pavement, bumps, etc. are not an issue now.

Very happy and probably the best $288 spent on a performance improvement.

 

[RayBJ]

Agreed! Tires are next and probably shocks after that.

 

[WilcoJunoHotel]

Agreed! Tires are next and probably shocks after that.

I'd be interested in what you decide on for tires and shocks.

I'm going to put a few hundred more miles on mine before I do anything more because it is already crazy good in the twisties. If I make it any better I could get myself in trouble.hyea:

 

[RayBJ]

Full disclosure, I just came off a 1200cc 2-wheeled sport tourer and I am a very spirited rider. I especially love hitting curves at speed (not a knee-dragger). I'm 74 but have the sense of a 20 Y/O when in the wind. That said, my switch to the Spyder has shown me that there's no way my RT can corner at the speeds I did them on my bike. The sway bar was a great improvement but the Kendra tires break loose when I try to keep up with my 2-wheel brethren. I have ~1500 miles (incl. 500 in WV mtns) on the OEMs and will toss them as soon as I know which of the 4 or 5 options fits my style. Lots of talk about mileage but no head to head comparison of cornering ability that I've found.
I need tires that will stick in lateral forces and are good in the rain above 60 mph. High mileage is not a critical factor for me even though I average 15-20k mi/yr.

If you haven't exceeded the Kendras abilities in corners yet, you are probably much saner than I and may need something other than what I'm looking for!

 

[Navydad]

Full disclosure, I just came off a 1200cc 2-wheeled sport tourer and I am a very spirited rider. I especially love hitting curves at speed (not a knee-dragger). I'm 74 but have the sense of a 20 Y/O when in the wind. That said, my switch to the Spyder has shown me that there's no way my RT can corner at the speeds I did them on my bike. The sway bar was a great improvement but the Kendra tires break loose when I try to keep up with my 2-wheel brethren. I have ~1500 miles (incl. 500 in WV mtns) on the OEMs and will toss them as soon as I know which of the 4 or 5 options fits my style. Lots of talk about mileage but no head to head comparison of cornering ability that I've found.
I need tires that will stick in lateral forces and are good in the rain above 60 mph. High mileage is not a critical factor for me even though I average 15-20k mi/yr.

If you haven't exceeded the Kendras abilities in corners yet, you are probably much saner than I and may need something other than what I'm looking for!

I too was/am a sport touring fan so I have an idea where you're coming from. Just about any car tires will be an improvement over the Kendas when it comes to pushing the Spyder hard in the twisties. I have Federals on front and a General Altimax on the rear. Nanny intervenes way before my tires become an issue. I do get the traction control light quite a bit when coming out of corners because of wheel spin under throttle, but then here comes that pesky Nanny again. With car tires, sway bar, and shock adjusters I get Nanny intervention a lot here in SE Ohio and over in WV. I could use a stickier tire on the rear for better traction coming out of the corners, but as far as handling my only complaint is Nanny kicking in before really necessary. Can I hit the twisties as fast as I can on my two wheeler? No, but my Spyder is much better now than it was off the showroom floor.

 

[MONK]

I need tires that will stick in lateral forces and are good in the rain above 60 mph. High mileage is not a critical factor for me...

I'm going to go with........yup, that's what I'd like, too. Sticky and good in the rain are more important than longevity although I can't afford something I'll have to change out every 5k miles, either. I'd be happy with a 10k mile tire that sticks like glue and does a super job in the rain. I just got my new RT (like less than 2 weeks ago) and I'm already thinking about swapping tires. Crazy but it is what it is. Couple hundred bucks for labor (I don't do my own work) and another couple hundred or so for new shoes. Altimas, Formosas, Vredsteins. I've heard good about all (3) brands although I've heard more good stuff about the Vredsteins.

/sigh/

 

[Jcummins]

Just my 2 cents on the sway bar install and handling results.

Installation was pretty straightforward: Three small plastic panels on the underside are the only tupperware. The instructions are accurate except it took more than 18" of lift to get the old bar out and new one in - more like 24-25", and that was with the rear wheel on the floor.

My bike has less than 600 miles on it but those are mostly twisties miles. The improvement was pretty obvious from the get go: The constant shimmy ,wiggle or "hunting" (whatever you want to call it) just rolling down the road is gone completely. On the interstate in heavy traffic, at speeds up to 80, it tracks much better. Before the install, it felt like it was constantly wanting to dart left and right. This feeling was worse on the interstate and bumpy roads. Now it is very stable and I can easily take my hands off the bars without worrying about losing control. I don't think the handling aspects in the curves has been improved that much except for the fact that the shimmy is gone so it feels more direct and responsive in the tracking through the curve. Uneven pavement, bumps, etc. are not an issue now.

Very happy and probably the best $288 spent on a performance improvement.

New to Spyders. Bought a, 2020 RTL with 900+ miles. Have driven 300+. I immediately noticed the "hunting" it was doing. I took it faster than normal on a somewhat rough secondary road and it was nervously floating around. Your post perfectly describes what I'm seeing. I'll be putting one on. Thanks for posting.

 

[ButterSmooth]

I keep looking for a Mountain/Snowflake traction tire in the right sizes. The softer compound would make sense for our lighter loading, at least to me.

 

[Jcummins]

After posting the above I got to thinking why is it that year after year BRP doesn't do something to improve the sway bars on these things it seems like everyone of a Can-Am benefit from an aftermarket sway bar you would think they would smarten up after a while

 

[PW2013STL]

I keep looking for a Mountain/Snowflake traction tire in the right sizes. The softer compound would make sense for our lighter loading, at least to me.

Here you go. Also available in 165/60-15 for the front.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...65HR5QT5&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

 

[ButterSmooth]

Here you go. Also available in 165/60-15 for the front.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...65HR5QT5&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

So, I bookmarked these and saved them for later in my cart. I really don't want problems with fit or fenders or I'd jump on them right now. Any experience with fit details?